Books Like Fourth Wing: 14 Romantasy Reads for Your Post-Empyrean Crisis

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You finished Fourth Wing. You are emotionally compromised. You need something — ANYTHING — that gives you that same feeling of dragons, military academy tension, morally complex love interests, and a heroine who refuses to die quietly. I see you. I WAS you. I read Fourth Wing in one sitting, looked up at 4 AM, and immediately started searching for my next fix like a woman possessed.

Good news: the fix exists. I’ve read an unreasonable number of books chasing the Fourth Wing high, and these are the ones that actually delivered. Not “vaguely similar if you squint” — actually scratched the itch. Each one for a different reason, because let’s be honest: Fourth Wing is doing about six things at once, and different readers are hooked on different threads.

So I’ve organized this by what you’re ACTUALLY craving. Find your poison. 🖤

If You Want: Dragons + Romance + War

The Empyrean series (Iron Flame) — Obviously. If you somehow haven’t read book two yet, what are you doing here? Go. Come back when you’re done crying.

The Dragon’s Bride by Katee Robert — Different vibe (more explicitly steamy, mythology-based) but if the DRAGON aspect is what hooked you, this delivers. It’s shorter, spicier, and the dragon-rider bond has a very different flavour that’s worth experiencing.

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda — THIS ONE. If Fourth Wing’s military academy + dragons + political tension is what you loved, Fireborne is your next obsession. It’s darker, more politically complex, and the slow burn will make you want to throw things. Two dragon riders on opposite sides of a revolution. I am not okay about it.

If You Want: Military Academy + Deadly Competition

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence — Nuns. Trained as assassins. In a convent that doubles as a murder school. It’s darker and grittier than Fourth Wing, with less romance and more “everyone around you might die at any moment” energy. The found family that forms among the students is DEVASTATING. If Basgiath’s lethality was your favourite part, start here.

Babel by R.F. Kuang — Not romantasy in the traditional sense, but if Fourth Wing’s academic setting, power structures, and “the institution is using you” undercurrent resonated? Babel takes that thread and runs it to its most brutal conclusion. Dark academia meets revolution. It’ll wreck you differently but just as thoroughly.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black — Jude Duarte would survive Basgiath, and she’d do it purely on spite and strategy. Military training, fae politics, a love interest who is genuinely her enemy (not just “we bicker” enemy — ACTUAL political adversary), and a heroine who earns every single thing she gets. The enemies-to-lovers here is ELITE.

If You Want: The Slow Burn That Ruins You

Let’s be real — a huge part of Fourth Wing’s appeal is Violet and Xaden. The tension. The withholding. The moments where you SCREAM at the page because JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER. If that specific flavour of romantic agony is what you’re chasing:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas — If you haven’t read this yet, I am genuinely excited for you. The mating bond reveal, the slow realization, the way Rhysand has been waiting — it’s the same frequency as Xaden’s “Violence” energy but with 400 more pages of yearning. I wrote about why this works structurally in the slow burn recommendations guide.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco — Enemies-to-lovers where you genuinely don’t know if you can trust the love interest. The sexual tension is suffocating in the best way. Wrath is giving Xaden energy — powerful, dangerous, keeping secrets, and completely obsessed with the heroine while pretending he isn’t.

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent — Underrated. A magic academy, a heroine rebuilding herself from trauma, and a love interest who is patient and devastating and EARNS it. The slow burn here is quieter than Fourth Wing but hits just as hard when it lands.

If You Want: The Heroine Who Refuses to Break

Violet Sorrengail walks into a war college that’s supposed to kill her, with a body that everyone underestimates, and survives on sheer determination and cleverness. If THAT’S what hooked you — the heroine who earns it against impossible odds:

Furyborn by Claire Legrand — Two heroines across different timelines, both facing trials designed to kill them, both refusing to go quietly. The dual narrative means double the tension and double the “she’s going to DIE” energy.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang — Rin at Sinegard military academy is Violet energy turned up to eleven. She’s underestimated, she’s furious, and she claws her way to power through pure determination. Warning: this series goes DARK. Darker than Fourth Wing by a significant margin. But if you want a heroine who burns everything down to survive, this is it.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir — Military academy where failure means death. A heroine surviving inside a system designed to crush her. Slow burn romance across enemy lines. It’s giving Basgiath energy with a different cultural framework, and the tension never lets up across four books.

If You Want: The Morally Grey Love Interest

Xaden Riorson. Dangerous. Secretive. Would burn the world for Violet but won’t tell her the truth. If that specific brand of “I love him but I want to STRANGLE him” is your thing (and based on my DMs, it is ALL of your things):

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat — The love interest starts as someone you actively hate. By book three you would commit war crimes for him. The character arc is one of the best in the genre. See the full guide to morally grey love interests for more.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout — Hawke is Xaden’s chaotic cousin. Flirty where Xaden is stoic, but equally dangerous, equally hiding something massive, and equally willing to destroy anyone who touches the heroine.

Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti — If you want the bully romance academy setting dialled up to MAXIMUM chaos. Warning: the love interests are genuinely cruel for several books before the turn. It’s divisive. But if your tolerance for morally grey is “actually morally charcoal,” this series will feed you for months.

The Full List (Quick Reference)

• Fireborne — Rosaria Munda (dragons + revolution + slow burn)
• Red Sister — Mark Lawrence (murder school + found family)
• The Cruel Prince — Holly Black (fae politics + real enemies-to-lovers)
• A Court of Mist and Fury — Sarah J. Maas (mating bond + epic slow burn)
• Kingdom of the Wicked — Kerri Maniscalco (enemies-to-lovers + secrets)
• Daughter of No Worlds — Carissa Broadbent (academy + quiet devastation)
• Furyborn — Claire Legrand (deadly trials + dual heroines)
• The Poppy War — R.F. Kuang (military academy + dark power)
• An Ember in the Ashes — Sabaa Tahir (survival + slow burn across enemy lines)
• Captive Prince — C.S. Pacat (morally grey masterclass)
• From Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout (chaotic dangerous love interest)
• Zodiac Academy — Peckham & Valenti (bully romance academy + maximum chaos)
• The Dragon’s Bride — Katee Robert (dragon bond + spice)
• Babel — R.F. Kuang (dark academia + systemic rage)

What Did I Miss?

Tell me in the comments: what book gave you the Fourth Wing feeling? Especially the ones that aren’t on every single BookTok list already — I want the hidden gems, the ones you found at 3 AM while desperately searching “books like Fourth Wing” and stumbling into something amazing. Drop them below. I’ll add the best ones to this list because this is a living document and your taste is impeccable.

And if you want more curated recs organized by trope and vibe, the master reading list has 50+ books across every subgenre. Your TBR is about to get wrecked. You’re welcome. 🖤