Reading lists · August 9, 2026

15 Books Like Fourth Wing to Read Next (2026 Romantasy Guide)

Finished the Empyrean series and need the next dragon-shaped hole filled? Here are the best books like Fourth Wing in 2026 — including completed series with no cliffhanger wait.

Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series has sold more than 12 million copies in the US alone, and it created a very specific problem: what do you read when you finish it? The honest answer depends on which part you were actually there for.

If you were there for the dragons

• His Dark Materials — not romantasy, but the daemon bond scratches the same itch.
• When the Moon Hatched — denser and more mythology-heavy than Fourth Wing, with a sharp heroine and a world that feels enormous from page one.
• The Priory of the Orange Tree — standalone doorstopper, dragons on every side of the conflict.

If you were there for the enemies-to-lovers

• A Court of Thorns and Roses — the obvious next step, and it earns it: fae politics, slow burn, a long addictive series.
• The Folk of the Air — Holly Black, mortal girl in a cruel fae court, and it is finished.
• The Plated Prisoner — darker, and not for everyone, but the pull is undeniable.

If you cannot face another cliffhanger

This is the most common request after Onyx Storm, so here are series you can start knowing the ending already exists:

• The Daevabad Trilogy — S. A. Chakraborty. Complete, and the world-building is extraordinary.
• The Last Binding — Freya Marske. Edwardian magic, complete in three.
• The Folk of the Air — complete.

If you are ready to leave romantasy

A lot of Empyrean readers are drifting toward epic fantasy and science fiction rather than more of the same. Red Rising, The Will of the Many and Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere are where that road usually leads. Expect less romance and considerably more plot.

How to keep track of a series you are mid-way through

The real hazard with romantasy is starting five series at once and losing the thread of all of them. Keeping a Want to Read shelf, marking where you are in each book, and letting series tracking tell you which instalment comes next is the difference between a reading list and a pile of guilt.

Shelfies is a modern, mobile-first reading tracker with AI recommendations, progress tracking, streaks, and quotes — built to replace Goodreads and StoryGraph for readers who want a faster, prettier experience.