The Mortal Instruments Books in Order

How many The Mortal Instruments books are there?

The Mortal Instruments has 20 books, released between 2007 and 2025. 9 of them belong to the 2 main-line series (Shadowhunter Chronicles, Mortal Instruments), and 11 related titles sit outside it: graphic novels and non-fiction.

The Mortal Instruments Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 20 The Mortal Instruments 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 September 2026.

The Mortal Instruments Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the books of the 2 main-line series run from City of Bones (2007) to A Long Conversation (2017), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for The Mortal Instruments in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read The Mortal Instruments books in order?

You should read the 2 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 11 related titles (graphic novels and non-fiction) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each The Mortal Instruments book also stands alone.

What order should you read The Mortal Instruments books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with City of Bones (2007), the earliest published book in the 2 main-line series. After it come City of Ashes (2008), City of Glass (2009), City of Fallen Angels (2011), City of Lost Souls (2012), Shadowhunters and Downworlders (2013), City of Heavenly Fire (2014), An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld / A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld (2016) and A Long Conversation (2017).

What is the newest The Mortal Instruments book?

A Long Conversation (2017) is the newest book in the 2 main-line series. The newest related title is The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 9 (2025).

Is there a new The Mortal Instruments book coming?

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

Award nominations for The Mortal Instruments

Wikidata records 2 nominations for The Mortal Instruments. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

• Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book2009Shortlistedfor City of Ashes
• Locus Award for Best First Novel2008Shortlistedfor City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments at a glance

No recent titles

The newest main-line The Mortal Instruments title on record is A Long Conversation (2017), 9 years ago. Related titles have appeared since.

Release pace

The Mortal Instruments books have appeared about one a year on average.

Length

2,761 pages across the 8 of 20 books with a recorded length, a median of 245 pages each.

Busiest decade

Most The Mortal Instruments books, 11 of 20, were published in the 2010s.

Corroboration

18 of the 20 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.

What the The Mortal Instruments books are about

14 of the 20 The Mortal Instruments books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: magic is tagged on 7 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

• Magic 7 of 14 books
• Supernatural 7 of 14 books
• Children's fiction 6 of 14 books
• Demonology 6 of 14 books
• Vampires 4 of 14 books
• Horror 3 of 14 books
• American Young adult fiction 2 of 14 books
• Authors, juvenile literature 2 of 14 books
• Comics & graphic novels 2 of 14 books
• Paranormal fiction 2 of 14 books
• Quests (expeditions) 2 of 14 books

More books by Cassandra Clare

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

• Cassandra Clare books in order 82 books