Kendare Blake Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Kendare Blake does not really have one giant connected bibliography. She has several distinct lanes: ghost horror, Greek-myth fantasy, dark island fantasy, a historical thriller, a Buffy continuation, and a newer mythic fantasy duology. The main reading-order job is simply knowing which books belong together and where the optional pieces fit.

For most readers, there are three sensible entry points. Start with Anna Dressed in Blood if you want horror, Three Dark Crowns if you want her best-known fantasy series, or Champion of Fate if you want a newer completed duology.

The shelf map

These groups are separate continuities:

• Anna books
• The Goddess War
• Three Dark Crowns
• Buffy: The Next Generation
• Heromaker
• All These Bodies
• Sleepwalk Society

That means you do not need to read one series to understand another. The only time order really matters is inside each series.

If you want the safest starting point

Best overall starting point: Three Dark Crowns
Best horror starting point: Anna Dressed in Blood
Best standalone starting point: All These Bodies
Best newer fantasy starting point: Champion of Fate

Kendare Blake books by series

Anna series

1. Anna Dressed in Blood (2011): Ghost hunter Cas Lowood arrives expecting another kill and instead finds Anna, a murderously haunted girl who becomes the center of one of Blake’s strongest horror-romance setups.
2. Girl of Nightmares (2012): Cas tries to recover Anna after the first book’s ending, making this a direct sequel rather than a loose follow-up.
3. Dear Anna (2023): A later novella included with the anniversary edition of Anna Dressed in Blood, returning to Cas and Anna years later as optional bonus material rather than a new starting point.

How to read it: Read the two novels in order, then add Dear Anna only if you want the extra coda. The core story is the duology.

The Goddess War

1. Antigoddess (2013): Athena, Hermes, Cassandra, and other mythic figures are thrown into a modern war as the old gods begin to fail and die.
2. Mortal Gods (2014): The conflict widens into a more mobile, more fractured middle book, so it works best immediately after Antigoddess.
3. Ungodly (2015): The trilogy closes the divine war and should be saved for last because it pays off the character alliances and betrayals built earlier.

How to read it: Straight publication order. This is one continuous trilogy, and there is no benefit to rearranging it.

Three Dark Crowns

1. Three Dark Crowns (2016): Triplet queens on Fennbirn are raised to kill one another for the crown, opening Blake’s best-known fantasy world with poisoners, naturalists, and elemental power.
2. One Dark Throne (2017): The competition sharpens into open political and personal conflict, so this should follow book one directly.
3. Queens of Fennbirn (2018): A bind-up of the prequel novellas The Young Queens and The Oracle Queen, useful here because one of its pieces contains spoilers for Three Dark Crowns.
4. Two Dark Reigns (2018): The island’s history and the queens’ struggle deepen, pushing the series into its late-stage revelations.
5. Five Dark Fates (2019): The fourth and final main novel brings the Fennbirn arc to its conclusion.

How to read it: Kendare Blake’s own site recommends publication order here: Three Dark Crowns, One Dark Throne, Queens of Fennbirn, Two Dark Reigns, Five Dark Fates. That is also the safest first-time order because it preserves spoilers and context.

Standalone fiction

1. Sleepwalk Society (2010): A coming-of-age novel about Violet, Terran, and Joey during the summer of 2002, separate from Blake’s later fantasy and horror series.
2. All These Bodies (2021): A 1958-set historical thriller built around a string of bloodless murders and one impossible suspect, and the cleanest standalone in her current official bibliography.

How to read them: Any time. They do not connect to the other series, and neither one requires sequel knowledge.

Buffy: The Next Generation

1. In Every Generation (2022): Frankie Rosenberg, Willow’s daughter, is pulled into a new Sunnydale crisis after an attack on the slayers.
2. One Girl in All the World (2023): Frankie and the new Scooby circle deal with the aftermath and the reawakening Hellmouth, so this is a direct continuation.
3. Against the Darkness (2024): The trilogy finale brings Frankie’s conflict with the Darkness to its end and is clearly meant to be read last.

How to read it: In order, but with one important note: this is franchise continuity, not Kendare Blake’s own original universe. It helps if you already know the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even though the trilogy introduces its own lead cast.

Heromaker

1. Champion of Fate (2023): Reed trains among the Aristene, an order of mythic women who guide heroes to glory, and the book opens Blake’s most recent original fantasy line.
2. Warrior of Legend (2024): Reed’s story concludes here, making this a true second-half finale rather than a separate companion.

How to read it: Read the duology in order. This is one of the easiest places to start if you want a shorter modern fantasy run.

A recommended reading order for most new readers

Instead of one giant chronological list, the better approach is to choose a lane.

Route A: start with the signature fantasy

1. Three Dark Crowns: Best entry if you want her most recognized world.
2. One Dark Throne: Continue before the political threads cool off.
3. Queens of Fennbirn: Add the prequel material in the author-recommended place.
4. Two Dark Reigns: Move into the late-series revelations.
5. Five Dark Fates: Finish Fennbirn properly.

Route B: start with horror

1. Anna Dressed in Blood: Best place to meet Blake’s horror voice.
2. Girl of Nightmares: Finish the duology while the first book is fresh.
3. Dear Anna: Optional extra afterward.

Route C: start with a newer completed duology

1. Champion of Fate: Strong modern entry point if you want mythic fantasy and romance.
2. Warrior of Legend: Finish the arc here.

Route D: no series commitment

1. All These Bodies: Best one-book sample of her range.
2. Sleepwalk Society: Read separately if you want her earlier contemporary work.

Publication order across the main novels

If you want the broad shelf in release order, this is the cleanest working list:

1. Sleepwalk Society (2010): Early standalone contemporary fiction about friendship, change, and a last free summer.
2. Anna Dressed in Blood (2011): Supernatural horror with a ghost hunter and a deadly haunted girl.
3. Girl of Nightmares (2012): The second and final main Anna novel.
4. Antigoddess (2013): Start of the Goddess War trilogy.
5. Mortal Gods (2014): Middle book of the Goddess War trilogy.
6. Ungodly (2015): Finale of the Goddess War trilogy.
7. Three Dark Crowns (2016): Start of the Fennbirn series.
8. One Dark Throne (2017): Second Fennbirn novel.
9. Queens of Fennbirn (2018): Fennbirn prequel novellas collected together.
10. Two Dark Reigns (2018): Third Fennbirn novel.
11. Five Dark Fates (2019): Final Fennbirn novel.
12. All These Bodies (2021): Historical murder mystery standalone.
13. In Every Generation (2022): Start of the Buffy trilogy.
14. One Girl in All the World (2023): Second Buffy novel.
15. Champion of Fate (2023): Start of the Heromaker duology.
16. Against the Darkness (2024): Buffy finale.
17. Warrior of Legend (2024): Heromaker finale.
18. Dear Anna (2023): Optional later novella attached to the anniversary edition rather than a separate original novel line.

Do you need chronological order?

Not really.

The only place readers are often tempted to shuffle things is Three Dark Crowns, because Queens of Fennbirn contains prequel material. Blake’s own site answers that directly by recommending publication order, and that is the right answer for new readers.

Latest release status

As of March 7, 2026, the newest original Kendare Blake novel I could verify is Warrior of Legend from October 29, 2024, which completes the Heromaker duology. I did not find a newer announced novel clearly listed on her official site beyond the current categories and books already noted there.

FAQ

What Kendare Blake book should I read first?

For most readers, Three Dark Crowns. It is her best-known fantasy series and the clearest long-form entry point.

Is Anna Dressed in Blood a trilogy?

Not as a main series. The core story is a duology: Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares, with Dear Anna as later bonus material.

Should I read Queens of Fennbirn before Three Dark Crowns?

No. The author’s own recommended order places it after One Dark Throne, and the site notes spoiler concerns.

Is All These Bodies part of a series?

No. It is a standalone.

Is the Buffy trilogy connected to the TV series?

Yes. It continues the Buffy the Vampire Slayer world with a next-generation cast, so it is best treated as franchise continuation rather than standalone fantasy.

Final recommendation

If you want one decisive answer, begin with Three Dark Crowns and follow the Fennbirn books in the author-recommended publication order. If you want horror instead, choose Anna Dressed in Blood. If you want a single book with no commitment, choose All These Bodies.