Below is the complete list of Kiera Cass books in order. For each series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Selection Books
- The Epilogue (2014)
The Epilogue was published in 2014 and is listed as book #6 in the Selection series. 
Publication Order of Selection Collections Books
Publication Order of Betrothed Books
Publication Order of Standalone Books
About Kiera Cass
Kiera Cass is an American bestselling author known for her young adult romance and fantasy novels, particularly the internationally successful Selection series. Her fiction combines royal intrigue, romantic dilemmas, social expectations, and the struggle for personal independence, frequently featuring young women whose ambitions conflict with the futures others have chosen for them. With her accessible prose, emotionally engaging relationships, and fairy-tale-inspired settings, Cass has established herself as a distinctive voice in contemporary young adult literature.
Born on May 19, 1981, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Cass developed an interest in reading, creativity, and storytelling during her childhood. She attended Socastee High School before studying at Coastal Carolina University and later transferring to Radford University in Virginia, where she graduated with a degree in history. Her interest in historical societies and social structures would become particularly relevant to the royal courts, class divisions, and political traditions featured in her fiction.
Cass began her publishing career with The Siren, originally self-published in 2009. Inspired by Greek mythology, the novel follows Kahlen, a young woman bound to serve the Ocean as a siren after surviving a shipwreck. Her existence becomes complicated when she falls in love with a human, challenging the supernatural obligations governing her life. Cass subsequently revised the novel, which received a new edition through HarperTeen in 2016.
Her breakthrough came with The Selection (2012), the opening novel of a dystopian romance series set in the fictional kingdom of Illéa. The story introduces America Singer, a teenage girl selected to participate in a competition in which thirty-five young women compete for the opportunity to marry Prince Maxon.
Behind the elaborate gowns, palace celebrations, and romantic rivalries lies a society divided by a rigid caste system. America’s participation forces her to confront questions about social privilege, family obligations, and whether love should determine her future.
The novel’s success led to an expanded five-book series. The original three novels concentrate on America and Prince Maxon, while The Heir (2015) and The Crown (2016) shift attention to the next generation through Princess Eadlyn Schreave. Cass also developed companion novellas presenting events through supporting characters, later collecting additional material in Happily Ever After (2015).
The Selection became a number-one New York Times bestselling series and attracted an international readership. Its combination of romantic competition, political tensions, and fairy-tale atmosphere established many of the characteristics associated with Cass’s storytelling.
Following the series’ conclusion, Cass developed a separate romantic fantasy through The Betrothed (2020) and The Betrayed (2021). The duology follows Hollis Brite, a young noblewoman whose unexpected opportunity to marry a king creates conflicts between social ambition, personal freedom, and genuine affection.
Although the setting differs from Illéa, the novels revisit Cass’s interest in young women navigating restrictive expectations within royal societies. Their romantic decisions carry consequences beyond personal happiness, particularly when marriage becomes entangled with political influence and family responsibilities.
Cass explored another independent fantasy setting in A Thousand Heartbeats (2022). The novel follows Princess Annika and Lennox, a young warrior associated with a rival people, whose developing relationship challenges longstanding hostility between their communities. Its dual perspectives allow Cass to examine conflicting loyalties and the difficult choices created by inherited political divisions.
Across these works, Cass frequently draws upon recognisable romantic conventions while placing her characters in circumstances shaped by larger social pressures. Royal marriages, family expectations, political obligations, and differences in status create obstacles that require her protagonists to reconsider what they value most.
Her writing places particular emphasis on emotional immediacy, dialogue, and accessible worldbuilding. Although her novels incorporate dystopian and fantasy elements, their central conflicts usually concern identity, relationships, loyalty, and the courage to pursue an uncertain future.
Cass has also maintained a close relationship with her readership through online updates and discussions of her creative process. In January 2026, she confirmed that she had completed a new manuscript during 2025 and had resumed writing, while making clear that no publication date had been established.
Her bibliography is best understood through two completed romantic series and several independent works rather than a single interconnected fictional universe. The Selection remains her defining achievement, but her later novels demonstrate a continuing interest in love stories shaped by duty, inequality, and personal sacrifice. Through these recurring concerns, Cass has developed a recognisable style that combines the appeal of fairy tales with the emotional uncertainties of growing into adulthood.