Holly Black Books in Order: Complete List & Reading Guide

By T.L. BransonFantasy

If you’re looking for Holly Black books in order, the best place to begin is Tithe, her first novel. Black writes fantasy for children, teens, and adults, with major series including Modern Faerie Tales, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Folk of the Air, and the Charlatan Duology.

Most of Black’s series can be read independently. Her Faerie novels need a little more guidance because characters and events cross between Modern Faerie Tales, Fairfold, and Elfhame. For that shared world, I recommend starting with Tithe and following the books in publication order.

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Holly Black Books by Series

Holly Black’s series range from urban faerie stories and middle-grade adventures to magical crime and adult dark fantasy. Most stand on their own, so you can start with whichever premise interests you. The connected Faerie books are the exception, and I’ve included a combined reading order after the individual series.

Modern Faerie Tales | Tithe Series Order

Modern Faerie Tales introduces Black’s dangerous version of contemporary Faerie, where enchantment sits beside clubs, city streets, and messy mortal lives. Tithe follows Kaye as she discovers that her connection to the fae is far more complicated than she believed, while Valiant shifts to Val and a new part of the same hidden world. Ironside returns to Kaye and brings the trilogy together.

I recommend reading these three novels in publication order. The later stories add character moments and crossovers, but they aren’t replacements for the trilogy.

  1. Tithe (2002)
  2. Valiant (2005)
  3. Ironside (2007)

Modern Faerie Tales Short Stories

Several short stories return to characters or places connected to Modern Faerie Tales. I’d finish the trilogy before reading “Going Ironside,” “The Land of Heart’s Desire,” and “Not for Humans.” “A Visit to the Impossible Lands,” “The Lament of Lutie-Loo,” and “The Honest Folk” reach farther into Black’s wider Faerie world. You’ll find each story, its original publication, and its year in the short-fiction section below.

Spiderwick Chronicles Books

Holly Black created The Spiderwick Chronicles with Tony DiTerlizzi. The middle-grade series follows the Grace children after they discover Arthur Spiderwick’s field guide and learn that their new home is surrounded by creatures most people can’t see. The five original books tell one continuous adventure, so I recommend reading them in order.

  1. The Field Guide (2003)
  2. The Seeing Stone (2003)
  3. Lucinda’s Secret (2003)
  4. The Ironwood Tree (2004)
  5. The Wrath of Mulgarath (2004)

Spiderwick Chronicles: Seeing Stone Special Edition Books

These three small special editions expand material connected to The Seeing Stone. They are optional extras rather than additional books in the main Grace family story. I’d read the original five books first, then return to these if you want more encounters with Spiderwick’s goblins and trolls.

  1. Goblins Attack (2007)
  2. Troll Trouble (2007)
  3. Great Escape (2007)

Spiderwick Chronicles: Companion Books

The companion books are written as objects from the Spiderwick world. They focus on observing, identifying, and caring for fantastical creatures rather than continuing the Grace children’s plot. Tony DiTerlizzi’s illustrations are a major part of the experience, so the print editions are especially useful here.

  1. Arthur Spiderwick’s Notebook of Fantastical Observations (2005)
  2. Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (2005)
  3. The Spiderwick Chronicles: Care and Feeding of Sprites (2006)

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles Series

Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles moves the action to Florida and follows Nick Vargas and his stepsister Laurie. The trilogy introduces new creatures and a new family while building on the rules established in the original books. I’d read it after The Wrath of Mulgarath, although the new cast makes it approachable for younger readers meeting Spiderwick for the first time.

  1. The Nixie’s Song (2007)
  2. A Giant Problem (2008)
  3. The Wyrm King (2009)

Good Neighbors Series

The Good Neighbors is a graphic-novel trilogy written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh. Rue Silver’s mother disappears, her father is accused of murder, and Rue begins seeing faeries moving through the human world. The story combines family secrets, supernatural danger, and a darker version of the fae.

  1. The Good Neighbors: Kin (2008)
  2. The Good Neighbors: Kith (2009)
  3. The Good Neighbors: Kind (2010)

Curse Workers Series

The Curse Workers trilogy takes place in an alternate America where certain people can change memories, emotions, luck, dreams, or even death with a touch. Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of criminals but believes he has no magical ability of his own. His attempt to understand the gaps in his memory pulls him deeper into family schemes and organized crime.

The plot and Cassel’s relationships build directly from book to book, so publication order is the best choice.

  1. White Cat (2010)
  2. Red Glove (2011)
  3. Black Heart (2012)

Magisterium Series Order

Holly Black co-wrote the Magisterium series with Cassandra Clare, with illustrations by Scott Fischer. Callum Hunt has been warned to distrust magic, but his entrance exam leads him into an underground school where young mages train to control the elements. The five books follow one continuous school-year arc and gradually reveal why Call’s father feared the Magisterium.

I recommend reading the series straight through in publication order because each ending carries directly into the next stage of Call’s story.

  1. The Iron Trial (2014)
  2. The Copper Gauntlet (2015)
  3. The Bronze Key (2016)
  4. The Silver Mask (2017)
  5. The Golden Tower (2018)

Lucifer Comic Series

Black’s Lucifer run continues the DC and Vertigo character’s story as Lucifer Morningstar is drawn into a conflict involving Heaven, Hell, and a dangerous replacement for God. Lee Garbett illustrated the series, and Richard Kadrey joined Black as a writer on the third collected volume. These are comic collections rather than prose novels.

  1. Lucifer, Volume 1: Cold Heaven (2016)
  2. Lucifer, Volume 2: Father Lucifer (2017)
  3. Lucifer, Volume 3: Blood in the Streets (2017)

The Folk of the Air Series Order

Jude wants power in a realm that treats mortals as weak and disposable. Her struggle with Prince Cardan begins as open hostility and grows into a knot of political ambition, attraction, and mistrust. The main story is a trilogy. The Lost Sisters retells part of the first book from Taryn’s perspective, and How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is an illustrated companion focused on Cardan.

For a closer look at Jude, Cardan, and the trilogy’s novellas and companions, use my The Cruel Prince series in order guide.

My advice is to read The Lost Sisters after The Cruel Prince and save Cardan’s illustrated companion until after The Queen of Nothing.

  1. The Cruel Prince (2018)
  2. The Lost Sisters (2018) (Novella)
  3. The Wicked King (2019)
  4. The Queen of Nothing (2019)
  5. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (2020)

The Charlatan Duology

The Charlatan Duology is Black’s adult dark-fantasy series. In this world, shadows can be altered, traded, stolen, and used as magic. Charlie Hall works on the edges of that dangerous business, but a job involving a missing book forces her back toward the people and secrets she has tried to escape.

The second book continues Charlie’s story, so I’d read the pair in order.

  1. Book of Night (2022)
  2. Thief of Night (2025)

The Stolen Heir Duology

The Stolen Heir Duology is also published as the Novels of Elfhame. It follows Prince Oak and Suren, the former child queen of the Court of Teeth, years after the Folk of the Air trilogy. The pair are pulled into a dangerous quest shaped by old loyalties, hidden motives, and the political aftermath of Jude and Cardan’s reign.

The duology gives enough context to follow its central plot, but it reveals where several earlier characters and kingdoms end up. I prefer reading it after The Queen of Nothing.

  1. The Stolen Heir (2023)
  2. The Prisoner’s Throne (2024)

A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters

A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters is an illustrated collection of six tales set across Modern Faerie Tales and Elfhame. The collection includes stories involving familiar figures such as Madoc and Cardan, along with two previously unpublished tales. Solenne Songer of Frostbite Studios provides the full-color artwork.

I’d treat this as an optional companion and read it after the Novels of Elfhame. It isn’t another numbered novel in either series.

  1. A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame (2026)

Connected Faerie Reading Order

Black’s Faerie novels share a world, but they follow different casts and can still work as separate entry points. Tithe is where I’d start for the broadest view of the setting. Readers mainly interested in Jude and Cardan can begin with The Cruel Prince without reading the earlier trilogy first.

For the fullest experience, I recommend this publication-based order. It lets the recurring characters and political changes appear in the same sequence readers originally encountered them.

  1. Tithe (2002)
  2. Valiant (2005)
  3. Ironside (2007)
  4. The Darkest Part of the Forest (2015)
  5. The Cruel Prince (2018)
  6. The Lost Sisters (2018) (Novella)
  7. The Wicked King (2019)
  8. The Queen of Nothing (2019)
  9. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (2020)
  10. The Stolen Heir (2023)
  11. The Prisoner’s Throne (2024)
  12. A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame (2026)

The short stories are optional. I’d read “Not for Humans” after Modern Faerie Tales and “A Visit to the Impossible Lands” after The Cruel Prince. The others can be saved until you want more from the connected world.

Holly Black Standalone Books

Black’s standalone novels cover different age groups and fantasy styles. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a vampire novel built around quarantined Coldtowns, Doll Bones is a middle-grade ghost story about friendship and growing up, and Maleficent: Heart of the Moors bridges Disney’s two live-action Maleficent films.

The Darkest Part of the Forest tells a complete story about Hazel, Ben, and the horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin. It can be read alone, but readers who want the shared Faerie experience should place it between Ironside and The Cruel Prince.

  1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (2013)
  2. Doll Bones (2013)
  3. The Darkest Part of the Forest (2015)
  4. Maleficent: Heart of the Moors (2019)

Holly Black Picture Books

Black co-wrote Sir Morien with Kaliis Smith, with illustrations by Ebony Glenn. The picture book retells the medieval story of a young Black knight who sets out to find his father and prove himself among the Knights of the Round Table.

  1. Sir Morien: The Legend of a Knight of the Round Table (2023)

Holly Black Graphic Novels and Comics

The Good Neighbors and Lucifer books are listed with their series above. Black has also contributed to collaborative graphic projects where several writers and artists share the book. Neither of the books below is a solo Holly Black series.

  1. A Flight of Angels (2011)
  2. Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks (2018)

A Flight of Angels was conceived, edited, and illustrated by Rebecca Guay, with stories by Black, Bill Willingham, Alisa Kwitney, Louise Hawes, and Todd Mitchell. Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks collects several one-shots, including the 2017 Faire & Square special containing Black’s contribution.

Holly Black Short Story Collections

These books collect Holly Black’s short fiction rather than presenting a single novel-length story. The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, illustrated by Theo Black, brings together dark fantasy, vampires, faeries, and other supernatural tales. A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters is the more focused choice for readers who want stories tied to Modern Faerie Tales and Elfhame.

  1. The Poison Eaters and Other Stories (2010)
  2. A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame (2026)

Anthologies Edited by Holly Black

Black has also worked as an anthology editor. These books contain stories by many authors, so they are different from her own short-story collections. I’d pick them based on theme: fandom and geek culture in Geektastic, a supernatural debate in Zombies vs. Unicorns, or a return to the shared urban-fantasy setting of Bordertown.

  1. Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (2009), coedited with Cecil Castellucci
  2. Zombies vs. Unicorns (2010), coedited with Justine Larbalestier
  3. Welcome to Bordertown (2011), coedited with Ellen Kushner

Holly Black Short Stories

Black’s short fiction includes early versions of ideas she later developed into novels, along with stories connected to Modern Faerie Tales, Coldtown, and several collaborative worlds. The entries below use each story’s first publication year. When a purchasable collection, anthology, or special edition is available, that title is linked after the story.

  1. “Hades and Persephone” (1997)
  2. “The Night Market” (2004) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  3. “Heartless” (2005) (found in Young Warriors: Stories of Strength)
  4. “Going Ironside” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  5. “In Vodka Veritas” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  6. “Reversal of Fortune” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  7. “The Poison Eaters” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  8. “Paper Cuts Scissors” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  9. “The Coat of Stars” (2007) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  10. “Virgin” (2008) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  11. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” (2009) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  12. “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” (2009) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  13. “A Very Short Story” (2009) (found in Half-Minute Horrors)
  14. “The Aarne-Thompson Classification Revue” (2010) (found in Full Moon City)
  15. “The Dog King” (2010) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  16. “The Land of Heart’s Desire” (2010) (found in The Poison Eaters and Other Stories)
  17. “Sobek” (2010) (found in Wings of Fire)
  18. “Noble Rot” (2011) (found in Naked City: New Tales of Urban Fantasy)
  19. “The Rowan Gentleman” (2011), with Cassandra Clare (found in Welcome to Bordertown)
  20. “The Perfect Dinner Party” (2011), with Cassandra Clare (found in Teeth: Vampire Tales)
  21. “Everything Amiable and Obliging” (2011) (found in Steampunk!)
  22. “Lot 558: Shadow of My Nephew by Wells, Charlotte” (2011) (found in The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities)
  23. “Little Gods” (2012) (found in Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron)
  24. “Millcara” (2013) (found in Rags and Bones)
  25. “Not for Humans” (2013), with Cassandra Clare
  26. “Lights Out!” (2014)
  27. “Sisters Before Misters” (2014), with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan (found in Dark Duets)
  28. “Krampuslauf” (2014) (found in My True Love Gave to Me)
  29. “Ten Rules for Being an Intergalactic Smuggler (the Successful Kind)” (2014) (found in Monstrous Affections)
  30. “1UP” (2015) (found in Press Start to Play)
  31. “A Visit to the Impossible Lands” (2018) (found in the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition of The Cruel Prince)
  32. “The Lament of Lutie-Loo” (2019) (found in Modern Faerie Tales)
  33. “The Honest Folk” (2024) (found in Faeries Never Lie)
  34. “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” (2026) (found in Paranormal Payback)

“The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” inspired the later novel of the same name. “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” returns to Coldtown, but I’d treat it as a connected story rather than a numbered sequel.

Holly Black Book-to-Screen Adaptations

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) adapts material from the original five-book series rather than a single book with that title. Mark Waters directed the film, with Freddie Highmore as twins Jared and Simon Grace, Sarah Bolger as Mallory, and Mary-Louise Parker as their mother, Helen. Holly Black served as an executive producer.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024) retells the Grace family’s discovery of the hidden magical world as a contemporary television series. Christian Slater and Lyon Daniels lead the cast, and both Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi are credited as executive producers. The show is a new adaptation rather than a continuation of the 2008 film.

Who Is Holly Black?

Holly Black is an American fantasy author whose work ranges from picture books and middle-grade adventures to young adult and adult fantasy. Her first novel, Tithe, introduced the dangerous modern faeries that would become one of the defining threads of her career. She later co-created The Spiderwick Chronicles with Tony DiTerlizzi and returned to Faerie for The Folk of the Air and the Novels of Elfhame.

Black has also written the Curse Workers trilogy, the adult Charlatan books, comics for DC, and the Magisterium series with Cassandra Clare. Her books often pair magical rules and bargains with characters who want power, belonging, or control badly enough to make risky choices. In my view, that mix is what makes her different series feel recognizably hers even when the age group and setting change.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

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