How to Read the Raine Benares Series
The Raine Benares series blends the snappy, first-person voice of urban fantasy with a richly built epic fantasy setting. Raine Benares is a seeker—a finder of lost objects and people—whose relatively quiet life changes forever when she accidentally bonds with the Saghred, a legendary, soul-stealing amulet. If you want the most seamless reading experience, the best path is to follow the publication order. The main story progresses chronologically, making it easy to jump straight into the action.
The Core Saghred Saga (Books 1 to 6)
The first six novels form a complete, fast-paced story arc that takes place over the course of just three chaotic months. Throughout these books, Raine navigates her dangerous bond with the amulet, flees power-hungry mages, and deals with the complications of her pirate family. Raine narrates all six of these books in her signature snarky, engaging voice:
- Magic Lost, Trouble Found (2007): The book that starts it all. Raine is hired to guard a friend but ends up permanently bonded to the Saghred. This bond amplifies her magic and attracts every power-hungry mage and assassin in the realm.
- Armed & Magical (2008): Raine travels to the Isle of Mid, the ultimate hub of magic and home to the Conclave, to find a way to sever her connection to the amulet. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery involving disappearing students.
- The Trouble with Demons (2009): The stakes rise when a demon infestation threatens the Isle of Mid. Raine also has to deal with a magical bond linking her to two very different, very dangerous men: a dark mage and a holy paladin.
- Bewitched & Betrayed (2010): Raine and her allies continue to fight to keep the Saghred out of the wrong hands, leading to more close calls and betrayal.
- Con & Conjure (2011): Raine must rely on her wits, her pirate family, and her magic-wielding allies as the fight over the amulet reaches a critical point.
- All Spell Breaks Loose (2012): The climax of the core amulet storyline. Raine, temporarily stripped of her magic, leads a ragtag crew into the goblin capital to finally destroy the Saghred and stop a dark mage’s plot for world domination.
The Next Phase: Weddings, Treason, and the Tam & Phaelan Duology (Books 7 to 9)
After a short break, Lisa Shearin returned to Rheskilia in 2016 to continue the series. While these books are numbered as books 7, 8, and 9, they mark a transition in focus and perspective:
- Wedding Bells, Magic Spells (2016): This is Book 7 and the final book narrated by Raine Benares. It picks up after the events of the Saghred saga and follows Raine as she prepares for her long-awaited wedding—which is, naturally, disrupted by magic and mayhem.
- Treasure & Treason (2016): Book 8 marks a major shift for the series. For the first time, Raine is not the narrator. Instead, the story is told from the perspective of Tamnais "Tam" Nathrach, the charismatic goblin duke and former dark mage. Tam and Raine's cousin, the elven pirate Phaelan Benares, lead an elite team of combat mages to secure a dangerous relic called the Heart of Nidaar.
- Ruins and Revenge (2017): Book 9 continues Tam’s perspective and acts as a direct sequel to the events of Book 8. The team travels to a legendary subterranean city on an uninhabited continent to stop a rogue goblin brotherhood from weaponizing the relic.
The Prequel Novella: Wild Card (Book 0.5)
Published in 2014, Wild Card is a prequel novella that takes place before the events of Magic Lost, Trouble Found. It gives readers a closer look at Raine’s life as a seeker before she became entangled with the Saghred. While it is chronologically first, it is best read after you have finished at least the first few novels, as it relies on your familiarity with Raine's world and characters.
The Shared Universe: Connecting to The SPI Files
In addition to the Raine Benares series, Lisa Shearin is well known for her urban fantasy series, The SPI Files (Supernatural Protection & Investigations), which follows Makenna Fraser in a modern-day setting. While the SPI Files take place in our world and the Raine Benares books take place in Rheskilia, they exist in the same shared literary universe, connected by dimensional travel.
Because they are in different dimensions, you do not need to read one series to understand the other. However, there are fun crossovers for fans who read both. For example, the goblin lore is identical, and characters from Raine's world make appearances in the SPI Files: Raine’s cousin Mago appears as a minor character in the fifth SPI book, and Tam appears as a major character in the sixth SPI book. However, Raine herself and Makenna have not yet had a direct team-up.
Practical Reader Advice
Where is the best place to start?
You should start with Magic Lost, Trouble Found. Even though the novella Wild Card takes place earlier chronologically, the first novel does the best job of introducing Raine, her family, and the core magic system of the world. Starting with the novella can feel a bit abrupt if you aren't already familiar with the characters.
Can the books be read as standalones?
No. The first six books tell a continuous story that spans a single three-month period, and they must be read in order. Reading them out of order will spoil major plot points and leave you confused about the character dynamics. Books 8 and 9 (the Tam & Phaelan duology) can be read somewhat independently of the first six, but they still build on the relationships and character histories established during the Saghred saga.