# Fourth Wing
**Fourth Wing** is a 2023 fantasy-romance novel by the American author [Rebecca Yarros](https://www.edgepedia.org/rebecca-yarros) (born 1981), the first book of her planned five-book Empyrean series. It follows Violet Sorrengail, a twenty-year-old who has trained all her life to be a scribe but is forced by her mother, the commanding general, into the deadly Riders Quadrant of Basgiath War College, where cadets bond with dragons or die trying.[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/) • [2](https://aseemgupta.com/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/) Published by Red Tower Books on May 2, 2023, at 528 pages, the novel became a BookTok phenomenon, topped The New York Times Best Sellers List, and has been adapted into a Prime Video television series ordered in May 2026.[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/) • [3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Publication | May 2, 2023; Red Tower Books; 528 pages; ISBN 9781649374042[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/) |
| Series position | Book 1 of The Empyrean, a planned five-book series; followed by Iron Flame (2023) and Onyx Storm (2025)[4](https://hookedtobooks.tv/fourth-wing-books-in-order) • [3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/) |
| Genre | Romantasy, a romance novel set in a fantasy world, with New Adult and military-fantasy elements[5](https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/creativewriting/2025/04/03/women-in-modern-fantasy-what-romantasy-does-right-and-what-fourth-wing-gets-wrong/) • [6](https://www.supersummary.com/fourth-wing/background/) |
| Sales | Over two million copies globally by November 2023; the series has sold more than 12 million copies in the US alone[7](https://time.com/6332608/iron-flame-rebecca-yarros/) • [8](https://mau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2073663/FULLTEXT02.pdf) |
| Adaptation | Prime Video series ordered May 2026; produced by Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society with Amazon MGM Studios; Meredith Averill showrunner[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/) • [9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CtHF8cqdQ) |
| Protagonist | Violet Sorrengail, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and must hide and compensate for her condition to survive the academy[10](https://editors.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/61641/1/romantasy-was-2023s-hottest-book-genre-booktok-trends-fourth-wing) |
## Plot and setting
The story is set in Navarre, a militaristic society at war, where a strict hierarchy places dragon riders above infantry, healers, and scribes.[8](https://mau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2073663/FULLTEXT02.pdf) Violet Sorrengail has spent her life preparing to enter the Scribe Quadrant, a safe academic posting, but her mother, General Sorrengail, forces her into the Riders Quadrant of Basgiath War College instead.[2](https://aseemgupta.com/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/) • [11](https://www.editorsreads.com/books/fourth-wing/) • [27](https://rebeccayarros.com/fourthwing) Cadets there must bond with a dragon during the selection process known as [Threshing](https://www.edgepedia.org/threshing), and the mortality rate is brutal.[4](https://hookedtobooks.tv/fourth-wing-books-in-order) • [11](https://www.editorsreads.com/books/fourth-wing/)
At the college Violet is drawn to Xaden Riorson, the son of a rebel leader executed by her own mother, and the two move from enemies to lovers over the course of the book.[2](https://aseemgupta.com/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/) • [7](https://time.com/6332608/iron-flame-rebecca-yarros/) Violet is also pulled between Xaden and her childhood best friend Dain Aetos, whose constant undermining of her abilities is one of the threads critics found unconvincing.[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/) Beyond the academy plot, the novel introduces the venin and wyvern, wielders of a darker magic drawn from the earth that corrupts its users, in direct contrast to the dragon-rider bond.[12](https://fantasy-recaps.netlify.app/blog/fourth-wing/) Violet herself develops lightning-wielding magic as the series progresses.[13](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/fourth-wing-this-steamy-dragon-saga-just-unleashed-its-biggest-secrets-y/)
## Genre and style
**Romantasy context.** Romantasy, a portmanteau of romance and fantasy, is defined by publishers by whether the romance is central to the narrative rather than a subplot, and Fourth Wing has been classified as romantasy since its release.[14](https://mdu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1974099/FULLTEXT01.pdf) Commentators describe such books as romance novels set against a fantasy backdrop; the relationship predominantly drives the story, even though Fourth Wing also deals with family, war, and loss.[5](https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/creativewriting/2025/04/03/women-in-modern-fantasy-what-romantasy-does-right-and-what-fourth-wing-gets-wrong/) The book falls into the New Adult category, targeting readers older than the young-adult audience.[6](https://www.supersummary.com/fourth-wing/background/)
Reviewers consistently describe the prose as accessible and contemporary-voiced, with fast pacing built on academy trials, cliffhanger chapter endings, and explicit romantic content.[15](https://www.romantasyqueen.com/book/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/) • [16](https://www.bookreviewguide.com/books/fourth-wing) Kirkus called the story action-packed and fast-paced but found Violet a strange mix of competence and passivity, and advised reading it for the plot rather than character development or worldbuilding.[1](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/) Critics have also noted anachronistic, modern dialogue that divides readers who prefer a more formal fantasy voice.[16](https://www.bookreviewguide.com/books/fourth-wing) The novel draws on conventions of dragon-centric fantasy traceable to [Anne McCaffrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-mccaffrey)'s Dragonriders of Pern series, begun in 1967.[17](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/2025/307453/revconlit_a2025.pdf)
## Reception and sales
BookTok, the book-focused community on TikTok, propelled the novel to the top of The New York Times Best Sellers List, where it remained a hardcover bestseller for more than six months in 2023, and it sold over two million copies globally by the time [Iron Flame](https://www.edgepedia.org/iron-flame) appeared on November 7, 2023.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/) • [7](https://time.com/6332608/iron-flame-rebecca-yarros/) The first two Empyrean volumes sold 2.3 million copies in 2023, and the series has sold more than 12 million copies in the United States alone.[8](https://mau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2073663/FULLTEXT02.pdf) Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were the two most-read books on [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) in 2024.[18](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-20/fourth-wing-onyx-storm-book-rebecca-yarros-controversy-explainer/104812476)
The book's success helped make romantasy a billion-dollar industry, as Bloomberg described the genre in 2026, more than ten years after the first [A Court of Thorns and Roses](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses) novel appeared in 2015.[19](https://www.vogue.com/article/from-acotar-to-fourth-wing-should-luxury-invest-in-romantasy) Reception has been divided: alongside bestseller status, social media carries many reviews calling the book overrated, unoriginal, or poorly written, and one reviewer dubbed it "the most blatant cash grab I've seen".[18](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-20/fourth-wing-onyx-storm-book-rebecca-yarros-controversy-explainer/104812476) Academic commentary has been more favorable, crediting the novel with expanding the thematic range of romantasy toward structural inequality and ethical choice.[20](https://aladabj.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/aladabjournal/article/view/5228?articlesBySimilarityPage=1)
## The Empyrean series and adaptations
The series continues in publication order with Iron Flame (November 2023) and [Onyx Storm](https://www.edgepedia.org/onyx-storm) (January 2025), which sold 2.7 million copies in one week and was called by The New York Times the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years.[5](https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/creativewriting/2025/04/03/women-in-modern-fantasy-what-romantasy-does-right-and-what-fourth-wing-gets-wrong/) • [21](https://www.thereaderscodex.com/series/the-empyrean/) A companion volume, Threshing Day, released in September 2026, collects thirteen short stories from the perspectives of future dragon riders and is explicitly not book four.[13](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/fourth-wing-this-steamy-dragon-saga-just-unleashed-its-biggest-secrets-y/) • [21](https://www.thereaderscodex.com/series/the-empyrean/) Yarros has said she is plotting books four and five together within the five-book arc.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/)
**Television.** In October 2023, Prime Video announced it had acquired rights to the entire Empyrean series and was developing a TV adaptation with [Michael B. Jordan](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-b-jordan), whose Outlier Society produces alongside [Amazon MGM Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-mgm-studios).[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/) • [22](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/sinners-star-michael-b-jordan-says-his-tv-adaptation-of-popular-game-of-thrones-esque-fantasy-novel-will-be-something-that-feels-honest-to-the-source-material/) After roughly two and a half years in development, the streamer confirmed a series order at its May 2026 upfront presentation; [Lisa Joy](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-joy) is directing the pilot, Meredith Averill serves as showrunner, and Yarros executive produces with Jordan and publisher Liz Pelletier.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/) • [23](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/987322/fourth-wing-tv-adaptation-in-the-works-at-prime-video/story/) A graphic novel adaptation, adapted by Yarros herself with a team of comic creators, is also underway with Ten Speed Graphic.[24](https://rebeccayarros.com/coming-soon) • [25](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92088705-CAN-1.pdf) The franchise has extended beyond books and screen: Hasbro announced Priorities: Fourth Wing, a party game based on the series.[26](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/will-romantasy-be-the-next-great-crossover-for-dungeons-and-dragons-fourth-wing-could-be-the-perfect-d-and-d-setting-if-you-ask-me/)
## References
1. [Fourth Wing, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-yarros/fourth-wing/)
2. [Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Aseem Gupta](https://aseemgupta.com/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/)
3. [Everything We Know About the 'Fourth Wing' Series, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/fourth-wing-tv-show/)
4. [Fourth Wing Series in Order, Hooked to Books](https://hookedtobooks.tv/fourth-wing-books-in-order)
5. [Women in Modern Fantasy, York St John University blog](https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/creativewriting/2025/04/03/women-in-modern-fantasy-what-romantasy-does-right-and-what-fourth-wing-gets-wrong/)
6. [Fourth Wing Background, SuperSummary](https://www.supersummary.com/fourth-wing/background/)
7. [How Rebecca Yarros' Novels Became a Romantasy BookTok Phenomenon, Time](https://time.com/6332608/iron-flame-rebecca-yarros/)
8. [Constructions of Masculinity thesis, Malmö University](https://mau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A2073663/FULLTEXT02.pdf)
9. ['Fourth Wing' TV Series a Go at Prime Video, The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CtHF8cqdQ)
10. [Romantasy was 2023's hottest book genre, Dazed](https://editors.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/61641/1/romantasy-was-2023s-hottest-book-genre-booktok-trends-fourth-wing)
11. [Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Editors Reads](https://www.editorsreads.com/books/fourth-wing/)
12. [Fourth Wing, Fantasy Book Recaps](https://fantasy-recaps.netlify.app/blog/fourth-wing/)
13. [This Steamy Dragon Saga Just Unleashed Its Biggest Secrets Yet, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/fourth-wing-this-steamy-dragon-saga-just-unleashed-its-biggest-secrets-y/)
14. [Introduction, Dalarna University thesis on romantasy](https://mdu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1974099/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
15. [Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Review, Romantasy Queen](https://www.romantasyqueen.com/book/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros/)
16. [Fourth Wing Review, Book Review Guide](https://www.bookreviewguide.com/books/fourth-wing)
17. [Review of Fourth Wing, Revista de Contemporánea Literaria (UAB)](https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/2025/307453/revconlit_a2025.pdf)
18. [What to expect from Onyx Storm, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-20/fourth-wing-onyx-storm-book-rebecca-yarros-controversy-explainer/104812476)
19. [From ACOTAR to Fourth Wing: Should Luxury Invest in Romantasy?, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/from-acotar-to-fourth-wing-should-luxury-invest-in-romantasy)
20. [The Healing Power of Magic and Love, Al-Adab Journal](https://aladabj.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/aladabjournal/article/view/5228?articlesBySimilarityPage=1)
21. [Fourth Wing Books in Order, The Reader's Codex](https://www.thereaderscodex.com/series/the-empyrean/)
22. [Michael B. Jordan on the Fourth Wing adaptation, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/sinners-star-michael-b-jordan-says-his-tv-adaptation-of-popular-game-of-thrones-esque-fantasy-novel-will-be-something-that-feels-honest-to-the-source-material/)
23. ['Fourth Wing' TV adaptation in the works at Prime Video, GMA News](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/987322/fourth-wing-tv-adaptation-in-the-works-at-prime-video/story/)
24. [Coming Soon, Rebecca Yarros official site](https://rebeccayarros.com/coming-soon)
25. [Rebecca Yarros, USPTO TTABVUE document](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92088705-CAN-1.pdf)
26. [Will romantasy be the next great crossover for Dungeons & Dragons?, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/will-romantasy-be-the-next-great-crossover-for-dungeons-and-dragons-fourth-wing-could-be-the-perfect-d-and-d-setting-if-you-ask-me/)
27. [Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, #1 NYT Bestselling Author](https://rebeccayarros.com/fourthwing)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Genre fiction categories › Audience, identity, and theme fiction › Young adult fiction*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license