Kate Quinn Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide
Kate Quinn is especially known for historical fiction featuring women caught in extraordinary moments of history. Her novels often combine real historical events with fictional protagonists, espionage, political intrigue, friendship, romance, family secrets, and dual timelines—making them appealing to readers who want history but also want a story that moves like a thriller.
Kate Quinn Books at a Glance
Kate Quinn’s bibliography can be divided into a few distinct reading paths:
- Empress of Rome Saga — Ancient Rome
- Borgia Chronicles — Renaissance Italy
- World War I and World War II historical fiction
- The Briar Club — 1950s Washington, D.C.
- The Astral Library — 2026 fantasy
- Collaborative historical fiction and anthologies
- Short stories and novellas
The important thing to know is that The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club are not one continuous series. They can be read independently, although readers often group them together because of their historical settings and strong female characters.
Empress of Rome Saga
If you want to see where Kate Quinn’s career in historical fiction began, start here.
The Empress of Rome Saga takes readers into the dangerous world of Ancient Rome, where emperors, gladiators, slaves, soldiers, wives, and political rivals struggle for survival and influence.
The books are connected, so this is one series where reading order matters.
1. Mistress of Rome
Set during the reign of Emperor Domitian, Mistress of Rome introduces a cast of women whose lives become entangled with Roman power.
The story follows Thea, a Jewish slave with extraordinary intelligence and ambition, whose relationship with the gladiator Arius changes the course of her life.
It’s a dramatic introduction to Quinn’s trademark combination of historical detail, romance, political intrigue, and strong female characters.
2. Daughters of Rome
The story shifts to Cornelia and Vix, two women whose lives unfold against the political turmoil of ancient Rome.
Their experiences show a different side of Roman society while continuing the larger historical world established in Mistress of Rome.
3. Empress of the Seven Hills
This novel follows Vix, now a powerful Roman figure, while his relationship with Sabina becomes increasingly complicated.
The book moves deeper into Roman politics and the rise of Emperor Hadrian.
It is also known as Empress of Rome in some editions.
3.5. The Three Fates
This shorter prequel-style story sits between Empress of the Seven Hills and Lady of the Eternal City.
It follows Vix, Titus, and Sabina as they confront the rise of Hadrian and the futures that await them.
Kate Quinn’s official site labels it Book 3.5 of the Empress of Rome Saga, making that placement more useful than treating it as a conventional fourth novel.
4. Lady of the Eternal City
The saga returns to Sabina, now Empress of Rome, as she attempts to navigate her complicated relationship with Emperor Hadrian and her former love Vix.
Power, betrayal, family, and succession collide as the fate of Rome becomes increasingly personal.
The publisher and Quinn’s official site identify this as the fourth main book in the saga.
Empress of Rome reading order
Mistress of Rome → Daughters of Rome → Empress of the Seven Hills → The Three Fates → Lady of the Eternal City
Borgia Chronicles
After exploring Ancient Rome, Quinn moved into another fascinating period of European history: Renaissance Italy.
The Borgia books focus on the infamous Borgia family and the political, religious, and romantic intrigue surrounding them.
1. The Serpent and the Pearl
The story takes readers into the world of Rodrigo Borgia, the future Pope Alexander VI, through the eyes of characters caught inside his dangerous political and personal orbit.
The novel explores ambition, beauty, power, poison, and survival in Renaissance Italy.
2. The Lion and the Rose
The story continues into the Borgia family’s increasingly turbulent world, with political alliances and personal loyalties becoming even more dangerous.
If you enjoy Renaissance history, palace intrigue, powerful families, and morally complicated characters, this duology is a natural choice.
Borgia Chronicles reading order
The Serpent and the Pearl → The Lion and the Rose
Kate Quinn’s World War I and World War II Novels
This is where many modern readers discover Kate Quinn.
Her later historical fiction frequently explores the lives of women during the two World Wars, often focusing on people whose contributions to history were overlooked or forgotten.
Unlike her Roman and Borgia books, these novels are primarily standalone stories, so you don’t have to read them in a strict sequence.
The Alice Network
The Alice Network (2017)
If you’re asking “Which Kate Quinn book should I read first?”, this is one of the strongest answers.
The novel connects two women living decades apart.
In 1915, Eve Gardiner is recruited into the real-life Alice Network, a group of female spies operating during World War I.
In 1947, American Charlie St. Clair arrives in Europe searching for her missing cousin.
Their lives eventually collide, connecting two generations of women and two different wars. Quinn’s official description confirms the novel’s dual-time structure and its foundation in the real Alice Network.
The result is part historical fiction, part espionage story, part mystery, and part emotional character drama.
For readers interested in women spies and forgotten wartime history, this is arguably the most accessible introduction to Quinn’s work.
The Huntress
The Huntress (2019)
After World War II, three very different lives become connected by one mysterious woman.
The story moves between postwar America and Europe during World War II, gradually revealing the identity and crimes of a woman known as the Huntress.
The novel combines war history, suspense, family relationships, espionage, and revenge.
If you enjoyed The Alice Network and want another Kate Quinn novel involving World War II and dangerous secrets, The Huntress is a natural next read.
The Rose Code
The Rose Code (2021)
Set around Bletchley Park during World War II, The Rose Code follows three women brought together through codebreaking.
Osla, Mab, and Beth come from very different backgrounds, but their work at the secret codebreaking facility binds them together.
Years later, their friendship has fractured, and a message from Beth forces them to confront what happened during the war.
The result is one of Quinn’s most character-driven novels, mixing female friendship, wartime intelligence, romance, betrayal, and secret codes.
You can absolutely read it without reading The Alice Network or The Huntress first.
The Diamond Eye
The Diamond Eye (2022)
The Diamond Eye moves away from Western Europe and tells the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a real Ukrainian woman who became one of the most famous female snipers of World War II.
Known as Lady Death, Pavlichenko became a Soviet sniper and was credited with an extraordinary number of confirmed kills.
Quinn turns her remarkable real-life story into a historical novel about war, survival, friendship, propaganda, and a woman trying to maintain her identity amid enormous political forces.
For readers who want historical fiction based closely on a real woman, this is one of Quinn’s most compelling choices.
The Briar Club
The Briar Club (2024)
With The Briar Club, Quinn moves away from the battlefields of World War II and into 1950s Washington, D.C.
The setting is Briarwood House, a women’s boardinghouse where a group of very different women form an unlikely community.
But beneath the friendships are secrets, political tensions, difficult histories, and the paranoia of the McCarthy era.
When violence strikes, the women must confront the secrets they have been keeping.
Unlike Quinn’s major wartime novels, this story is more intimate and claustrophobic. It feels part historical mystery, part character-driven women’s fiction, and part domestic suspense.
That change of setting makes The Briar Club a particularly interesting choice for readers who want Kate Quinn without another World War II story.
The Phoenix Crown
The Phoenix Crown (2024)
Written with Janie Chang, The Phoenix Crown takes readers to San Francisco in 1906, just before and after the devastating earthquake.
The story centers on Gemma, an opera singer, and Suling, a Chinese embroideress, whose lives become connected through a wealthy railroad magnate and a mysterious Chinese artifact.
The story later moves to Paris, giving the novel a broader historical scope.
It combines historical mystery, friendship, women’s stories, cultural identity, San Francisco history, and the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. The authors’ official reading guide confirms the San Francisco-to-Paris structure and the central mystery surrounding the Phoenix Crown.
Because this is a collaboration between Quinn and Janie Chang, it’s best treated separately from Quinn’s solo bibliography.
The Astral Library
The Astral Library (2026)
The Astral Library is a fascinating departure from the historical fiction that made Kate Quinn famous.
Instead of Ancient Rome, spies, or World War II, Quinn enters fantasy and literary adventure.
The story follows Alexandria “Alix” Watson, a young woman who finds refuge in books while struggling through a difficult life.
Then she discovers a hidden doorway inside the Boston Public Library leading to a magical library where people can escape into the worlds of their favorite books.
The adventure moves through literary worlds inspired by classics such as Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes, and The Great Gatsby. The book was published in February 2026 and is categorized as fantasy/time-travel fiction.
This is currently a standalone novel, so there’s no complicated series order to worry about.
Kate Quinn’s Collaborative Historical Fiction
Kate Quinn has also participated in several multi-author historical fiction projects.
These books shouldn’t be mixed into her primary novel reading order because they are collaborative works with different authors and structures.
A Day of Fire
A multi-author novel about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii.
Quinn contributed to the project alongside several other historical fiction authors.
A Year of Ravens
A collaborative novel about Boudica’s rebellion against Rome.
It brings together several writers to tell different perspectives from the same historical conflict.
A Song of War
A multi-author novel centered on the Trojan War.
Quinn contributed alongside several other historical fiction writers.
Ribbons of Scarlet
This collaborative historical novel explores women of the French Revolution, with different authors contributing different perspectives.
The Phoenix Crown
Unlike the anthology-style projects above, The Phoenix Crown is a full novel co-written by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang.
Kate Quinn Short Stories and Novellas
There are also shorter works that don’t need to be squeezed into the main reading order.
Two notable titles are:
Smoke Signal — co-written with Marie Benedict.
Signal Moon — a short historical story with a time-crossing premise.
These are best treated as optional extras rather than essential parts of Quinn’s major series.
Do Kate Quinn Books Need to Be Read in Order?
Usually, no.
This is probably the most important thing to know before starting her bibliography.
If you’re reading the Empress of Rome Saga, follow the series order because the characters and historical storyline develop across the books.
The same applies to the Borgia Chronicles.
But you don’t need to read The Alice Network before The Huntress, or The Huntress before The Rose Code. These novels tell separate stories with different characters and historical circumstances.
That gives you a lot of freedom.
You can simply choose the period or subject that interests you most.
What Is the Best Kate Quinn Book to Start With?
There isn’t one universal answer, but a few books stand out depending on what you enjoy.
Start with The Alice Network for wartime espionage
This is probably the best all-around introduction to Kate Quinn.
You get female spies, World War I, World War II, mystery, friendship, romance, and dual timelines in one novel.
Start with The Rose Code for Bletchley Park
If secret codes, intelligence work, and complicated female friendships sound appealing, choose The Rose Code.
Start with The Diamond Eye for a true historical figure
If you prefer stories based around a real person, The Diamond Eye is an excellent choice.
Start with Mistress of Rome for Ancient Rome
If your ideal historical fiction involves emperors, gladiators, political intrigue, and dangerous romances, go back to Quinn’s first major series.
Start with The Briar Club for mystery
For readers who prefer a contained setting, secrets, female friendships, and a murder mystery, The Briar Club is a strong choice.
Start with The Astral Library for something completely different
If you love books about books and want fantasy rather than historical fiction, The Astral Library is the obvious starting point.
Kate Quinn Books by Historical Period
One fun way to explore her bibliography is by time period rather than publication order.
Ancient Rome
- Mistress of Rome
- Daughters of Rome
- Empress of the Seven Hills
- The Three Fates
- Lady of the Eternal City
Renaissance Italy
- The Serpent and the Pearl
- The Lion and the Rose
World War I
- The Alice Network
- Ribbons of Scarlet — French Revolution, so not WWI, but another collaborative historical project
World War II
- The Alice Network
- The Huntress
- The Rose Code
- The Diamond Eye
1950s America
- The Briar Club
1906 San Francisco
- The Phoenix Crown
Fantasy and literary worlds
- The Astral Library
This approach can be more useful than chronological publication order because it lets you choose your preferred historical setting.
Are The Alice Network, The Huntress, and The Rose Code Connected?
No, not as a traditional series.
They are separate novels with different protagonists and plots.
However, readers often group them together because all three explore women and war, historical secrets, courage, trauma, and resistance.
So you don’t have to read them in publication order, but if you’re building a Kate Quinn reading journey, going from The Alice Network to The Huntress to The Rose Code is a very satisfying progression through her World War fiction.
Why Does Kate Quinn Use Dual Timelines?
Dual timelines are one of the recurring storytelling techniques in Kate Quinn’s historical fiction.
Rather than presenting historical events as a straightforward account, she often connects two periods or perspectives.
That structure allows readers to see how wartime decisions affect people years later.
In The Alice Network, for example, the story moves between 1915 and 1947, connecting World War I espionage with a post-World War II search for a missing woman.
It’s one reason her novels feel simultaneously historical and contemporary: the reader isn’t just watching history happen; they’re also seeing its consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Kate Quinn book to read first?
For most readers, The Alice Network is an excellent starting point. It combines historical research, espionage, mystery, romance, and strong female characters while remaining completely readable as a standalone.
Are Kate Quinn’s books based on true stories?
Many are inspired by real historical people, organizations, events, and settings, but they are historical fiction rather than biographies. The Alice Network, for example, incorporates the real Alice Network, while The Diamond Eye draws on the life of Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko.
What order should I read the Empress of Rome books?
Read them as Mistress of Rome → Daughters of Rome → Empress of the Seven Hills → The Three Fates → Lady of the Eternal City. The Three Fates is officially labeled Book 3.5, so it works as a bridge before Lady of the Eternal City.
Is The Alice Network part of a series?
No. The Alice Network is a standalone historical novel. It can be read without any other Kate Quinn book.
Are The Rose Code and The Alice Network connected?
No. They have different characters and stories. They are often grouped together because both are historical fiction involving women and wartime intelligence, but you can read them in either order.
Is The Huntress a sequel to The Alice Network?
No. The Huntress is a separate novel. You can read it without knowing anything about The Alice Network.
What is The Diamond Eye about?
The Diamond Eye is historical fiction inspired by Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian woman who became a celebrated Soviet sniper during World War II. It combines her wartime experiences with themes of friendship, survival, and the pressures of becoming a political symbol.
What is Kate Quinn’s newest book?
As of 2026, Kate Quinn’s newest novel is The Astral Library, published in February 2026. It marks a major genre shift into fantasy and follows a young woman who discovers a magical library hidden inside the Boston Public Library.
Does Kate Quinn write romance?
Romance is often an important element of Kate Quinn’s novels, but her books are generally better classified as historical fiction rather than romance. Her stories tend to give equal or greater weight to friendship, survival, politics, espionage, family, and historical events.
How many Kate Quinn books are there?
Her bibliography includes novels, collaborative books, short fiction, and anthologies, so the total depends on what you count. Her major solo bibliography currently spans from Mistress of Rome in 2010 through The Astral Library in 2026, alongside several collaborative projects.
Final Thoughts
Kate Quinn is an author whose bibliography rewards curiosity more than strict chronology.
You can start in Ancient Rome with Mistress of Rome, enter the dangerous world of female espionage with The Alice Network, visit Bletchley Park in The Rose Code, follow a real Ukrainian sniper in The Diamond Eye, uncover secrets in 1950s Washington with The Briar Club, or step through a magical doorway into literary worlds with The Astral Library.
If you’re completely new to Kate Quinn, I’d recommend The Alice Network first. It captures many of the qualities that have made her historical fiction so popular: compelling women, real history, secrets, suspense, emotional stakes, and the feeling that you’re discovering a forgotten corner of the past.
And once you’re hooked, you don’t have to work your way through every book in publication order. Pick the historical period that fascinates you, choose the appropriate series or standalone, and let Kate Quinn take you there.
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