Reading the Grishaverse: The Correct Reading Order
02/08/2024
The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo includes novels (one trilogy and two duologies), a comic book, two short story collections as well as individual short stories. It can be confusing when one wants to start reading in the Grishaverse, but fear not—I have been there, and I’m bringing you the reading order, and answers to some of the most common questions about the Grishaverse! Let’s demystify this together, then you’ll be ready to delve into those books confidently and with much pleasure!
The Most Crucial Question: Can I Read the Six of Crows duology before the Shadow and Bone trilogy?
Honestly? I wouldn’t recommend it. Because the powers, the Grisha, the legends and the world are established and described in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. You would miss out on basics such as how the powers and Grisha work, and where is what, and what happened to the Fold…
In other words, you’d be confused.
I get that you want to reach Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa (or any other of the Crows, but let’s be real, Kanej—the ship’s name), but it’s best for immersion and comprehension, and your whole experience to start with Shadow and Bone.
Last thing on this question, too: You won’t get the insane fun and thrill when encountering the cameos in SoC (Six of Crows) from the SaB (Shadow and Bone) trilogy. And that would be a shame because it made me giddy to see them again, and I hope you get the same delight.
So, I urge you to read Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising before Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.
The Other Most Crucial Question: Can I Jump in Right into the King of Scars duology without Having Read the Six of Crows duology nor the Shadow and Bone trilogy?
That would be like jumping straight into Doctor Who with the latest Doctor (I did that many years ago and loved it, but that’s another story)—it’s mind-bogglingly confusing! Or any other series, really! Let’s say you catch a movie at the last 20 minutes; good, you’re there for the conclusion. Of what? With whom? Why? What for?
If you start with the King of Scars duology, it’s the very same—you’ll read the conclusion of the big Grishaverse before knowing anyone or what it’s even about.
So, don’t do that please, you’ll miss out on everything. The references, the characters, the backstory, the purpose of the story, the cameos, the relationships…. You won’t understand much about the characters and their situations, nor be thrilled to see them “again”—because it’s the first time you see them for you. And spoilers! Huge spoilers.
Honestly, be kind to yourself and start by the very beginning, Shadow and Bone.
What about the Short Story Collections and Individual Short Stories?
The two short story collections are The Lives of Saints and The Language of Thorns.
Personally, I jumped into the Grishaverse by checking out the only book available in the series at my library (all the others were checked out!): The Language of Thorns. It’s such a magnificent collection of stories about Grishaverse legends and myths! It was a fantastic introduction to that world. And while I couldn’t get all the little references, it didn’t hinder my reading—they’re not necessary to understand the stories and immerse yourself in the sheer beauty of this book. Besides Shadow and Bone, this collection, The Language of Thorns, would be another good way to enter the Grishaverse.
The Lives of Saints is quite special. It’s a reproduction of the Grishaverse’s book of Sains for uyour pleasure to read. It’s like holding a piece of their world in your hands. However, since it features saints (i. e. Grisha) found in the first trilogy of Shadow and Bone, and that they’re quite important spoilers about who they are and other references, I would suggest to wait before reading this collection. Read the first trilogy, then venture into The Lives of Saints safely.
As for the short stories, The Demon in the Wood, The Tailor, and The Witch of Duva, they’re available both as ebooks or with certain editions of the books.
For full effect, I recommend reading The Demon in the Wood after the Shadow and Bone trilogy for a maximum of feels and realizations. Otherwise, The Tailor can be read after the first SaB book, and The Witch of Duva is a companion to the first SaB so I suggest reading it after the first book as well.
Speaking of The Demon in the Wood, it’s also available as a comic book!
The Correct Reading Order of the Grishaverse
Now, with all we’ve learned about the Grishaverse, here is the correct order for reading the books (according to yours truly):
(The Language of Thorns, to your choice, or start with:)
1- Shadow and Bone
1.2 - The Witch of Duva
1.3 - The Tailor
2- Siege and Storm
3- Rise and Ruin
3.1 - The Demon in the Wood
4- The Lives of Saints
5- Six of Crows
6- Crooked Kingdom
7- King of Scars
8- Rule of Wolves
(And you can end with The Language of Thorns, if ever you didn’t start with it.)
In Conclusion
Phew! That was quite the adventure, right? But fear not, Grisha, you’re now ready and set to explore the Grishaverse. In the end, it’s best to start at the beginning and follow the order of the major novels, with the short story collections and individual short stories interspersed between them.
Are you looking forward to a particular book or character in the series? Did you find this article useful for your reading experience?
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See you next post, lovelies!