Kate Daniels World reading order
By Ilona Andrews · Last verified · 3 sources
Quick answer
Use the authors' order. Ilona Andrews publish a single list for the whole Kate Daniels World that starts with the short story Questionable Client, runs through the ten main novels with the novellas and spin-off novels slotted between them, and ends with the Wilmington Years, Blood Heir and recent site-only stories.
Ten Kate Daniels novels plus spin-off novels (Andrea, Hugh, Julie, the Wilmington Years), six novellas and several short stories, which the authors list as one interleaved reading order.
- The series has 15 novels, 6 novellas, 7 short stories.
- In publication order, the main sequence starts with Magic Bites (2007) and the latest listed is Magic Triumphs (2018).
- Besides publication order, this page offers: Authors' reading order (Kate Daniels World).
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Verification: Every work cites an author or publisher source (28 of 28 works cite an author, publisher or official source). How we verify.
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Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- Magic Bites
- Magic Burns
- Magic Strikes
- Magic Mourns
- Magic Bleeds
- Magic Dreams
- Magic Slays
- Gunmetal Magic
- Magic Rises
- Magic Steals
- Magic Breaks
- Magic Shifts
- Magic Stars
- Magic Binds
- Iron and Magic
- Magic Triumphs
- Blood Heir
- Magic Tides
- Magic Claims
- Sanctuary
Not placed in this order
Our sources do not give a position for these works in this order, so we do not guess one.
- Magic Gifts
- Questionable Client
- Magic Tests
- An Ill-Advised Rescue
- The King of Fire
- Purpose
- No Heroes
- Sandra
Why the order isn't simple
- The authors' official order puts novellas and short stories between the main novels — for example Magic Mourns between Magic Strikes and Magic Bleeds — so a numbered list of the ten main books skips about a third of the story.
- Some short pieces were never published as separate books: one appears inside Magic Rises, two inside the Small Magics anthology, one inside Blood Heir, and three only on the authors' website.
- Spin-off novels (Gunmetal Magic, Iron and Magic, Blood Heir, the Wilmington Years) are part of the same order rather than separate series read afterwards.
- Small Magics also contains material the authors say is not part of Kate's story.
Which order should I use?
Publication order covers only the works with verified first-publication years; short pieces without a verified date are listed separately as not placed.
The authors' order is the official sequence and places all 28 works. It differs from publication order mainly in where it puts the novellas and short stories, and in putting Blood Heir (2021) after the Wilmington Years novels (2023).
To read just the ten core novels, tick 'Main sequence only'.
Where each order comes from
- Publication order — Derived from publication dates
- Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- Authors' reading order (Kate Daniels World) — Author / publisher recommended
- The order in which Ilona Andrews list every Kate Daniels World book, novella and short story on their official booklist, including where the novellas and short stories go between the novels. Source: Release schedule / booklist (Kate Daniels World).
Novellas & short stories
Six novellas sit between the novels in the authors' order. The short stories are scattered across three places: inside a novel (Magic Rises, Blood Heir), inside the Small Magics anthology, or only on the authors' website.
| Title | Type | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Mourns | Novella | 2009 | Raphael and Andrea novella (authors' list). |
| Magic Dreams | Novella | 2011 | Jim and Dali novella #1 (authors' list). |
| Magic Gifts | Novella | Unknown | Kate novella (authors' list). First-publication date not verified. |
| Magic Steals | Novella | 2014 | Jim and Dali novella #2 (authors' list). |
| Magic Stars | Novella | 2015 | Derek's novella (authors' list). |
| Sanctuary | Novella | 2024 | Roman's novella #1 (authors' list). |
| Questionable Client | Short story | Unknown | In Small Magics (authors' list); original first-publication date not verified. |
| Magic Tests | Short story | Unknown | In Small Magics (authors' list); original first-publication date not verified. |
| An Ill-Advised Rescue | Short story | Unknown | Included in Magic Rises, per the authors' list. |
| The King of Fire | Short story | Unknown | Julie's short story; posted on the authors' site and included in Blood Heir (authors' list). |
| Purpose | Short story | Unknown | Kate short story available on the authors' site only. |
| No Heroes | Short story | Unknown | Conlan short story available on the authors' site only. |
| Sandra | Short story | Unknown | Kate short story available on the authors' site only. |
Collections & omnibus editions: what's inside
Small Magics contains two Kate Daniels World stories in the authors' order (Questionable Client and Magic Tests) plus material outside Kate's story.
Two short stories travel inside novels: An Ill-Advised Rescue with Magic Rises and The King of Fire with Blood Heir. We show these as editions containing both so the ownership checker can tell you whether a copy already includes the story; check your printing, because the authors do not say which printings include them.
Contents below are works from this series only. Tick the editions you own to check for duplicates and gaps.
Small Magics
Story collection · 2015 · series contents only / partly verified
- Questionable Client
- Magic Tests
Only the Kate Daniels World stories the authors list are shown. The authors say Small Magics also contains short Curran point-of-view scenes and Retribution Clause, which they state is not part of Kate's story.
Source: Release schedule / booklist (Kate Daniels World), Ilona Andrews (bibliography)
Magic Rises (with An Ill-Advised Rescue)
Story collection · 2013
- Magic Rises
- An Ill-Advised Rescue
The authors list An Ill-Advised Rescue as being 'in Magic Rises'. Which printings include it is not stated, so check your copy.
Blood Heir (with The King of Fire)
Story collection · 2021
- Blood Heir
- The King of Fire
The authors list The King of Fire as on their site and in Blood Heir.
Your editions
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About the sub-series
The spin-offs are named after their lead characters on the authors' site (Andrea, Jim and Dali, Hugh, Julie). They are part of the one reading order rather than separate series.
Where sources disagree
We don't pick a winner silently. When sources conflict we show each view and cite it.
Dates of short pieces
The authors' list says where each short piece is found but not when it was first published. Dates are left unknown rather than taken from retail listings, so these pieces appear under 'Not placed' in publication order but are fully placed in the authors' order.
How this page was verified
The full order and where each short piece is found come from the authors' official booklist on ilona-andrews.com.
Publication years are from Wikipedia (secondary), because the authors' list does not give dates and library catalogue records for this series are mostly later audio and reprint editions.
Last verified . Every work cites an author or publisher source.
Sources
Every date, order and edition listed on this page cites at least one of these. See our data methodology for how source types are ranked.
- Release schedule / booklist (Kate Daniels World) — Ilona Andrews (official site) · Author (official) · accessed 8 October 2026 Full Kate Daniels World order, novellas and short stories with where each is found; notes on Small Magics and Curran POV.
- Kate Daniels (book series) — Wikipedia · Secondary reference · accessed 8 October 2026 Publication years of the ten main novels (Ace, 2007-2018).
- Ilona Andrews (bibliography) — Wikipedia · Secondary reference · accessed 8 October 2026 Publication years of spin-off novels, novellas and Small Magics.
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