Chloe Neill Books in Order (Updated April 22, 2026)

With Chloe Neill, the first choice is not really about chronology. It is about which lane you want to enter.

Most readers start with Chicagoland Vampires, because it is the foundation series and because Heirs of Chicagoland is a spinoff that grows out of it. Everything else, including The Dark Elite, Devil’s Isle, Captain Kit Brightling, and Souls Burn Brightest, can be read as separate continuities.

Quick answer

If you are new to Chloe Neill, begin with Some Girls Bite.

If you want the main body of her work in the most natural order, read:

1. Chicagoland Vampires
2. Heirs of Chicagoland
3. The Dark Elite
4. Devil’s Isle
5. Captain Kit Brightling
6. Souls Burn Brightest

That order is not about shared timeline across every series. It simply keeps the Chicago vampire world together first, then moves outward into the unrelated series.

Where to start, depending on what you want

• Choose Some Girls Bite if you want her signature urban fantasy series.
• Choose Firespell if you want YA paranormal fantasy.
• Choose The Veil if you want post-apocalyptic New Orleans fantasy.
• Choose The Bright and Breaking Sea if you want fantasy with naval adventure and a different tonal register.
• Choose Ember Eternal if you want the newest romantasy entry point.

Chloe Neill books in order

Chicagoland Vampires

This is the core series and the best place for most readers to begin. The main novels should be read in numbered order, with the shorter works treated as optional extras unless you want every side step.

1. Some Girls Bite (2009): Merit is turned into a vampire against her will, and the series begins by throwing her into Chicago’s House politics, supernatural rules, and the central alliances that drive the books.
2. Friday Night Bites (2009): The second novel widens the fallout from Merit’s transformation and starts showing how public pressure and House loyalty shape the larger series.
3. Twice Bitten (2010): Merit’s place in the vampire world becomes more complicated here, and the series starts leaning harder into political tension alongside the romance arc.
4. Hard Bitten (2011): This is one of the major turning-point books, pushing the personal stakes much higher and changing the emotional balance of the series.
5. Drink Deep (2011): The aftermath matters here, and the novel works as a recovery-and-realignment book before the story expands again.
6. Biting Cold (2012): The series shifts into a more dangerous and uncertain phase, with Merit forced to work from a weaker position than before.
7. House Rules (2013): Power struggles move closer to the center, and the novel focuses heavily on leadership, responsibility, and shifting supernatural alliances.
8. Biting Bad (2013): This entry keeps the Chicago instability rising and sets up several of the later optional and side pieces around Luc and Lindsey.
9. High Stakes (2013, short story, optional): This shorter piece focuses on Luc and Lindsey, adding side-character texture rather than advancing Merit’s core plot in a major way.
10. Howling For You (2014, novella, optional): Another Luc-and-Lindsey story, this works best as a companion read after Biting Bad if you want more from the supporting cast.
11. Wild Things (2014): The scale expands beyond the immediate House setting, and the series begins to feel broader in geography and consequence.
12. Blood Games (2014): Merit is pulled into another high-pressure supernatural conflict, and the book keeps the late-series momentum moving without resetting the board.
13. Lucky Break (2015, novella, optional): This short work fits between main novels and is best treated as extra character material rather than required plot architecture.
14. Dark Debt (2015): The series turns more heavily toward old power, old loyalties, and the cost of previous choices.
15. Midnight Bites (2015, collection, optional): This is a story collection rather than a mainline novel, useful for completists but not necessary to follow the central arc.
16. Midnight Marked (2016): The penultimate stage of the series pulls past events and present threats together in a more endgame-shaped way.
17. Phantom Kiss (2017, novella, optional): This shorter work sits near the end of the series and is best read as additional world and character material.
18. Blade Bound (2017): The final main Chicagoland Vampires novel closes Merit’s central run and is the right stopping point before moving into the spinoff series.
19. Slaying It (2018, novella, optional): This post-finale novella is best read after Blade Bound, since it functions as bonus material rather than part of the main buildup.

Heirs of Chicagoland

This series is a true spinoff, not a substitute starting point. It follows Elisa Sullivan and works best after the full Chicagoland Vampires run, because the premise already assumes familiarity with that world and its legacy characters. Official FAQ material identifies Cold Curses as the series finale.

1. Wild Hunger (2018): Elisa takes over as the lead here, and the book is built to launch the next generation of Chicago supernatural politics.
2. Wicked Hour (2019): The second novel deepens Elisa’s role and keeps the spinoff tied to the inherited tensions of the original series.
3. Shadowed Steel (2021): This is the point where the series feels fully settled into its own identity rather than simply echoing Chicagoland Vampires.
4. Heroic Hearts (2022, anthology contribution, optional): Chloe Neill’s contribution is associated with this sequence, but the anthology itself is not a required stop for the main Elisa storyline.
5. Devouring Darkness (2022): The later-series conflict becomes more pressing here, and the book pushes Elisa into a broader magical and political role.
6. Cold Curses (2023): This is the capstone of the Heirs sequence and the current endpoint of the Chicago vampire branch.

The Dark Elite

This is a separate YA trilogy. It does not need any connection to the Chicago vampire books, so it can be read whenever you want a clean side branch. Official site materials describe it as a three-book series.

1. Firespell (2010): Lily Parker arrives at St. Sophia’s and discovers the school’s hidden magical structure, making this a classic portal-into-secret-world opener.
2. Hexbound (2011): The second book turns the initial magical discovery into a more active conflict, with the rules of the world becoming much less abstract.
3. Charmfall (2012): The trilogy closes by bringing Lily’s school, friendships, and magical obligations into one final confrontation.

Devil’s Isle

This is another separate continuity, set in a different world and tone from Chicagoland Vampires. Read it in order, but do not worry about fitting it into any larger franchise map.

1. The Veil (2015): The series opens in post-war New Orleans, where the magical barrier between worlds has changed daily life and created a very different supernatural setup.
2. The Sight (2016): The second book expands the danger and develops the consequences of the world established in The Veil.
3. The Hunt (2017): The conflict becomes more active and pursuit-driven here, with the series moving toward a more urgent middle-to-late stage.
4. The Beyond (2019): This final Devil’s Isle novel works as the current resolution point for the sequence.

Captain Kit Brightling

This is a compact fantasy duology and one of the easiest Chloe Neill entry points if you do not want urban fantasy first.

1. The Bright and Breaking Sea (2020): Kit Brightling’s story begins with naval fantasy, magic, and wartime momentum rather than vampire politics, giving this series a very different feel from Neill’s earlier work.
2. A Swift and Savage Tide (2021): The second book completes the duology and delivers the payoff to the worldbuilding and conflict introduced in book one.

Souls Burn Brightest

This is currently the newest Chloe Neill series and, at present, the shortest commitment.

• Ember Eternal (2025): This romantasy opener introduces a new heroine, a new world, and a fresh starting point for readers who want the latest branch of Neill’s work rather than the backlist first.

Recommended reading order

For most readers, this is the most practical path:

1. Some Girls Bite (2009): Start here for the strongest introduction to Chloe Neill’s main series world.
2. Friday Night Bites (2009): Continue immediately to preserve the early Merit arc.
3. Twice Bitten (2010): Read third as the politics and relationships begin to lock together.
4. Hard Bitten (2011): This is an important turning point and should not be skipped.
5. Drink Deep (2011): Read next for the aftermath and repositioning it provides.
6. Biting Cold (2012): The series depends on the accumulated pressure by this stage.
7. House Rules (2013): Continue in order as leadership and House politics move forward.
8. Biting Bad (2013): This holds the line before the optional side stories.
9. High Stakes (2013, optional): Read here if you want the Luc and Lindsey side material in place.
10. Howling For You (2014, optional): This fits naturally here as an optional companion piece.
11. Wild Things (2014): Return to the main novels here.
12. Blood Games (2014): Keep the mainline momentum going.
13. Lucky Break (2015, optional): Insert here only if you want the extra novella material.
14. Dark Debt (2015): Continue with the main arc.
15. Midnight Marked (2016): Read before the endgame books.
16. Phantom Kiss (2017, optional): Add here for the late-series extra.
17. Blade Bound (2017): Finish the main Chicagoland Vampires arc here.
18. Slaying It (2018, optional): Read after Blade Bound as a post-finale extra.
19. Wild Hunger (2018): Only now move into Heirs of Chicagoland.
20. Wicked Hour (2019): Continue Elisa’s series in order.
21. Shadowed Steel (2021): Stay with the spinoff until it finds its own footing.
22. Devouring Darkness (2022): Continue the main Heirs sequence.
23. Cold Curses (2023): Finish the Chicago vampire branch here.
24. Firespell (2010): Then shift to The Dark Elite if you want a YA track.
25. Hexbound (2011): Read second in trilogy order.
26. Charmfall (2012): Complete the trilogy.
27. The Veil (2015): Start Devil’s Isle as a fresh continuity.
28. The Sight (2016): Continue in order.
29. The Hunt (2017): Read third.
30. The Beyond (2019): Finish the Devil’s Isle series.
31. The Bright and Breaking Sea (2020): Start Captain Kit Brightling.
32. A Swift and Savage Tide (2021): Finish the duology.
33. Ember Eternal (2025): End with the newest series starter.

Publication order or chronological order?

For Chloe Neill, publication order is usually the best order, especially in the Chicago books.

That is because the reveals, character handoffs, and world assumptions are built to unfold in sequence. Heirs of Chicagoland in particular makes more sense after Chicagoland Vampires, not before, because it is explicitly presented as a spinoff.

Do the shorter works matter?

Only sometimes.

If you want the cleanest experience, read the main novels only and treat High Stakes, Howling For You, Lucky Break, Phantom Kiss, Slaying It, Midnight Bites, and the Heroic Hearts contribution as optional. They add character texture and side material, but the main continuity can still be followed without them.

Latest release status

The most recent Chloe Neill novel currently listed is Ember Eternal (2025), the first book in Souls Burn Brightest. Search results also show a 2026 anthology appearance, The Hopeless Romantic’s Guide to Enchantment, but that is not a Chloe Neill solo series novel and should be treated separately from her main reading order.

FAQs

What is the first Chloe Neill book to read?

Some Girls Bite (2009): It opens the signature series and gives you the strongest foundation for the later spinoff.

Do I need to read Chicagoland Vampires before Heirs of Chicagoland?

Yes. Heirs of Chicagoland is a spinoff, so it is better after the full Merit series.

Is Devil’s Isle connected to Chicagoland Vampires?

No. It is a separate series and can be read on its own.

Which Chloe Neill series is finished?

Current official and catalog sources indicate Heirs of Chicagoland ends with Cold Curses, The Dark Elite is a three-book trilogy, Devil’s Isle has four books, and Captain Kit Brightling has two books. Souls Burn Brightest currently has one published book.

Final recommendation

Start with Some Girls Bite (2009): It is still the right entry point because it opens Chloe Neill’s most important world, establishes the tone readers most associate with her, and sets up the later handoff to Heirs of Chicagoland.

After that, stay in publication order through Blade Bound, move into Heirs of Chicagoland, and then branch into the unrelated series based on mood rather than chronology.