Kathryn Ann Kingsley Books in Order [Updated March 2026]

Kathryn Ann Kingsley writes dark fantasy romance, gothic romance, and villain romance, but her catalog is easier to navigate than it first appears. The books do not all belong to one giant reading chain. Instead, they break into distinct series, with one especially important shadow-world lane running through Maze of Shadows, Deal of Shadows, and Web of Shadows.

For most readers, the best approach is not strict publication order across everything. It is better to pick a lane, stay inside that series, and only then move to another. If you want the most popular modern entry point, start with Harrow Faire. If you want the fae line, start with Maze of Shadows. If you want the newest active release path, start with Bloodlines or Vile & Virtue.

Quick answer: the best starting points

If you want one clean recommendation, start here:

Best overall starting series: Harrow Faire
Best fae starting series: Maze of Shadows
Best older complete series: The Masks of Under
Best vampire entry point: Immortal Soul
Best newest release lane: Bloodlines, then Vile & Virtue

The most important continuity rule is this: Web of Shadows sits after Maze of Shadows and Deal of Shadows in the same wider fae setting, even though it is designed to work as a standalone entry point.

The shadow-world reading path

If your main goal is to read Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s connected fae books in the smoothest order, use this route:

1. The Unseelie Prince (2021): A human woman is taken into a deadly fae realm and pulled into a dangerous bargain with the monstrous Valroy, beginning Kingsley’s best-known dark fae romance arc.
2. The Unseelie Crown (2021): The politics and danger of Tir n’Aill deepen as the central relationship grows darker, stranger, and more entangled with the court itself.
3. The Unseelie Throne (2021): The trilogy-scale tension keeps escalating as survival, devotion, and power become harder to separate.
4. The Unseelie King (2022): The Maze of Shadows arc reaches its main conclusion, finishing the central Valroy story.
5. The Unseelie Duke (2023): A new couple takes over in Deal of Shadows, expanding the same wider world without simply repeating the first series.
6. The Unseelie Wish (2024): The duology closes out its own romance while building the broader “Shadows” setting forward.
7. The Unseelie Exile (2025): This begins Web of Shadows, a later entry in the same wider universe that the author explicitly says can be read as a standalone starting point.
8. The Unseelie Court (2025): The political and romantic fallout widens as the series shifts into a new conflict built on exile, desire, and fae power.
9. The Unseelie War (2025): The trilogy ends with the largest-scale confrontation in this branch of the “Shadows” books.

That is the best recommended order for readers who want the full fae experience with the least confusion.

Kathryn Ann Kingsley books in order by series

Vile & Virtue

1. Vile & Virtue: The Beginning (2026): A metafictional villain romance about twin sisters dragged into Vile’s game of fiction, survival, and twisted attraction.
2. Vile & Virtue: The End (2026): The second book is scheduled to complete that story, carrying the game and its romantic danger to the finish.

This is the newest major series on the official site. It is not the best place to learn her whole catalog, but it is one of the clearest current-release entry points.

Bloodlines

1. The Serpent’s Bride (2025): A revenge-driven heroine infiltrates a vampire marriage plot and falls into a dangerously intimate connection with Raziel Nostrom instead.
2. The Serpent’s Sin (2026): The alliance with Raziel deepens as the heroine must survive inside the vampire family she meant to destroy.
3. The Serpent’s Throne (2026): The third book is the planned finish to the current Bloodlines arc, pushing the couple into open fallout and larger family war.

This is one of the active series to watch right now.

Web of Shadows

1. The Unseelie Exile (2025): Ava is dragged into a prison realm and into the orbit of Serrik, a fae exile whose cruelty and allure drive the story.
2. The Unseelie Court (2025): The romance and political danger intensify as the wider fae court becomes impossible to avoid.
3. The Unseelie War (2025): The trilogy finale raises the scale from survival and seduction to open conflict.

This series is the unusual one. It belongs after Maze of Shadows and Deal of Shadows in the wider setting, but it is also meant to work for new readers.

Deal of Shadows

1. The Unseelie Duke (2023): A new dark fae romance begins in the same wider world, shifting focus to a different central pair and a different kind of bargain.
2. The Unseelie Wish (2024): The duology closes with a sharper focus on deceit, desire, and the consequences of power inside Tir n’Aill.

Read this after Maze of Shadows for the smoothest continuity.

Maze of Shadows

1. The Unseelie Prince (2021): A deadly fae abduction romance that starts the most famous Kingsley villain-love story.
2. The Unseelie Crown (2021): The heroine is pushed deeper into court danger as love becomes inseparable from manipulation and survival.
3. The Unseelie Throne (2021): The central struggle grows larger and more brutal as the series leans fully into dark fae fantasy.
4. The Unseelie King (2022): The main saga resolves in a final clash of devotion, fate, and monstrous power.

For fae romance readers, this is still the best starting point.

The Iron Crystal

1. To Charm a Dark Prince (2023): A captive heroine and a dangerous prince collide in a fantasy romance built on pursuit, charm, and control.
2. To Bind a Dark Heart (2023): The second book deepens the bond and the danger as escape becomes more complicated than staying.
3. To Break a Dark Cage (2024): The trilogy concludes by forcing the romance to confront freedom, loyalty, and the cost of love.

This is a separate fantasy line, not part of the “Shadows” world.

Creature Feature

1. The Forgotten Phantom (2022): A gothic monster romance that plays with Phantom of the Opera imagery and turns performance-space haunting into obsessive love.
2. The Vengeful Vampire (2022): A second gothic horror romance, this time leaning into revenge, vampiric menace, and a darker old-world feel.

These are linked by concept more than by one continuous plot.

Tenebris

1. Of Visions & Secrets (2022): A darkness-soaked fantasy romance about forbidden power, unstable trust, and a heroine being drawn into something ancient and hungry.
2. Of Flesh & Bone (2022): The second book expands the mythology and raises the emotional and supernatural stakes together.
3. Of Grave & Glory (2022): The trilogy ends by forcing the series’ power struggles and romantic choices into open resolution.

Read this trilogy straight through.

Memento Mori

1. Kiss of the Necromancer (2021): Marguerite remembers dying again and again, beginning a dark necromancer romance built on memory, death, and identity.
2. Dreams of the Necromancer (2021): The second book turns memory into danger as the past becomes too powerful to leave buried.
3. Tale of the Necromancer (2021): The trilogy ends with the truth of Marguerite’s life and love finally coming into focus.

This is one of her cleaner complete fantasy trilogies.

Harrow Faire

1. The Contortionist (2020): Cora is pulled into a sinister carnival and into the orbit of Simon, one of Kingsley’s most famous villain heroes.
2. The Puppeteer (2020): The romance turns stranger and more dangerous as the carnival’s rules tighten around Cora.
3. The Clown (2020): What first looked theatrical becomes openly monstrous, and the emotional trap deepens with it.
4. The Ringmaster (2020): The series expands from intimate menace to larger conflict inside the Faire itself.
5. The Faire (2020): The main story reaches its conclusion, closing the central Cora and Simon arc.
6. The Astonishing Strande Brothers (2021, optional companion): A related extra for readers who want more background around the Strande line after the main series.

For many readers, this remains the single best first Kathryn Ann Kingsley series.

Immortal Soul

1. Heart of Dracula (2020): A gothic Dracula retelling that leans into dark romance, atmosphere, and a dangerous magnetic connection.
2. Curse of Dracula (2020): The duet closes by pushing that attraction into a more direct confrontation with vampiric fate and survival.

This is one of her most accessible two-book entry points.

The Impossible Julian Strande

1. Illusions of Grandeur (2020): A haunted-house style romance introduces Julian Strande, an illusionist whose obsession reaches beyond death.
2. Ghosts & Liars (2020): The duet resolves the central haunting and romance by moving from mystery into full supernatural confrontation.

This is a strong pick for readers who want gothic romance without a long commitment.

The Cardinal Winds

1. Steel Rose (2020): A dangerous commander and a heroine caught in his world begin a fantasy romance shaped by war, dominance, and uneasy trust.
2. Burning Hope (2020): The second book escalates the violence and intimacy, pairing emotional danger with military conflict.
3. Cursed Opal (2021): A darker secret-driven romance shifts the focus while staying inside the same fantasy framework.
4. Frozen Dawn (2022): The final book closes the series with vengeance, old grief, and hard-won romantic payoff.

This is a complete four-book fantasy romance sequence.

Halfway Between

1. Shadow of Angels (2019): A dark angel romance begins with death, rebirth, and a heroine caught between supernatural forces.
2. Blood of Angels (2020): The mythology expands as the heroine learns more about what she is and what the angels want from her.
3. Fall of Angels (2020): The trilogy ends with the hidden truths and loyalties of the earlier books finally breaking open.

This is one of Kingsley’s earlier complete series and should be read in order.

Fall of Under

1. Mask of Poison (2021): A new trilogy set in the Under world begins with dangerous court politics and a heroine forced into a lethal role.
2. Grave of Words (2021): The second book widens the conflict and deepens the relationship tensions that power the series.
3. Ruin of Fate (2021): The trilogy concludes by bringing fate, power, and romance into one final collision.

Read this only after The Masks of Under if you want the world to land properly.

The Masks of Under

1. King of Flames (2019): This starts one of Kingsley’s foundational fantasy worlds, throwing the heroine into a realm of dangerous rulers and shifting allegiances.
2. King of Shadows (2019): The heroine is pulled deeper into Under, where attraction and survival both become harder to navigate.
3. Queen of Dreams (2019): The scope widens as the politics of Under become impossible to avoid.
4. King of Blood (2019): The emotional and magical stakes rise sharply as older truths surface.
5. King of None (2019): The story turns toward endgame, with loyalty and identity under maximum pressure.
6. Queen of All (2019): The main Under saga concludes here.

This is the right place to begin if you want an earlier full fantasy binge.

Recommended reading order for most readers

If you do not want the entire bibliography in exact release order, this is the best practical route:

1. The Contortionist
2. The Puppeteer
3. The Clown
4. The Ringmaster
5. The Faire
6. The Unseelie Prince
7. The Unseelie Crown
8. The Unseelie Throne
9. The Unseelie King
10. The Unseelie Duke
11. The Unseelie Wish
12. The Unseelie Exile
13. The Unseelie Court
14. The Unseelie War
15. Then move to whichever separate series appeals most: Immortal Soul, The Impossible Julian Strande, Memento Mori, or The Masks of Under

That order works because it starts with the most widely recommended entry point, then moves into the connected fae lane, then leaves the separate series for later.

Does order matter?

Yes, but mostly within each series.

The clearest rules are:

Read Harrow Faire in order.
Read Maze of Shadows, then Deal of Shadows, then Web of Shadows if you want the full fae continuity.
Read The Masks of Under before Fall of Under.
Read Bloodlines, Memento Mori, Tenebris, The Iron Crystal, Halfway Between, and The Cardinal Winds strictly in sequence.
Treat Creature Feature, Immortal Soul, and The Impossible Julian Strande as separate entry points.

Latest release status

As of March 14, 2026, the newest confirmed Kathryn Ann Kingsley release is Vile & Virtue: The Beginning, which the author’s site lists for March 10, 2026. The next scheduled books currently shown are Vile & Virtue: The End and The Serpent’s Throne, while the site also says His Clockwork Heart and Flowers in Hell are still in development rather than on a fixed release date.

FAQ

What is the best Kathryn Ann Kingsley series to start with?

Harrow Faire is the best overall starting point for most readers.

What is the right order for the Unseelie books?

Read Maze of Shadows first, then Deal of Shadows, then Web of Shadows.

Do you need to read Web of Shadows after Maze of Shadows?

Not strictly. The author describes it as a standalone entry point, but it still takes place later in that wider continuity.

What should you read before Fall of Under?

Read The Masks of Under first.

Which Kathryn Ann Kingsley series are shortest?

Immortal Soul, The Impossible Julian Strande, Deal of Shadows, and Creature Feature are among the easiest shorter entry points.

Final recommendation

For most readers, start with Harrow Faire if you want the most reliable first hit of Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s style. Start with The Unseelie Prince if you came specifically for dark fae romance. Start with Heart of Dracula or Illusions of Grandeur if you want something shorter and more gothic.

And if your goal is to follow the newest releases as they happen, the current active path is The Serpent’s Bride, The Serpent’s Sin, Vile & Virtue: The Beginning, then the upcoming Vile & Virtue: The End and The Serpent’s Throne. The series list and upcoming release timing above are supported across Kingsley’s official site, Goodreads series pages, and Fantastic Fiction’s current bibliography.