Reading Order
The Grishaverse
by Leigh Bardugo
The Grishaverse Reading Order
Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse is one of the most successful fantasy universes of the last decade — a Russian-inspired world of Grisha magic users, criminal heist crews, and morally complex power politics. The series has three distinct entry points across three duologies, but Six of Crows is the peak: a tight heist novel with one of the best ensemble casts in modern fantasy. Start with Shadow and Bone to understand the world, then Six of Crows to fall in love with it.
⚠️ Six of Crows is widely considered the stronger entry point for adult readers, but it spoils major Shadow and Bone trilogy events. Read Shadow and Bone first if you want the full experience unspoiled.
Reading Order
Read the Shadow and Bone trilogy first — it establishes the world, the Grisha, and the Fold. Six of Crows is set in the same world but with a new cast, and assumes you understand the setting. King of Scars picks up threads from both trilogies.
⚠️Heavily spoils both Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. Read both duologies first.
🌑 Shadow and Bone (3)
The foundation trilogy. Introduces Ravka, Grisha magic, and the Fold. Required reading before anything else.
🃏 Six of Crows (2)
The best of the Grishaverse — a heist duology with one of the finest ensemble casts in modern fantasy. The reason most people stay.
👑 King of Scars (2)
Nikolai's duology. Optional but rewarding — especially for readers who want more after Six of Crows.
📖 Companion works (2)
The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints. World-building extras — not essential to the main story.
Six of Crows first?
Many readers and online guides recommend starting with Six of Crows because it's the stronger book and works as a standalone. The problem: it casually spoils major Shadow and Bone trilogy events as background context. If you don't mind spoilers, Six of Crows first is a legitimate choice. If you want the full experience in order, start with Shadow and Bone — the trilogy is shorter and faster than it looks.
What makes it work
- → The Grisha system — magic users who manipulate matter at the molecular level, divided into Orders — is one of the better-constructed soft magic systems in YA fantasy.
- → Ketterdam, the setting of Six of Crows, is one of the most fully realised fantasy cities of the last decade: a Dutch East India Company analogue built on gang politics and financial crime.
- → Kaz Brekker is one of the most written-about characters in modern fantasy fandom for a reason: he is a strategist, not a fighter, and his emotional arc is handled with unusual restraint.
- → The Grishaverse has been adapted twice by Netflix — Shadow and Bone as a TV series, Six of Crows in development. The TV series combines timelines and casts.
Darkness progression
Scale: 🕯️ Lighthearted → 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Brutal
Finished the Grishaverse?
More reading orders