This post was originally published in March 2021. It has been updated to share the trilogies that I recommend the most!

Trilogies are a great way to enjoy a series without as much commitment.
Something I’ve noticed over the years is that when it comes to the many genres out there, trilogies are far more prominent in fantasy/sci-fi than they seem to be anywhere else. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I have read a lot of trilogies. I also totally love trilogies because they don’t take nearly as long as a typical series – which may consist of anywhere between five and twenty (or more) books. I have a hard time making a commitment for that long, especially because some of the books in these series are very lengthy!
Most of the trilogies I’ve suggested are fantasy/sci-fi, but I also threw a couple of my favorite contemporary ones in there as well. I’d love to see other genres take on trilogies more often, because I think they’re so much fun – and then we get to see more of our favorite characters! Keep reading to find out if any of your favorites are on my list.
related posts
15 Duologies That Will Totally Hook You // The Best Fantasy Books of All Time // How to Plan a Monthly Reading List

15 Trilogies You Wonβt Be Able to Put Down
You can find a synopsis of each trilogy below, along with links to buy them! Make sure to follow me onΒ The StoryGraphΒ to read my reviews andΒ bookstagramΒ to see my aesthetic photos of these titles and more.



To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
To All the Boys Iβve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.
But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh.
As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlettβs father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caravalβthe faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the showβare over.
But this year, Scarlettβs long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caravalβs mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this seasonβs Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies β humans with extraordinary abilities β who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice β and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antariβmagicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in ArnesβRed Londonβand officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by–palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing–are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.
But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass–a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.
In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.
Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his lifeβa power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



The Falconer by Elizabeth May
One girl’s nightmare is this girl’s faery tale
She’s a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a titleβand drop-dead beauty.
She’s a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she’s leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sΓ¬thΓcheanβthe faery race obsessed with slaughtering humansβand, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.
She’s a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weaponsβfrom flying machines to detonators to lightning pistolsβruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.
She’s a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother’s murderβbut she’ll have to save the world first.
The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why — or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch — and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end lifeβand they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scytheβa role that neither wants. These teens must master the βartβ of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.
Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick’s formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should–and should not–marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider’s look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Cursebreakers by Brigid Kemmerer
In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.
Fall in love, break the curse.
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
From Sauron’s fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.
When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.
The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
USA Today bestselling author Farrah Rochon launches a new series about three young women who become friends when the live Tweeting of a disastrous date leads them to discover they’ve all been duped by the same man.
Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .
For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming β they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives β they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.
And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.
Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.
Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.
Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . .
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
All Souls by Deborah Harkness
Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
Buy the books: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop

Do you have any favorite trilogies?
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Lindsey says
Ah I totally agree, trilogies are such an ideal length. I wrote a post last year that had my top five fantasy trilogies and it was hard narrowing it down when there are so many good ones out there. Loved this – haven’t heard of all of these so definitely looking forward to checking the new ones out.
Fadima Mooneira says
Crazy Rich Asians is my favorite trilogy novel. I canβt wait for the second movie. Thank you for sharing your list.
Jen says
I’m just getting into trilogies, especially fantasy trilogies and I love them!! These are great suggestions I’ll be picking some of them up soon!
Gemma Jayne says
This is a great list of recommendations! I have actually put reading behind lately but I definitely want to get back into it and put that back into my routine.
I have watched Lord of the rings and Crazy rich Asians but never actually read those books. Thanks for this x
Giulia says
I’ve heard of several of these, and yes, many are well loved! A great list for sure. I’ve read Lord of the Rings, and maybe one or two of the others but only the first novel–I get impatient waiting for the next books, or I just stop reading because I’m afraid of what happens next. As in, will things get ruined?? I do read a lot of romance series however, and I often find trilogies are the best.
Alice Spake says
I have had a copy of Crazy Rich Asians for a while – I’ll have to start that. You have some great picks here too! Xx
Sarah says
So many good choices! I think my favorite “fun” trilogy here is To All The Boys. And The Lord of the Rings is just a classic.
Mariya says
These are some great recommendations. One of my favorite trilogies is The Swords and Fire series. Based on your recommendations, I think you may enjoy them.
Cristina Rosano says
Oh man, quite ashamed to say that I have some of these on my shelves and still haven’t got to them as well as some I had never seen! Will have to fix that asap! The lord of the Rings and Clockwork Angel are some of my favourites too. I am sure you already read it, but The raven cycle by Maggie Stiefvater is great too! Really need to start something from V.E Schwab! Thank you for sharing x
Sophie | Love and Literature says
Fab post, I love the layout! There’s a few trilogies on this list that have been on my TBR for so long, including ‘Caraval’ and ‘Shadow and Bone’. I really need to get around to reading these sometime soon hehe π
Gemma says
Some great books here! When i was young, I was obsessed with Girl, Missing by Sophie Mackenzie and that was a trilogy. Havenβt found another since so will absolutely give some of these a go.
Amie says
Oooh I’ve got these books on my to read list! Thank you so much for the recommendations, I always need them!
Love, Amie β€
The Curvaceous Vegan
Lucy says
Oh these trilogies sound really interesting Stephanie! Some I may add to my TBR list! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Charity says
What a great list of awesome trilogies. I will have to check them out in the future. Thanks so much for sharing!
LoΓ―ne says
I loved your article on dβurologies and even if I read very few trilogies, I was thrilled to discover new ones! (And they arenβt only fantasy so itβs super cool!!)
Your blog posts are always amazing. Love them!
Marlene says
Iβve read some of these but not all! I think Crazy Rich Asians was my favorite. I never read the sequels of The Thousandth Floor maybe I should give it another chance.
Anika says
Great post! I think the only one I’ve read all the way through is the To All the Boys series, which is just so cute, I’ll never not love it. I adored the first Crazy Rich Asians, so this is definitely a reminder to look at getting the rest. And so many new titles to look up too!
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Annie says
All these years later and Lord of the Rings is, and always has been, my very favorite book series. I personally think it’s one of the most well written and incredible worlds I’ve ever read about. Thank you for including it on this list, I want to check out more of these just because you recommended them – you have excellent taste!
Lizzie says
LOTR is a classic! Loved Crazy Rich Asians. Probably one of my favorites. To All The Boys sounds super cute too!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Tanvi Rastogi says
You know, I have not read any of these. I wouldn’t say I am into trilogies, though I am not averse to them either. The last trilogy I read and enjoyed was the paradise series by Elin Hilderbrand.
β₯ tanvii.com
Jennifer Prince says
I didn’t know that Crazy Rich Asians was a book let alone a trilogy! I need to read it and then see the movie (which I haven’t done yet). I love the Lord of the Rings movies – I need to read the book. These are fab suggestions! <3
Laura Leigh says
I LOVE when there’s a series! I become to hooked and invested I always want more than just one book. LOVED the crazy rich asian series! I watched the first and second – To All the Boys I’ve Loved movies but never read the books – think I would love them. Thank you for more ideas of books to read!
xo Laura Leigh
https://louellareese.com
Greta says
Crazy Rich Asians and TATBILF are two of my favorite trilogies! they’re so much fun to read.
Bianca says
I prefer duologies, but I do love trilogies as well. Iβve read a few of these and I really want to read the Scythe series.
Anna English says
I loved To All The Boys and Crazy Rich Asians, they are always my go-to recs for people!
Hayley says
Trilogies are great! I also struggle to commit to a book series so a duology or trilogy is perfect for me. I loved The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner and The 5th Wave series. The Arc of a Scythe trilogy has been sat on my bookshelf demanding to be read… I’m hoping to get around to it this summer! π Thanks for sharing your recs!
Andrea Law says
I love these suggestions! Caraval is one of my favourites. Thanks for sharing π
Helen says
I love a good trilogy. My favourite is His Dark Materials, but I also really rate The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Helen
Tea in the Tub
Lauren says
I havenβt read any of these before. But I have heard of crazy rich Asians as I have seen the film advertised. These sound really interesting though. I still have books I need to read before I buy more ha ha! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Lauren | http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
Estelle says
I really want to get to Crazy Rich Asians soon ! I didn’t know it was a trilogy !
Thanks for the recommendations!s
Estelle says
Thanks for the recommendations !
I didn’t know about The Falconer and Crazy Rich Asians before, I will definitely check it out!
Jenny in Neverland says
I’m not really a series person, if I’m honest! The first book in the series has to REALLY grip me for me to pick up the next one. I’m familiar with some of these but haven’t read them (I LOVE LotR movies though!) But a few look really good so you might have convinced me to check them out! x
Molly says
I love to read books in a series, it’s so much fun to get to know the characters over the course of multiple books! Somehow, the only one of these trilogies that I’ve already read is The Lord of the Rings…so I’ve got some reading to do. The Shades of Magic series has been on my list for a little while now, might have to finally start it soon!
Caitlin says
I loved Crazy Rich Asians but did not know it was part of a trilogy. Cannot wait to check out the other two books! Also, To All the Boys is a great trilogy too!
Sydney says
I agree, trilogies tend to be the perfect length for a specific storyline. Personally, I really love The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. Those books will always have a special place on my bookshelf. Thanks for sharing these lovely picks!
xoxo,
Sydney
http://www.thelotuslist.com
Karalee says
These are great suggestions for trilogies! I’ve read the first book in the To All the Boys I’ve Before trilogy and I’m currently reading the second and I love it! I’ll have to check out some of your other recommendations!
I'm All Booked Up says
We love your suggestions, especially To All The Boys and The Inheritance Games.
Simona says
Of all the trilogies in your list I have definitely read one, and that’s Lord of the Rings! But I have definitely found some I need to get my paws on, particularly To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (only listened to the first audiobook!) and Crazy Rich Asians, since I had no clue it came from a book – and have loved the movie! Thank you for having me add yet another book or two to my ever-growing TBR list, Stephanie! x
Amber Elise @ Du Livre says
I still need to read Empire of Gold!