You’ve seen the spines. They’re usually neon-bright or moody Victorian-goth, stacked high in every bookstore from New York to London. At this point, books written by Cassandra Clare are basically a pillar of the fantasy genre, like an massive, sprawling skyscraper that keeps adding new floors every two years.
Honestly, it’s a bit much to keep track of.
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If you’re just starting, or even if you’ve been a "Shadowhunter" since City of Bones dropped in 2007, the sheer volume of work is intimidating. We aren't just talking about a trilogy anymore. We’re talking about a massive, interconnected multiverse that spans centuries, continents, and dimensions. Plus, she’s finally branched out into high fantasy for adults with the Chronicles of Castellane.
Let’s get into the weeds of what actually makes these books tick and how you should navigate the chaos of her bibliography in 2026.
The Shadowhunter Chronicles: A Reading Order That Actually Makes Sense
Most people make the mistake of reading the Shadowhunter books in strict publication order. It’s okay, but it’s not the best experience. If you do that, you’re jumping from 21st-century New York to 19th-century London, then back to New York, then to Los Angeles. It’s whiplash.
The Mortal Instruments (The Foundation)
This is where it all started. Clary Fray, Jace Wayland (or Herondale, or Morgenstern—honestly, the boy has a lot of names), and the New York Institute. This series is split into two halves, and that matters for the timeline.
- The First Half: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass. Originally, this was meant to be a trilogy. It wraps up the main Valentine arc.
- The Second Half: City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire. This expands the world and sets up every other spin-off.
The Prequels: The Infernal Devices
Set in Victorian London, this trilogy—Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess—is widely considered Clare's best work. The love triangle between Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs is... well, it's brutal. In the best way. If you haven't cried over a mechanical clockwork angel, have you even lived?
The Mid-Point: The Last Hours
Fast forward to the early 1900s. Edwardian London. This series (Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, Chain of Thorns) follows the children of the characters from The Infernal Devices. It’s basically a massive game of "who is dating whom" while demons try to burn down the city.
The Modern Era: The Dark Artifices
This takes place in Los Angeles, five years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire. If you like forbidden romance (specifically the "parabatai" bond which makes it illegal for partners to fall in love), Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, and Queen of Air and Darkness will wreck you.
The Grand Finale: The Wicked Powers
This is the big one we’ve all been waiting for. As of 2026, The Last King of Faerie has finally hit shelves. This trilogy focuses on Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn. It’s meant to be the conclusion of the entire Shadowhunter saga. All the characters we’ve loved for nearly twenty years—Clary, Jace, Magnus, Alec—are expected to make their final appearances.
Moving Beyond Shadowhunters: The Chronicles of Castellane
For a long time, people wondered if Clare would ever leave the Shadow World. In 2023, she finally did with Sword Catcher.
This is her first true "Adult" fantasy series. It’s not YA. There’s more focus on complex political systems, class disparity, and the grit of a city-state called Castellane. The story follows Kel, who is essentially a body double for the Prince, and Lin, a physician from a magical ethnic minority called the Ashkar.
- Sword Catcher (2023)
- The Ragpicker King (Released March 2025)
- The Bone Conjurers (Anticipated 2028)
It’s a different vibe. Slower. More deliberate. The world-building is incredibly dense—George R.R. Martin even gave it a shout-out. If you’re tired of teenage angst and want something that feels like Game of Thrones but with a touch more romantic tension, this is the series to grab.
The Side Projects: Are They Necessary?
Look, some people say you can skip the short story collections. They’re wrong.
The Bane Chronicles, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, and Ghosts of the Shadow Market contain huge amounts of lore. Specifically, the story of how Simon Lewis becomes a Shadowhunter is buried in these pages. If you skip Shadowhunter Academy, you’ll be very confused when you start The Dark Artifices.
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Then there’s The Magisterium series, which she co-wrote with Holly Black. It’s middle-grade, mostly about a magic school where things go very, very wrong. It’s five books: The Iron Trial, The Copper Gauntlet, The Bronze Key, The Silver Mask, and The Golden Tower. It's separate from the Shadowhunters, but you can feel that shared DNA of "friendship and trauma."
What Most People Get Wrong About Clare's Writing
There is a weird misconception that books written by Cassandra Clare are just "Twilight with swords." That’s such a surface-level take.
If you actually sit down with the texts, she’s doing some heavy lifting with mythology. She pulls from Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante’s Inferno, and various Jewish and Christian apocrypha. The way she treats magic isn't just "point a wand and shout." It’s ceremonial. It’s painful.
The "parabatai" bond is a great example. It’s a platonic soulmate connection that is magically binding. It explores the idea that friendship can be just as intense—if not more so—than romantic love. That’s a theme you don’t see handled with that much weight in most YA fantasy.
Essential Facts and Publication History
| Series Title | Key Characters | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| The Mortal Instruments | Clary, Jace, Magnus, Alec | 2007 NYC |
| The Infernal Devices | Tessa, Will, Jem | 1878 London |
| The Last Hours | Cordelia, James, Lucie | 1903 London |
| The Dark Artifices | Emma, Julian, Mark | 2012 Los Angeles |
| The Eldest Curses | Magnus, Alec | Various (Timeline Gaps) |
| The Chronicles of Castellane | Kel, Lin, Conor | Castellane (High Fantasy) |
The 2026 Landscape: Where to Go Next?
If you’ve already finished the main series, you should be looking at the 2025-2026 releases. The Ragpicker King has expanded the world of Castellane significantly, answering questions about the Ashkari magic that the first book left open.
Meanwhile, the Shadowhunter fandom is currently losing its collective mind over The Last King of Faerie. After nearly twenty years of stories, seeing the "Wicked Powers" era finally begin feels like the end of an era.
The Best Way to Catch Up:
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- For the Completist: Read in order of historical timeline. Start with The Infernal Devices, then The Last Hours, then The Mortal Instruments.
- For the Vibe-Seeker: Start with Sword Catcher. It’s a clean break from her previous work and requires zero background knowledge.
- For the Romantics: Go straight to The Dark Artifices. The tension between Emma and Julian is unmatched in any other series she's written.
To get the most out of your reading, don't just rush to the romance. Pay attention to the family trees at the back of the books. Clare loves a "generational" story, and seeing how a Herondale in 1878 affects a Herondale in 2012 is half the fun. Grab a physical copy if you can; the illustrations by Cassandra Jean in the newer editions add a layer of detail that you just don't get on a Kindle.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your local library for the 10th-anniversary editions. They include extra short stories and better maps that help with the complicated geography of the Shadow World.
- Start a "Shadowhunter Family Tree" document. Seriously. Between the Fairchilds, Lightwoods, and Blackthorns, you will get lost without a chart.
- If you're jumping into Sword Catcher, read the "Ragpicker King" prologue available on Clare's official site to get a better handle on the political factions of Castellane before the second book hits your nightstand.