Rebecca Yarros' 'Fourth Wing': A 2023 Romantasy Sensation Still a Top Read in 2026
- Author Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series, starting with Fourth Wing, became a viral sensation on BookTok and topped the New York Times bestseller list for 18 weeks.
Author Rebecca Yarros
began writing novels while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan. Upon hearing that her publisher was going to start a line for fantasy romance novels (known amongst readers as " romantasy
"), Yarros immediately submitted five different ideas for consideration.
Her Empyrean
series was selected after several reviews, and the idea behind
what would become the smash hit Fourth Wing
took flight.
The inspiration behind the Empyrean
series came from Yarros' husband's military experience, her love of fantasy and dragons, as well as her own life with chronic illness. Yarros (as well as some of her children) lives with
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and wanted to show that she could write a heroine who was both fragile and strong, all at once.
Fourth Wing
, the first book in the series, was released on May 2, 2023. The book became a viral sensation
on BookTok, with hashtags for Yarros and the title having over a billion views on social media. The virality led the book to shoot to the top of the New York Times
bestseller list, where it would stay for 18 weeks.
The popularity of the book has not died down in the last three years, and it is still a "Most Read Book of the Year" in 2026, according to Goodreads
. As of the middle of the year, readers have "shelved" Fourth Wing
almost half a million times in 2026.
Related: A 'Fourth Wing' Amazon Series Is Coming—Here's What We Know So Far
Welcome to Basgiath War College: How Fourth Wing Defined the Romantasy Genre
Fourth Wing has been credited with popularizing the "romantasy" genre , given its ability to combine steamy, sultry romance with high-stakes, complex fantasy.
The Empyrean
series
follows Violet Sorrengail, the daughter of General Sorrengail, as she enrolls in the Basgiath War College—which her mother leads—to become a dragon
rider in the kingdom of Navarre. At the school, students choose to join one of four different military branches: Infantry, Healer, Scribe, or Rider.
Despite training for her entire life to be a Scribe by her late father, Violet's mother, the General, orders her to join the Riders—the wing at the school known for being the most deadly for new recruits. Violet must bond with a dragon and survive deadly quests and competitions against other recruits of the Fourth Wing.
Along the way, she reconnects with her childhood crush, Dain Aetos, and meets Xaden Riorson, a powerful third-year whose father was executed by Violet's mother during the Navarre's rebellion. Despite all odds, Violet bonds with dragons Tairn and Andarna and begins to uncover the truth about the rebellion and the re-emerging revolution.
What's Next for the Empyrean Series
The second book in the Empyrean series, Iron Flame , was released in November 2023, which was followed by the third, Onyx Storm , in 2025. Yarros has plans for two more books in the series as well as a novella, but no additional release dates have been set as of yet.
Fourth Wing and its respective sequels are available now wherever books are sold.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Books section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
