Everyone's talking about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros after Prime Video's confirmation that the TV series based on the bestselling Empyrean series is officially a go. While many fans are discovering the book series, many other fans are waiting patiently for the fourth book of the Empyrean series.
Thankfully, Yarros provided an update recently about the new book, but the bad news is we're probably going to be waiting until 2027 before the fourth Fourth Wing book is released. Onyx Storm, the third book of the series, was released in January 2025, so we're officially in for the largest gap between books of the series yet, which means you need some new book series to get obsessed with while you wait.
If that sounds like you, I picked seven of my favorite fantasy book series for you to read while you wait for the next Fourth Wing book.
Honestly, this was a harder task than I anticipated for a few reasons. I don't want to just recommend all the popular, addictive book series, like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Hunger Games. Those books all skew a little younger, anyway.
I also don't want to recommend the deep-cut fantasy series because, while you might become obsessed with them, they are a little bit more challenging to read. I'm talking about The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, many of Brandon Sanderson's book series, and The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. I recommend all of those, but they might not bring the Fourth Wing vibes you're looking for.
I tried to thread the needle and picked seven fantasy book series that Fourth Wing fans will really, really enjoy while waiting for the next book in Yarros' series. Let's get the list started with A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Court of Thorns and Roses
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- A Court of Wings and Ruin
- A Court of Frost and Starlight
- A Court of Silver Flames
If you look around much, you'll see A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas on pretty much every book list for Fourth Wing fans, and it makes sense. The books feel similar, although they're very different. There are some similarities between Yarros' and Maas' prose that also make these books so easy to read. We all love a page-turner, and there's no denying A Court of Thorns and Roses is just that.
A Court of Thorn and Roses begins with Feyre, a young woman who accidentally kills one of the Fae, violating an ancient treaty that pulls her into a world she knows nothing about. There's love, romance, action, and so many secrets to be uncovered in the series.
So far, there are five books in Maas' series, and there are more on the way. At least two will be released very soon. The sixth book of the series arrives on Oct. 27, 2026, followed by the seventh book on Jan. 12, 2027.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
- A Game of Thrones
- A Clash of Kings
- A Storm of Swords
- A Feast for Crows
- A Dance with Dragons
A Song of Ice and Fire, also known as the Game of Thrones books, by George R.R. Martin, is an absolute must-read for Fourth Wing fans. We're Winter is Coming after all, so we are contractually obligated to add this to every list. That's a joke; we are not. We just love it, so we do!
A Song of Ice and Fire begins with A Game of Thrones, which tells the story of the key players from Westeros on the precipice of a civil war among the Seven Kingdoms. It all begins with Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, being forced to become the Hand of King Robert Baratheon. Upon arriving in King's Landing, Ned finds the job is more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, a young Daenerys Targaryen begins her path to restore her rightful claim to be the queen of the Seven Kingdoms and sit the Iron Throne.
Of course, we all know that there are two more books in Martin's series, but we don't know when we'll see The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring. Martin has been working on those stories for 15 years now. We'll keep you posted on the future of A Song of Ice and Fire, but don't let the lack of release dates for the final books stop you. This is, probably, the best fantasy series of all time.
Oh, and duh, there are dragons!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms
- Tower of Hope
- Kingdom of Ash
We're going back to Maas for the next book series! If you love Fourth Wing, you're going to love Throne of Glass. It's another story involving the Fae, but it's a lot different than A Court of Thorns and Roses.
In the series, a young assassin, Celaena Sardothien, is chosen to compete in a fight to the death to serve the King of Adarlan, but things are much darker than they seem. I don't want to spoil anything, but please, just trust me that you'll love this series.
There are seven books in the series, plus a few novellas, so this will definitely keep you busy for a few weeks. I breezed through this book series in a couple of months. It's such an epic read, and you're not going to want to stop until you find out just how it all ends in Kingdom of Ash.
The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo
- Shadow and Bone
- Siege and Sorm
- Ruin and Rising
- Six of Crows
- Crooked Kingdom
- King of Scars
- Rule of Wolves
Don't let the Netflix series based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, Shadow and Bone, failing deter you from getting into this book series. It's just as good as any of the books mentioned so far. It's so awesome!
The Grishaverse begins with Shadow and Bone, the first book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. It tells the story of Alina Starkov, a young mapmaker for the Ravkan army who discovers she has incredible powers that can turn the tide of the war in Ravka's favor.
The first trilogy wraps up Alina's story, but you also have to read the Six of Crows duology, which features an epic heist story, one of the best I've read in the fantasy genre. That story continues in Crooked Kingdom.
Then, Bardugo wraps up the current Grishaverse saga in King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. We could see more stories set in this universe, but it's quite complete for now.
The Wolves of Ruin by Sable Sorensen
- Dire Bound
- Fury Bound
Dire Bound is the hottest new-ish fantasy book to read right now! It's probably the most similar to Fourth Wing of the book series on this list, but instead of dragons and dragonriders, we're getting wolves, direwolves!
Dire Bound is the first book of Sable Sorensen's Wolves of Ruin series, and there are more books in the works. Fury Bound, the second book of the series, was just released on May 5, 2026, so you can speed read Dire Bound and then roll right into Fury Bound.
Dire Bound tells the story of Meryn Cooper, a young woman who joins Nocturna's army to try to find her sister who was kidnapped. She ends up bonding with a massive direwolf and finds herself simply trying to survive the bonding trials.
The Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig
- One Dark Window
- Two Twisted Crowns
The Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig is another BookTok sensation, much like Fourth Wing. The series is a different kind of fantasy than The Empyrean series, and it feels very much like a dark, gothic, and grim fairy tale.
The series begins with Elspeth, a young woman with an interesting "power," as she embarks on a journey to save her kingdom from the perilous fog that surrounds it.
I read these books so quickly! Gillig does an incredible job building this world, explaining the magical cards that make this story tick, and the grave consequences of failure on Elspeth's adventure.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hobbit
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
Much like A Song of Ice and Fire, The Lord of the Rings should be a recommended book series for all fantasy fans. It's the perfect time to get really into these stories while you're waiting for the next Fourth Wing book. You simply can't beat this tremendous tale. It's so inspirational, especially as the darkness envelops the very lands in which we live.
I would recommend starting with The Hobbit, which tells the story of Bilbo Baggins' adventure with Gandalf and the dwarves as they try to steal the treasure of a villainous dragon, Smaug. It's also where Bilbo crosses paths with the One Ring to Rule Them All.
Then, you can jump right into Frodo's journey and introduction to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Gandalf as they try to destroy the Ring and stop Sauron's return.
Those are the seven book series I would recommend to Fourth Wing fans while waiting for the fourth book of the series. If you're looking for something more classic, I would pick up Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.
If you're looking for something epic that still feels a little more romantasy, I'd pick A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, or even Shadow and Bone.
If you want something that feels like a darker fairy tale, The Shepherd King takes the cake. And, if you want the hottest romantasy series that everyone is talking about on social media, I would go with Dire Bound and Wolves of Ruin.
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