Reading order
The Palace Chronicles reading order
1- 7.87.8 / 1071 ratings
- Score
- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 1999–2015
- Published
- about 16 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Fantasy
- Genre
Quick answer
Publication order
3 volumes1999–2015Completed
- Margaret Peterson Haddix’s fairy-tale novels for young readers.
- Just Ella (1999) picks up Cinderella after the ball: Ella finds palace life stifling and her prince dull, and decides to get out.
- Palace of Mirrors (2008), in which Ella reappears, and Palace of Lies (2015) follow other heroines in neighbouring kingdoms.
- Each book stands alone; reading them in publication order catches the links between them.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 883 pages, about 16 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 3 weeks.
Stages
This series fits in one stage. You finish around November 20, 2026.
- Stage 116 habout 3 weeksby November 20, 2026
- 1. Just Ella
- 2. Palace of Mirrors
- 3. Palace of Lies
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
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
Frequently asked questions
Which The Palace Chronicles book is the longest?
“Palace of Lies” is the longest at 368 pages; the shortest is “Just Ella” with 218 pages.
What should I read after The Palace Chronicles?
Other series by Margaret Peterson Haddix: Shadow Children.
