Recommended order

The Lightlark books should be read in the recommended order, by following this sequence:⁠[1]⁠[4]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of Lightlark. Lightlark 2022⁠[7-8] Introduces the realms, curses, Centennial, and conflict.
2 Book cover of Nightbane. Nightbane 2023⁠[9-10] Continues from the aftermath of Lightlark.
3 Book cover of Grim and Oro. Grim and Oro 2025⁠[11-12] Adds prequel and context before Skyshade.
4 Book cover of Skyshade. Skyshade 2024⁠[13-14] Follows the consequences of Nightbane with background in place.
5 Book cover of Crowntide. Crowntide 2025⁠[15-16] Continues from the ending of Skyshade into the next major war.
Recommended reading order of The Lightlark books.
Recommended reading order of The Lightlark books.

Publication order

Readers who prefer to follow the books as released may read Grim and Oro after Skyshade. The publication reading order keeps the first three novels together before pausing for the companion background. The trade-off is that some Grim and Oro context arrives after Skyshade, even though the companion collection is largely set earlier or alongside already-known events.⁠[7-16]

The Lightlark books may be read in publication order, by following this sequence:⁠[7-16]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of Lightlark. Lightlark 2022⁠[7-8] Starts the series and introduces the main conflict.
2 Book cover of Nightbane. Nightbane 2023⁠[9-10] Continues Isla’s story after the first book.
3 Book cover of Skyshade. Skyshade 2024⁠[13-14] Carries the plot forward before the companion pause.
4 Book cover of Grim and Oro. Grim and Oro 2025⁠[11-12] Adds retrospective context for the two rulers.
5 Book cover of Crowntide. Crowntide 2025⁠[15-16] Returns to the main storyline after Skyshade.
Publication order of The Lightlark books.
Publication order of The Lightlark books.

Core-story-first order

This path follows Isla’s central storyline first and leaves Grim and Oro until after the main sequence currently supplied. It may suit readers who want the most direct continuation from Lightlark through Crowntide without pausing for extended backstory. The trade-off is that Grim and Oro’s histories are delayed until after the main plot has moved past several developments they help contextualize.⁠[2-3]⁠[5-6]⁠[17]

The core story of The Lightlark series may be read before the supplementary material, by following this sequence:⁠[2-3]⁠[5-6]⁠[17]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of Lightlark. Lightlark 2022⁠[7-8] Begins Isla’s storyline and the cursed-realm conflict.
2 Book cover of Nightbane. Nightbane 2023⁠[9-10] Continues Isla’s story after the first book.
3 Book cover of Skyshade. Skyshade 2024⁠[13-14] Carries the main conflict from Nightbane forward.
4 Book cover of Crowntide. Crowntide 2025⁠[15-16] Resumes after Isla’s disappearance in Skyshade.
5 Book cover of Grim and Oro. Grim and Oro 2025⁠[11-12] Adds background and perspective after the core plot path.
Core-story-first reading order of The Lightlark books.
Core-story-first reading order of The Lightlark books.

Works in sequence

The essential reading path consists of the main novels that carry Isla Crown’s continuing storyline forward: Lightlark, Nightbane, Skyshade, Skyshade. These books contain the central sequence of events, with each book relying on the conflicts and consequences of the previous one:⁠[2-3]⁠[5-6]

Grim and Oro is supplementary rather than a starting point for the main sequence. It expands the series by giving Grimshaw and Oro their own background and perspective, including material that predates and overlaps with the main storyline. For a full first reading, it fits most naturally after Nightbane and before Skyshade.⁠[17]

Readers who want only the central plot can follow the main novels first. However, readers who want fuller context for the later books should include the companion collection in the recommended position.⁠[2-3]⁠[5-6]⁠[17]

1. Lightlark

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of Lightlark.
Book cover of Lightlark.

Lightlark (2022)⁠[7-8] opens the series with Isla Crown, ruler of the Wildling realm, arriving on the cursed island of Lightlark for the Centennial, a competition meant to break the ancient curses afflicting the six realms.⁠[2]

This novel establishes the world’s political structure, the danger posed by the curses, Isla’s vulnerability, and the alliances and rivalries that drive the later books.⁠[2]

2. Nightbane

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of Nightbane.
Book cover of Nightbane.

Nightbane (2023)⁠[9-10] continues after the breaking of the curses and follows Isla as she faces the consequences of new power and new rulership from the first book.⁠[3]

This story expands the conflict around Wildling, Starling, Nightshade, and Lightlark loyalties while making Isla’s buried memories and divided attachments central to the next stage of the series.⁠[3]

3. Grim and Oro

CompanionOptional reading
Book cover of Grim and Oro.

Grim and Oro (2025)⁠[11-12] is a companion collection made up of two novels, Grim and Oro. Its material is largely prequel and background rather than a continuation of the main plot.⁠[4]

Read after Nightbane, it gives fuller context for Grimshaw Malvere and Oro Rey before Skyshade develops the consequences of Isla’s ties to both rulers.⁠[4]

4. Skyshade

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of Skyshade.
Book cover of Skyshade.

Skyshade (2024)⁠[13-14] picks up from the upheaval at the end of Nightbane, with Isla in Nightshade while the larger threat to Lightlark and its connected realms grows. This book develops the conflict between personal bonds, rulership, survival, and world-level danger.⁠[5]

Reading Grim and Oro first gives more background for the relationships and histories that shape this stage of the story.⁠[5]

5. Crowntide

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of Crowntide.
Book cover of Crowntide.

Crowntide (2025)⁠[15-16] resumes the main storyline after Isla’s disappearance at the end of Skyshade. Oro and Grim are forced into a truce while Isla enters Skyshade, a dangerous world tied to the larger war now threatening Lightlark.⁠[6]

This book continues the unresolved conflict from the previous main novel and carries the series into a broader confrontation between worlds.⁠[6]

References

  1. The Lightlark Saga. Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  2. Lightlark. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419760860.
  3. Nightbane. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419760907.
  4. Grim and Oro. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419785627.
  5. Skyshade. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419773785.
  6. Crowntide. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419785719.
  7. Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1) (Hardcover). ABRAMS.
  8. Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1) (Hardback). Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  9. Nightbane (The Lightlark Saga Book 2) (Hardcover). ABRAMS.
  10. Nightbane (The Lightlark Saga Book 2) (Hardback). Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  11. Grim and Oro: Dueling Crowns Edition (A Lightlark Saga Deluxe Companion Book) (Hardcover). ABRAMS.
  12. Grim and Oro: Dueling Crowns Edition (A Lightlark Saga Deluxe Companion Book). Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  13. Skyshade (The Lightlark Saga Book 3) (Hardcover). ABRAMS.
  14. Skyshade (The Lightlark Saga Book 3) (Hardback). Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  15. Crowntide (The Lightlark Saga Book 4) (Hardcover). ABRAMS.
  16. Crowntide (The Lightlark Saga Book 4) (Hardback). Abrams & Chronicle Books.
  17. Grim and Oro. Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419785627.