The Recommended Reading Order for Anna Day's Novels
If you are picking up Anna Day's novels, the path is simple: she has written a single, highly serialized Young Adult dystopian duology. Because the plot of the second book directly depends on the twists, character fates, and world-building established in the first, you must read them in their exact order of publication. This also matches the chronological order of the narrative.
The Fandom Duology in Reading Order
- The Fandom (2018) – Violet and her friends (Alice, Nate, and Katie) attend Comic-Con in London and are suddenly transported into the dystopian world of their favorite movie, The Gallows Dance. In this world, the perfect genetically enhanced "Gems" rule over the unmodified, lower-class "Imps." When the real-world teens accidentally cause the death of the story's original heroine, Rose, Violet must step into her shoes, survive the rebellion, and guide the plot to its conclusion to find a way home.
- The Fandom Rising (2019) – Picking up a year after the chaotic events of the first novel, the sequel returns to the dangerous world of The Gallows Dance. Violet is forced back into the narrative where the consequences of her previous choices have triggered new waves of rebellion, high-stakes political intrigue, and complicated romantic dynamics between the Gem Willow and the Imp rebel Ash.
What to Know Before You Start
Before jumping into the series, it is helpful to understand the unique premise and origins of Anna Day's work:
- A Meta-Fictional Spin on YA Dystopia: Unlike a standard dystopian quest, The Fandom functions as a meta-fictional commentary. It examines how fans interact with fictional spaces, the ethics of fanfiction, the nature of shipping, and what happens when ordinary readers are forced to experience the gritty reality of the fantasy worlds they love.
- The Collaborative Origins: In 2015, Day (a clinical psychologist based in North East England) was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition for her manuscript The Gallows Dance. Under the guidance of Chicken House publisher Barry Cunningham, her core narrative was developed into The Fandom by merging her storytelling with concepts from the competition's "Big Idea" winner, Angela McCann.
Clearing Up Common Database Confusions
If you search for Anna Day on platforms like Goodreads, Google Books, or online book retailers, you will likely encounter a few persistent errors due to automated database merging. Here is the breakdown to help you avoid buying the wrong material:
The Flower Appreciation Society (2015)
You may see a title called The Flower Appreciation Society: An A to Z of All Things Floral listed under Anna Day's author profile. This book is not written by the YA novelist. It is a floral arrangement guide co-authored by Ellie Jauncey and a professional florist who happens to share the name Anna Day. They are two entirely different people, though online retail algorithms often group them together.
Galgentanz (2018)
Another title frequently listed as a separate piece of work is Galgentanz (often subtitled Der letzte Tanz bevor du stirbst). This is not a spin-off, companion novel, or sequel. It is simply the German translation of The Fandom. The term "Galgentanz" literally translates to "Gallows Dance," referencing the fictional movie-within-a-movie from the story.