The latest book in Rebecca Yarros’Empyreanseries,Onyx Storm, only recently hit shelves but has already become an icon within fantasy circles. Little is known about Yarros' plans for the fourth book in the series, but there’s no question that no matter when it’s released, the wait will be agonizing. Fortunately,there’s no shortage of amazing works with the fantasy and romance genresthat touch upon similar themes and incorporate just as compelling relationships. Though the dragons and battles are key pieces of theEmpyreanbooks, the romance between Violet and Xaden is just as vital to the story.
There are plenty ofupcoming romantasy books to read afterOnyx Storm, as the genre is growing every day. It’s thanks to popular works likeEmpyreanand the iconicA Court of Thorns and Rosesnovels that there are so many innovative new works hitting shelves every day. However, just because a book falls into the romantasy genre doesn’t mean it will necessarily appeal to readers who fell in love withFourth Wing. Fortunately,all these titles will scratch the same itch as Yarros' magical worldwhile audiences wait for the next installment.
10Quicksilver (2024)
Written by Callie Hart
Callie Hart kicked off herFae & Alchemyseries withQuicksilverin 2024, and with the sequel slated to release in 2025, it’s a great new series to sink your teeth into.Quicksilverfollows Saeris Fane, a young woman whose life is upended, much like Violet’s,when she is transported to the Fae realm. Of course, her only choice is to team up with a dark, brooding, and devastatingly handsome Fae, Kingfisher. An enemies-to-lovers plot is commonplace in the romantasy genre, butQuicksilverdoes a great job of making the trope feel fresh.
Though the Fae connection might make it seem as thoughQuicksilverhas more in common withACOTARon paper, Saeris is more reminiscent of Violet than of Feyre.
Though the Fae connection might make it seem as thoughQuicksilverhas more in common withACOTARon paper, Saeris is more reminiscent of Violet than of Feyre. She’s a great protagonist, and the dialogue inQuicksilveris easily a highlight of the project, as Saeris and Kingfisher’s quipping battles successfully build their tension-filled dynamic. The juxtaposition of the desert world Saeris is from with the land of ice she encounters is a great overall metaphor for the themes of the book, as well as the central relationship.
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9When The Moon Hatched (2024)
Written by Sarah A. Parker
There’s no question that one of the best parts of theEmpyreanseries is the dragons. Violet’s bond with her dragons is essential to her development as a character and as a hero.The existence of dragons is one of the primary magic systems in the novels,and these creatures have long been a standby of the fantasy genre.When The Moon Hatched, the first book in theMoonfallseries, doesn’t just deliver on the dragons but on the romance.
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Onyx Storm’s release is a great reminder for audiences to read these two other viral series on BookTok that are also getting sequels in 2025.
Sarah A. Parker’s book follows Raeve, a skilled and dangerous assassinwho can handle herself. However, when she’s captured by one of the oppressive kingdoms in the book, it places her directly in the path of Kaan, an unexpected ally who could be so much more. Much ofWhen the Moon Hatchedunfolds similarly to any classic fantasy book, but Parker punctuates this with interesting point-of-view changes and delivers some of the exposition cleverly through historical diary entries, giving the reader a broad world to care about outside of Kaan and Raeve.
8Phantasma (2024)
Written by Kaylie Smith
The deadly game at the heart ofPhantasmais magical and immersive, making Kaylie Smith’s book compulsively readable.Ophelia, the heroine ofPhantasma, quickly wins the heart of the reader,entering the titular competition to save her sister and bravely facing the traps and tricks that lay in wait for her. Fortunately, she’s entering with a few tricks up her sleeve, as Ophelia holds a dark power over death that will come in handy as she navigates the nine challenges of Phantasma.
Phantasma’s conceit is immediately gripping, as the competition takes place in a gothically gorgeous mansion, allowing the aesthetics and atmosphere of Smith’s world to shine.
Phantasma’s conceit is immediately gripping, as the competition takes place in a gothically gorgeous mansion, allowing the aesthetics and atmosphere of Smith’s world to shine. This sets the stage for Ophelia’s first encounter with Blackwell, another person who’s entered Phantasma and claims to know the way to beat the game for a price. Though Phantasma is a game, not a military academy, the trials and murderous enemies that Ophelia faces are reminiscent of Basgiath and Violet’s challenges adapting to life there.
7The Sky On Fire (2024)
Written by Jenn Lyons
InThe Sky on Fire, humans haven’t found a way to harness the power of dragons. Instead, the powerful beasts rule the skies and make for terrifying enemies that Anahrod doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of. However, the protagonist ofThe Sky on Firedoesn’t get what she wants, as she’s quickly caught up in a plan to pull off a major heist in a dragon-ruled city. Unfortunately,the dragon they’re planning to rob has a reason to want Anahrod gone for good,sparking a dangerous and action-packed adventure.
Readers who were drawn toFourth Wingbecause of the battle sequences and more action-oriented moments will easily get invested inThe Sky on Fire. ThoughThe Sky on Fireisn’t part of a series, it’s still a great companion to theEmpyreanbooks and will give readers a satisfying and definitive conclusion without any wait time. The author, Jenn Lyons, also penned theChorus of Dragonsbooks, which are just as fun an addition to the dragon oeuvre. Additionally,The Sky on Fireis packed with great LGBTQ+ representation, though the story is lighter on romance.
6Bride (2024)
Written by Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood is better known for her realistic fiction romancesrather than high fantasy, but the author delivers on the tension and supernatural elements inBride. With a protagonist named Misery, it’s safe to assume that our heroine hasn’t had the easiest life, and as the daughter of a powerful vampire lord, she’s had to make many sacrifices for the good of her people. At the beginning ofBride, it seems that agreeing to marry her mortal enemy is merely the latest on her ever-growing list of concessions.
This enemies-to-lovers arc has a lot in common withFourth Wing, but so do the sacrifices that Misery makes for her family.
Almost every fantasy book that deals with werewolves and vampires has touched upon the fact that they’re enemies as old as time itself. However, inBride, it’s up to Misery to bridge this divide by marrying the Alpha, Lowe, who trusts her about as much as she trusts him. This enemies-to-lovers arc has a lot in common withFourth Wing, but so do the sacrifices that Misery makes for her family. The pressures that Violet and Misery feel to be the perfect children make them comparable protagonists.
5A Deadly Education (2020)
Written by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance inA Deadly Educationisn’t like other magical academies. It’s darker and more dangerous, and El, the main character, has no shortage of enemies who would love to see her never make it to graduation. Readers who love the atmosphere of dark academia inFourth Wingand find the setting of Basgiath War College compelling will immediately respond toA Deadly Education.Like Violet, El doesn’t enter the Scholomance with many friends,and people are suspicious of her intentions and all too ready to underestimate her.
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Similarly to how Xaden and Violet are first at odds inFourth Wing,El and Orion, the golden boy of the Scholomance, don’t get off to the best start.However, even amid the animosity, their chemistry is clear. Unfortunately, there’s a terrible prophecy brewing that could not only ruin El’s life but put countless others in danger. Many of Novik’s projects arerecent fantasy books that will be classicsone day, and theScholomancetrilogy is no exception.
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4The Serpent & The Wings of Night
Written by Carissa Broadbent
LikeFourth Wing,The Serpent & The Wings of Nightis afantasy book with a strong female main character. Oraya had to become as tough as possible as a human raised in a world of vampires. To prove herself and show her father what she’s made of,she enters a competition that pits the best and most deadly vampires against each other.The dynamic between Oraya and her father, a vampire king, is similar to Violet’s quest to win her mother’s approval and respect.
Falling in love in the middle of an intensely dangerous tournament, or an active war in Violet and Xaden’s case, isn’t easy, but it does make for a lot of compelling tension.
Everyone is an enemy in the Kejari tournament that Oraya enters alongside the terrifying Raihn, who isn’t just her opposition on the battlefield, as he poses a threat to her heart. Falling in love in the middle of an intensely dangerous tournament, or an active war in Violet and Xaden’s case, isn’t easy, but it does make for a lot of compelling tension. Like Xaden and Violet, Oraya and Raihn struggle to make sense of their loyalties to their families and their budding romance, which could prove to be the most powerful force of all.
2023
3Immortal Longings (2023)
Written by Chloe Gong
Calla Tuoleimi, a disgraced princess, and Anton Makusa, a mysterious former member of the aristocracy, meet in the midst of the annual games in Talin. In the kingdom of Talin,the competitors aren’t just fighting to the death but showing off how well they can jump between bodies,a facet of the magic system inImmortal Longings. Both Calla and Anton have their reasons for entering the games and are fueled with hate against the current world order, leading to an uneasy alliance.
However, neither could’ve prepared for what blossoms from this partnership, and readers will be sucked into the world of their doomed love affair.Loosely inspired by the playAntony and Cleopatra,Immortal Longingsis a more adult leading romantasy featuring plenty of intimate scenes between the characters. The violence of the story is comparable to the dangers of Violet’s world inFourth Wing, as both series engage with how and why their worlds slipped into such brutal realities.
2Trial Of The Sun Queen (2022)
Written by Nisha J. Tuli
Nisha J. Tuli’sTrial of the Sun Queenis the first book in her series,Artefacts of Ouranos,and follows Lor, a character with many similarities to Violet. When Lor is suddenly released from her torment and thrust into the Sun King’s court, she knows she doesn’t belong there and is unsure how to navigate her new and unexpected challenges. One of these challenges is winning the heart of the Sun King, which would allow her to visit her wrath on the rival Aurora King, who was her tormentor.
ThoughTrial of the Sun Queenmoves quickly, it still gives the reader a chance to understand Lor and see why she makes the decisions she does.
Trial of the Sun Queenbegins with Lor being imprisoned by the Aurora King, and this trauma plays a large role in the book, following her to the Sun King’s court and making her hesitant to trust anyone. ThoughTrial of the Sun Queenmoves quickly, it still gives the reader a chance to understand Lor and see why she makes the decisions she does. Lor’s life is also comparable toFourth Wingbecause the man she falls in love with turns out to be nothing like what she expected.
1The Adventures Of Amina Al-Sirafi
Written by Shannon Chakraborty
Shannon Chakraborty also penned theDaevabad Trilogy,a series about the hidden world of magical djinn with its own romance angle. However, her most recent release,The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, is very light on romance, focusing instead on a legendary female pirate who ruled the high seas and had many memorable adventures. However, the reader meets Amina later in life after she’s retreated to the shadows to safely raise her daughter and try to put those gnawing thoughts of the ocean’s freedom behind her.
However, when a figure from her past comes knocking, Amina has to dive headfirst back into the world not just of swashbuckling hijinx but also of a dangerously powerful force she’s been trying to forget. WhileThe Adventures of Amina al-Sirafiisn’t as tragically romantic asOnyx Stormor the other installments of theEmpyreanseries, the book elevates Amina and her journey of self-discovery. One of the reasons Violet makes such a good main character is because she grows to be as strong as a protagonist like Amina.
