The Dark Artifices reading order

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 2,435 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 9 weeks.

• The thickest volume runs 912 pages. One volume is one stage: a break after it, not the next volume.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 10, 2027, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 114 h19 daysby November 17, 2026

   • 1. Lady Midnight2016 · 771 pages · 14 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 21, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 214 h18 daysby December 9, 2026

   • 2. Lord of Shadows2017 · 752 pages · 14 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 18, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 317 habout 3 weeksby January 10, 2027

   • 3. Queen of Air and Darkness2018 · 912 pages · 17 h
6. The end of the series

   January 10, 2027

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: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.1 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: Lord of Shadows (8.2, 201 ratings). Weakest: Queen of Air and Darkness (8.1). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.1) scores close to the series average or above it.