Author Guide
Rebecca Yarros Books in Order
The complete reading guide for Rebecca Yarros — Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm, and the full Empyrean series, plus her romance backlist.
About Rebecca Yarros
Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times bestselling author who became a fantasy sensation with Fourth Wing in 2023 — a book about a girl attending war college to become a dragon rider. It sold over 2 million copies in its first year and became one of the most-hyped BookTok releases in recent memory.
Before the Empyrean series, Yarros wrote contemporary romance — primarily military romance — for years. Her Flight & Glory series and other works built a dedicated fanbase long before dragons entered the picture.
Yarros is a mother of six (including children with special needs) and a military spouse. Her real-life experiences with service members, sacrifice, and resilience shape the emotional depth in all her books.
Empyrean Reading Order: Fourth Wing → Iron Flame → Onyx Storm → (Book 4, untitled, 2026) → (Book 5, untitled). Do NOT skip ahead — these books end on major cliffhangers and must be read in order.
The Empyrean Series
Book 1 — Start Here
Fourth Wing
May 2023
Violet Sorrengail was meant to be a Scribe. Instead, her mother forces her into the Riders Quadrant — where students bond with deadly dragons or die trying. Intense, addictive, with a swoony enemies-to-lovers romance and a world-building twist at the end that changes everything.
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Book 2
Iron Flame
November 2023
Violet returns for her second year at Basgiath War College — but the secrets revealed at the end of Fourth Wing have shattered everything she thought she knew. Higher stakes, deeper lore, and an ending that destroyed thousands of readers.
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Book 3
Onyx Storm
January 2025
The series expands to a new continent as Violet and Xaden's relationship is tested by new threats, new alliances, and revelations that reframe the entire conflict. The most ambitious book in the series so far.
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Flight & Glory Series — Complete Reading Order
Flight & Glory #1
Full Measures
2014
Military romance about a college student dealing with loss and finding unexpected love with a soldier. Where Yarros's career began — emotional, raw, and very different in tone from the Empyrean series.
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Flight & Glory #2
Eyes Turned Skyward
2014
A fighter pilot's daughter falls for a cadet — another emotionally resonant military romance in the series.
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Flight & Glory #3
Beyond What Is Given
2015
A helicopter pilot and a girl hiding a dangerous secret. Can be read as a standalone but rewards series readers.
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Flight & Glory #4
Hallowed Ground
2016
The emotional high point of the Flight & Glory series — deals with loss, grief, and what love demands of those left behind.
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Flight & Glory #5
The Reality of Everything
2016
Series finale for the Flight & Glory world — brings together threads from earlier books in a satisfying conclusion.
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Standalone Novels
Standalone
Great and Precious Things
2020
A small-town romance about a soldier returning home to a family tragedy and the woman he's never been able to forget.
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Standalone
The Things We Leave Unfinished
2021
A dual-timeline romance between a woman trying to complete her grandmother's unfinished novel and the author hired to help her. One of her most beloved standalone romances — great entry point to her contemporary work.
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Standalone
In the Likely Event
2023
A second-chance romance spanning a decade — a political staffer and a special ops soldier who keep finding their way back to each other through impossible circumstances.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many books will be in the Empyrean series?
Rebecca Yarros has confirmed the Empyrean series will be 5 books total. As of 2025, three books are out (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm). Book 4 is expected in 2026.
Is Fourth Wing a romance or fantasy?
Both. The Empyrean series sits firmly in the "romantasy" category — it has a fully developed fantasy world with dragon riders, magic systems, and large-scale conflict, combined with a central enemies-to-lovers romance that's explicit in nature. The fantasy elements become more dominant as the series progresses.
What to read after Fourth Wing?
If you want more dragon/war college fantasy: try Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series or the Throne of Glass series. For similar romantasy energy, try From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. For more Rebecca Yarros, go straight to Iron Flame.