Author

Holly Black

Q: What should I read first by Holly Black?

Start with the The Modern Faerie Tales series, since it is the first on file, then read it in publication order.

Holly Black has 32 known credited books (32 published) across 7 series. Start with The Modern Faerie Tales.

Holly Black is an American author who has spent over two decades as one of the defining voices in young adult fantasy, moving between menacing faerie courts and other dark, richly imagined worlds. She first broke through with Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (2002) and, working with illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, co-created the bestselling middle-grade series The Spiderwick Chronicles, adapted into a 2008 film and a newer television series that premiered on Roku in 2024. Her adult fantasy debut, Book of Night, arrived in 2022 and became a New York Times bestseller in its own right. Black is best known today for The Cruel Prince (2018) and its sequels, together making up The Folk of the Air quartet, a court-intrigue series following a mortal girl scheming for power among cruel and beautiful faeries; it spent weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and later expanded into the same-world Stolen Heir duology. New readers should start with The Cruel Prince for her signature blend of romance, betrayal, and political maneuvering, or Tithe for a shorter, moodier introduction to her early style. Her body of work has earned a Newbery Honor, a Nebula Award, and a Mythopoeic Award; she lives in New England with her family.

Series: 7
Credited books: 32
Published: 32
Latest published book: Thief of Night 23 September 2025
Active: 2002–present
Best known for: The Modern Faerie Tales

Key facts about Holly Black

Holly Black has 32 books on our list. 27 of them belong to a series, while 5 stand alone. Since all 32 are out now, every book here is ready to read. Their series sit on our fantasy and romantic fantasy shelves.

Holly Black has 7 series on file. The Modern Faerie Tales has 3 books, while The Spiderwick Chronicles has 8 books. The Curse Workers has 3 books, starting in 2010.

Magisterium has 5 books, starting in 2014. The Folk of the Air has 4 books, starting in 2018. In particular, The Spiderwick Chronicles is the longest series on file.

The Modern Faerie Tales starts with Tithe, while The Spiderwick Chronicles starts with The Field Guide. The Curse Workers starts with White Cat.

Since The Modern Faerie Tales is the first series on file, it is the place to start. Their first published book on file came out in 2002. Meanwhile, Thief of Night is the latest published book, out on 23 September 2025.

There are also 5 standalone books. You can read them in any order, since each one stands alone. The newest one that is out is Heart of the Moors, from 2019. The oldest on file is The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, from 2010.