MarcyKate Connolly Books in Order (Updated March 10, 2026)

MarcyKate Connolly writes middle grade fantasy, one YA duology, and a few co-authored projects. Her bibliography is easiest to use when you divide it into shelves: the books that clearly continue each other, the books that sit in the same world but are not direct sequels, and the true standalones.

That matters here because not every pair of books works the same way. Shadow Weaver is a straight duology. Twin Daggers is a straight duology. Hollow Dolls is its own duology, but it is also labeled on the author site as a companion to Shadow Weaver, which means it belongs nearby without being required first. And Monstrous and Ravenous are companion novels rather than a standard book-one/book-two sequence.

The fast answer

If you want the simplest route through MarcyKate Connolly’s fiction, read by project:

YA

1. Twin Daggers
2. Heartless Heirs

Middle grade duologies and connected books

1. Monstrous
2. Ravenous
3. Shadow Weaver
4. Comet Rising
5. Hollow Dolls
6. Lost Island

Middle grade standalones and co-authored books

7. The Star Shepherd
8. A Breath of Mischief
9. The Thirteenth Circle

That is not one shared-universe chronology. It is the cleanest practical reading path through the books currently listed on her official site.

Start by choosing the right shelf

Shelf 1: The YA duology

Read this if you want older characters, romance, politics, and a fantasy setup built around twin sisters and divided loyalties.

Shelf 2: The middle grade fantasy books

Read this if you want dark fairy-tale energy, magic, danger, and younger protagonists. This is the largest part of her bibliography.

Shelf 3: The co-authored and standalone titles

These are easy entry points if you do not want to commit to a duology first.

MarcyKate Connolly books in order

Twin Daggers series

1. Twin Daggers (2020): Aissa and Zandria, twin Magi spies believed extinct, go undercover on a revenge mission, setting up a YA fantasy conflict built on divided identities, political danger, and forbidden love.
2. Heartless Heirs (2021): Aissa’s choices in the first book push her into a harder second act where loyalties split further and the duology has to resolve both its romance and its larger power struggle.

Monstrous companions

1. Monstrous (2015): In the cursed city of Bryre, Kymera’s connection to the monster everyone fears turns this into a dark fairy-tale fantasy about survival, hidden power, and the cost of being seen as unnatural.
2. Ravenous (2016): Set second chronologically, this companion follows Greta against a child-hunting witch, expanding the same grim fantasy world without functioning like a direct sequel in the usual sense.

Shadow Weaver duology

1. Shadow Weaver (2018): Emmeline can control shadows and has long treated one of them as her closest companion, but that gift becomes more dangerous once court politics and betrayal start closing in around her.
2. Comet Rising (2019): Emmeline’s story continues directly as the fallout from book one forces her into a larger struggle over trust, power, and what her bond with her shadow may really cost.

Hollow Dolls duology

1. Hollow Dolls (2020): Simone is a mind reader with missing memories, and her search for home starts a new duology about identity, secrets, and a threat tied to bodies, minds, and control.
2. Lost Island (2021): This concludes Simone’s story by sending her and her friends after the body walker, turning the first book’s mystery into a more openly confrontational finale.

Standalones and co-authored books

1. The Star Shepherd (2019, with Dan Haring): A heavily illustrated middle grade fantasy about a boy, his dog, and a race to save the stars, written as a self-contained adventure rather than part of one of Connolly’s duologies.
2. A Breath of Mischief (2023): A standalone fantasy adventure, this is the cleanest pick if you want MarcyKate Connolly’s middle grade style without needing to commit to a series.
3. The Thirteenth Circle (2024, with Kathryn Holmes): A middle grade sci-fi mystery with crop circles, science fairs, and Men in Black energy, this stands apart from her fantasy books and works as a fresh entry point.

Recommended reading orders

Best order for most readers

1. Shadow Weaver
2. Comet Rising
3. Hollow Dolls
4. Lost Island
5. A Breath of Mischief
6. The Star Shepherd
7. The Thirteenth Circle
8. Twin Daggers
9. Heartless Heirs
10. Monstrous
11. Ravenous

This route gives you the clearest spread of what she writes: a strong duology first, a connected companion duology next, then the standalones and co-authored projects, then the YA books, and finally the darker companion pair.

Best order if you want only direct sequels

1. Twin Daggers
2. Heartless Heirs
3. Shadow Weaver
4. Comet Rising
5. Hollow Dolls
6. Lost Island

This version strips out the companions and standalones and keeps only the most straightforward series reading.

Best order if you want to stay in middle grade

1. Monstrous
2. Ravenous
3. Shadow Weaver
4. Comet Rising
5. Hollow Dolls
6. Lost Island
7. The Star Shepherd
8. A Breath of Mischief
9. The Thirteenth Circle

That gives you the full middle grade side of the bibliography without crossing into the YA duology.

Do any of these books share a universe?

Only in limited ways.

Clearly connected

• Twin Daggers → Heartless Heirs
• Shadow Weaver → Comet Rising
• Hollow Dolls → Lost Island

Companion relationship rather than simple sequel

• Monstrous and Ravenous
• Hollow Dolls as a companion line near Shadow Weaver

Separate standalones / separate projects

• The Star Shepherd
• A Breath of Mischief
• The Thirteenth Circle

So the main mistake to avoid is assuming every middle grade title belongs in one strict single sequence. They do not.

Where should a new reader start?

That depends on what you want from the first book.

Start with Shadow Weaver if you want the safest all-purpose recommendation. It opens a true duology and sits near the center of her middle grade fantasy work.

Start with Twin Daggers if you want YA fantasy first.

Start with A Breath of Mischief if you want one book that gives you her fantasy voice without any sequel commitment.

Start with The Thirteenth Circle if you want mystery and sci-fi flavor rather than fantasy.

Latest release status

The most recent book currently listed on MarcyKate Connolly’s official site is The Thirteenth Circle (2024), co-written with Kathryn Holmes. At the time of checking, I did not find a newer announced fiction title on her official books page that would change the reading order above.

FAQ

What is the best MarcyKate Connolly book to start with?

For most readers, Shadow Weaver is the best starting point. It opens a direct duology and gives a strong sense of her middle grade fantasy style.

Is Hollow Dolls a sequel to Shadow Weaver?

Not exactly. The author site labels Hollow Dolls as a companion to Shadow Weaver, so it is connected in placement and readership, but it is not simply Shadow Weaver book three.

Do I have to read Monstrous before Ravenous?

Yes, if you want the chronological order of that world. The official books page notes Monstrous as first chronologically and Ravenous as second chronologically.

Is The Star Shepherd part of a series?

No. It is a co-authored standalone.

What is MarcyKate Connolly’s newest book?

Based on the official site and publisher pages checked here, it is The Thirteenth Circle (2024).