If you loved City of Bones, here are 9 Shadowhunter universe novels to binge next

You've just finished City of Bones, and now you're staring at the wall, wondering what to do with your life. The good news? Cassandra Clare didn't stop at one series. She built an entire interconnected universe of demon hunters, warlocks, Victorian automatons, and magical academies that span centuries. If you're hunting for shadowhunter books Cassandra Clare fans obsess over—especially here in Sydney where secondhand fantasy is thriving—you've found your reading list.

The Verdict: Clare's Shadowhunter universe rewards loyal fans with devastating crossovers, hidden Easter eggs, and characters who age across timelines—so buckle up for the long haul.

Clockwork Angel — Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: Victorian London meets demon hunting, and it's darker than you remember the original series being.

London, 1878. Tessa Gray crosses the Atlantic expecting her brother—instead, she gets kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, tortured with dark magic, and forced to shapeshift against her will. Enter the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, complete with clockwork automatons and a love triangle that'll wreck you harder than Jace ever did. This is the first book of The Infernal Devices trilogy, and it's essential reading if you want to understand the Magnus Bane references sprinkled throughout the modern timeline. The foxing on older copies of this one gives it that authentic Victorian aesthetic—perfect for the collector who wants their urban fantasy to feel historical. Explore our current copy of Clockwork Angel.

City of Glass — Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: The third Mortal Instruments book is where Clare stops holding back and lets the plot spiral into beautiful chaos.

Clary races to Alicante—the glass city of the Shadowhunters—to save her mother, and what follows is a masterclass in urban fantasy escalation. Demon battles, forbidden runes, and family secrets converge in a book that refuses to let you breathe. This is the instalment where Clare proves she's not writing disposable YA; she's building mythology. If you've only seen the film adaptation, do yourself a favour and read the source material—the movie didn't even attempt this level of world-building. The paperback editions from Walker Books hold up beautifully, with that satisfying heft that reminds you why physical books matter. Explore our current copy of City of Glass.

City of Lost Souls — Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: Jace gets possessed by evil forces, and Clary's world implodes spectacularly—this is peak Mortal Instruments melodrama.

Things get properly messy in this fifth instalment when Jace is bound to Sebastian (yes, that Sebastian), and Clary has to choose between saving the boy she loves and protecting the entire Shadowhunter world. The demon politics heat up, the secondary characters get their moment to shine, and Clare demonstrates why she's the queen of "just one more chapter" pacing. This is the book where you realize the series was never really about defeating one villain—it's about the cost of loving someone who's been weaponized against you. Older paperback copies of this one tend to have that worn spine that screams "I was read in one sitting." Explore our current copy of City of Lost Souls.

The Shadowhunter's Codex — Cassandra Clare & Joshua Lewis

Quick Verdict: Think Hogwarts meets Buffy, but formatted as an in-universe textbook with snarky annotations from your favourite characters.

This brilliant companion guide is part bestiary, part history lesson, and part character study—all wrapped up in the framing device of Simon Lewis studying for his Shadowhunter exams. You'll learn the difference between a Ravener demon and a Raum, discover why Shadowhunters hate warlocks (spoiler: centuries of bad blood), and laugh at Simon's margin notes. It's the kind of book that rewards obsessive fans who want to understand how this world functions beyond the romantic plotlines. The celestial weaponry section alone is worth the price of admission. If you're in Sydney hunting for shadowhunter books that deepen the lore, this is non-negotiable. Explore our current copy of The Shadowhunter's Codex.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy — Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson & Robin Wasserman

Quick Verdict: Simon Lewis goes to demon-hunting boarding school, and these ten interconnected stories are funnier and more devastating than they have any right to be.

Post-City of Heavenly Fire, Simon has lost his memories and has to relearn what it means to be a Shadowhunter from scratch. Each story in this collection is co-written by Clare and another YA powerhouse, which means the voice stays consistent while the emotional range gets cranked up. You'll get flashbacks to the Circle's formation, cameos from characters you thought were done, and a front-row seat to Simon's identity crisis. The paperback format makes this perfect for binge-reading on Sydney public transport—just don't blame me when you miss your stop because you're sobbing over "The Evil We Love." Explore our current copy of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

Magisterium: The Iron Trial — Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

Quick Verdict: Regular school wasn't traumatic enough, so Clare and Black invented a magic academy where the protagonist actively wants to fail.

Meet Callum Hunt, a kid who'd rather avoid the Magisterium than attend it—too bad the universe has other plans. This is Clare's collaboration with Holly Black, and it's a tonal shift from Shadowhunters: darker, more middle-grade accessible, but still packed with moral ambiguity. The magic system here is elemental and chaotic, and the twist at the end recontextualizes everything you thought you knew about chosen-one narratives. If you're a completist hunting for every corner of Clare's universe, the Magisterium series is where she experiments with genre conventions. The Corgi Children's editions have surprisingly durable spines, which matters when you're collecting a five-book series. Explore our current copy of The Iron Trial.

Magisterium: The Copper Gauntlet — Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: Call refuses to believe he's destined for evil, but the universe keeps providing evidence to the contrary.

The second Magisterium instalment leans into the "what if the chosen one is actually the villain?" premise, and it's uncomfortably good. Call's supposed to be the reincarnation of a chaos-riddled mage, and this book explores what that means for his friendships, his self-worth, and his ability to trust anyone—including himself. Black and Clare co-write with the kind of chemistry that makes you forget two authors are involved. The pacing is relentless, the magic battles are visceral, and the emotional stakes hit harder because you genuinely don't know if Call will choose heroism or destruction. Preloved copies of this one tend to have that loved-to-death quality that tells you previous readers couldn't put it down. Explore our current copy of The Copper Gauntlet.

Magisterium: The Bronze Key — Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: The third Magisterium book throws Callum into even darker moral territory, and the magical school mayhem reaches epic proportions.

By book three, the training wheels are off. Call's navigating betrayals, questioning his own memories, and facing threats that make the earlier novels look like warmup exercises. The Bronze Key is where the series transitions from "fun magic school romp" to "genuinely unsettling exploration of identity and destiny." Black and Clare don't shy away from the uncomfortable questions: Can you escape your past life's crimes? Is redemption possible when you don't remember what you did? The Corgi Children's paperback format holds up beautifully for repeat reads, which you'll want—there are plot threads here that only make sense on a second pass. Explore our current copy of The Bronze Key.

Magisterium: The Silver Mask — Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Quick Verdict: Call's survived three years at the Magisterium, but now he's facing his biggest challenge yet—and it involves confronting his own reflection.

The fourth book in the series cranks up the existential dread while delivering on the action set pieces you'd expect from a Clare/Black collaboration. The Silver Mask explores what happens when your greatest enemy shares your face, your history, and your potential for destruction. It's a meditation on nature versus nurture wrapped in a fast-paced magical thriller, and it refuses to give you easy answers. The secondary characters get their moment to shine here, which is a relief because the emotional weight on Call's shoulders is getting unsustainable. If you're collecting the full Magisterium set in Sydney, this is the penultimate entry—and it sets up a finale that'll make you question everything. Explore our current copy of The Silver Mask.

The beauty of Clare's Shadowhunter universe is that it rewards completists. Characters age, cameo across series, and reference events from books you thought were standalone. Whether you're hunting for Victorian demon hunters in Clockwork Angel or watching Simon navigate magical academia in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, you're building a mental map of a world that spans centuries. And here in Sydney, where secondhand book culture is thriving, there's something deeply satisfying about collecting these interconnected stories in physical form—foxed pages, worn spines, and all. These aren't just novels; they're portals to a universe that demands your full attention.