If you’ve spent any time at all on BookTok—the side of TikTok dedicated to discussing books—then chances are you’ve heard of Fourth Wing, by all accounts an absolute blockbuster success by author Rebecca Yarros, and its maybe not-as-loved sequel, Iron Flame.
While the series they’re part of, called The Empyrean, is far from finished, the two books have already stirred up quite the discussion in fandom spaces—as has their author, who’s been repeatedly called out for the misuse of the Scottish Gaelic language by its native speakers.
In the end, like all incredibly popular BookTok books, both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame have extremely supportive fans as well as unshakeable critics. Having read them both, I have to say that I might fall on the latter end of the spectrum. While I love dragons with all my might and I will read anything that has even the hint of a one in it, I have to say that overall both the plot and characters leave much to be desired.
Still, if you’ve loved it and want to read something that might give you those same vibes, or if you absolutely didn’t like it but want to try some other stories in the same vein, then here are eleven books that might help you—divided into three nifty categories for your perusing convenience.
Category 1: Books that were a clear inspiration for Fourth Wing
Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard)
Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard, is the first installment in a tetralogy that continues with Glass Sword, King’s Cage, and War Storm. The story follows young Mare Barrow, part of her kingdom’s lower class, marked by their red blood, as she suddenly finds herself living with the silver-blooded elite. There she will, of course, find she has powers that by all accounts she should not have, stumble right at the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the kingdom and become involved with not one but two princes.
If you liked Fourth Wing’s main character Violet Sorrengail’s powers, then you’re going to find something very similar in Red Queen—plus, both books share a pretty big major plot twist towards the end.
Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead)
Vampire Academy might be a bit of old-school young adult paranormal since the six books of the series were published between 2007 and 2010—when vampires were all the rage. The story follows Rose Hathaway, a half-vampire who’s training to become the guardian and protector of her best friend Lissa Dragomir, a full-fledged vampire princess. Both girls have to navigate their own forbidden romances as well as the growing menace of spirits called strigoi.
If you liked the element of “romancing someone you should definitely not romance” that’s at the very base of Violet’s relationship with Xaden in Fourth Wing, then you’ll like the love story between Rose and her instructor Dimitri Belikov. Plus, as those of you who know the ending of Iron Flame will agree, that’s not the only thing that makes Xaden and Dimitri similar.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)
The A Court of Thorns and Roses series—which includes three novels and one novella so far—by Sarah J. Maas rules supreme over BookTok and has had incredible influence over all those sagas who are trying to dethrone it. The story follows a mortal girl, Feyre Archeron, as she becomes entangled with the magical fae courts of the land of Prythian—and in particular, the Night Court with his High Lord, violet-eyed “night triumphant death incarnate” Rhysand.
If you liked the brooding and shadow-wielding main love interest in Fourth Wing, just know that before there was Xaden Riorson there were none other than the trio of Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel. I’m not the biggest ACOTAR fan but you have to give credit where credit is due.
Category 2: Here be dragons
Temeraire (Naomi Novik)
Let’s be honest, most of us picked up Fourth Wing because it’s set in a school where people learn to ride dragons and boy oh boy, does that sound like something I would very much want to sign up to do. So if you like dragons and stories about them then you might want to start by picking up the nine novels that make up the Temeraire series, written by author Naomi Novik. The story is set in a reimagined version of the world where dragons exist and are a pretty significant part of the ongoing Napoleonic wars—and it follows the adventures of Captain William Laurence and his titular dragon, Temeraire.
It’s dragons at war! It’s crews of aviators working on top of dragons in complicated flight maneuvers! It’s politics! It’s clearly heavily influenced by Master and Commander! What more could you possibly want?
A Natural History of Dragons (Marie Brennan)
While most of the books listed in this section have darker, heavier themes than both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame—which are listed as new adult but still reside very close to the young adult threshold—A Natural History of Dragons is the only one that doesn’t focus on war but on natural science, as the title suggests. The five books of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series follow the titular Lady Trent during the journeys that have helped her become the world’s most prominent dragon naturalist. All, of course, with a healthy dose of love and adventures thrown in.
If you were someone whose life was irremediably changed by The Mummy franchise but have always wished it had a bit more dragons, then A Natural History of Dragons is definitely the book for you.
The Priory of the Orange Tree (Samantha Shannon)
There are few things better than a nice chunky fantasy book, dense with worldbuilding and magic and, of course, dragons. The Priory of the Orange Tree and its prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, both by author Samantha Shannon, are sweeping fantasy stories filled with complicated politics, powerful women, queer romances and an ancient enemy threatening to raze the world to the ground.
This book’s plot is undoubtedly much more complicated than Fourth Wing, so if you liked how intrinsically bound the dragons were to the world Violet, Xaden, and the others live in then you might consider taking the next step and diving into The Priory of the Orange Tree. You definitely won’t regret it.
Eragon (Christopher Paolini)
Eragon was probably one of the first books about dragons that I read by myself. It’s the first novel in The Inheritance Cycle, which includes three more novels and a newly-released spin-off. The story focuses on a young boy, the titular Eragon, who comes across a mysterious egg from which a dragon hatches—that dragon, Saphira, and Eragon will go on to engage in a battle to free the land they live in from the evil tyrant who rules it with an iron fist.
If you enjoyed the way Violet and her dragon Tairn spoke to each other in Fourth Wing, then you’ll find that the way Eragon and Saphira communicate through their bond is very similar—a constant dialogue filled with witty remarks and much affection.
Dragonriders of Pern (Anne McCaffrey)
The oldest and longest saga on this list, Dragonriders of Pern has grown from the publication of its first book in 1967 to include twenty-four novels and two novellas. Set on a different planet, the titular Pern, which was colonized by humans so long ago that they have lost all memory of it, the story spans more than two millennia, going from the origins of human life on Pern and their creation of the dragons to the battle against Thread, a spore that consumes all organic matter in its path.
If you like your dragons to come with a side of space opera in a “Dune but instead of sandworms they have dragons” sort of way, then this is definitely a read worth picking up. Plus, you’ll have plenty of material to go through.
Fire & Blood (George R.R. Martin)
You didn’t think I would leave a list of books with dragons in them without bringing in something about A Song of Ice and Fire, did you? Everything about House Targaryen has become iconic throughout the years of ASOIAF’s success, from their distinct look to their fire-breathing pets to their bad endogamy habit to their absolute inability to be good rulers. And while they are spoken about often in the main books, no work of Martin captures their collective unhingedness like Fire & Blood, the in-universe chronicle of House Targaryen that serves as the source material for the House of the Dragon show.
If you enjoy massive dragons being used badly by a family so doomed by the narrative they literally can’t stop offing each other in every generation while keeping the family tree so closed off it’s basically a circle, then you’ll greatly enjoy Fire & Blood.
Category 3: “Enemies to Lovers” stans unite
Divine Rivals (Rebecca Ross)
If what you liked most about Fourth Wing was the enemies-to-lovers aspect of its romance, then you might want to pick up Divine Rivals next—you know that a book with a title that includes the word “rival” must be the good stuff. The story follows eighteen-year-old Iris who has just landed a job at her world’s most important newspaper, where she hopes to make a difference with her writing just as a war between gods is brewing. That is, of course, if she manages to deal with her unrelenting rival at the paper, Roman.
For those who liked the fact that the romance between Xaden and Violet took place in a school, then the academic vibes of Divine Rivals might just be what you’re looking for. Because two characters battling it out is great, but them battling it out with their wits might be even better.
The Hurricane Wars (Thea Guanzon)
Reylos everywhere know this book very well, since it started out as a (honestly brilliant) fan fiction about the enemies-to-lovers of the Star Wars universe. Now reworked to be its own fantasy world, incorporating elements of the author’s Southeast Asian heritage, the story of The Hurricane Wars follows young rebel fighter Talasyn as she discovers she has a power that hasn’t been seen for centuries, the only one capable of opposing the Night Emperor and his fearsome son Alaric.
When it comes to enemies to lovers, you really can’t go wrong with a good light and darkness motif. It’s got everything you could possibly want—the attraction of polar opposites, blinding light and consuming darkness, the clash between duty and love. That’s the stuff enemies-to-lovers romances are made of. Plus, there might be some dragons hiding in there too which will certainly please any Fourth Wing fan.
(featured image: NBC/The Mary Sue)
Published: Dec 28, 2023 11:58 am