Violet Sorrengail was meant to become a scribe until her commanding general mother orders her to enter the dragon rider academy. She must survive deadly competition and paranormal creatures while uncovering dangerous secrets. As her world expands, so does her capacity for power and love.
Series guide · 3 out, 1 companion
The Empyrean Reading Order: All 3 Books in Order
Fourth Wing's dragon-rider war college made Rebecca Yarros the biggest name in romantasy. Three books of a planned five are out, with a story collection landing September 2026.
The Empyrean is an ongoing series by Rebecca Yarros. There are 3 numbered books on our shelf. There is also one companion book, Threshing Day, which sits outside the numbering.
It starts with Fourth Wing (2023), and the newest numbered book out now is Onyx Storm (2025). The books came out in the same order as their numbers, so release order is reading order.
On our heat scale the books run from 3 to 3.5 (spicy). On Goodreads the books average 4.3 stars across 2,594,758 ratings.
Reading order
All 3 Empyrean books in order
Every book, with release date, heat rating and what it is about. Signed in, tick the circle when you finish one.
Violet's world has been turned upside down. With her dragon by her side and new allies at her back, she must uncover the truth about the war that's coming. The stakes have never been higher.
The third book in the Empyrean series hits hard. Dragons, found family, enemies-to-lovers, and enough plot twists to break your heart.
The surprise Empyrean release: thirteen interconnected stories built around a single legendary Threshing Day at Basgiath, the day cadets and dragons choose each other. Not book four, but a return to the world of Fourth Wing ahead of it, arriving between the quadrant's deadliest traditions and the fandom's loudest theories.
Heat across the series
Heat barely moves across Empyrean: every book we have rated is Spicy, between 3 and 3.5 of 5.
Book 1 is 3, book 2 is 3, book 3 is 3.5 and Threshing Day is 3. What you get in book one is roughly what you get later.
How we rate heat →The Empyrean publication order
The numbered books came out in order. The companion book is slotted into the reading order above by release date. We do not list a separate in-world chronological order for this series, so we follow the author's numbering.
Publication order
- Fourth Wing (2023)
- Iron Flame (2023)
- Onyx Storm (2025)
- Threshing Day (2026, companion)
Where to start
Start with Fourth Wing. It is book one, and every later book builds on it. Read the numbered books in order, which is also the order they came out.
New to romantasy and want something gentler first? Try a Mild pick from our spice guide.
Where does Threshing Day fit?
Threshing Day is not a numbered book. It came out in 2026, after Onyx Storm, so read it after that one to stay clear of spoilers.
The Complete Guide to The Empyrean
Fourth Wing arrived in May 2023 from upstart imprint Red Tower and broke the industry's brain. Bookstores could not keep it in stock, BookTok made the dragons and the death count a personality, and by the time Onyx Storm arrived in January 2025 it was reportedly the fastest-selling adult novel in two decades. The pitch is irresistible: Violet Sorrengard, small and brittle-boned in a war college built to kill cadets like her, has to bond a dragon or die trying, and the man most likely to kill her is the one she cannot stop looking at.
The reading order so far: Fourth Wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), and Onyx Storm (2025), with the main series planned at five books. Read them in order and do not read ahead on the wiki; each book ends on a genuine cliffhanger and the reveals are the point. What comes next is slightly unusual: Threshing Day, announced for September 29, 2026, is a collection of thirteen stories about characters across the Empyrean universe rather than book four. Yarros confirmed in early 2026 that she is writing the fourth main book, but it has no title or release date yet, so pace yourself accordingly. A television adaptation is in development at Amazon MGM, though nothing has been cast or dated.
Heat sits at a 3 on our spice scale: a handful of very explicit scenes per book inside a story that is mostly war, politics, and dragon logistics. Content notes: constant peril and cadet deaths, torture and interrogation in Iron Flame, war violence, grief, and a heroine whose chronic joint condition, inspired by the author's own Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is portrayed without being cured or minimized.
The series works because of momentum and voice. Yarros writes propulsive chapters that end on hooks, the dragons are genuinely funny in their contempt for humans, and Violet's disability shaping her tactics rather than sidelining her remains one of the best things in modern romantasy. Fair criticism is easy to find too: Iron Flame's middle sags under repetitive arguments, a late-series memory plot device frustrates as much as it intrigues, and the worldbuilding creaks if you push on it. None of this has slowed it down, and the cliffhangers keep working.
While you wait for book four, Throne of Glass offers a completed epic with similar war-school DNA, and Zodiac Academy is the chaotic indie cousin. If the rider bond was your favorite part, our dragon rider and fated mates trope pages go deeper, and enemies to lovers fans have an entire shelf waiting.
Series like The Empyrean
Picked by shared tropes. Each one links to its own reading order.
- Dark Romantasy, Dragons
- Academy, Dark Romantasy
- Enemies to Lovers, Dark Romantasy
- Enemies to Lovers, Found Family
- Found Family, Morally Gray
The Empyrean reading order FAQ
How many books are in The Empyrean?
The Empyrean has 3 numbered books. There is also 1 companion book: Threshing Day.
What order should I read The Empyrean in?
Read them in this order: Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm, then Threshing Day (companion). That is also the order they were published.
Is The Empyrean finished?
It is still ongoing. No next book has a date on our release calendar yet. We add it as soon as one is announced.
How spicy is The Empyrean?
The Empyrean runs from 3 to 3.5 (spicy) on our 0 to 5 heat scale. The spiciest is Onyx Storm. Spice Guide
Do I need to read Threshing Day?
Threshing Day is not a numbered book. It came out in 2026, after Onyx Storm, so read it after that one to stay clear of spoilers. You can follow the main story without it.
Where should I start with Rebecca Yarros?
If you are new to Rebecca Yarros, The Empyrean starts with Fourth Wing. Rebecca Yarros books
