The Ending Writes Itself
novel · First published 2026
Author guide
V. E. Schwab Books in Order
Victoria Schwab, who writes adult fiction as V. E. Schwab, is the author of more than twenty books for adult, young adult, and middle-grade readers. Her work includes the Shades of Magic universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts trilogy, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Gallant, and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. She also writes graphic novels and has published under the name Victoria Schwab and, with Cat Clarke, the joint pseudonym Evelyn Clarke.
fantasyyoung adult fictionmiddle-grade fictionhorrorgraphic novels
Catalog record updated .
V. E. Schwab's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
A Darker Shade of Magic
The first novel in the Shades of Magic trilogy and a strong entry to her epic fantasy.
Vicious
The first novel in the Villains series, with a darker superhero premise.
This Savage Song
The first novel in the Monsters of Verity duology.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
A self-contained, atmospheric fantasy novel.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
A self-contained gothic fantasy novel.
The Near Witch
Her debut novel and an original dark fairy tale.
City of Ghosts
The first book in the accessible Cassidy Blake ghost-story trilogy.
Gallant
A self-contained gothic fantasy with a haunted manor.
Read in order
Books by series
series · completed
The Near Witch
A dark fairy-tale series centered on the world and folklore of The Near Witch.
- 1 The Near Witch
Book 1 · novel · 2011
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S BEST YA OF THE DECADE NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Brand new edition of Victoria Schwab's long out-of-print, stunning debut. All-new deluxe edition of an out-of-print gem, containing in-universe short story "The…
- 2 The Ash-Born Boy
Book 0.5 · novella · 2012 Optional
series · incomplete
The Archived
A young adult fantasy series about an archive containing the dead and the Keepers who maintain it.
- 1 The Archived
Book 1 · novel · 2013
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was…
- 2 The Unbound
Book 2 · novel · 2014
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping…
series · completed
Everyday Angel
A middle-grade series about a guardian angel helping children in need.
- 1 New Beginnings
Book 1 · novel · 2014
From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, a guardian angel lends friendship, support and magic to a girl struggling with her brother’s illness. At a first glance, Aria seems like your average twelve-year-old girl. She has coppery hair,…
- 2 Second Chances
Book 2 · novel · 2014
There's more to Aria than meets the eye. She's a guardian angel. And to earn her wings, she'll have to help three different girls. . . . This time, Aria comes to Caroline Mason. At her all-girls' prep school, Caroline is being bullied.…
- 3 Last Wishes
Book 3 · novel · 2014
Guardian angel Aria helps Mikayla, whose father has just lost his job, ease the stress her family has put upon her to win a dance scholarship.
duology · completed
Monsters of Verity
A completed duology set in a city where violence creates literal monsters.
- 1 This Savage Song
Book 1 · novel · 2016
Kate Harker and August Flynn's families rule opposite ends of Verity, a grisly metropolis where violent acts summon real monsters: bloodsucking Malchai; clawing Corsai; and soul-stealing Sunai. The truce that keeps the Families at peace…
- 2 Our Dark Duet
Book 2 · novel · 2017
**KATE HARKER** isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it. **AUGUST FLYNN** once yearned to be human. But no longer. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost. THE WAR HAS BEGUN. THE MONSTERS ARE…
shared-world-series · completed
Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts
A shared-world middle-grade fantasy series; Schwab authored the second volume.
- 2 Broken Ground
Book 2 · novel · 2015
A new threat faces the world of Erdas in this continuation of the New York Times bestselling series. Something ancient and evil has awoken from beneath the world of Erdas. Shrouded in shadow and older than memory, just a sliver of its…
trilogy · completed
Cassidy Blake
A middle-grade ghost-story trilogy following Cassidy Blake and her ghostly companion, Jacob.
- 1 City of Ghosts
Book 1 · novel · 2018
From #1 NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of "Stranger Things" and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. A New York Times bestseller!Ever since Cass almost…
- 2 Tunnel of Bones
Book 2 · novel · 2019
The thrilling sequel to Victoria Schwab's New York Times bestselling City of Ghosts!Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual. She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are…
- 3 Bridge of Souls
Book 3 · novel · 2021
Unless it's the other way around? Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while traveling for her parents' TV show. But nothing can…
series · ongoing
Villains
A gritty fantasy series about extraordinary people, rivalries, power, and the blurred line between heroism and villainy.
- 1 Warm Up
Book 0.5 · short-story · 2013 Optional
He may have survived the avalanche, but the aftermath has been far worse. His wife moved out, taking his son with her, and a devastated David hasn’t left his house since, terrified of the mysterious new power that followed him home from…
- 2 Vicious
Book 1 · novel · 2013
"In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities.…
- 3 Vengeful
Book 2 · novel · 2018
Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine. But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the…
- 4 Victorious
Book 3 · novel · 2026
Two men, first best friends, then mortal enemies, each destined to be the other’s shadow. One left standing―but the game isn't over yet Against all the years―and the odds―a group of allies and archrivals meet on a chessboard set by an…
- 1 A Darker Shade of Magic
Book 1 · novel · 2015
Kell is one of the last Atari - magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes - Red London - and officially serves the Maresh empire as…
- 2 A Gathering of Shadows
Book 2 · novel · 2016
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body…
- 3 A Conjuring of Light
Book 3 · novel · 2017
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED.... The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for…
graphic-novel-series · completed
Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince
A graphic-novel prequel series about Maxim Maresh before the events of the Shades of Magic trilogy.
- 1 Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince, Vol. 1
Book 1 · graphic-novel · 2019
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab and torn from the universe of the Shades of Magic sequence, this all-original comic book prequel to A Darker Shade of Magic is perfect for fans of bloody, swashbuckling adventure…
- 2 Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince, Vol. 2: Night of Knives
Book 2 · graphic-novel · 2019
- 3 Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince, Vol. 3: The Rebel Army
Book 3 · graphic-novel · 2020
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab and torn from the universe of the Shades of Magic sequence, this third volume in the all-original comic book adventure series sees the saga of the the story begun in The Steel…
graphic-novel-series · completed
ExtraOrdinary
A graphic novel set in the Villains universe between Vicious and Vengeful.
- 1 ExtraOrdinary
Book 1 · graphic-novel · 2021
#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, launches her incredible world of super beings with this ALL-NEW dazzlingly illustrated graphic novel set in the five years between Vicious and Vengeful. A must for…
series · ongoing
Threads of Power
A continuing series set in the Shades of Magic universe after the original trilogy.
- 1 The Fragile Threads of Power
Book 1 · novel · 2023
Once there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. After a desperate attempt to prevent corruption and ruin in the four Londons, there are only three: ●…
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (4)
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
novel · 2020
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will…
- Gallant
novel · 2022
#1 New York Times–bestselling author V. E. Schwab weaves a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak in this stand-alone novel…
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
novel · 2025
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A young girl grows up wild and wily―her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger…
- The Ending Writes Itself
novel · 2026
Frequently asked questions about V. E. Schwab
Who is V. E. Schwab, and is that her real name?
V. E. Schwab is the professional name of Victoria Schwab, a #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy author whose books reach readers of all ages.
Where was V. E. Schwab born and educated?
She was born in California and raised in Tennessee. She studied book design at Washington University in St. Louis and depictions of monstrosity in medieval art at the University of Edinburgh.
What inspired V. E. Schwab to become a writer?
Schwab says she always loved telling stories and began writing her first novel during college after confronting her fear of failure. Peter Pan and her grandmother’s dementia also helped inspire the themes of immortality and being forgotten in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Sources: veschwab.com (opens in a new tab)publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards or honors has V. E. Schwab received?
Her work has received notable publishing recognition: Macmillan lists Vicious as a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and identifies it as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Fantasy Books of 2013.
What is V. E. Schwab best known for?
She is best known for atmospheric fantasy that explores the boundaries between heroes and villains, fantasy and reality, and life and death. Her cross-age readership and bestselling career have made her a major contemporary literary figure.
Sources: veschwab.com (opens in a new tab)us.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)