Stephanie Garber Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Stephanie Garber’s books look like two separate fantasy series plus a newer adult line. That is technically true, but it is not the most useful way to read her.

The real issue is this: Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart are not identical series, but they do live in the same broader story world. You can start with Once Upon a Broken Heart and follow it just fine. Even so, the cleanest reading experience is to start with Caraval first, because later books reward that context and can spoil parts of the earlier arc.

The spoiler-safe order

If you want the most complete Stephanie Garber path, read her this way:

1. Caraval
2. Legendary
3. Finale
4. Once Upon a Broken Heart
5. The Ballad of Never After
6. A Curse for True Love
7. Spectacular
8. Alchemy of Secrets

Then add The Mirror of Infinite Endings when it releases.

That is not just publication order. It is a continuity-first order that keeps the shared-world material in the smoothest sequence.

The two fantasy tracks, and why they are not fully separate

At a glance, Garber has:

• The Caraval series
• The Once Upon a Broken Heart series
• The new Alchemy of Secrets line

But in practice, Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart are connected enough that reading them as two sealed boxes is not ideal. Once Upon a Broken Heart is presented as its own series centered on Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts, yet it clearly grows out of the same fairy-tale world Garber used in Caraval. The safest recommendation for new readers is still Caraval first.

Read these first if you want the full world in order

The Caraval arc

1. Caraval (2017): Scarlett Dragna is swept into the legendary game of Caraval while trying to find her sister, and this first book establishes the illusion-heavy world, the Dragna sisters, and the emotional rules the later books keep complicating.
2. Legendary (2018): Tella takes center stage, and the story widens from a mysterious game into a more dangerous contest tied to debts, identity, and the deeper mythology behind Caraval.
3. Finale (2019): The trilogy reaches its true payoff here, pulling the sisters, Legend, and the larger magical world into the kind of ending that later shared-world books are better after, not before.

These three are the foundation. Even if you are mainly here for Jacks and Once Upon a Broken Heart, this trilogy gives that later material more force.

Read these second if you want the strongest romantic-fairy-tale path

The Once Upon a Broken Heart arc

1. Once Upon a Broken Heart (2021): Evangeline Fox makes a bargain with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, and the series begins as a fairy-tale romance built on curses, bargains, and dangerous hope.
2. The Ballad of Never After (2022): Evangeline and Jacks move into a darker and more emotionally charged second act, where the partnership grows more fragile and more irresistible at the same time.
3. A Curse for True Love (2023): The trilogy closes with memory, deception, and the final struggle over whether this story will become a happily-ever-after or something much more painful.

This trilogy can be read on its own. But for most readers, it is still better after Caraval.

Where Spectacular fits

1. Spectacular (2024): A Caraval holiday novella set after the main Caraval series, this works as a return visit rather than a core entry point, and it is best saved until after both the original trilogy and the Once Upon a Broken Heart books if you want maximum context.

Because it is explicitly set after Caraval, it should never be treated as an early side book. It is a bonus stop, not a place to begin.

The new separate line

1. Alchemy of Secrets (2025): Garber’s adult debut follows Holland St. James through an urban-legend and secret-society fantasy in Los Angeles, and it is clearly presented as the start of a brand-new series outside the Caraval world.

This is the easiest Stephanie Garber book to keep separate. It is not Caraval-adjacent reading and does not belong between the YA books.

Upcoming companion

1. The Mirror of Infinite Endings (2026): Listed as A Once Upon a Broken Heart Companion, this is currently scheduled for September 29, 2026, but its page still says the details are to be revealed, so it should be treated as upcoming companion material rather than something with a fully confirmed plot role yet.

Publication order

If you want the straight release sequence, it looks like this:

1. Caraval (2017): The debut that starts Garber’s best-known fantasy world.
2. Legendary (2018): The direct Caraval sequel, shifting focus and widening the mythology.
3. Finale (2019): The conclusion to the original trilogy.
4. Once Upon a Broken Heart (2021): A new trilogy in the same broader world, centered on Evangeline and Jacks.
5. The Ballad of Never After (2022): The direct sequel.
6. A Curse for True Love (2023): The trilogy finale.
7. Spectacular (2024): A Caraval holiday novella set after the trilogy.
8. Alchemy of Secrets (2025): Garber’s adult debut and the start of a separate new series.
9. The Mirror of Infinite Endings (2026): An upcoming Once Upon a Broken Heart companion.

Best starting points, depending on the reader

Not every reader needs the same entry.

Start with Caraval if you want the fullest and safest path through Garber’s world.

Start with Once Upon a Broken Heart if you mainly want the romance-forward fairy-tale side and are comfortable knowing you may circle back later for background.

Start with Alchemy of Secrets only if you specifically want her adult work and do not care about beginning with the YA fantasy books.

Final recommendation

For most readers, the best Stephanie Garber order is:

1. Caraval
2. Legendary
3. Finale
4. Once Upon a Broken Heart
5. The Ballad of Never After
6. A Curse for True Love
7. Spectacular
8. Alchemy of Secrets

That order preserves the shared-world reveals, keeps the emotional arcs cleaner, and saves the companion material for when it can do the most work.