The Empyrean · Fan Guide
Books Like Fourth Wing
Finished Fourth Wing and don't know what to read next? Here are thirteen romantasy novels and series that scratch the same itch — dragon lore, brutal trials, enemies-to-lovers tension, and love interests who are definitely hiding something.
◆ Why do Fourth Wing fans look for similar books?
Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series — Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm and the new Threshing Day collection — built its fanbase on a very specific combination: a dragon-rider academy where every year might be your last, a heroine who survives on intelligence and sheer stubbornness, and a slow-burn, morally grey romance. That mix is rarer than it sounds, which is why "books like Fourth Wing" is one of the most searched phrases in romantasy. The picks below are the ones we, as fans, keep recommending to each other — chosen for the overall reading experience, not just for having dragons on the cover.
So if you searched books like fourth wing, you already know what you want: the same dragon-rider energy, brutal stakes and slow-burn romance. Below are the books like fourth wing we keep coming back to, with links to check each one out — plus, at the end, a quick guide to picking by the element you loved most.
The Amazon links on this page are plain links provided for convenience — they carry no affiliate tag, and we earn nothing if you buy. See our full disclosure. All recommendations are our own editorial picks.
◆ The recommendations
A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas
A human huntress who kills a wolf in the woods is dragged into the faerie court of a High Lord who may be a monster — or something far more complicated. What begins as a Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling unfolds into a sprawling high-fantasy war of courts, curses and ancient bargains.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: the slow-burn tension and morally grey love interests that hooked you in Fourth Wing run straight through ACOTAR's enemies-to-lovers arc.
Read next if: you want a long series to sink into — the ACOTAR run spans five books plus a novella, with more on the way, so you won't run out of reading material anytime soon.
Search on AmazonThe Serpent and the Wings of Night — Carissa Broadbent
Oraya is the adopted human daughter of a vampire king, raised to survive a brutal tournament in which humans are nothing but prey. To win her freedom she must trust a rival competitor who would gladly kill her — and who she can't stop wanting to trust.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: a lethal competition and a forbidden alliance at its center mirror Threshing's "make it out alive or don't make it at all" energy better than almost anything else on this list.
Read next if: the tournament was your favorite part of Fourth Wing — and when you finish, the Crowns of Nyaxia sequel The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King continues Oraya's story.
Search on AmazonFrom Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout
Poppy is the Maiden, kept isolated from the kingdom she is meant to save and from the truths about the world she lives in. When her new guard Hawke starts questioning everything she believes, the cage around her begins to crack — along with the kingdom's foundations.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: like Violet, Poppy is a reluctant heir to a dangerous legacy, and the push-and-pull romance burns with the same intensity fans love in Xaden and Violet.
Read next if: you love a long-running saga with a heroine hiding a dangerous secret — the Blood and Ash universe keeps expanding across books and spinoffs.
Search on AmazonThe Priory of the Orange Tree — Samantha Shannon
A standalone epic that spans two continents, following a dragon-riding queen, a banished mage, and the slow return of an ancient dragon threat. It's a broader, slower burn than Fourth Wing, but the world-building rewards patience with one of the richest dragon cultures in modern fantasy.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: if you came to the series for dragons as a civilization — dens, politics and elder councils — Priory offers the deepest dragon lore on this list.
Read next if: you want a complete story in one volume — and the companion prequel A Day of Fallen Night goes back centuries further into the same world.
Search on AmazonOne Dark Window — Rachel Gillig
In a kingdom blighted by a creeping magical mist, Elspeth carries a monster in her mind and strikes a bargain with a highwayman to find a cure. It's gothic, atmospheric, and quietly obsessed with the price of power.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: the dark tone, a magic that corrupts its wielder, and a romance built on bargains make it a natural next read for fans who like their power dangerous.
Read next if: you like magic that costs something — the story concludes in the sequel Two Twisted Crowns, so it's a two-book commitment.
Search on AmazonDivine Rivals — Rebecca Ross
Two rival journalists who secretly write anonymous love letters to each other are pulled together as war begins to swallow their world. It's a gentler, more tender read than Fourth Wing, but the emotional core is the same: two people choosing each other against impossible odds.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: fewer dragons, more feelings — but the rivals-to-more arc and wartime stakes will resonate with anyone who loved Xaden and Violet's bond.
Read next if: you're in the mood for feelings over battle scenes — the duology wraps up in Ruthless Vows.
Search on AmazonPowerless — Lauren Roberts
In a kingdom where the Elites flaunt their powers, Kai — a prince and an Elite — finds himself fascinated by a girl who has none. A deadly survival game, a forbidden romance, and a twist that redefines everything she thought she knew.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: if you loved a secret-keeping love interest and a heroine who wins by wit rather than brute force, Powerless delivers on both counts.
Read next if: secret-keeping love interests are your favorite part of romantasy — the series continues in Reckless.
Search on AmazonThe Hurricane Wars — Thea Guanzon
A soldier who escaped a magical empire is forced to ally with the enemy prince who helped destroy her world. Their fragile truce sparks a slow-burn romance set against a war drawn from Southeast Asian–inspired mythology.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: the reluctant alliance between two people who should hate each other is the same dynamic that powers the central romance of the Empyrean series.
Read next if: you want epic-scale enemies to lovers — the trilogy continues in A Monsoon Rising.
Search on AmazonTrial of the Sun Queen — Nisha J. Tuli
Imprisoned for ten years, Lor is offered a way out: win a deadly contest to become the Sun Queen's new bride. Each trial is a fresh nightmare, and the prize is a throne she never wanted — held by a queen who would rather see her fail.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: like Threshing, the story's heart is a brutal trial where one wrong move means death, and the romance burns slow and dangerous around it.
Read next if: deadly trials are the whole appeal — the Artefacts of Ouranos series continues in Rule of the Aurora King.
Search on AmazonThe Serpent and the Wolf — Rebecca Robinson
After her sister is murdered, Vaasa marries the enemy prince to get close enough to destroy his court from within — only to find he has secrets of his own. Their alliance cuts both ways, and so does the attraction neither of them planned for.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: a marriage built on lies, court intrigue, and a morally complicated hero make this a strong pick for fans of Fourth Wing's political stakes.
Read next if: court intrigue and marriage-of-convenience tension are your thing — this is the first book of a planned series.
Search on AmazonThree more picks we've added since this list first went up — each one earned its spot from fan discussion.
Fireborne — Rosaria Munda
In the ashes of a revolution, orphans Annie and Lee claw their way up through the new regime's dragon-riding academy — the very institution that once served the dragonlords they helped overthrow. As the trials narrow the class down, the fragile new order discovers that keeping the peace is harder than winning the war.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: the dragon-rider academy where only the ruthless survive is the closest structural cousin to Basgiath on this list — quieter on the romance, heavier on politics.
Read next if: you want the academy, the trials, and the class warfare without the spice — the Aurelian Cycle trilogy continues in Flamefall and ends with Furysong.
Search on AmazonTo Shape a Dragon's Breath — Moniquill Blackgoose
Anequs, a young woman from the Vermilion archipelago, bonds a dragon and is packed off to an academy run by the colonizing power — a school that wants to civilize her and the beast together. She refuses to let either of them be reshaped, and turns the institution's own rules against it.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: an outsider fighting for her place in a hostile academy, with a dragon bond that refuses to follow the institution's rules — plus the political weight of being the first of her kind there.
Read next if: you want the underdog-academy dynamic with sharper social commentary — it's the first book of a planned series.
Search on AmazonCrescent City: House of Earth and Blood — Sarah J. Maas
Half-fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan thought her wildest days were over — until her best friend is murdered and she is dragged into a conspiracy that reaches the top of Crescent City's supernatural elite. Paired with the fallen angel Hunt Athalar, she hunts a killer while the city's ancient power structures burn around them.
Why it's like Fourth Wing: Sarah J. Maas's other big romantasy series brings the same intensity — a heroine with a hidden power, a morally complicated partner, and slow-burn tension with very high stakes.
Read next if: you want a modern-fantasy setting with Maas's signature drama — the Crescent City trilogy continues in House of Sky and Breath and concludes with House of Flame and Shadow.
Search on Amazon◆ Pick by what you loved about Fourth Wing
Not sure where to start? Match the thing you loved most about the Empyrean series to a book above:
- The dragon-rider academy — Fireborne, To Shape a Dragon's Breath
- Deadly trials and survival stakes — The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Trial of the Sun Queen
- Enemies to lovers with a morally grey love interest — A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Hurricane Wars, From Blood and Ash
- A heroine with a hidden power and a secret to keep — Powerless, From Blood and Ash, Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood
- Gothic magic with a price — One Dark Window
- War, letters, and emotional stakes — Divine Rivals
- Court intrigue and bargains — The Serpent and the Wolf, A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Deep dragon lore and world-building — The Priory of the Orange Tree, Fireborne
- A long series to binge — A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Crescent City
- A standalone or short commitment — The Priory of the Orange Tree, The Serpent and the Wolf (and the duologies One Dark Window and Divine Rivals)
◆ Frequently asked questions
Is this an official recommendation list?
No. These are editorial picks from the fan-run dragonkind.wiki. We are not affiliated with Rebecca Yarros, her publishers, or any of the authors above, and none of them have endorsed this list.
Are there more books like Fourth Wing?
Absolutely. This page is a starting point — the fandom on BookTok, Goodreads and Reddit trades recommendations constantly, and we plan to keep expanding this list over time. New picks will be added as we read and discuss them.
Do all of these books have dragons?
No. Some, like The Priory of the Orange Tree, are heavy on dragon lore, while others share Fourth Wing's themes instead — brutal trials, enemies-to-lovers romance and morally grey love interests. We chose for the overall reading experience, not just for dragons.
Which book like Fourth Wing should I read first?
It depends on what you loved. Closest overall match: The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Closest dragon-academy structure: Fireborne or To Shape a Dragon's Breath. Most popular with the fandom: A Court of Thorns and Roses. Use the "Pick by what you loved" section above to narrow it down.
Do I need to read these series in order?
Most are series, so yes — start with book one. The exceptions are The Priory of the Orange Tree and The Serpent and the Wolf, which are standalones, and the duologies One Dark Window and Divine Rivals, which are two books each.
Are these books as romantic as Fourth Wing?
Tone varies. Fourth Wing is an open-door romantasy, and these picks sit at different points on that spectrum — some match it, others keep the romance more restrained. Check each book's content notes or reader reviews before you dive in.
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