Books Like Fourth Wing: What to Read Next

If you’re hunting for books like Fourth Wing, start with the direct sequels, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, since book four isn’t out until 2027 at the earliest. From there, Sarah J. Maas covers the fae-courts and assassin-kingdom angles, while authors like Callie Hart and Carissa Broadbent scratch the same enemies-to-lovers, high-stakes itch. Here’s exactly where to go next.

The Fourth Wing Hangover Is Real

You finish the last page of Fourth Wing, or maybe you’ve already burned through Onyx Storm, and now nothing else on your shelf feels like enough. That specific mix of dragon-rider stakes, slow-burn tension, and a war college that might kill you before graduation is hard to replace. Books like Fourth Wing exist, but you have to know where to look.

The good news is that romantasy has exploded since 2023, and there’s a real answer here, not just “try some fantasy.” Whether you want the actual sequels, more from Rebecca Yarros, or a completely new author who hits the same emotional beats, this list covers it.

What Makes a Book “Like Fourth Wing”?

The books readers compare to Fourth Wing usually share a few specific ingredients: a brutal training ground or trial that can kill the protagonist, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and a bonded creature or magic system tied to survival. It’s less about dragons specifically and more about danger plus romance plus a heroine who has to get stronger fast.

That’s why some of the best readalikes swap dragons for vampires, fae, or assassins and still land the same emotional gut-punch. The formula is the feeling, not the wings.

Start With the Sequels: Iron Flame and Onyx Storm

If you haven’t finished the Empyrean series itself, this is the obvious next step. Iron Flame picks up right where Fourth Wing left off, and it gets considerably darker as Violet’s second year at Basgiath War College turns from brutal to outright vicious. Onyx Storm continues the story from there, raising the stakes even further as the war outside the college finally catches up to the riders inside it.

Here’s the catch: you’ll want book four fast, and you won’t get it. Reports suggest Yarros isn’t expected to publish the next Empyrean installment until 2027 at the earliest, which is exactly why so many readers go looking for something to fill the gap in the meantime. If you’re only partway through the series, this is still your best move before branching out.

Want More Rebecca Yarros? Try The Last Letter

If it’s Yarros’s writing you’re drawn to more than the dragons specifically, it’s worth knowing she didn’t start in fantasy. The Last Letter is a contemporary military romance about a soldier’s final wish and the family he leaves behind, and it carries the same emotional intensity that makes Fourth Wing hit so hard. It won’t scratch the dragon-rider itch, but it will confirm that Yarros can wreck you emotionally in more than one genre. One of the famous fiction authors worth following across her whole catalog, not just one series.

For Fae, Courts, and Slow-Burn Danger: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas is the name that comes up most often alongside Yarros, and for good reason. The A Court of Thorns and Roses box set follows Feyre, a huntress dragged into a deadly fae bargain, through a slow burn that trades war college for a court full of political danger and forbidden attraction. Readers frequently point to ACOTAR as the go-to recommendation after finishing Fourth Wing, since it delivers the same high-stakes romance with its own distinct mythology.

If you want to keep going past the first arc, A Court of Silver Flames follows a different couple within the same world and leans even harder into the trauma-to-trust arc that Fourth Wing fans tend to love.

For Assassins and Kingdoms: Throne of Glass

If the war college setting is what hooked you more than the fae courts, Throne of Glass is the better starting point. It follows Celaena Sardothien, a trained assassin competing for her freedom in a kingdom that would just as soon see her dead. One list of readalikes calls it out specifically, noting that Throne of Glass shares Fourth Wing’s strong, wicked-smart protagonists, epic twists, and an unmatched group of villains. It’s a longer series than ACOTAR, which makes it a solid pick if you want something to sink into for a while.

More Romantasy Picks Beyond Yarros and Maas

Once you’ve worked through the two biggest names in the genre, there’s a wider shelf worth exploring. Quicksilver by Callie Hart swaps dragons for fae and vampires but keeps the fast pacing and a broody, shadow-powered love interest that will appeal to fans of Xaden Riorson specifically. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent trades the war college for a deadly vampire competition, and it’s often named as one of the closest overall matches to that Fourth Wing feeling.

If dragons are non-negotiable for you, Fireborne by Rosaria Munda leans into a sharper political edge around divided loyalties, while still keeping the dragon-bond magic at its center. None of these are exact copies, but each one hits a major piece of what makes Fourth Wing addictive.

Building Your Romantasy TBR Without Breaking the Bank

Romantasy series are long, and buying every book at full hardcover price adds up fast. Box sets are usually the smarter move if you already know you’ll want the whole series, since they typically run well below buying each title separately. Bookwharf’s discounted box sets and complete series page is worth a look before you commit to a full series purchase, and the wider fiction section covers most of the authors mentioned here if you’re mixing and matching individual titles instead.

The Bottom Line

The fastest fix for a Fourth Wing hangover is finishing the series itself with Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, but you don’t have to stop there. Sarah J. Maas covers both the fae-court and assassin-kingdom angles, and authors like Callie Hart and Carissa Broadbent bring fresh takes on the same danger-plus-romance formula. Between all of these, you’ve got enough of a reading list to last until book four of the Empyrean series actually arrives.

Ready to start building your stack? Browse fiction books at Bookwharf for the full lineup at prices below retail.

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