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Fourth Wing set the romance world ablaze, gaining an army of passionate readers and launching the Empyrean saga into viral status. With the release of Onyx Storm, the craving for more dragon-fueled battles, emotional carnage, and enemies-to-lovers heat only intensified.
While anticipation builds for the next installment, there’s no reason to sit idle. Readers who devoured Violet’s journey deserve titles that carry just as much emotional weight and danger. Expect recommendations filled with fire-breathing beasts, twisted trials, shadowy academies, and romantic tension sharp enough to draw blood.
Ready to escape into new obsessions? These hand-picked reads that are available on book reading apps as well, will keep the adrenaline high and the shipping strong.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
A mortal girl raised by the feared Nightborn vampire king enters a tournament meant to crown the next ruler of the vampire dominions.
Blood fuels every round of the trials, where alliances crumble and rivals die. Her grit, fueled by survival instincts and years of hard training, places her in direct opposition to those who see her as prey.
As she slices through each brutal challenge, an unlikely romance begins to simmer with one of her strongest competitors.
- Deadly arena-style trials
- Mortal-vampire conflict with layers of manipulation
- Slow-burn desire mixed with betrayal
- Ruthless world-building that refuses to offer safety
- Emotional payoff forged in fire and loss
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Elspeth hides a mind-bound spirit capable of unleashing powerful magic, but the cost of its influence is sanity. As her cursed gift weaves deeper into her psyche, she becomes entangled in a dark magical system that corrupts from within.
With a kingdom teetering on political collapse and forbidden romance threatening exposure, her survival hinges on navigating fragile alliances and the voice that whispers in her ear.
- Gothic magical world wrapped in shadows
- Psychological unraveling guided by a sinister inner voice
- Political scheming among dangerous families
- Feral magic meets enemies-to-lovers slow burn
Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer
A heroine marked by vengeance enrolls in a magical academy to get closer to those responsible for her family’s destruction. Secret trials, brutal training, and deadly rivalries make each day a fight for survival.
Her skills as an assassin and her magical bond with a mythical animal companion make her both a threat and a target. Hidden within the school’s walls are truths that could either set her free or consume her entirely.
- Academy setting with life-or-death magical trials
- Revenge-fueled personal mission
- Assassin heroine balancing power and vulnerability
- Bonded animal companion with emotional resonance
- Forbidden magic that invites danger at every turn
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
A ragtag crew, each harboring secrets, is forced into a high-stakes mission involving dragons, ancient power, and a heist no one believes will succeed.
Loyalties are tested as romance sparks between unlikely allies, while dragons remain anything but tame.
Expect schemes, sky battles, and emotional gut punches as the team faces enemies both external and within their ranks.
- Heist fused with dragon lore and mayhem
- Complex romantic tension tested by betrayal
- Found family dynamics tangled with emotional scars
- Dragons that burn through more than just the skies
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
After a violent revolution, a new regime trains young riders to pilot dragons in defense of a fragile peace.
Two protagonists, one born noble, the other orphaned by nobility, must rise through the ranks of a militarized academy while navigating shifting ideals and buried truths.
Their shared past collides with duty, loyalty, and power, all played out in the skies above a fractured nation.
- Post-revolutionary dragon-riding academy
- Dual perspectives that clash and converge
- Political intrigue layered with class tension
- Themes of justice, ambition, and internal conflict
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
During an alternate Napoleonic war, British naval officer Will Laurence accidentally bonds with a rare dragon, setting his life on a new path in aerial warfare. As he and his dragon Temeraire form a powerful connection, both must challenge societal rules and military expectations.
Their bond grows in depth, wit, and mutual respect, breaking conventions along the way.
- Alternate history filled with military strategy
- Emotional, intellectual dragon-human companionship
- Aviation battles where tactics meet instinct
- Quiet rebellion against imperial norms
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
A vampire and a werewolf forced into marriage for political unity could not hate each other more—or—so they think. As threats emerge from all sides, including their own kind, the friction between them turns into smoldering passion.
Snark, tension, and secrets fill every exchange, while each must question loyalty to their people and the person they swore to despise.
- Paranormal marriage of convenience
- Enemies-to-lovers dynamic laced with sarcasm
- Emotional vulnerability hidden beneath sharp edges
- Power dynamics shaped by tradition and need
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
After surviving unspeakable trauma, Feyre finds herself under the care of a man who challenges her to heal rather than hide. In a world ready to collapse, she rediscovers strength, love, and a sense of self.
Romantic tension builds slowly between her and her unlikely protector, culminating in trust that must withstand war, loss, and truth.
- Emotional healing paired with rising magical threats
- Brooding, fiercely loyal male lead
- Slow-burn romance that earns every moment
- Found family providing shelter and sharp truths
One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake
Two families of witches war across New York City in a deadly feud that spans generations. Each side is ruthless, and yet love slips in where it shouldn’t.
A brilliant, emotionally tense romance unfolds between heirs on opposite ends, challenging duty and tradition. Magic here is sharp, beautiful, and never safe.
- Urban fantasy with mafia energy
- Enemies-to-lovers tension stretched to its limit
- Elegant prose and layered character psychology
- Tragic romance bound to make hearts ache
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Trained as a weapon since childhood, a young woman is sent to infiltrate and destroy her enemy’s kingdom by becoming its queen.
As she navigates court politics, brutal terrain, and shifting loyalties, her heart begins to betray her mission.
When truth and trust collide, she must choose between peace and vengeance.
- Espionage-driven plot led by a warrior-bride
- Academy-style tactical intelligence
- Gradual romance with emotional complexity
- Betrayal that cuts as deeply as a blade
Final Thoughts
Craving dragons? Desperate for morally gray lovers, magical academies, or heroine-driven trials? Every book here delivers the intensity that made Fourth Wing impossible to put down. Whether it’s clawed aerial battles, slow-burn tension, or gritty survival, these stories promise emotional firepower.
The Empyrean saga continues to unfold, but now is the ideal moment to branch out and discover equally consuming series. Romance, danger, betrayal, and power plays wait in every title listed.
