Victoria Aveyard Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Victoria Aveyard’s bibliography is easiest to read in two clear lanes. One is Red Queen, a completed YA fantasy sequence with novellas and a companion collection. The other is Realm Breaker, a separate epic fantasy trilogy with no reading overlap. Her upcoming Tempest begins another continuity, so it does not belong inside either existing series.

That means the main decision is simple. Start with Red Queen if you want the bestselling entry point and the fullest completed reading experience. Start with Realm Breaker if you want a newer, broader quest fantasy from the beginning.

The best reading order at a glance

For most readers, the safest route is this:

1. Red Queen
2. Glass Sword
3. King’s Cage
4. War Storm
5. Broken Throne

Then, only after that, decide whether you want to go back for the earlier novella collection Cruel Crown or move straight into Realm Breaker.

Why this order? Because publication order preserves the reveals, the political shifts, and the character consequences. In Victoria Aveyard’s work, prequel material is useful, but it is usually stronger once you already understand who matters and why.

Read Victoria Aveyard by continuity, not by one master list

These are the continuity boundaries that matter:

• Red Queen sequence: main YA fantasy continuity
• Cruel Crown / individual Red Queen novellas: optional companion material tied to Red Queen
• Broken Throne: companion collection that belongs after the main Red Queen arc
• Realm Breaker trilogy: completely separate fantasy continuity
• Tempest: separate adult fantasy continuity
• Coloring books, box sets, collector editions: not part of reading order

If you keep those lanes separate, there is very little risk of spoilers from crossing between series. The real spoiler risk is inside Red Queen itself, especially if you read companion material in the wrong place.

Red Queen books in order

This is the core Victoria Aveyard reading path and still the best place for most new readers to begin.

1. Red Queen (2015): Mare Barrow discovers she has impossible power in a world divided by blood, and the first book sets up the class conflict, betrayals, and court politics that everything else builds on.
2. Glass Sword (2016): The story expands beyond the palace into a larger hunt and rebellion, widening the world while pushing Mare into a harsher and more complicated role.
3. King’s Cage (2017): The pressure turns inward here, with imprisonment, shifting loyalties, and a more claustrophobic middle act that sharpens the cost of the war.
4. War Storm (2018): The main quartet reaches its largest scale, bringing the military and political threads to their intended conclusion rather than leaving the series open-ended.
5. Broken Throne (2019): This companion collection returns to the Red Queen world after the main arc, adding novellas, extra viewpoints, and aftermath material that work best once you already know how the war ends.

Red Queen novellas and companion reading

This is the part of Victoria Aveyard’s bibliography that causes the most reading-order confusion. The short version is that the novellas are real story material, but they are not the best entry point.

The companion collection

1. Cruel Crown (2016): This gathers the two early Red Queen novellas, Queen Song and Steel Scars, and is best treated as optional background reading rather than book one of the experience.

The individual novellas inside that material

1. Queen Song (2015): A prequel focused on Queen Coriane, this adds emotional and political background to the royal family but lands best once you already know why her history matters.
2. Steel Scars (2016): A Captain Farley novella with Scarlet Guard context, this deepens the rebellion side of the story without replacing any of the main novels.

Why not start with the novellas?

Because Red Queen is built on discovery. If you begin with too much backstory, you trade away some of the first novel’s uncertainty and momentum. The novellas are valuable, but they are usually stronger as reinforcement than as introduction.

The recommended Red Queen order

For a first read, this is the most balanced sequence:

1. Red Queen
2. Glass Sword
3. King’s Cage
4. War Storm
5. Broken Throne
6. Cruel Crown

This is not strict publication order, and that is deliberate. Broken Throne belongs after the main novels because it functions as an expansion and aftermath book. Cruel Crown contains earlier-set material, but for most readers it works better as retrospective context once the main arc is already secure.

Readers who want the fullest possible in-world pass can also use this alternate route:

1. Red Queen
2. Queen Song
3. Glass Sword
4. Steel Scars
5. King’s Cage
6. War Storm
7. Broken Throne

That version is fine for careful series readers, but it is slightly more interruptive. The simpler path remains better for most people.

Realm Breaker books in order

This trilogy is a separate continuity and can be started at any time without reading Red Queen first. It is the right choice for readers who want a wider-canvas fantasy from page one.

1. Realm Breaker (2021): Corayne an-Amarat is pulled into a world-scale struggle, and the first book works as a classic gathering-of-companions setup with a broader epic-fantasy feel than Red Queen.
2. Blade Breaker (2022): The middle volume raises the cost, the travel, and the military pressure, turning the first book’s quest structure into a harder campaign.
3. Fate Breaker (2024): The trilogy closes with the companions scattered, the stakes fully global, and the final confrontation driving the series to its intended ending.

Separate and non-reading-order items

These books and editions are real publications, but they should not be mixed into the core order.

1. Red Queen Official Coloring Book: This is a franchise extra, not a story installment, so it belongs entirely outside the reading sequence.
2. Red Queen box sets / collector editions: These are packaging formats for existing books, not new continuity.
3. Realm Breaker box sets / collections: These also repackage the main trilogy rather than adding separate story steps.

Where to start, depending on your taste

Not every reader should start in the same place.

Start with Red Queen if you want the most recognized Victoria Aveyard entry point, the stronger political fantasy hook, and a fully completed headline series. Start with Realm Breaker if you want a more traditional epic-fantasy structure with companions, larger geography, and a quest-driven shape. Start with Tempest later only if you specifically want her adult fantasy work and are happy to begin a newer line.

Latest release status

The most recent published Victoria Aveyard novel is Fate Breaker (2024), which completes the Realm Breaker trilogy. Looking ahead, Tempest has been publicly announced for 2026 as her adult fantasy debut and the start of a separate continuity rather than an extension of Red Queen or Realm Breaker.

FAQs

Do I need to read Red Queen before Realm Breaker?

No. They are separate continuities with different casts, worlds, and story structures.

Is Broken Throne required?

Not strictly. It is companion material, but it is the most useful of the Red Queen extras because it adds aftermath and additional perspectives once the main series is done.

Should I read Cruel Crown before Red Queen?

Usually no. It contains worthwhile context, but most readers get a better first experience by starting with the main novel.

Is Red Queen finished?

Yes. The main Red Queen novel arc is complete, and its companion material is already published.

Is Realm Breaker finished?

Yes. The trilogy is complete with Fate Breaker as the finale.

Final recommendation

If you are building the cleanest possible Victoria Aveyard reading order, keep it simple: read Red Queen straight through first, save the novella material until after the main arc, and treat Realm Breaker as a completely separate next series. That preserves the intended reveals, keeps the companion books in their best role, and avoids turning a straightforward bibliography into something more complicated than it is.