The Shadowhunter Chronicles
#1524.15 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Ongoing 2007–present Reading commitment Medium Cassandra Clare Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Overview
The Shadowhunter Chronicles is Cassandra Clare’s urban fantasy world of demon-hunters, beginning with the six-book Mortal Instruments series (2007–2014) and continuing through several further trilogies in the same world.
Urban fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
The Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | City of Bones | 2007 | 1 | core | 4.07 (2,025,001 ratings) |
 | City of Ashes | 2008 | 2 | core | 4.10 (1,010,298 ratings) |
 | City of Glass | 2009 | 3 | core | 4.27 (1,028,377 ratings) |
 | City of Fallen Angels | 2011 | 4 | core | 4.07 (648,922 ratings) |
 | City of Lost Souls | 2012 | 5 | core | 4.21 (504,135 ratings) |
 | City of Heavenly Fire | 2014 | 6 | core | 4.38 (421,423 ratings) |
The original six-book series that introduced the Shadowhunters.
Library / Expanded (6 works)
The Infernal Devices Cassandra Clare
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Clockwork Angel | 2010 | N/A | |
 | Clockwork Prince | 2011 | N/A | |
 | Clockwork Princess | 2013 | N/A |
A prequel trilogy set in Victorian London, in the same world as The Mortal Instruments.
The Dark Artifices Cassandra Clare
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lady Midnight | 2016 | N/A | |
 | Lord of Shadows | 2017 | N/A | |
 | Queen of Air and Darkness | 2018 | N/A |
A sequel trilogy set five years after The Mortal Instruments.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Shadowhunter Chronicles? The Shadowhunter Chronicles's Core Canon is 6 books, plus 6 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for The Shadowhunter Chronicles? Publication order, starting with City of Bones. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Shadowhunter Chronicles finished? Ongoing (2007–present).
- How much reading does The Shadowhunter Chronicles take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books · ~3,194 pages).
- How is The Shadowhunter Chronicles ranked? #152 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 5,638,156 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #152?
Ranked #152 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.15 across 6 core books.
- Backed by 5.6M reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #151, Song of Albion (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 6 books · Ongoing · 5.6M ratings · Ranks #152 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- City of Bones (2007)
- City of Ashes (2008)
- City of Glass (2009)
- City of Fallen Angels (2011)
- City of Lost Souls (2012)
- City of Heavenly Fire (2014)
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 awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.15 across 5,638,156 ratings on 6 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Shadowhunter Chronicles admitted; The Mortal Instruments is the Core, its prequel and sequel trilogies are Expanded accepted 2026-08-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is The Mortal Instruments (2007–2014); The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices trilogies are Expanded Canon as prequel/sequel material in the same world.