A Touch of Darkness Book Series in Order – Reading Guide

This book series, also sometimes called Hades & Persephone or Hades x Persephone, is written by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair. 

A Touch of Darkness Book Series in Order - Reading Guide

About the Author

Scarlett St. Clair is an American author best known for her Hades & Persephone series. St. Clair is a fairly new author, publishing her first successful novel, When Stars Come Out in 2018. 

St. Clair is an Oklahoma resident, proudly proclaiming her status as a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, a Native American tribe situated in Okmulgee, which is east of Oklahoma City.

She has a bachelor’s degree in English writing and a master’s degree in Library Science and Information Studies. She has always had an avid interest in Greek mythology and loves to research and debate the idea of an afterlife. 

St. Clair also loves reading murder mysteries, which although a completely different genre from her own writing, has obviously influenced her ability to construct an intriguing, slowly-unraveling story that can keep readers hooked until the very end.

She has created a loyal fanbase and connects with them regularly via various social media platforms. She has her own Facebook page dedicated to book updates and discussions where she frequently communicates with fans. She has named this group ‘the Cult of Scarlett’ and only permits fans to join after they have answered questions about her books, proving that they have read her work and can contribute to the discussions on the page.

She has been both praised and slandered on social media platforms including Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook and even the book-related social platform Goodreads for responding to comments and reactions to her books. To those who provide criticism, she openly and frankly responds with her opinion, often using vulgar language in doing so. 

However, many of her loyal fans love that she has such a large social media presence. Some readers have claimed it makes them feel ‘closer’ to the author and it creates an author-reader bond that feels like ‘friendship’. Her additional exclusive Facebook page has been described as feeling like a specialized ‘book club’, which has certainly boosted her popularity with fans.

All of St. Clair’s books have been published by Bloom Books, a small publishing house that aims to provide authors with the platform of a standard publisher with an increased amount of control for authors over their work. This publishing house also works with authors including B. Celeste, Ana Huang, Laura Thalassa, and Mercedes Ron, just four names among many other female writers.

St. Clair first published the Hades & Persephone debut in 2019, which was an immediate success thanks to the platform already created off the back of When Stars Come Out’s a success.

Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into her most well-known series.

Hades & Persephone Books in Order

In her excellent series Hades & Persephone, Scarlett St. Clair creates her own setting, inspired by the culture and landscape of ancient Greece but with an attractive, modern twist. She calls it ‘New Greece’ and her overarching story is based on the real Hades and Persephone myth. 

According to Greek mythology, Persephone slipped into Hades’ Underworld following a crack in the Earth’s surface. Hades then kidnapped Persephone, forced her to live in his world, and demanded that she marry him. Despite the traumatic way in which she arrived in the Underworld and her status as a trapped captive, Persephone grew to love her new home and even fell in love with her captor. 

While St. Clair uses this story as a loose guideline, she adds various modern twists including gambling and steamy details of their relationship. Fans have lapped up this modern reimagining and continue to eagerly anticipate anything else St. Clair writes.

Here’s how to read her four Hades & Persephone bestsellers in the right reading order.

A Touch of Darkness (2019)

A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone Saga Book 1)

A Touch of Darkness begins as Persephone makes the move to New Athens, hoping to live disguised as a mortal after her powers as a goddess failed her. On a night out, she begins gambling, unaware of her surroundings or the people she’s circulating with.

She’s fallen straight into the hands of Hades’ gambling empire, which now thrives in the mortal world. Before she knows it, she’s entered a dangerous bet with the God of the Dead.

Persephone has a choice: make a life with Hades in the underworld or never have her freedom again. She opts for the former which turns out to be the complete opposite of what she had originally anticipated. Persephone’s feelings for Hades grow quickly and as the two grow closer, boundaries are crossed and Persephone is exposed to a new type of relationship she hasn’t yet encountered. 

A Touch of Ruin (2020)

A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone Saga Book 3)

After Persephone and Hades fall in love in the Underworld, news of their relationship reaches the public domain. A Touch of Ruin poses the first major threat to both parties. Their forbidden love attracts immediate enemies who threaten to expose the two of them with their complex pasts. 

Now suffering from the secrets of history, Persephone and Hades will have to do everything they can to fight through the lies and stay true to one another. But will their pasts come between them?

When Persephone receives news of a personal tragedy and Hades does nothing to help, their relationship, which is already suffering, starts to decay completely. Desperate and alone, Persephone goes to new extremes, exposing a new side of Hades that she’s never before seen. 

Hades’ behavior will make Persephone question everything she knows about him and their relationship. Although their spark still glimmers in the distance, is it strong enough to save them?

A Touch of Malice (2021)

A Touch of Malice (Hades x Persephone Saga Book 5)

In A Touch of Malice, the two lovers announce their engagement. However, their forbidden love and new advances trigger the wrath of the gods who have come down strong on the whole of New Greece. 

A blizzard completely covers New Greece, preventing mortals from continuing their everyday lives. Persephone knows she has to put a stop to this but refuses to give up her engagement. Instead, she is driven to the ancient gods who are the only ones who can help her create her perfect future.

The gods, both modern and ancient are now divided, sparking new conflicts that’ll put New Greece in major danger. The gods of Olympus are faced with a decision: let Persephone marry the man she loves or go to war with the powerful ancient gods. 

A Touch of Chaos (Expected 2023)

A Touch of Chaos (Hades x Persephone Saga Book 7)

In previous novels, we’ve seen personal conflicts take the stage. However, A Touch of Chaos allows full-scale war to erupt. The gods are at war with each other, creating turmoil across New Greece. All odds are stacked against Persephone and Hades and they must fight for their love yet again.

They’ve suffered hardship before but this time our beloved couple will need to pull out all the stops to save their relationship. To restore a sense of normalcy, Persephone will have to embrace who she really is and merge her identity as a goddess with her status as a wife and the Queen of the Underworld.   

All Books by Scarlett St. Clair

The Hades & Persephone series makes up just some of the brilliant fantasy stories St. Clair has to offer. The author has a limited repertoire at the moment, having only published her first novel in 2018 but with more books around the corner and an already thriving fanbase, be sure to watch this space!

Nevertheless, St. Clair has three additional short series to accompany her Hades & Persephone series. According to her website, Clair divides her novels into three categories: New Greece and the Underworld, The World of Cordova, and When Stars Come Out. 

St. Clair has also begun writing a short story series called Fairy Tale Retelling. At the moment, this series only contains one book, Mountains Made of Glass (2023), but considering its brilliant reviews and ratings, we’re hoping for more where this one came from!

The New Greece and the Underworld

The New Greece and the Underworld bracket includes the Hades & Persephone series, the Hades saga, and two standalone novels entitled A Song of Sorrow and Temptress of Fire & Fury. 

The Hades & Persephone Series

  1. A Touch of Darkness (2019)
  2. A Touch of Ruin (2020)
  3. A Touch of Malice (2021)
  4. A Touch of Chaos (Expected 2023)

The Hades Saga

  1. A Game of Fate (2020)
  2. A Game of Retribution (2022)
  3. A Game of Gods (Expected, 2023)

Many fans choose to read these series together and in fact, the author recommends this reading order too. If you’re looking for a longer fantasy series, this order is perfect.

  1. A Touch of Darkness (2019) 
  2. A Game of Fate (2020)
  3. A Touch of Ruin (2020)
  4. A Game of Retribution (2022)
  5. A Touch of Malice (2021)
  6. A Game of Gods (Expected, 2023)
  7. A Touch of Chaos (Expected, 2023)

The World of Cordova

The World of Cordova category is made up of her Adrian & Isolde series which currently only includes two novels. However, a third book is in the making and will hopefully be released soon.

The Adrian & Isolde series

The Adrian & Isolde series follows a young princess, Isolde de Lara, who is to marry Adrian, a vampire king, in order to save her kingdom from the war that has divided the nation for years. To save her kingdom, she must sacrifice herself – Isolde considers her wedding day the end of her freedom and the beginning of a dismal life.

So, she devises a plan to marry him, keep the national peace and then kill him to obtain her freedom once more. But her attempt is unsuccessful and Adrian threatens her with the thing she fears most.

Trapped in the vampire’s court with no escape routes, Isolde tries everything she can to defy him from the inside. But as tensions rise between them, there’s no denying their chemistry. Things are about to get a lot more complicated…

  1. King of Battle and Blood (2021)
  2. Queen of Myth and Monsters (2022)

The When Stars Come Out Series

In comparison with her mythological and full-blown fantasy series, When Stars Come Out has a very different flavor. Although it still flirts with fantastical boundaries, this book reads like a mixture between murder mysteries and high-school dramas

Our protagonist, Anora Silby can see the dead and even has the ability to turn spirits into gold coins. She hides her powers and conceals her true identity while at school in an attempt to have some sort of normal school life. 

Suffering from grief, standard parental issues that every teenager endures, and a student app used to circulate gossip around the school, Anora has her work cut out for her already. The last thing she needs is classmates winding up dead and others exposing her secrets…

  1. When Stars Come Out (2018)
  2. When the Sky Falls (2022)

Final Thoughts

Although Scarlett St. Clair is a fairly new author, her books have already attracted fans and got fantasy readers talking. Her brilliant blend of mythology, fantasy, and romance is guaranteed to keep you interested and the way she constructs relationships will send you on an emotional rollercoaster. 

If you’re a fantasy fan and you haven’t yet delved into the work of St. Clair, you’re missing out!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are authors similar to Scarlett St. Clair?

Holly Renee, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas are all similar authors.

What’s the best vampire book series to read?

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer is a classic but The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith is also a good suggestion.

What’s the all-time best epic fantasy to read?

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien has been rated the best epic fantasy book series. However, George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is not far behind!

What are Scarlett St. Clair’s upcoming novels?

A Game of Gods (#4 Hades saga) is expected in July this year and A Touch of Chaos (#4 Hades & Persephone) is expected in September this year.

When did Scarlett St. Clair start writing?

Her first published work was released in 2018.

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Colton Cowie