4 Ways to Read Cassandra Clare Books in Order

Looking for a list of Cassandra Clare books in order?

Perhaps you’re watching the Shadowhunters on TV or you’ve just picked up a book by Cassandra Clare and fallen in love, but there are so many that you don’t know what’s next?

Fear not, here’s not one, not two, but four different ways to read all of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books in order.

In the paragraphs to come, I’ve gone in-depth into each reading method.

But if you want a quick and easy, condensed version to print out and check books off as you go along, there’s an important, free resource waiting for you at the end.

#1 Cassandra Clare Books in Order of Publication

Of course, what better way to read the Cassandra Clare books in order than the way the author wrote them? There’s a reason they were written that way, and try as we authors might to say we had it planned that way all along, it’s a lie for sure.

Nobody stops in the middle of a series and writes a completely new series that’s intended to be read first. Instead, an idea spawns out of our current works that would beautifully complement and expound upon our beloved already published books.

Even if we’d like to think we can go back and write the book in such a way that new readers will not miss out on any details, it’s likely that a few terms, names, or places will slip without proper explanation leaving a newer reader temporarily confused and disoriented.

The best way to avoid this, of course, is to read the books the way they were written. So here we are, the Cassandra Clare books in order of publication:

1. City of Bones (2007) (The Mortal Instruments #1)
2. City of Ashes (2008) (TMI #2)
3. City of Glass (2009) (TMI #3)
4. Clockwork Angel (2010) (The Infernal Devices #1)
5. City of Fallen Angels (Apr 2011) (TMI #4)
6. Clockwork Prince (Dec 2011) (TID #2)
7. City of Lost Souls (2012) (TMI #5)
8. Clockwork Princess (Mar 2013) (TID #3)
9. The Shadowhunter’s Codex (Oct 2013)
10. City of Heavenly Fire (May 2014) (TMI #6)
11. The Iron Trial (Sept 2014) (Magisterium #1)
12. The Bane Chronicles (Nov 2014)
13. The Copper Gauntlet (Sept 2015) (Mag #2)
14. Lady Midnight (Mar 2016) (The Dark Artifices #1)
15. The Bronze Key (Aug 2016) (Mag #3)
16. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (Nov 2016)
17. Lord of Shadows (May 2017) (TDA #2)
18. The Silver Mask (Oct 2017) (Mag #4)
19. The Golden Tower (Sept 2018) (Mag #5)
20. Queen of Air and Darkness (Dec 2018) (TDA #3)
21. The Red Scrolls of Magic (Apr 2019) (The Eldest Curses #1)
22. Ghosts of the Shadow Market (Jun 2019)
23. Chain of Gold (Mar 2020) (The Last Hours #1)
24. The Lost Book of the White (Sept 2020) (TEC #2)
25. Chain of Iron (Mar 2021) (TLH #2)
26. Chain of Thorns (Jan 2023) (TLH #3)
27. Sword Catcher (Oct 2023) (Sword Catcher #1)
28. The Ragpicker King (TBA) (SC #2)
29. The Black Volume of the Dead (TBA) (TEC #3)

#2 Cassandra Clare Books in Order by Series

The above two are great and all, but they don’t make for a super streamlined reader experience. I mean, after all you have to read this post over and over again every time you’re ready to move on to the next book.

So with that, I give you the easiest way to read the Cassandra Clare books in order, and that’s by series order, beginning with the first series Cassandra Clare wrote and continuing with it until it’s done, then moving on to the next.

Here is a list of Cassandra Clare books in order by series:

Shadowhunters

The Mortal Instruments

1. City of Bones
2. City of Ashes
3. City of Glass
4. City of Fallen Angels
5. City of Lost Souls
6. City of Heavenly Fire

The Infernal Devices

7. Clockwork Angel
8. Clockwork Prince
9. Clockwork Princess

The Dark Artifices

10. Lady Midnight
11. Lord of Shadows
12. Queen of Air and Darkness

The Eldest Curses

13. The Red Scrolls of Magic
14. The Lost Book of the White
15. The Black Volume of the Dead (TBA)

The Last Hours

16. Chain of Gold
17. Chain of Iron
18. Chain of Thorns

Read these whenever:
The Bane Chronicles
The Shadowhunter’s Codex
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
Ghosts of the Shadow Market

The Magisterium Series (w/ Holly Black)

1. The Iron Trial
2. The Copper Gauntlet
3. The Bronze Key
4. The Silver Mask
5. The Golden Tower

The Sword Catcher Series

1. Sword Catcher (2023)
2. The Ragpicker King (TBA)

#3 Shadowhunter Books in Order by Author’s Recommendation

Being an author myself, I understand the dilemma of writing a book that in fact takes place earlier than a story that you’ve already published or writing a story that would actually benefit the reader to be read before something else you’ve already written.

Whether it’s an alternate story with separate characters that intersect in the future, or a different point of view that would greatly increase the understanding of character motivations.

Perhaps the best way overall to read the Mortal Instruments books in order is to follow what the author herself recommends.

As such, here is a list of Cassandra Clare books in order by Cassie’s recommendation:

1. City of Bones
2. City of Ashes
3. City of Glass

The Infernal Devices

4. Clockwork Angel
5. Clockwork Prince
6. Clockwork Princess

The Mortal Instruments, Continued

7. City of Fallen Angels
8. City of Lost Souls
9. City of Heavenly Fire

The Bane Chronicles
The Shadowhunter’s Codex
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

#4 Shadowhunter Books in Chronological Order

With the publication of Chain of Gold in March 2020 comes a new way to read the Shadowhunter books in order.

Since Chain of Gold takes place around 1903, chronologically it falls immediately after The Infernal Devices but before The Mortal Instruments. That means if you want to read the books in Chronologically, a new order is required.

Note, I would only recommend this reading order for diehard fans doing a re-read, otherwise parts of the story will inevitably be spoiled for you, or it will be difficult to understand what’s going on.

1. Clockwork Angel
2. Clockwork Prince
3. Clockwork Princess
4. Chain of Gold
5. Chain of Iron
6. Chain of Thorns
7. City of Bones
8. City of Ashes
9. City of Glass
10. City of Fallen Angels
11. The Red Scrolls of Magic
12. City of Lost Souls
13. City of Heavenly Fire
14. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
15. The Lost Book of the White
16. The Bane Chronicles
17. Lady Midnight
18. Lord of Shadows
19. Queen of Air and Darkness
20. The Black Volume of the Dead (TBA)
21. Ghosts of the Shadow Market
22. The Shadowhunter’s Codex

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Get the printable checklist

Click the image above or download it here.

The Mortal Instruments Series

1. City of Bones

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2. City of Ashes

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3. City of Glass

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4. City of Fallen Angels

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5. City of Lost Souls

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6. City of Heavenly Fire

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The Infernal Devices Series

1. Clockwork Angel

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2. Clockwork Prince

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3. Clockwork Princess

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The Dark Artifices Series

1. Lady Midnight

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2. Lord of Shadows

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3. Queen of Air and Darkness

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