The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros is one of the biggest book series in the world right now. So far, there are three books in the series: Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm. After reading Onyx Storm earlier this year, I thought it'd be a good time to rank all three of The Empyrean books from worst to best.
For those who don't know, The Empyrean series is a romantic fantasy series that tells the story of Violet Sorrengail, a first-year cadet at Navarre's Basgiath War College. Instead of becoming a scribe and assisting in Navarre's security from the library, Violet chooses the path of the dragon rider. As she faces trials and tribulations along the way, Violet also begins falling for the one person in the world she shouldn't be with.
Three books into the series, we're only scratching the surface of how popular it's going to be. There's a fourth book from Yarros in the works right now. When that book will be released is still to be announced, but I'm sure it will be an agonizing wait for fans. Amazon is also developing a Fourth Wing TV series. Showrunner Moira Beckett-Walley just left the series, but Jac Schaeffer, the creator of Agatha All Along and WandaVision, has joined as the new showrunner. We still don't know who will be cast, but it sounds like things are moving in the right direction.
Let's get the list started with the worst of the three books so far!
3. Onyx Storm (Book #3)
Onyx Storm is the third book in the series, and fans shouldn't be surprised to hear that it's the worst of them so far. That's not even a bad thing, though. It's still a very good, important part of the story. There are even parts of Onyx Storm that are better than anything we've read in the series, but overall, it falls short in a few areas.
My main issue with Onyx Storm is that the pacing is just different than the first two books. It's a bit slower at times. After the events of Iron Flame, Violet leads an important mission with the potential to turn the tide in this war against the Venin, humans who have turned to a dark form of magic. She also searches for the remedy to Xaden's little problem. Along the way, there's a lot of action, but it's just different than what readers had grown accustomed to. I don't doubt this part of the story is necessary, but it just doesn't quite hit the same.
With that said, I absolutely loved the cliffhanger ending of Onyx Storm. I know that's a source of contention among fans. While devastating, I'm more ready to read the fourth book in the series, and that's exactly what Yarros was going for, I'm sure, when she switched perspectives and left us pondering what actually happened. It sets the stage for another epic installment to come.
2. Iron Flame (Book #2)
The second book in the series, Iron Flame, is so close to being the best book in the series! Fourth Wing sets up the story, and then Iron Flame completely flips that story on its head. We follow Violet's journey as she learns long-kept secrets that are incredibly important to Navarre's future and preservation. Then it all blows up with an epic battle that changes everything for Violet, Xaden, and the rest of their friends, family, and allies just as things were getting really good.
Fourth Wing is Violet discovering the power within, and Iron Flame is Violet trying, and largely failing, to harness that power, hone her new skills, and fulfill her potential in many different ways. Her relationship with Xaden is a threat to many at Basgiath and beyond. It's really interesting watching an incredibly smart and young character continue to outsmart older adults, put together the pieces of the puzzle, and embrace their destiny.
I was a little late to the party and read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame back-to-back, and the twist at the very end of Iron Flame was a game-changer. While I didn't love what it meant for the story, and still don't, the ending served its purpose. I was ready to start Onyx Storm right then and there, but had to wait months and months until it was released.
1. Fourth Wing (Book 1)
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Fourth Wing is the best of The Empyrean books. As the first book in the series, this is where the story begins, where we meet Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson, and of course, the stars of this event, the dragons, including Tairn and Andarna.
I'm a sucker for the themes and tropes of Fourth Wing. I love stories that see the protagonist thrown into a new world, just like Violet is after she rejects a life with the scribes, crosses the parapet, and becomes a dragon rider at Basgiath War College. It's as iconic as Harry Potter going to Hogwarts or Katniss volunteering as tribute.
Once the Fourth Wing TV show premieres and this story is introduced to a larger audience, everyone is going to remember those first few weeks as Violet prepares for the threshing (when the first-years bond with dragons... or die trying).
While the story gets deeper and richer as the series goes on, Fourth Wing does an incredible job opening this world up, setting up our expectations, and slowly and surely dismantling everything we believed to be true with epic plot twists. For those twists to pay off later in the series, they had to be set up in Fourth Wing, and largely, they are.
Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming books in The Empyrean series and the Fourth Wing TV show in the works at Amazon.
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