With Shadow and Bone season 2 proving to be one of Netflix's most popular fantasy series in a long while, you might be wondering how you can enjoy more of the Grishaverse, aka the world of the show.
If you weren't aware, Shadow and Bone on Netflix is based on a hugely popular series of fantasy books by Leigh Bardugo, which began with the same-titled book in 2012 and has since spun out into many more books. In total, there are 10 different books you can buy.
Though a third season of Shadow and Bone hasn't been confirmed as of the writing of this article, there are plenty more books in the series that Netflix could adapt.
Whether you want to read ahead of the show to know where the story goes or check out the books to understand where the first two seasons came from, we'll help you enjoy the series.
Here's how to read the Shadow and Bone books in order...
How to read the Shadow and Bone books in order
The Shadow and Bone series is split into several parts. Firstly, you should read the initial trilogy of books in the correct order:
- Shadow and Bone (2012)
- Siege and Storm (2013)
- Ruin and Rising (2014)
Afterward, we'd recommend checking out the Shadow and Bone prequel graphic novel, published recently — while you technically could read it before the other novels, it's probably best to start with the main books.
- Demon in the Wood (2022)
After you've read the main trilogy, there's less of a definitive reading order, but we'd recommend moving on to the duo that Bardugo wrote next:
- Six of Crows (2015)
- Crooked Kingdom (2016)
Now you've read all of those, you could check out the next set which features characters from the previous two:
- King of Scars (2019)
- Rule of Wolves (2021)
There are three other books set in the same universe which you can check out to enjoy more of the world:
- The Language of Thorns (2019) — a short story collection
- The Lives of Saints (2020) — a history of Saints in the S&B world
This is a very vague order though, as you can actually read many of the Shadow and Bone books in whatever order you like (as long as you read the individual -ologies in the correct order. You could, for example, read Shadow and Bone and then Six of Crows and then skip over to The Language of Thorns and only read the first half.
However if you're wanting to check out the novels that are being adapted by Netflix, you'll want to prioritize the main trilogy, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, as these are the ones being used for the TV show. Of course, future seasons could dive into the other books and stories in the universe.
The Shadow and Bone series can be bought in physical form, audiobook or Kindle form.
