Shadow and Bone (Grishaverse) — Reading Order

Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy introduced the Grishaverse — one of the most beloved fantasy worlds in YA literature. Set in a Russia-inspired nation called Ravka, the trilogy follows Alina Starkov, an orphan mapmaker in the Ravkan army who discovers she possesses a rare and powerful form of Grisha magic: the ability to summon light. This makes her the potential savior of a nation divided by the Shadow Fold, a swath of impenetrable darkness filled with monsters.

Read the trilogy in order: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. The Grishaverse continues with the Six of Crows duology and the King of Scars duology, all set in the same world.

Bardugo's world-building is exceptional — the Slavic-inspired setting feels fresh in a genre dominated by Western European medieval aesthetics, and the Grisha magic system (manipulating matter at its most fundamental level) is elegant and well-defined. The trilogy deals with themes of power, identity, and the seductive danger of believing you are destined to save the world. While Shadow and Bone is where the Grishaverse begins, many readers consider the Six of Crows duology to be where Bardugo truly hits her stride — but this trilogy provides the essential foundation for understanding the world and its politics.