The Dark Artifices Books in Order
The Dark Artifices is Cassandra Clare's Los Angeles trilogy - five years after the events of The Mortal Instruments, a new generation of Blackthorns and Emma Carstairs, the shadowhunter raised as one of them, whose parabatai bond with Julian Blackthorn is the series' engine and its forbidden problem. Lady Midnight (2016) opens the investigation into Emma's parents' murders; the trilogy runs the longest books of Clare's career - each seven hundred pages-plus - to Queen of Air and Darkness (2018). It is the direct sequel era to The Mortal Instruments, and the one place in the universe where reading order genuinely matters. This page sequences the three and the rule for arriving at them (2016–2018).
Where to start
Lady Midnight (March 8, 2016), book one - but the honest rule is below: this trilogy is the sequel to The Mortal Instruments and assumes it.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lady Midnight | #1 · Mar 8 2016 — after Mortal Instruments | |
| 2017 | Lord of Shadows | #2 · May 23 2017 — the cliffhanger | |
| 2018 | Queen of Air and Darkness | #3 · Dec 4 2018 — the trilogy closes |
Does the reading order matter?
Strict: Lady Midnight (March 8, 2016), Lord of Shadows (May 23, 2017), Queen of Air and Darkness (December 4, 2018) - complete, one continuous plot, and Lord of Shadows ends on the most notorious cliffhanger of Clare's career, so plan to read straight through. The rule: The Dark Artifices is set five years after City of Heavenly Fire (2014) and uses its world, its surviving cast and its emotional debts - read The Mortal Instruments first. The Infernal Devices (2010-13) is optional before it but adds the lineage payoffs. After it: The Last Hours (2020-23) is a prequel, safe anywhere after Infernal Devices, and The Wicked Powers - the final era - opens with The Last King of Faerie (November 3, 2026)
Which one is the best?
Lady Midnight (2016), the best-written opener in the universe; Queen of Air and Darkness (2018), the finale; the parabatai bond itself, the trilogy's central invention.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: The Mortal Instruments books in order, The Infernal Devices books in order, Cassandra Clare books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The Dark Artifices books in?
Lady Midnight → Lord of Shadows → Queen (2016-18), strict, after Mortal Instruments.
Where should I start with The Dark Artifices?
Finish The Mortal Instruments, then Lady Midnight (2016).
How many The Dark Artifices books are there?
Three novels, complete (2016-2018), the longest of Clare's series - a #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy that directly continues The Mortal Instruments five years on. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The Dark Artifices's first book?
Lady Midnight (2016) — the first row of the list above.