Fourth Wing Books in Order: The Complete Empyrean Series Reading Guide
The Empyrean series reading order explained — from Fourth Wing through Onyx Storm, with context on how many books are planned and what to read next.
Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series arrived in 2023 and immediately became the publishing event of the year. Fourth Wing spent months at the top of bestseller lists, sparked a worldwide BookTok obsession, and single-handedly validated the adult fantasy romance category as a mainstream commercial force. If you’re wondering where to start or how the series fits together, this guide covers the complete reading order, how many books are planned, and what to expect from each instalment.
The Empyrean Series Reading Order
The Empyrean series must be read in publication order. Each book ends on significant developments that feed directly into the next, and the world-building deepens continuously across the series. There is no entry point other than the first book.
Book 1: Fourth Wing (2023)
The starting point. Violet Sorrengail was supposed to join the Scribes’ Quadrant, where her fragile bones and scholarly temperament would have suited her perfectly. Instead, her general mother pushes her into the Riders’ Quadrant — the war college for dragon riders, where attrition is the curriculum and the cadets can kill each other as easily as the dragons can.
Fourth Wing establishes the entire world: Basgiath War College, the mechanics of dragon bonding, the war beyond the wards, and the central relationship between Violet and Xaden Riorson, the brooding, morally complicated leader of the marked cadets. The book delivers propulsive pacing, satisfying romance, and enough genuine world-building to make the stakes feel real rather than decorative.
Most readers find Fourth Wing hard to put down. Its weaknesses — the predictability of certain plot beats, the convenient competence Violet develops under pressure — matter less than its strengths: momentum, character chemistry, and the satisfaction of a story that earns its central relationship.
Read if: You want a fast-paced fantasy romance with genuine danger, an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and dragons.
Book 2: Iron Flame (2023)
The escalation. Published just six months after Fourth Wing to meet enormous demand, Iron Flame follows Violet and Xaden into second year with the truth about what lies beyond the wards now partially revealed. The world expands, the secrets deepen, and the romance is tested by revelations that complicate everything established in the first book.
Iron Flame is longer and slower than Fourth Wing — a second-book problem partly caused by how much scaffolding Yarros needs to put in place for the series’ larger arc. The central romance remains compelling, and the world-building revelations in the final act justify the patience the middle section requires. Readers who bounced off the pacing tend to find the payoff retroactively satisfying.
The ending of Iron Flame is deliberately punishing and sets up Onyx Storm with high emotional stakes.
Read if: You’ve finished Fourth Wing and need to know what happens next.
Book 3: Onyx Storm (2025)
The expansion. The third book takes Violet and Xaden beyond the known world of the series, dramatically expanding the geography and mythology of the Empyrean universe. The stakes move from personal survival to civilisational threat. Supporting characters receive more development than in the previous books, and the central relationship enters territory that will devastate readers who have been invested since book one.
Onyx Storm is the most ambitious instalment yet and, for many readers, the most emotionally impactful. Its length — nearly 750 pages — reflects a series that has grown in scope with each entry. The book ends with revelations that make waiting for Book 4 genuinely difficult.
Read if: You’re already reading the series.
How Many Empyrean Books Are There?
Rebecca Yarros has confirmed the Empyrean series will be five books total. As of mid-2026:
- Book 1: Fourth Wing — Published May 2023
- Book 2: Iron Flame — Published November 2023
- Book 3: Onyx Storm — Published January 2025
- Book 4 — Announced; no confirmed release date as of 2026
- Book 5 — The planned conclusion
The pace of publication (two books in 2023, one in early 2025) suggests the remaining books will arrive in 2026–2028, though no official dates have been given.
Do I Need to Read Them in Order?
Yes, unequivocally. The Empyrean series is a single continuous story broken across five books. Iron Flame begins in the immediate aftermath of Fourth Wing’s ending; Onyx Storm builds directly on Iron Flame. Reading out of order would strip each book of most of its impact and meaning.
There are no companion novels, novellas, or prequels that need to be read alongside or before the main series. Start with Fourth Wing and follow publication order.
What to Read After Onyx Storm
If you’re waiting for Book 4 and need something to fill the gap, the best options are:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — The other dominant title in adult romantasy, with the same enemies-to-lovers tension, explicit romance, and high stakes. The ACOTAR series runs to five full books and spinoffs, so there’s plenty of it.
- From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout — A darker and more Gothic romantasy with a tortured love interest and a long backlist. The Flesh and Fire prequel series runs parallel for readers who want even more of the world.
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — For readers who want morally grey characters and propulsive ensemble storytelling without the romantasy formula. Part of the larger Grishaverse that includes the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss — For readers whose appetite for long fantasy series with slow-burning character arcs has been whetted by Yarros. Be warned: Rothfuss has been working on the third book since 2011.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the Fourth Wing / Empyrean books?
Read the Empyrean series in publication order: 1. Fourth Wing (2023), 2. Iron Flame (2023), 3. Onyx Storm (2025). The series is continuous — each book picks up directly after the last — so reading in order is essential. There are no prequels or standalones to worry about.
How many books are in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros?
Rebecca Yarros has confirmed the Empyrean series will be five books total. As of 2026, three have been published: Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm. Book 4 has been announced but does not yet have a confirmed release date. Book 5 will close the series.
Do I need to read Fourth Wing before Iron Flame?
Yes — absolutely. Iron Flame begins immediately after Fourth Wing's climactic ending and assumes full knowledge of the first book's events, characters, and world-building. Reading Iron Flame without Fourth Wing would be like starting a film at its final act. Fourth Wing functions as a complete story in its own right, but its final chapters set up everything that follows.
Is Onyx Storm the last Fourth Wing book?
No. Onyx Storm is the third book of five in the Empyrean series. Rebecca Yarros has confirmed two more books are planned. Onyx Storm ends with major plot developments that make it clear the story is far from resolved.
What should I read after Onyx Storm while waiting for Book 4?
After Onyx Storm, the best next reads are: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (the other dominant title in adult romantasy, with the same enemies-to-lovers tension and high stakes), From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (darker romance, complex world, similar heat level), and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows (for readers who want morally grey characters and propulsive plotting without waiting for more Empyrean books).
Is the Empyrean series suitable for adults or young adults?
The Empyrean series is adult fantasy romance. It contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence, and mature themes throughout. Fourth Wing is often shelved as 'new adult' rather than YA, and Iron Flame and Onyx Storm are unambiguously adult. Readers who enjoyed the YA versions of Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass) should be aware the Empyrean books operate at the heat level of ACOTAR and its sequels, not the earlier Maas series.
