What to Read After Shadow and Bone: 6 Books for Fans of the Grishaverse
What to read after Shadow and Bone is the question that comes with the specific hunger of finishing a book and knowing there is a whole world left to explore. Leigh Bardugo introduced millions of readers to the Grishaverse — a world of bone-deep magic, a heroine discovering power she never knew she had, and a love interest whose allegiance keeps you uncertain until the end. Bardugo writes magic systems with rigorous internal logic and characters whose flaws are as precisely observed as their strengths. These six books share the same combination of propulsive plotting, morally grey characters, and fantasy worlds worth living in.
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Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Set in the same Grishaverse but centred in Ketterdam rather than Ravka, Six of Crows follows a crew of criminal misfits attempting the world's most dangerous heist. If you finished Shadow and Bone and want to return to this world immediately, Six of Crows is the answer — it uses the same magic system and geopolitics, introduces new characters who become instant favourites, and proves that Bardugo's world is even richer than the first trilogy suggested. Most readers consider it a step up in craft.
View on AmazonHeistFound FamilySame WorldEnsemble Cast🔥 Heat: Warm - 2
Siege and Storm
by Leigh Bardugo
The direct sequel to Shadow and Bone picks up immediately after Alina and Mal's escape, throws them across the ocean, and introduces Sturmhond — a privateer captain who steals every scene he's in. Bardugo expands the Grishaverse's geography and introduces new Grisha powers that reframe everything about the magic system. If you loved Alina's arc and want to see where it goes, Siege and Storm deepens the world and raises the stakes without losing the voice that made Shadow and Bone work.
View on AmazonMagic SystemEnemies to LoversSame SeriesWorld-Building🔥 Heat: Warm - 3
A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
The fae court romantasy for Shadow and Bone readers ready to age up — ACOTAR shares the enemies-to-lovers tension, the morally complex love interest whose allegiance you cannot fully trust, and the immersive fantasy world-building that makes Shadow and Bone compelling. Maas writes the forbidden attraction between Feyre and her fae captors with more heat than Bardugo's YA register allows, and the court politics of Prythian expand satisfyingly across a long series. A natural escalation.
View on AmazonFae CourtsEnemies to LoversForbidden RomanceFound Family🔥🔥🔥 Heat: Very Steamy - 4
An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir
Shadow and Bone readers who love the dual-POV structure and the military academy setting will find An Ember in the Ashes the most direct equivalent in YA epic fantasy. Tahir writes Laia and Elias's alternating perspectives with the same precision Bardugo uses for Alina, and the brutal Roman-inspired empire gives the stakes the same bone-deep seriousness. The slow-burn romance and found-family dynamics across two trilogies make this a complete, emotionally satisfying investment.
View on AmazonDual POVDark FantasyEnemies to LoversFound Family🔥 Heat: Warm - 5
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
Holly Black's fae court fantasy for Shadow and Bone readers who want a heroine with more agency and a love interest who is actively antagonistic — Jude is the mortal girl who refuses to be powerless in a world of fae, and Cardan is the cruellest of the princes. The enemies-to-lovers arc is slower and more adversarial than Alina and the Darkling's dynamic, but the satisfaction of watching Jude reverse the power balance is enormous. Tonally darker and politically sharper than Shadow and Bone.
View on AmazonFae CourtsEnemies to LoversPolitical IntrigueMorally Grey Hero🔥 Heat: Warm - 6
From Blood and Ash
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Shadow and Bone readers ready for the adult version of the morally complex love interest — Hawke is the forbidden guard with secrets that reframe the entire first book, and the romance is built with the same slow-burn mechanics Bardugo uses for Alina and the Darkling, but with significantly more heat. Armentrout writes the magical world with the same YA-to-adult escalation that makes the Grishaverse feel like it grows with its readers. The twists hit with the same impact as Shadow and Bone's central reveal.
View on AmazonForbidden RomanceEnemies to LoversDark FantasyBodyguard🔥🔥🔥 Heat: Very Steamy