Reading order
Shades of Magic reading order
1
2
3- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 2015–2017
- Published
- about 30 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Fantasy#106
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
3 volumes2015–2017Completed
- Three books, one story, read in order — the first is a self-contained adventure, the second raises the stakes and ends mid-fall, and the third only exists as a finale.
- Afterwards there is more: the Threads of Power trilogy returns to the same four Londons seven years later with some of the same people, and starts with The Fragile Threads of Power.
- It assumes you finished this one.
- There is also a comic prequel about Kell's coat, which is a curiosity rather than a step.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 1,616 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: medium
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 11, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 213 h17 daysby December 11, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.9) below the ending (8.2). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.
Best volume: A Conjuring of Light (8.2, 689 ratings). Weakest: A Darker Shade of Magic (7.9). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.2) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Shades of Magic books ranked, best to worst
- 1.A Conjuring of LightBook 3 · 20178.2
- 2.A Gathering of ShadowsBook 2 · 20168.0
- 3.A Darker Shade of MagicBook 1 · 20157.9
Frequently asked questions
Which Shades of Magic book is the best?
By reader score, A Conjuring of Light (8.2/10). The lowest-rated is A Darker Shade of Magic (7.9/10).
Which Shades of Magic book is the longest?
“A Conjuring of Light” is the longest at 688 pages; the shortest is “A Darker Shade of Magic” with 400 pages.
What should I read after Shades of Magic?
Other series by V. E. Schwab: Cassidy Blake, Villains, Monsters of Verity.
