Julie Kagawa Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Julie Kagawa’s bibliography is easiest to navigate if you separate it into lanes. One lane is The Iron Fey, which then branches into Call of the Forgotten and later Evenfall.

The other lanes are fully separate worlds: vampires, dragons, Japanese-inspired fantasy, Disney adventure, and newer standalone or tie-in work.

One-page answer

For most readers, the cleanest entry is The Iron King because it opens her signature universe and leads to the largest connected run of books.

If you want a finished non-Fey trilogy, choose Shadow of the Fox.

If you want a completed dystopian trilogy, choose The Immortal Rules.

If you want her newest solo fantasy world, start with Fateless.

The order that causes the fewest problems

Read The Iron Fey in publication order, add the Iron Fey novellas in their natural gaps, then continue into Call of the Forgotten, and only then move to Evenfall. That preserves reveals, family relationships, and the payoff around Keirran, Ethan, Meghan, Ash, and Puck.

Everything outside the Iron Fey line can be read separately.

Julie Kagawa books in publication order by series

The Iron Fey core novels

1. The Iron King (2010): Meghan Chase discovers that her life has always been tied to Faery, and the book lays down the courts, the Iron threat, and the Ash-Puck-Meghan triangle that the later books keep building on.
2. The Iron Daughter (2010): Meghan is pulled deeper into court politics and the coming war, making this a direct continuation rather than a fresh starting point.
3. The Iron Queen (2011): The original Meghan arc reaches its major turning point as the conflict with the Iron Fey finally erupts at full scale.
4. The Iron Knight (2011): Ash takes center stage in a quest novel that closes the first major era of the series and should be saved until after the first three books.

Iron Fey novellas and collections

5. Winter’s Passage (2010): A bridge story set between The Iron King and The Iron Daughter, following Meghan and Ash on a dangerous journey that fits best in that exact slot.
6. Summer’s Crossing (2011): A Puck-and-Ash novella that adds character texture and works best after The Iron Queen and before The Iron Knight.
7. Iron’s Prophecy (2012): A later novella tied to Meghan, Ash, and the prophecy around their child, best read after The Iron Knight.
8. The Iron Legends (2012): A print collection gathering Winter’s Passage, Summer’s Crossing, and Iron’s Prophecy, useful if you want the novellas in one place rather than separately.

The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten

9. The Lost Prince (2012): Ethan Chase takes over as lead, and the series shifts into the next generation while still relying on what the original quartet already established.
10. The Iron Traitor (2013): Ethan’s story deepens, Keirran’s choices become more central, and the spin-off starts showing why it is not separate in continuity even though it has a new lead.
11. The Iron Warrior (2015): The Call of the Forgotten arc reaches its payoff, and it lands best when read as the end of this three-book branch, not as a detached extra.

The Iron Fey: Evenfall

12. The Iron Raven (2021): Puck finally gets a lead role in a new trilogy that returns to the larger Iron Fey cast, so it works best after both the original series and Call of the Forgotten.
13. The Iron Sword (2022): Ash takes the foreground again as the Evenfall threat grows, and the book assumes you already know the long history behind these characters.
14. The Iron Vow (2023): The Evenfall trilogy closes the current major Iron Fey storyline and is the proper stopping point for readers who want the fullest Fey readthrough now.

The Blood of Eden

1. The Immortal Rules (2012): Allison Sekemoto becomes a vampire in a ruined world, opening Kagawa’s dystopian trilogy with a survival story that is much darker than The Iron Fey.
2. The Eternity Cure (2013): Allie’s journey widens from survival into pursuit, plague, and shifting loyalties, so it should be read straight after book one.
3. The Forever Song (2014): The trilogy concludes with revenge, final choices, and the last stage of Allie’s human-versus-monster conflict.

Blood of Eden-related extra

4. Dawn of Eden (2013): A prequel novella set before The Immortal Rules, usually found in the anthology ’Til the World Ends, and best treated as optional background rather than a starting point.

The Talon Saga

1. Talon (2014): Ember and Dante Hill enter a hidden dragon society, beginning Kagawa’s dragon series with divided loyalties already built into the premise.
2. Rogue (2015): Ember breaks away from Talon, and the conflict between dragons, rogues, and St. George becomes much more personal.
3. Soldier (2016): The middle of the series broadens the war and pushes Garrett and Ember into more dangerous territory.
4. Legion (2017): The alliances keep shifting, and the series moves toward endgame stakes across both sides of the conflict.
5. Inferno (2018): The Talon arc finishes here, so there is no real reason to read this series out of order.

Shadow of the Fox trilogy

1. Shadow of the Fox (2018): Yumeko and Tatsumi begin a quest across Iwagoto, and the book introduces the scroll, the dragon wish, and the central deception that powers the trilogy.
2. Soul of the Sword (2019): The story turns darker after the ending of book one, with possession and pursuit reshaping the group’s mission.
3. Night of the Dragon (2020): The trilogy closes the scroll-and-dragon storyline and should be kept for last because it pays off both the worldbuilding and the character bonds.

The Society of Explorers and Adventurers

1. Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl (2022): A middle grade adventure that brings Disney’s S.E.A. lore into a modern quest story with magic, artifacts, and a secret society framework.
2. Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm (2023): The second book expands Shinji’s powers and raises the stakes from discovery to large-scale disaster.

Storm Dragons

1. Lightningborn (2025): A younger fantasy adventure with sky-world stakes, pirates, and dragons, clearly aimed at a middle grade audience rather than the older YA tone of Talon.
2. Firebred (2026): The sequel continues Remy, Gem, and Storm’s story and is currently the next clearly scheduled entry in this series.

Standalone and separate projects

1. Fateless (2025): A new YA fantasy centered on thieves, danger, and the Deathless King, and at the moment the clearest place to go if you want Kagawa’s newest solo world.
2. A Throne Betrayed (2025, with J.T. Nicholas): A co-authored Legend of the Five Rings novel that belongs to that franchise continuity, not to Julie Kagawa’s own original universes.

Anthologies and shorter contribution volumes

1. Grim (2012): A fairy-tale anthology featuring a Julie Kagawa story, useful for completists but not part of any required reading order.
2. ’Til the World Ends (2013): A three-author apocalypse anthology that includes Kagawa’s Blood of Eden prequel Dawn of Eden.
3. Heroes (2016): A multi-author anthology containing a Julie Kagawa contribution, separate from her main series lines.
4. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (2018): A folklore anthology that includes Kagawa’s story Eyes Like Candlelight, again optional and separate.

Recommended reading orders

If you want the signature Julie Kagawa experience

1. The Iron King
2. Winter’s Passage
3. The Iron Daughter
4. The Iron Queen
5. Summer’s Crossing
6. The Iron Knight
7. Iron’s Prophecy
8. The Lost Prince
9. The Iron Traitor
10. The Iron Warrior
11. The Iron Raven
12. The Iron Sword
13. The Iron Vow

That route keeps the Iron Fey family tree, prophecy material, and sequel-era character returns in the right order.

If you want one finished trilogy with no extra branches

1. Shadow of the Fox
2. Soul of the Sword
3. Night of the Dragon

This is the most straightforward non-Fey place to start because the trilogy is complete and self-contained.

If you want a darker completed trilogy

1. The Immortal Rules
2. The Eternity Cure
3. The Forever Song

That is the correct order for Blood of Eden, and it does not depend on any other Kagawa series.

Where new readers should begin

Choose by mood, not by publication year.

Start with The Iron King if you want fae courts and the fullest connected universe.

Start with Shadow of the Fox if you want Japanese-inspired epic fantasy in a tight trilogy.

Start with The Immortal Rules if you want post-apocalyptic vampires.

Start with Fateless if you want to try her newest solo setting without catching up on older continuity.

Latest release status

As of March 7, 2026, Julie Kagawa’s most recent released books are Fateless and the co-authored A Throne Betrayed from 2025, while Firebred is the next clearly scheduled solo release I could verify for 2026. Julie Kagawa’s official site also shows a third Storm Dragons cover, but I did not find stable enough publication details to treat that book as firmly scheduled here.

FAQ

Do I need the Iron Fey novellas?

No, but they help. Winter’s Passage is the most useful because it fills the gap between the first two novels, while Iron’s Prophecy matters more once you continue into the later branches.

Can I start with The Iron Raven?

You can, but it is not the best first experience. Too much of its appeal depends on already knowing the older Iron Fey cast and history.

Is Call of the Forgotten a separate series?

It is a branch, not a separate universe. You should treat it as later Iron Fey reading.

Is Talon connected to Storm Dragons?

No. Both use dragons, but they are different series with different audiences and continuities.

Is A Throne Betrayed part of Julie Kagawa’s own fantasy universe?

No. It belongs to the Legend of the Five Rings setting and is best shelved as franchise tie-in fiction.

Final call

If you want the safest answer, read The Iron King first and keep going through the Iron Fey line in order. If you want the tidiest finished trilogy instead, pick Shadow of the Fox.