Sarah Painter Books in Order

Sarah Painter has written 21 books, published between 2013 and 2026. The first book is The Language of Spells (2013) and the newest is The Crow Moon (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
21
Published
2013–2026
Confirmed
10 of 21 titles
Pages on record
1,998 in 7 of 21 books

Sarah Painter writes fantasy. The Language of Spells (2013) opens a catalogue of 21 books that reaches The Crow Moon (2026), divided across four series: Crow Investigations, Language of Spells, Unholy Island and Practical Cursework. One title stands outside the fiction, Stop Worrying; Start Writing (2017), on fear, self-doubt and procrastination for writers. Painter continues to publish.

Source: composed

Lydia Crow, the private investigator at the center of the Crow Investigations series, works cases in London that draw her into conflicts between powerful families within the city's magical underworld, as well as into her own family's affairs.

How many Sarah Painter books are there?

Sarah Painter has 21 books, released between 2013 and 2026. They include 4 series and 4 titles listed outside any series.

Sarah Painter Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 21 Sarah Painter books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    The Language of SpellsLanguage of Spells #12013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
  2. 2
    The Garden of MagicLanguage of Spells #22015 · confirmed 2/4
    2015–
  3. 3
    In the Light of What We See2016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016–
  4. 42017130
  5. 5
    The Night RavenCrow Investigations #12018 · 242 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2018242
  6. 6
    Beneath the Water2018 · 338 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2018338
  7. 7
    The Silver MarkCrow Investigations #22019 · 298 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2019298
  8. 8
    The Fox's CurseCrow Investigations #32019 · 302 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2019302
  9. 9
    The Lost Girls2019 · 332 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2019332
  10. 10
    The Secrets of GhostsLanguage of Spells #32020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  11. 11
    The Pearl KingCrow Investigations #42020 · 356 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2020356
  12. 12
    The Copper HeartCrow Investigations #52020 · confirmed 3/4
    2020–
  13. 13
    The Shadow WingCrow Investigations #62021 · confirmed 3/4
    2021–
  14. 14
    The Broken CageCrow Investigations #72022 · confirmed 3/4
    2022–
  15. 15
    The Magpie KeyCrow Investigations #82022 · confirmed 3/4
    2022–
  16. 16
    The Ward WitchUnholy Island #12023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  17. 17
    The Book KeeperUnholy Island #22024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
  18. 18
    The Island GodUnholy Island #32024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
  19. 19
    The Gilded NestCrow Investigations #92025 · confirmed 3/4
    2025–
  20. 20
    Hollow MagicPractical Cursework #12026 · confirmed 2/4
    2026–
  21. 21
    The Crow MoonCrow Investigations #102026 · confirmed 3/4
    2026–

Sarah Painter series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Sarah Painter books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Language of Spells in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Language of Spells
  2. 2. The Garden of Magic
  3. 3. The Secrets of Ghosts

Unholy Island in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Ward Witch
  2. 2. The Book Keeper
  3. 3. The Island God

Practical Cursework in order

1 book
  1. 1. Hollow Magic

Standalone books

4 books

4 Sarah Painter titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Sarah Painter books in order?

You only need to read Sarah Painter books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Sarah Painter

Start with The Night Raven (2018), the first Crow Investigations book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Language of Spells (2013).

What is the newest Sarah Painter book?

The Crow Moon (2026) is the newest Sarah Painter book released so far.

Is there a new Sarah Painter book coming?

No next Sarah Painter book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Sarah Painter at a glance

Still publishing
Sarah Painter published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Sarah Painter books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
1,998 pages across the 7 of 21 books with a recorded length, a median of 302 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Sarah Painter books, 12 of 21, were published in the 2020s.

When Sarah Painter books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when Sarah Painter titles appeared. 2020s was the most productive decade with 12 titles.

2010s
9
2020s
12

21 books total across 2 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.