Grishaverse reading order (Shadow and Bone, 2012)
Start here
Shadow and Bone
2012
Grishaverse reading order: Shadow and Bone (2012) starts the Ravka trilogy. Six of Crows (2015) is a second door, not book one of that trilogy. King of Scars comes later.
Short answer · Start here
Shadow and Bone — or Six of Crows
Two honest doors. Shadow and Bone (2012) starts the Ravka trilogy. Six of Crows (2015) starts the Ketterdam duology. Do not start with King of Scars. Do not start with the Netflix season order.
The Grishaverse is one setting with three main published runs. Publication order across the universe is the path that keeps later books from stepping on earlier endings. The Crows books were designed so you can enter there. King of Scars was not.
Ravka trilogy
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Shadow and Bone | 2012 | Trilogy door. | |
| 2 |  Siege and Storm | 2013 | ||
| 3 |  Ruin and Rising | 2014 | Ends the original trilogy. |
Six of Crows duology
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Six of Crows | 2015 | The other door. After the trilogy if you want publication-universe order. | |
| 2 |  Crooked Kingdom | 2016 |
Nikolai / King of Scars duology
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  King of Scars | 2019 | After the trilogy and the Crows duology. | |
| 2 |  Rule of Wolves | 2021 |
Contested order, labeled:
- Trilogy first, then Crows, then King of Scars. Publication order. This house’s first recommendation if you want the whole shelf.
- Crows first. Allowed. You will meet Ravka from the outside. Then read the original trilogy before King of Scars.
- Netflix order. The show mixes plots. It is not a book order and it is a reason people open Six of Crows thinking it is Shadow and Bone book 4.
The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints are extras. Optional after you like the setting. Ninth House is a different Bardugo series.
Common mistakes
- Starting with King of Scars because Nikolai is the one you liked on screen.
- Treating Six of Crows as Shadow and Bone book 4.
- Using the show as a table of contents.
- Skipping Crooked Kingdom.
What to read next
- Folk of the Air (Holly Black) — If you want another finished YA faerie/crime temperature.
- The Locked Tomb (Tamsyn Muir) — If the heist-and-loyalty was the hook, in a much stranger register.
- Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want another long YA-to-adult fantasy run with a correct first book.
- Gentleman Bastards (Scott Lynch) — If the Crows were the point and you want an older, unfinished heist series.
- Ninth House (Leigh Bardugo) — If you want her other door, which is not Grishaverse.
FAQ
Crows or Shadow and Bone first?
Either door. King of Scars last among these six. Start at Shadow and Bone (2012).
Do I need the extras?
No.
Is the Grishaverse finished?
The three runs above are published complete. Later stories may exist; they are not a new book one.
Sources
- Leigh Bardugo, Grishaverse — author hub. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Macmillan, The Grishaverse — publisher series page. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
