Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing took Booktok by storm, bringing spice a la Sarah J. Maas together with dragon riders like few fantasy genres have seen them before. Released on April 5, 2023, the sequel book, Iron Flame, came out just a few short months later on November 7, 2023.
The two books tell the story of Violet Sorrengail, a girl from a family of dragon riders who was thrust into a gruelling school to become one herself unexpectedly. There’s no room for failure at Basgiath War College, with every fresh challenge and lesson tempting death at every turn. However, with a little help from her friends and a certain tall, dark, handsome stranger (because of course), Violet embarks on many an adventure—including uncovering a dark conspiracy right at the heart of the kingdom she lives in.
The next book in The Empyrean Series (so named for the council of dragons that governs the fire-breathing race) is confirmed to be on its way—thank the gods—and now we finally have a release date. But what will it be about? Here’s what you need to know but be warned, spoilers ahead for the full series so far.
Where did Iron Flame leave off?
The second book in the series left off in the midst of a climactic battle, with Violet’s mother, General Lilith Sorrengail, sacrificing herself and her dragon for her youngest daughter, despite technically fighting for the other side. After all, as she herself says, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her children.
At a different spot in the battle, Violet’s shadow-wielding other half, Xaden, (why are they always wielding shadows in these books?) is fighting against the venin, the Big Bad of the series—and losing. The book switches to his point of view and, as an absolute last resort and against the pleas of his dragon, he reaches into the earth to draw on the magic. This is what turns people into venin, meaning we might have some kind of battle for Xaden’s eternal soul on our hands in the next book, as well as more plotting to keep the venin out of the country for good, now that Violet can resurrect wards.
When is the third Empyrean book coming out?
While there were just seven months between the first two books in the series, Rebecca Yarros has decided to take some more time to work on the next installment in her series. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in November 2023, she stated that “the speed at which [she] wrote Fourth Wing […] and then [she] wrote Iron Flame happened so quickly in the middle of touring, in the middle of everything, that it was really hard on my body”.
Yarros lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that inspired the chronic illness that her Fourth Wing heroine Violet experiences. “I’m respecting my limitations and taking [things] a bit slower so that I can be healthy through all of it,” the author had continued. “So it’s going to be a little bit slower. But I have a release date, I just can’t tell you yet”.
And now that release date has been announced—and not only that, we also have a title. So mark your calendars for January 21st, 2025, when Onyx Storm, the third book of the Empyrean series, is set to be released in pretty much every place where you can buy books.
We also know that there will be at least two more books in the series after Onyx Storm, since the Empyrean is set to have five volumes in total. What’s more, Variety reports that a TV show is in the works—although take that with a heavy pinch of salt, seeing as there are many ways for a TV show to die a slow death in between rights being acquired and making it to screens—or even after that (Six of Crows spin-off, we hardly knew ye).
(featured image: Red Tower Books)
Published: May 3, 2024 10:44 am