Kalyn Josephson Books in Order (Updated March 10, 2026)

Kalyn Josephson’s bibliography falls into four clean lanes: one YA duology, one YA duology with a darker competition setup, one middle grade series, and newer standalone projects in middle grade and adult fantasy. The key thing is that these are separate continuities. You do not need one author-wide master order. You need the right order inside each project.

For most readers, the natural starting points are easy to sort by taste. Start with The Storm Crow for YA fantasy with political stakes and elemental crow magic. Start with Ravenfall for middle grade supernatural adventure. Start with This Dark Descent if you want a more dangerous YA fantasy built around a brutal magical race. And start with The Grimlore Game only if you specifically want a standalone middle grade mystery-fantasy rather than a series.

The useful order, not the overwhelming one

The Storm Crow duology

1. The Storm Crow (2019): Princess Anthia is left grieving after the empire destroys Rhodaire’s magical crows, and the book begins the series’ central fight to restore both the kingdom and Thia’s own sense of agency.
2. The Crow Rider (2020): Thia moves from survival into rebellion, with Res’s unstable magic and the approaching war pushing the duology toward its full political and emotional payoff.

This Dark Descent duology

1. This Dark Descent (2023): Mikira enters the Illinir, a deadly horse race bound up with forbidden magic and revenge, giving the duology its sharpest hook right away: winning matters, but so does uncovering the deeper corruption around the race itself.
2. Our Deadly Designs (2024): The race may be over, but the fight for Enderlain’s future widens into a hunt for the lost heir, turning the second book into a larger battle over power, loyalty, and what survives after ambition breaks a kingdom open.

Ravenfall series

1. Ravenfall (2022/2023): Anna Ballinkay, whose only psychic gift is foreseeing death, teams up with Colin to protect the magical Ravenfall Inn from an ancient Celtic threat, setting up the found-family and Otherworld stakes for the whole series.
2. Hollowthorn (2023): Anna and Colin must venture beyond the veil to protect the Tree of Life, so this is not a side adventure but a direct sequel that expands both the Jewish magic and the danger around Ravenfall itself.
3. Witchwood (2024): A trip to the magical town of Witchwood becomes a missing-witches mystery, while Anna’s family connections and identity as a witch push the series into more personal territory.
4. Ravenguard (2025): The final Ravenfall book turns the focus back onto the inn as supernatural beings are found drained of magic, closing the series with its biggest direct threat to Ravenfall itself.

Middle grade standalone

The Grimlore Game (2025): Orphan Kit Devlin arrives at a cursed Scottish manor expecting inheritance drama and finds a magical riddle game instead, making this the cleanest standalone entry point in Josephson’s middle grade work.

Adult fantasy

The Library of Amorlin (2026): Kasira, a former con artist forced into service, infiltrates a politically neutral magical library full of beasts and secrets, opening Josephson’s first adult fantasy line with a slower-burn mix of espionage, creatures, and romantic tension.

Which order actually makes sense?

The clean answer is to read by shelf, not by calendar.

If you want YA fantasy, read:

1. The Storm Crow
2. The Crow Rider
3. This Dark Descent
4. Our Deadly Designs

If you want middle grade fantasy, read:

1. Ravenfall
2. Hollowthorn
3. Witchwood
4. Ravenguard
5. The Grimlore Game

If you want adult fantasy, read:

The Library of Amorlin

That works better than a strict publication-only order because the projects do not depend on one another. The only places where order really matters are inside the two duologies and the Ravenfall series.

Best starting point by reader type

Start with The Storm Crow if you want the most traditional YA fantasy entry point. It is still the best first stop for readers looking for kingdoms, rebellion, grief, and magical creatures tied directly to the fate of a nation.

Start with Ravenfall if you want the strongest middle grade gateway. It introduces the Ravenfall Inn, Anna’s gift, Colin’s hidden connection to the supernatural world, and the series’ Halloween-tinted atmosphere in the intended order.

Start with This Dark Descent if you want a sharper, darker YA hook. The magical race premise makes it the most immediately high-pressure opening in Josephson’s YA work.

Start with The Grimlore Game only if you specifically want one book and done. It is the best fit for readers who like puzzles, curses, Gothic estates, and a self-contained middle grade story.

Do any of the series connect?

No shared continuity has been established across The Storm Crow, This Dark Descent, Ravenfall, The Grimlore Game, and The Library of Amorlin. They are grouped on the author’s site as separate projects, and the publisher listings also present them as distinct series or standalone works rather than one ongoing universe.

That means the only spoiler-sensitive reading rules are internal ones:

• read The Crow Rider after The Storm Crow
• read Our Deadly Designs after This Dark Descent
• read the Ravenfall books in order from Ravenfall through Ravenguard

Latest release status

The most recent published Kalyn Josephson book I confirmed is The Grimlore Game in 2025. The most recent Ravenfall novel is Ravenguard, published in September 2025 and presented as the fourth and final book in that series. The Library of Amorlin is the upcoming adult fantasy release and is also identified by Kensington as the opening book in The Age of Beasts.

FAQ

What is the best Kalyn Josephson book to start with?

For most YA fantasy readers, start with The Storm Crow. For middle grade readers, start with Ravenfall.

Is Ravenfall a series or a standalone?

It is a series, currently running Ravenfall, Hollowthorn, Witchwood, and Ravenguard.

Is This Dark Descent connected to The Storm Crow?

No. They are separate YA fantasy duologies.

Is The Grimlore Game part of Ravenfall?

No. It is listed separately from the Ravenfall series and works as its own standalone middle grade book.

What is Kalyn Josephson’s newest upcoming book?

Among the upcoming titles I confirmed, it is The Library of Amorlin, her first adult fantasy novel.