Shadow and Bone: The Complete Grishaverse Reading Order

Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse is one of YA fantasy’s most beloved shared universes — a world of Grisha magic, political intrigue, and heist fiction that has produced two trilogies and multiple additional works. The Netflix adaptation Shadow and Bone combined storylines from both main series. Here’s how to read it all.

The Grishaverse in Reading Order

Shadow and Bone Trilogy (read first)

Six of Crows Duology (read after the trilogy)

The King of Scars Duology

The Language of Thorns (2017) — short story collection; can be read at any point.

The complete Grishaverse reading order is on the series page.

The Critical Reading Order Debate

The most common question: can you read Six of Crows before Shadow and Bone?

Technically yes — Six of Crows has its own self-contained cast and plot. Many readers prefer to start with it because it’s considered the stronger series (more complex, darker, better plotted).

But the recommendation is Shadow and Bone first, because:

• Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom contain references and characters from the original trilogy
• The world-building established in the first trilogy makes the second series richer
• Certain reveals in Six of Crows land better with trilogy context

If you’ve read Six of Crows first and loved it, the Shadow and Bone trilogy will feel slightly simpler in comparison — that’s worth knowing going in.

Six of Crows: Why It Has a Separate Fanbase

Six of Crows is often discussed separately from Shadow and Bone because it’s a different kind of book: a heist novel with six rotating POVs, a morally grey ensemble cast, and a significantly darker tone than the first trilogy. Kaz Brekker — the criminal mastermind at the centre of the heist — has become one of YA fantasy’s most beloved characters.

BookTok’s attachment to the Crows (the Six of Crows ensemble) is intense. The ships — Kaz/Inej (Kanej), Jesper/Wylan (Wesper) — have been discussed in hundreds of millions of posts.

The Netflix Adaptation

Shadow and Bone (Netflix, 2021–2023) — two seasons. Season 1 combined the storyline of the first Shadow and Bone novel with an original Six of Crows storyline. Netflix cancelled the show after two seasons, leaving multiple storylines unresolved.

Where to Start

For most readers: Start with Shadow and Bone (Book 1) for the full world context.

If Six of Crows specifically brought you here: Read it first if you want; just be aware the Shadow and Bone trilogy context makes the Grishaverse richer.