Arcana Chronicles Books in Order
Part ofKresley Cole Books in OrderFollow the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole in order, with book summaries, world background, and reading order tips for this tarot-based post-apocalyptic series.
Last updated: January 16, 2026
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Publication Order
7 books
From the Grave
by Kresley Cole
2023
In the final Arcana Chronicles novel, Evie must confront the source of the game itself and decide whether to accept, subvert, or destroy the role she was born to play. With old enemies returning and sacrifices mounting, every choice could save the world—or end it for good.
The Dark Calling
by Kresley Cole
2018
As the Arcana game nears its end, Evie faces shocking revelations about her pregnancy, her powers, and the true purpose of the tarot. With alliances crumbling and enemies gathering, she must choose whom to trust and how far she is willing to go to break a cycle of bloodshed centuries in the making.
Day Zero
by Kresley Cole
2016
Serving as a companion to the Arcana novels, Day Zero collects snapshots from multiple Arcana just before and immediately after the apocalypse. Each vignette reveals how different teens discovered their powers, the choices they made in the first hours of the game, and the secrets that haunt the main series.
Arcana Rising
by Kresley Cole
2016
After a devastating attack shatters her alliance, Evie must regroup, search for missing allies, and face a terrifying new Arcana who can raise the dead. Torn between love, survival, and her growing role as a leader, she races to change a destiny that insists there can be only one victor.
Dead of Winter
by Kresley Cole
2015
In a frozen, post‑Flash world, Evie must rescue Jack from the sadistic Lovers card while uneasy ally Death shadows her every move. To defeat their enemies, the three may have to work together, forcing Evie to face both a horrifying battlefield and the deepest fault lines of her own heart.
Endless Knight
by Kresley Cole
2013
Reeling from betrayal and loss, Evie tries to lead a fragile alliance of Arcana while juggling her feelings for mortal Jack and ancient, magnetic Death. As new enemies close in and long‑buried memories surface, she has to decide whether trusting her former executioner could save everyone—or doom them.
Poison Princess
by Kresley Cole
2012
Sixteen‑year‑old Evie Greene survives a world‑ending event only to discover her terrifying visions were prophecies and she is the living Empress of the tarot. Teaming up with rebellious classmate Jack Deveaux, she must navigate a ruined landscape, other Arcana teenagers with lethal powers, and a game where only one can win.
Series background & context
The Arcana Chronicles takes Kresley Cole’s love of big, interconnected worlds and drops it into a young adult, post‑apocalyptic frame. The hook is simple and eerie: the major arcana of the tarot deck are real, and each card is a teenager with a deadly power.
Everything begins with Evie Greene, a seemingly ordinary Louisiana girl who has been trying to ignore terrifying visions and sketches that pour out of her. When a cataclysmic event called the Flash wipes out most of the population, Evie learns her hallucinations were prophecies and that she is the Empress card brought to life.
As the world collapses into ash, plague, and roaming monsters, Evie teams up with Jack Deveaux, a Cajun bad boy from the wrong side of the bayou. Their uneasy partnership anchors the early books—especially Poison Princess and Endless Knight—as they hunt for answers, other survivors, and some kind of future that is not dictated by the mysterious game.
Over time, more Arcana step into view: Death, The Fool, The Lovers, and others, each with their own abilities, agendas, and scars. Some want to ally, some want to hunt, and some are not sure which side they are on. The rules are brutal: there can be only one true victor, and every resurrection, betrayal, and alliance carries a cost.
The middle of the series, including Dead of Winter, Day Zero, and Arcana Rising, deepens the mythology. Readers see snippets of backstory from multiple Arcana, explore how the game has played out in previous cycles, and watch Evie struggle with loyalty, love, and the fear that the power inside her may be more monster than savior.
Later books, The Dark Calling and From the Grave, push everything toward an endgame. The romantic triangle that has simmered for several installments has to resolve, long‑hinted prophecies finally pay off, and the question of whether the game itself can be broken comes to the forefront.
Expect a darker tone than in many of Cole’s adult romances. There is still banter and swoon, but the stakes include the fate of what is left of the world, not just a single couple. The Arcana Chronicles are best read in order, since each book picks up almost exactly where the last left off and emotional beats carry straight through the series.
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