Finished Fourth Wing and not sure what to read next? Whether you loved the dragons, the brutal academy setting, the deadly trials, the romance, or the war politics, this guide sorts the best books like Fourth Wing by the exact vibe you are craving next.
Instead of one generic romantasy list, this guide is built around what made Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series so addictive: dragon riders, dangerous training, enemies-to-lovers tension, morally complicated alliances, and fantasy worlds where survival is never guaranteed.
Quick picks
Best Books Like Fourth Wing
| If you loved Fourth Wing for… | Read this next | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon riders and bonded creatures | Dragonriders of Pern | Classic dragon-rider bonds, structured rider society, and a world built around dragons. |
| Deadly trials and survival pressure | The Serpent and the Wings of Night | A brutal competition where strategy, alliances, and survival matter as much as power. |
| A lethal academy setting | Bloodwing Academy | High-pressure academy fantasy with rankings, rivalries, danger, and romance under stress. |
| Violet and Xaden tension | Quicksilver | Dangerous attraction, morally gray energy, and romance tied tightly to survival. |
| War, rebellion, and brutal consequences | The Poppy War | Military training, power, trauma, and war fantasy that gets much darker than romantasy. |
| Politics, betrayal, and romance | The Bridge Kingdom | Romance, strategy, marriage-as-a-weapon, and high-stakes political betrayal. |
What to Read After Fourth Wing?
The best book to read after Fourth Wing depends on what you loved most about it. If you want more dragons, go classic with Dragonriders of Pern. If you want deadly trials, pick The Serpent and the Wings of Night. If you want academy pressure, try Bloodwing Academy or Zodiac Academy. If you want romance, politics, and betrayal, The Bridge Kingdom is one of the strongest follow-up reads.
Below, the recommendations are grouped by vibe so you can skip straight to the kind of book hangover cure you need.
If You Want More Dragon Riders
If the dragon bond was the heart of Fourth Wing for you, start here. These books focus on dragons, riders, bonded creatures, and worlds where flying is tied to survival, status, and power.
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Dragonriders of Pern is the classic recommendation for readers who want more dragon-rider bonds. The series centers on a society where humans and dragons are linked for life, with training, duty, survival, and hierarchy all built around that bond.
It is not modern romantasy in the same way Fourth Wing is, but if what you loved most was the emotional weight of the rider-dragon connection, this is one of the foundational series behind the trope.
- Best for: classic dragon-rider lore
- Similar vibes: bonds, duty, training, survival
- Less similar: lighter on modern romantasy tension
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
If you want dragon riders with politics, revolution, class conflict, and emotional stakes, Fireborne is one of the most direct matches. It follows dragon-rider training in a world still dealing with the aftermath of political upheaval, where loyalty and ambition are never simple.
This is a great pick if you want the rider structure of Fourth Wing but with more emphasis on politics, ideology, and the cost of leadership.
- Best for: dragon riders plus political tension
- Similar vibes: training, power, loyalty, rebellion
- Less similar: less romance-forward than Fourth Wing
If You Want Another Deadly Academy
If Basgiath War College was your favorite part of Fourth Wing, these books lean into brutal schools, ranking systems, rivalries, and environments designed to break the weak.
Bloodwing Academy by Briar Boleyn
Bloodwing Academy is a strong next read if you want a high-pressure academy setting with danger, hierarchy, romance, and constant tension. Like Fourth Wing, it thrives on the idea that the school itself is not safe — and that alliances can be just as dangerous as enemies.
Pick this if you want something that feels closer to the academy side of Fourth Wing than the epic-war side.
- Best for: academy danger and romance under pressure
- Similar vibes: rankings, rivalries, survival, power dynamics
- Less similar: different creature and worldbuilding focus
Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
If you want to stay in an academy setting but turn the drama all the way up, Zodiac Academy is one of the most addictive options. It is chaotic, intense, and built around power struggles, rivalries, and a school system that constantly pushes characters into conflict.
It is less military than Fourth Wing, but the hostile academy environment and emotional intensity make it a strong fit for readers who want another bingeable fantasy school series.
- Best for: dramatic academy fantasy
- Similar vibes: toxic rivalries, power hierarchies, romance, chaos
- Less similar: less dragon-focused, more drama-heavy
If You Want Deadly Trials and Survival
If you loved the Gauntlet, Presentation, Threshing, and the constant feeling that one mistake could kill a character, these books deliver survival pressure and lethal competition.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is one of the best books like Fourth Wing if you want deadly trials without another military academy. It centers on a brutal competition where alliances, strategy, and strength determine who survives.
Like Violet, the protagonist is forced to survive in a world where she is constantly underestimated. The romance is tense, the stakes are sharp, and the competition structure makes it very easy to binge.
- Best for: deadly trials and romantasy tension
- Similar vibes: survival, strategy, enemies-to-lovers, high stakes
- Less similar: vampires instead of dragons
The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw
The Ordeals is a good pick if what you want most is the trial-based structure: characters being tested, pushed, ranked, and forced to prove themselves through increasingly dangerous challenges.
It works well for readers who loved the survival mechanics of Fourth Wing and want another story where endurance, adaptability, and alliances matter.
- Best for: challenge-based fantasy
- Similar vibes: trials, endurance, danger, proving worth
- Less similar: not as dragon-rider focused
If You Want Violet and Xaden Romance Vibes
If the romance tension was the thing that made Fourth Wing impossible to put down, these books focus on dangerous attraction, secrets, forbidden feelings, and love interests who may or may not be safe to trust.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Quicksilver is a strong choice if you want sharp chemistry, morally gray attraction, and a romance that feels tangled up with danger from the start. The appeal here is not cozy romance — it is pressure, threat, survival, and emotional intensity.
Read this if you want the “this person might destroy me, but I still need to know more” feeling that makes Violet and Xaden so addictive.
- Best for: dark-leaning romantasy tension
- Similar vibes: danger, attraction, secrets, morally gray love interest
- Less similar: less academy-focused
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
If you loved the mix of romance, secrets, and a heroine realizing her world is built on lies, From Blood and Ash is a natural follow-up. It is romance-forward, dramatic, and full of revelations that reshape what the protagonist thinks she knows.
It does not have the same military-academy structure, but it delivers the addictive romantasy blend of danger, attraction, hidden truths, and escalating power.
- Best for: romance-first romantasy
- Similar vibes: forbidden attraction, secrets, hidden power, betrayals
- Less similar: no dragon-rider academy
If You Want Politics, War, and Betrayal
Fourth Wing is not just dragons and romance. It is also a story about propaganda, rebellion, borders, military systems, and who gets to control the truth. These books lean into those political stakes.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
The Bridge Kingdom is perfect if you want romance wrapped in strategy, betrayal, and political consequences. The central relationship begins as a weapon, and every emotional choice has the potential to reshape alliances.
There are no dragons here, but the tension between love, duty, loyalty, and power makes it a strong recommendation for Fourth Wing readers who loved the political side of the Empyrean series.
- Best for: romance plus political betrayal
- Similar vibes: strategy, enemies-to-lovers, secrets, loyalty conflicts
- Less similar: no academy or dragons
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Daughter of No Worlds is a slower, more emotionally grounded recommendation for readers who loved Violet’s growth, trauma, power development, and the emotional cost of becoming stronger.
The romance is mature and deeply tied to healing, while the fantasy plot gradually expands into war, oppression, and resistance. It is less explosive at the start than Fourth Wing, but the emotional payoff is powerful.
- Best for: earned power and emotional romantasy
- Similar vibes: trauma, training, healing, resistance, slow-burn romance
- Less similar: slower pacing at first
If You Want Something Darker Than Fourth Wing
If what stayed with you was the violence, grief, sacrifice, and cost of power, these books go darker. They are not always romantasy, but they hit the military, war, and survival notes hard.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
The Poppy War is the escalation pick. It begins with a brutal training environment and expands into war fantasy where power has devastating consequences. If Fourth Wing made you want more military fantasy but darker, harsher, and more morally complex, this is the book to try.
Be aware: this is much darker than Fourth Wing. It is not a cozy romantasy follow-up. It is a brutal war story about power, trauma, and what survival can cost.
- Best for: dark military fantasy
- Similar vibes: training, war, power, trauma, impossible choices
- Less similar: far darker and not romance-centered
Blood and Steel by Helen Scheuerer
Blood and Steel is a good next read if you want combat-focused progression, harsh training, and a heroine forced to become stronger in a world that does not reward weakness.
It has the “prove yourself or be crushed” feeling that makes Fourth Wing so intense, with a grittier fantasy edge and a strong focus on endurance.
- Best for: gritty training and combat fantasy
- Similar vibes: strength, survival, power hierarchies, resilience
- Less similar: less dragon-focused
If You Want More Romantasy Like Fourth Wing
If you want the romantasy addiction factor more than the exact dragon-academy formula, these are easy next reads with romance, danger, magic, and big emotional stakes.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses is not a dragon-rider book, but it is still one of the most obvious recommendations for readers who want romance, danger, found family, morally gray love interests, and a fantasy world that grows bigger with every book.
Read this if you loved the emotional intensity and romance side of Fourth Wing, especially if you want a longer series with huge fandom energy.
- Best for: mainstream romantasy and found family
- Similar vibes: danger, romance, emotional stakes, morally gray love interests
- Less similar: no military academy or dragon bonds
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
If you loved watching Violet grow stronger under pressure, Throne of Glass offers one of the most satisfying long-term character arcs in fantasy. It starts smaller, with competition and survival, then expands into war, magic, found family, and devastating emotional payoff.
This is a great choice if you want a big fantasy series that gets darker, larger, and more intense with every book.
- Best for: long-series payoff
- Similar vibes: survival, hidden power, found family, war, emotional damage
- Less similar: slower romance buildup and no dragon-rider school
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
If you want something a little lighter but still packed with magic, banter, danger, and romance, A Promise of Fire is a fun shift in tone. It has a reluctant heroine, mythology-inspired magic, romantic tension, and a fast adventure pace.
- Best for: lighter romantasy with adventure
- Similar vibes: magic, danger, banter, reluctant power
- Less similar: less brutal and less academy-based
Books Like Fourth Wing: Comparison Table
| Book | Best match for | Dragons? | Academy? | Romance level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonriders of Pern | Dragon-rider bonds | Yes | Training structure | Low / classic fantasy |
| Fireborne | Dragon riders and politics | Yes | Yes | Moderate |
| Bloodwing Academy | Deadly academy pressure | No | Yes | High |
| The Serpent and the Wings of Night | Deadly trials | No | No | High |
| Quicksilver | Dangerous romance tension | No | No | High |
| The Bridge Kingdom | Politics and betrayal | No | No | High |
| The Poppy War | Dark military fantasy | No | Yes, at first | Low |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Romantasy and found family | No | No | High |
FAQ: Books Like Fourth Wing
What book should I read right after Fourth Wing?
If you want the closest emotional match, try The Serpent and the Wings of Night for deadly trials and romance or Bloodwing Academy for another dangerous academy setting. If you want actual dragon riders, start with Dragonriders of Pern or Fireborne.
What books have dragons like Fourth Wing?
Dragonriders of Pern and Fireborne are two of the strongest choices if you specifically want dragon riders, dragon bonds, and societies shaped by dragons.
What books are like Fourth Wing and ACOTAR?
If you want the romance intensity of ACOTAR with some of the danger and survival tension of Fourth Wing, try The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Quicksilver, From Blood and Ash, or Daughter of No Worlds.
Are there other romantasy books with deadly academies?
Yes. Bloodwing Academy and Zodiac Academy are both good options if you want dangerous school settings, rivalries, romance, and characters trying to survive systems designed to test them.
What should I read after finishing the whole Empyrean series?
If you finished Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm, choose based on the part you miss most: Fireborne for dragon riders, The Bridge Kingdom for politics and betrayal, The Poppy War for darker military fantasy, or ACOTAR for romance and found family.
Final Recommendation
If you only pick one book after Fourth Wing, make it The Serpent and the Wings of Night if you want deadly trials and romantasy tension, or Fireborne if you specifically want more dragon riders. For readers who want the same emotional obsession but not necessarily the same plot ingredients, ACOTAR, Quicksilver, and The Bridge Kingdom are all strong next reads.
The real trick is not finding a book that copies Fourth Wing. It is finding the part of Fourth Wing you cannot stop thinking about — and choosing your next read from there.
No comments