Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros

May 2023 · The Empyrean Book 1 · Sold by Entangled: Red Tower Books

About this ebook

A #1 New York Times bestseller • TV series in development at MGM Amazon Studios with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society • Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 • Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 • Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 • NPR “Books We Love” 2023 • Audible Best Books of 2023 • Hudson Book of the Year • Google Play Best Books of 2023 • Indigo Best Books of 2023 • Waterstones Book of the Year finalist • Goodreads Choice Award Winner • Newsweek Staffers’ Favorite Books of 2023 • Paste Magazine's Best Books of 2023

"Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the first in Yarros' Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure-filled fantasy." —Booklist, starred review

"Fourth Wing will have your heart pounding from beginning to end... A fantasy like you've never read before." ―#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout


Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Fourth Wing
Book #2 Iron Flame
Book #3 Onyx Storm

Ratings and reviews

Fourth Wing is a wildly popular, high-stakes New Adult Romantasy that delivers on its premise of a war school filled with dangers, powerful magic, and dragons. The story centers on Violet Sorrengail, a young woman who, despite being physically unsuited for combat, is forced by her formidable mother to enter the Rider's Quadrant at Basgiath War College. In this deadly institution, the only paths are to succeed or die, and Violet must quickly adapt, relying on her sharp intellect to navigate rigorous training and lethal political rivalries. The book's greatest strength lies in its fast-paced, addictive quality and its highly appealing elements: distinct, telepathic dragons with strong personalities, and a palpable, intense enemies-to-lovers romance between Violet and a certain formidable wingleader. This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy underdog heroines, military academy settings, and high-heat romance woven into an action-packed fantasy framework. While it may rely heavily on established fantasy tropes, it executes them with such energy and emotional intensity that it becomes an undeniably fun and exhilarating read.

Girlfriend saw on a large cardboard advertisement for this book in Barnes and Noble that it would leave me with "a hangover". Truly I've no one to blame but myself for not heeding the warning. About 10% of my way through I recall trying to be charitable, but realize now that the lazily shaken cocktail of poorly done tropes, one-dimensional characters, and embarrassingly bad exposition dumping was just making me tipsy. To be clear, this is a badly written book. But I never want to begrudge anyone their fun, and want to acknowledge that if these specific tropes are your jam, then by all means cover yourselves head to toe in the jammy goodness of enemies-to-lovers and magic school hijinks. Otherwise I find so little redeeming this except for the hilariously anachronistic description of a medieval "Wipeout!" obstacle course and extremely suspect (read: incorrect) use of Gaelic and Gaelic-sounding words.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the captivating plot, intricate world-building, and engaging fantasy elements! The pacing was excellent, the characters were well-developed, and the dragons were a definite highlight.That said, the first few chapters were a bit off-putting. The main character initially came across as trying too hard to be edgy, with excessive swearing and overly childish descriptions of the men she found attractive. It almost made me put the book down, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. As the story progressed, her character mellowed out and became much more bearable. Some scenes seemed a bit disorganized, making them hard to follow, but these moments were rare. Overall, the book’s strengths far outweighed its flaws. The tension between the main character and the love interest was top-notch, though the spicy scene leaned a bit into fanfic territory. Despite these minor issues, I found the book highly enjoyable and would definitely recommend it.

About the author

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event. She’s the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. As the mother of six, when she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and two cats who rule them all.

Having fostered then adopted their youngest, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she co-founded with her husband in 2019. To learn more about their mission to better the lives of kids in foster care, visit www.oneoctober.org.

To catch up on Rebecca’s latest releases and upcoming novels visit www.RebeccaYarros.com.