It’s generally not recommended that new readers follow any series chronological timeline for this reason. I would also give you warning that it’s possible that reading the Red Queen series in chronological order may reveal spoilers for the main series. It’s not 100% perfect as some novellas and scenes take place during the main novels.

The following is a timeline of events in the Red Queen series order. After the release of the later novellas, Cruel Crown became obsolete. Cruel Crown was a result of making it easier to buy the original novellas. The first two novellas were written a full 3-4 years before the latter ones. Since Broken Throne contains novellas you can’t purchase anywhere else, and is the only way to enjoy the full Red Queen series order with all of the novellas, you’re just wasting money if you buy Cruel Crown. Now that all five novellas are bundled into the Broken Throne collection, you don’t need to buy Cruel Crown.

Glass Sword Collector’s Edition Where Does Cruel Crown Fit?Ĭruel Crown combines together the first two novellas, Queen Song and Steel Scars.

It’s also the method I’d recommend if this is your first time reading the series. I read the Red Queen books by publication date, and it’s a perfectly acceptable method for reading the series. You can also opt to purchase the first two individually as they’re still available, but I’d recommend just grabbing the Broken Throne collection if you plan to read the novellas. Because all of the various novellas are now bundled together in a single book, each of the links below will take you to that one volume, but I’ve still separated them out so you know exactly when to read them.

Red queen series glass sword