The Recommended Reading Order for The Tainted Accords
If you are jumping into the lush, action-packed world of Kelly St. Clare's The Tainted Accords for the first time, the path forward is straightforward. Unlike some sprawling fantasy series with complex prequels and overlapping timelines, this series is best experienced in the order the books were published. This matches the chronological progression of the story exactly.
To get the most out of Olina's character arc and the political intrigue between the warring worlds, you should start with the main quartet and then proceed to the companion novellas. Here is the recommended reading path:
- Fantasy of Frost (Book 1)
- Fantasy of Flight (Book 2)
- Fantasy of Fire (Book 3)
- Fantasy of Freedom (Book 4)
- Sin (Tri-World Exchange Novella 1)
- Olandon (Tri-World Exchange Novella 2)
- Rhone (Tri-World Exchange Novella 3)
- Shard (Tri-World Exchange Novella 4)
The Main Quartet: Olina's Journey
The main series consists of four full-length novels published between 2015 and 2017. The books follow Olina, the Tatuma (princess) of Osolis, who has lived her entire life under a veil, isolated from her people and abused by her mother. The narrative is written in the first person, keeping readers close to Olina's thoughts, struggles, and growth as she discovers the truth about her origins and the two contrasting worlds of Osolis and Glacium.
Fantasy of Frost (2015)
The series begins with Fantasy of Frost. Here, we meet Olina as a suppressed royal who has never seen her own face. Her mother, the cruel Queen of Osolis, enforces this isolation. Everything changes when a delegation arrives from Glacium, led by Prince Kedrick. A forbidden romance and deep political secrets begin to unravel, forcing Olina to question everything she has ever been told about her world and herself.
Fantasy of Flight (2015)
In the second book, the focus shifts drastically. Olina finds herself in the freezing world of Glacium. No longer hiding behind her veil, she takes on the fighter persona of "Frost" in the Outer Rings. This book showcases her physical and emotional transition from a victim of abuse to a fierce, independent survivor who must fight for her life and the lives of those she loves.
Fantasy of Fire (2016)
The stakes escalate in Fantasy of Fire. The threat of war looms between the scorching sun-drenched Osolis and the icy Glacium. Olina must reconcile her dual identities—the Osolian princess and the Glacian pit fighter—while attempting to prevent a conflict that could devastate both worlds. Political maneuvering, deeper world-building, and evolving relationships take center stage.
Fantasy of Freedom (2017)
The main storyline reaches its epic conclusion in Fantasy of Freedom. Olina must confront the ghosts of her past and make the ultimate stand for the freedom of Osolis and Glacium. The book resolves the primary war plotlines and brings Olina's romance with King Jovan to a highly satisfying, emotional climax.
The Tri-World Exchange: Companion Novellas
After finishing the main four books, readers should dive into The Tri-World Exchange novellas. Published between 2017 and 2019, these stories shift away from Olina's point of view to follow the perspectives of four prominent male secondary characters who won the hearts of readers during the main series.
These novellas are not optional fluff; they take place after the events of Fantasy of Freedom and show how the characters adjust to the post-war world. They also provide lovely glimpses of Olina and Jovan's lives as they rule. You can read them as individual ebooks or find them collected in a single paperback edition titled The Tri-World Exchange: Sin, Olandon, Rhone, & Shard.
- Sin (2017): Focuses on Sin, a character who must navigate his own path and loyalties after the war.
- Olandon (2018): Explores the challenges faced by Olandon as he works to rebuild and find his own place in the changing political landscape.
- Rhone (2018): Follows Rhone as he tackles personal struggles and duty in the aftermath of the main series conflicts.
- Shard (2019): Wraps up the companion series by detailing Shard's journey, offering closure for the remaining threads of the cast.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
For readers who like to plan their reading schedules, the publication and chronological timelines align perfectly. Here is the chronological order of the books and their respective publication years:
- Fantasy of Frost — Published in 2015 (Chronological Step 1)
- Fantasy of Flight — Published in 2015 (Chronological Step 2)
- Fantasy of Fire — Published in 2016 (Chronological Step 3)
- Fantasy of Freedom — Published in 2017 (Chronological Step 4)
- Sin (Novella) — Published in 2017 (Chronological Step 5)
- Olandon (Novella) — Published in 2018 (Chronological Step 6)
- Rhone (Novella) — Published in 2018 (Chronological Step 7)
- Shard (Novella) — Published in 2019 (Chronological Step 8)
Because the novellas contain major spoilers for the resolution of the main quartet, we highly advise against reading them out of order. Reading Sin or Olandon before Fantasy of Freedom will ruin the emotional twists and political resolutions of the main series.
What to Know Before You Start
Before you dive into Kelly St. Clare's series, it helps to understand the unique world-building and tone of the books. The setting is built around two contrasting worlds: Osolis, a scorching, formal, and strictly structured kingdom, and Glacium, a frozen, blunt, and rough-and-tumble society. These environments serve as physical representations of the internal struggles Olina faces throughout her journey.
In terms of tone, the series sits comfortably in the Young Adult (YA) to New Adult (NA) fantasy romance genre. It features a slow-burn romance that develops organically over the course of the four novels. However, it also deals with heavy themes, particularly Olina's struggle to overcome years of emotional and physical abuse inflicted by her mother. The transition from a victim of domestic oppression to a confident leader is the emotional core of the series, making it a powerful and inspiring read for fantasy fans.