Shades of Magic
#1694.13 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2015–present Reading commitment Medium V.E. Schwab Last reviewed 2026-08-19
Overview
V.E. Schwab's 1st universe in this canon. A complete trilogy set across four parallel Londons -- Grey, Red, White, and the sealed-off Black -- following Kell, one of the last travelers able to move between them.
Portal fantasy, Epic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Shades of Magic V.E. Schwab
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Darker Shade of Magic | 2015 | 1 | core | 4.03 (445,042 ratings) |
 | A Gathering of Shadows | 2016 | 2 | core | 4.19 (243,349 ratings) |
 | A Conjuring of Light | 2017 | 3 | core | 4.29 (201,180 ratings) |
V.E. Schwab's 1st universe in this canon. A complete trilogy of parallel Londons (Grey, Red, White, and the sealed-off Black). Award record consists mostly of reader-vote ballot nominations on a popular rating platform (a high-volume open-nomination stage, not a juried shortlist); no confirmed Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, or British Fantasy recognition was found for this trilogy specifically.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Threads of Power V.E. Schwab
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Fragile Threads of Power; 1st book of Threads of Power, a new trilogy by V.E. Schwab continuing the Shades of Magic world after A Conjuring of Light (2017). Registered Expanded Canon since the trilogy is still incomplete (2 further volumes confirmed but not yet published or dated); Core Canon remains the original Shades of Magic trilogy. | 2023 | N/A |
A new trilogy continuing the Shades of Magic world; only book 1 (The Fragile Threads of Power, 2023) is published so far. Books 2 and 3 are confirmed but have no announced title or date.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Shades of Magic? Shades of Magic's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Shades of Magic? Publication order, starting with A Darker Shade of Magic. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Shades of Magic finished? Ongoing (2015–present).
- How much reading does Shades of Magic take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,536 pages).
- How is Shades of Magic ranked? #169 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 889,571 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #169?
Ranked #169 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.13 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 890k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #168, Saga of Pliocene Exile (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 890k ratings · Ranks #169 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length portal fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- A Darker Shade of Magic (2015)
- A Gathering of Shadows (2016)
- A Conjuring of Light (2017)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No award recognition beyond reader-vote ballot nominations on a popular rating platform (a high-volume open-nomination stage, not a juried shortlist) could be confirmed for this trilogy from a primary source.
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Suggestions computed from what Shades of Magic and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- An Ember in the Ashes Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.22
- The Raven Rings Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.17
- Memories of Idhún Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.14
- Saga of the Borderlands Epic fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.12
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.13 across 889,571 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Shades of Magic (V.E. Schwab) as a new universe accepted 2026-08-19
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- veschwab.com (author's own site) Tier 1
- Wikipedia (English) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-19
Rule: Core Canon = all 3 novels: A Darker Shade of Magic (2015), A Gathering of Shadows (2016), and A Conjuring of Light (2017).