Cassandra Clare Books in Order
Creator of the Shadowhunter Chronicles — urban fantasy with angels, demons, warlocks, and Shadowhunters across 20+ interconnected books spanning two decades.
About Cassandra Clare
Cassandra Clare built one of the most ambitious shared universes in YA and urban fantasy — the Shadowhunter Chronicles, a world of Nephilim warriors, demon portals, and a hidden magical society running parallel to ours. What began with City of Bones in 2007 has expanded across five interconnected series set in different eras (Victorian London, 1920s New York, contemporary Brooklyn) with a cast that spans centuries. Clare's strength is character: her Shadowhunters feel like people shaped by specific histories and specific losses, and her romances — particularly the enemies-to-lovers and found family dynamics — are some of the most devoted in the genre. City of Bones became one of the best-selling YA series of its era and launched both a film and a television adaptation. Start with the Mortal Instruments; the world expands from there.
The Mortal Instruments
6 books — the original series. Start here. Introduces the New York Institute, Clary Fray, Jace Herondale, and the full Shadowhunter world.
- 1
City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments, Book 1 — Start here
Clary Fray witnesses a murder at a New York nightclub that shouldn't have been possible — committed by teenagers covered in runes who vanish into thin air. The book that launched the Shadowhunter Chronicles: demons, angel-blooded warriors, and a girl who discovers the world she grew up in was a lie.
- 2
City of Ashes
The Mortal Instruments, Book 2
Valentine returns with the Soul-Sword and a plan to build an army of demons, forcing Clary and Jace into a conflict where everyone they love becomes a target.
- 3
City of Glass
The Mortal Instruments, Book 3
Clary travels to Alicante, the Shadowhunter homeland, to find a way to save her mother — and stumbles into a war that will determine the future of every Shadowhunter and Downworlder alive.
- 4
City of Fallen Angels
The Mortal Instruments, Book 4
Three months after the Mortal War, a new and terrifying threat emerges from the shadows of the Shadowhunter world — one with a direct connection to Jace.
- 5
City of Lost Souls
The Mortal Instruments, Book 5
Jace is bound to Sebastian by a demonic spell, and Clary must find a way to save him without destroying the person she loves in the process.
- 6
City of Heavenly Fire
The Mortal Instruments, Book 6 — Series conclusion
Sebastian Morgenstern unleashes his Endarkened army in a final war against all Shadowhunters — and the only way to stop him may require Clary and her friends to cross into the demon realm itself.
The Infernal Devices
3 books — Victorian-era prequel set in 1878 London. Best read after The Mortal Instruments, though it can stand alone. Introduces Will Herondale and Tessa Gray.
- 1
Clockwork Angel
The Infernal Devices, Book 1
Tessa Gray arrives in Victorian London looking for her brother and finds herself taken by mysterious forces — then rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. The Infernal Devices is beloved for its triangle between Tessa, Will, and Jem, and for the emotional depth Clare brings to the 19th-century setting.
- 2
Clockwork Prince
The Infernal Devices, Book 2
As a traitor within the London Institute threatens everyone, Will and Jem's competition for Tessa's heart sharpens into one of the trilogy's most emotionally devastating chapters.
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Clockwork Princess
The Infernal Devices, Book 3 — Series conclusion
Mortmain's clockwork army closes in on the London Shadowhunters, and Tessa, Will, and Jem face impossible choices — the conclusion that readers consistently name as one of Clare's most heartbreaking and beautiful.
The Dark Artifices
3 books — set in Los Angeles, five years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire. Follows Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn. Read TMI and TID first.
- 1
Lady Midnight
The Dark Artifices, Book 1
Emma Carstairs hunts the killer of her parents while navigating a forbidden bond with her parabatai — a sworn warrior partner whose love is strictly prohibited by Shadowhunter law. Clare's most emotionally complex romance arc begins here.
- 2
Lord of Shadows
The Dark Artifices, Book 2
Emma and Julian travel into the Courts of Faerie to prevent a curse while their forbidden parabatai bond reaches a breaking point that threatens to destroy everything they have built.
- 3
Queen of Air and Darkness
The Dark Artifices, Book 3 — Series conclusion
The Dark War reaches its climax as Emma and Julian's love becomes both the greatest weapon against darkness and the most dangerous threat to the Shadowhunter world.
The Last Hours
3 books — set in 1903 Edwardian London, following the children of the Infernal Devices characters. Read TID first for full emotional impact.
- 1
Chain of Gold
The Last Hours, Book 1
Cordelia Carstairs arrives in London to support her family as a mysterious illness begins striking down Shadowhunters. Readers of TID will recognize familiar names and feel the weight of legacy in every scene. The enemies-to-lovers arc between Cordelia and James Herondale is one of Clare's most satisfying.
- 2
Chain of Iron
The Last Hours, Book 2
A murderer is hunting Shadowhunters in London and suspicion falls on James Herondale — threatening his marriage to Cordelia and every friendship he has ever built.
- 3
Chain of Thorns
The Last Hours, Book 3 — Series conclusion
The final confrontation with Belial forces Cordelia, James, and the London Shadowhunters to sacrifice more than they ever imagined in a conclusion that pays off everything seeded across the trilogy.
The Eldest Curses
3 books — co-written with Wesley Chu. Follows Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood during the events of and after The Mortal Instruments. Best read after TMI and TDA.
- 1
The Red Scrolls of Magic
The Eldest Curses, Book 1 — with Wesley Chu
Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood take their first vacation together across Europe — until news arrives that a demon-worshipping cult Magnus apparently founded as a joke centuries ago is now very real and very dangerous. Clare and Chu's collaboration captures Magnus's voice beautifully.
- 2
The Lost Book of the White
The Eldest Curses, Book 2 — with Wesley Chu
Magnus and Alec chase two rogue warlocks to Shanghai after a powerful spell book is stolen from their home — with Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Simon along for a globe-trotting adventure.
- 3
The Black Volume of the Dead
The Eldest Curses, Book 3 — with Wesley Chu — Not yet published
The third and final adventure for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. No publication date has been announced as of 2026.