Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minion | 2003 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 2 | The Awakening | 2003 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 3 | The Hunted | 2004 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 4 | The Bitten | 2005 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 5 | The Forbidden | 2005 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 6 | Dawn and Darkness | 2006 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 7 | The Damned | 2006 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 8 | The Forsaken | 2006 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 9 | The Wicked | 2007 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 10 | The Cursed | 2007 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 11 | The Darkness | 2008 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 12 | The Shadows | 2008 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
| 13 | The Thirteenth | 2009 | L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile | Buy |
The Vampire Huntress series under the L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile byline follows the same Damali Richards saga as the main Vampire Huntress Legend series. The 13 books trace Damali’s journey from Minion (2003) through The Thirteenth (2009) as she fights supernatural evil.
Damali is a spoken-word artist and warrior chosen as the Neteru, a once-in-a-generation guardian against the forces of darkness. Each book raises the stakes as she faces higher-ranking demons and vampires, with the mythology expanding to include fallen angels and biblical-level conflicts. The Damned (2006) and The Wicked (2007) mark turning points where the scope of the battle grows beyond anything Damali initially imagined.
L.A. Banks published this series at a rapid pace, releasing two or three books per year during the mid-2000s. The mix of horror, romance, and African American cultural elements gave the series a distinct voice in urban fantasy. Banks passed away in 2014, but the Vampire Huntress books remain a landmark in the genre.