The Empyrean
#74.42 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2023–present Reading commitment Medium Rebecca Yarros Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
Rebecca Yarros's The Empyrean (Fourth Wing, 2023; Iron Flame, 2023; Onyx Storm, 2025) follows Violet Sorrengail through a brutal dragon-rider war college, the dragon-riding "romantasy"/New Adult fantasy phenomenon that drove much of the BookTok-era genre's mainstream crossover. Violet, physically frail and expected to join the scribes rather than the deadly rider quadrant, is instead forced into training at Basgiath War College, where cadets who fail to bond a dragon, or who simply fail, frequently die. The series combines a dangerous magic-school structure with an enemies-to-lovers romance and open war against a country's enemies beyond its borders. Fourth Wing debuted at number one on multiple bestseller lists and Onyx Storm (2025) set a record as the fastest-selling adult novel in decades, with over a million copies sold in its first day, cementing the series as one of the best-selling fantasy debuts of the 2020s.
Romantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Empyrean Rebecca Yarros
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fourth Wing | 2023 | core | 4.56 (3,957,313 ratings) |
 | Iron Flame | 2023 | core | 4.36 (2,890,523 ratings) |
 | Onyx Storm | 2025 | core | 4.22 (1,935,382 ratings) |
New author record. The Empyrean (Fourth Wing, 2023; Iron Flame, 2023; Onyx Storm, 2025) is the current dragon-rider 'romantasy'/New Adult fantasy phenomenon that drove much of the BookTok-era genre's mainstream crossover -- explicitly named in Carlos's own brief for this batch. In progress: a 4th, untitled volume is publicly confirmed in development but has no publication date (multiple entertainment-press sources place it no earlier than 2027) -- isn't counted here yet.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Empyrean? The Empyrean's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Empyrean? Publication order, starting with Fourth Wing. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Empyrean finished? Ongoing (2023–present).
- How much reading does The Empyrean take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Empyrean ranked? #7 in this site's official ranking, based on 8,783,218 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #7?
Ranked #7 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.42 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 8.8M reader ratings.
- 0.01 behind #6, The Reformatory.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 8.8M ratings · Ranks #7 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length romantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Fourth Wing (2023)
- Iron Flame (2023)
- Onyx Storm (2025)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Empyrean and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses Romantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.40
- Crescent City Romantasy / Urban fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.39
- Hidden Legacy Urban fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.37
- Shield of Sparrows Romantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.40
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.42 across 8,783,218 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Run 2: 3 admissions -- The Founders Trilogy, The Empyrean, Book of the Ancestor accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core = the 3 published novels (2023-2025); in progress. A 4th, untitled volume is publicly confirmed in development but has no publication date as of this research pass -- not registered per Article 2.