Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury
✦
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas - 5 books
The other giant of modern romantasy. Fae courts, slow-burn romance, escalating stakes. If you liked Fourth Wing's heat, ACOTAR delivers.
Series - Books in order
The Empyrean books in order
by Rebecca Yarros - 3 books - 2023-2025 - Updated June 2026
Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the quiet Scribe Quadrant. Instead her mother, a commanding general, forces her into the brutal Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College, where students bond with dragons or die trying. Yarros blends romantasy with military academy tension and a fast-moving plot full of twists.
Yarros
Fourth Wing
✦
1
Yarros
Fourth Wing
✦
1
The short answer
Read in publication order, starting with Fourth Wing (2023). publication.
3 books - read in publication order
Show orderPublication order
Contains affiliate links| # | Book | Published | Rating | Where to read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fourth Wing Fourth WingStart | 2023 | 4.3 | Kindle $14.99Paperback $18.99Audible $14.99Bookshop $20.00 |
| 2 | Iron Flame Iron Flame | 2023 | 4.0 | Kindle $14.99Paperback $19.99Audible $14.99Bookshop $21.00 |
| 3 | Onyx Storm Onyx Storm | 2025 | 3.8 | Kindle $14.99Paperback $19.99Audible $14.99Bookshop $21.00 |
Our recommended reading order
publication
Yarros
Fourth Wing
✦
Best book to start with
Fourth Wing
Book #1, and still the best on-ramp. It sets up everything that makes this series work.
Catch up on the whole series
Box sets in print, or listen on Audible.
Similar series
If you love The Empyrean, try these next.
Armentrout
From Blood and Ash
✦
From Blood and Ash
Jennifer L. Armentrout - 6 books
Forbidden romance, a sheltered heroine who turns out to be more powerful than anyone expected, and a world at war. Heavy on spice and plot twists.
Shannon
The Priory of the Orange Tree
✦
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon - 2 books
Dragons, politics, and women wielding enormous power. More epic fantasy than romance, but the dragon-riding sequences scratch the same itch.
Frequently asked questions
Rebecca Yarros has confirmed the series will be five books total. Onyx Storm, the third book, came out in January 2025. Two more are expected.
The books contain explicit sexual content, graphic violence, and scenes of characters dying in harsh ways. Most readers and booksellers shelve it as adult fantasy romance, not YA.
Yes. The story is continuous and Iron Flame picks up right where Fourth Wing ends. Major plot twists from the first book drive the entire second book.
Contains affiliate linksUpdated June 2026