Amanda Foody Books in Order (Updated March 10, 2026)

Amanda Foody’s catalog is easiest to read when you stop treating it like one long shelf. She has a completed dark YA fantasy trilogy, a completed co-authored YA duology, a long-running middle grade fantasy series, a newer co-authored duology in progress, and a couple of standalones. None of those lines depend on each other, so the right starting point depends on what kind of read you want.

If you want her signature solo YA fantasy, begin with Ace of Shades. If you want the strongest co-authored entry, start with All of Us Villains. If you want middle grade adventure, start with The Accidental Apprentice.

Pick your lane first

For a finished Amanda Foody solo series

Read The Shadow Game trilogy.

1. Ace of Shades (2018): Enne Salta goes looking for her missing mother in the City of Sin and gets pulled into gangs, casinos, street politics, and the city’s brutal survival games.
2. King of Fools (2019): Levi and Enne try to hold power in New Reynes while rival factions, public spectacle, and personal secrets make the city even more dangerous.
3. Queen of Volts (2020): The trilogy closes with one last deadly game, forcing the major players of New Reynes into open conflict and final choices about power and loyalty.

This is the best place to start if you want Amanda Foody at full YA-fantasy intensity. It is also the clearest completed solo arc in her backlist.

For a finished co-authored YA fantasy

Read All of Us Villains with C. L. Herman.

1. All of Us Villains (2021): Seven families send champions into a televised death tournament for control of high magick, turning old bloodlines into a modern, vicious spectacle.
2. All of Our Demise (2022): The tournament begins to break apart, alliances fracture, and the duology shifts from competition to collapse, with no clean way out for the surviving champions.

This is the cleanest Amanda Foody path if you want a finished co-written fantasy with high stakes from page one.

For middle grade fantasy adventure

Read Wilderlore.

1. The Accidental Apprentice (2021): Barclay Thorne accidentally bonds with a Beast and is forced into a new life among Lore Keepers, where the world opens up far beyond the rules of his hometown.
2. The Weeping Tide (2022): Barclay and his friends head to the Sea, where a strange algae bloom, rampaging Beasts, and a larger mystery push the series outward.
3. The Ever Storms (2023): A magical symposium in the Desert turns dangerous when unnatural sandstorms and an impossible library point to deeper instability in the wider world.
4. The Night Compass (2024): Barclay’s journey continues into the Tundra, where the series grows larger in scope and more directly tied to the central long-term conflict.
5. The Traitor’s Gambit (2026): The story moves to the Jungle, with Barclay confronting the consequences of wild Lore and the growing threat posed by Audrian Keyes.

This is the right starting point for younger readers or anyone who wants Foody’s most expansive worldbuilding. It is not finished yet, so read it knowing the larger series is still unfolding.

For the newest co-authored fantasy line

Read A Fate So Cold with C. L. Herman.

1. A Fate So Cold (2025): Two chosen ones are pushed into a story of destiny, duty, and impossible choice, with romance and catastrophe pulling in opposite directions.
2. A Destiny So Cruel (2026): The planned finale continues that duology and is positioned as the payoff to the first book’s central emotional and world-level conflict.

This is the newest YA lane in her catalog. It is best saved until you are comfortable starting an unfinished duology.

The standalones

1. Daughter of the Burning City (2017): Sorina, an illusion-worker in the Gomorrah Festival, investigates a murder that should be impossible when one of her own illusions is killed.

This remains the clearest Amanda Foody standalone. It is self-contained and works well if you want her voice without committing to a series.

Best reading orders, depending on what you want

Best for most new readers

1. Ace of Shades (2018): The strongest first stop for her solo YA fantasy.
2. King of Fools (2019): Continue immediately, because the city politics and character arcs build directly.
3. Queen of Volts (2020): Finish the trilogy while the threads are still fresh.
4. All of Us Villains (2021): Then move to her best-known co-authored fantasy.
5. All of Our Demise (2022): Finish that duology before switching modes again.
6. Daughter of the Burning City (2017): Use the standalone as a clean break after the completed series.

Best if you want only completed series

1. Ace of Shades (2018)
2. King of Fools (2019)
3. Queen of Volts (2020)
4. All of Us Villains (2021)
5. All of Our Demise (2022)

That gives you the most complete Amanda Foody experience without stepping into ongoing work.

Best if you are buying for younger readers

1. The Accidental Apprentice (2021): The natural entry point to Wilderlore.
2. The Weeping Tide (2022): Read second, because the world and friendships carry forward.
3. The Ever Storms (2023): The series deepens here rather than resetting.
4. The Night Compass (2024): Read fourth.
5. The Traitor’s Gambit (2026): Continue once available.

Complete Amanda Foody books in publication order

1. Daughter of the Burning City (2017): A dark carnival fantasy murder mystery centered on Sorina and her illusion-made family.
2. Ace of Shades (2018): The opening move in the New Reynes trilogy, where casinos, gangs, and status games define survival.
3. King of Fools (2019): The middle Shadow Game book, widening the city war and raising the personal cost.
4. Queen of Volts (2020): The Shadow Game finale, bringing New Reynes to its breaking point.
5. The Accidental Apprentice (2021): The middle grade launch of Wilderlore and Barclay Thorne’s first Beast-bonding adventure.
6. All of Us Villains (2021, with C. L. Herman): A death-tournament fantasy built around cursed bloodlines and public spectacle.
7. The Weeping Tide (2022): Wilderlore book two, moving the adventure to the Sea.
8. All of Our Demise (2022, with C. L. Herman): The Villains duology finale, where the tournament itself starts to fail.
9. The Ever Storms (2023): Wilderlore book three, set around the Desert and the Symposium.
10. The Night Compass (2024): Wilderlore book four, continuing Barclay’s journey into the Tundra.
11. A Fate So Cold (2025, with C. L. Herman): The first book in a newer co-authored duology about destiny and impossible love.
12. The Traitor’s Gambit (2026): Wilderlore book five, taking the series into the Jungle.
13. A Destiny So Cruel (2026, with C. L. Herman): The announced second A Fate So Cold book and planned duology finale.

Do Amanda Foody’s books need to be read in order?

Only within each series.

You should read The Shadow Game in order, because the politics and character turns build directly from book to book. The same is true for All of Us Villains, Wilderlore, and A Fate So Cold. But there is no master Amanda Foody universe order connecting those different lines.

Where should most readers begin?

Ace of Shades is the safest answer. It is a complete trilogy opener, it shows Foody’s talent for elaborate fantasy settings and morally messy characters, and it does not leave you waiting on future books.

All of Us Villains is the better answer if you already know you want a co-authored duology with a more overt competition structure.

The Accidental Apprentice is the right answer for younger readers, classrooms, or anyone who wants the gentlest on-ramp into her fantasy work.

Latest release status

The newest Amanda Foody book already published is A Fate So Cold (2025) if you are tracking all formats of her YA work, while The Traitor’s Gambit is the next Wilderlore release and is scheduled for May 12, 2026. Her official FAQ says Wilderlore is planned as a seven-book series, and her site also confirms A Destiny So Cruel for November 10, 2026. That means both her middle grade line and her newest co-authored YA duology are still active.

FAQ

What is Amanda Foody’s first book?

Daughter of the Burning City (2017). It is her debut and still her main standalone.

What is Amanda Foody’s best-known series?

That depends on audience. The Shadow Game is the clearest answer for her solo YA fantasy, while Wilderlore is the broadest ongoing series and her best-known middle grade line.

Is All of Us Villains finished?

Yes. It is a completed duology with All of Us Villains and All of Our Demise.

Is Wilderlore finished?

No. Amanda Foody’s official FAQ says the series is planned for seven books, and book five is the next confirmed release.

What should I read first if I do not want an ongoing series?

Read Ace of Shades if you want a finished trilogy, or Daughter of the Burning City if you want a true standalone.