She is known for the 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

She is the creator[2] of the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story of the same name originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite.

[6] The Guardian called Vicious "a brilliant exploration of the superhero mythos, and a riveting revenge thriller".

[11][12] In 2014, Schwab signed a two-book deal with Tor Books,[9] which included A Darker Shade of Magic and its sequel.

[15] In 2020, Schwab joined the panel of Podcast Writing Excuses[16] to discuss book themes and other topics.