Fourth Wing / Empyrean reading order

Three novels are on the shelf. Yarros has described a longer Empyrean plan. Untitled later novels are not an excuse to wait, and they are not hiding as a prequel.

Threshing Day (2026) is an Empyrean-related extra, not the next numbered novel. If a shop piles it next to Fourth Wing as “book 4,” that is retail gravity, not a table of contents.

The published novels

Publication order is the only path. There is no chronological reshuffle.

Extras

House rule: read 1–3. Read Threshing Day after Fourth Wing if you want more Basgiath texture. Do not use it as an on-ramp. Do not postpone Fourth Wing until book 4 has a title.

A TV adaptation has been discussed. It is not a reading order.

Common mistakes

• Starting with Onyx Storm because it is the newest thick hardcover.
• Treating Threshing Day as book 4.
• Starting with ACOTAR because “all romantasy is one series.”
• Waiting for the full five-book plan before opening book one.

What to read next

1. ACOTAR (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want another romantasy door with a novella that looks like a novel.
2. Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want a finished long assassin run after an unfinished war college.
3. From Blood and Ash (Jennifer L. Armentrout) — If you want another long romantasy with a prequel series that pretends to be book one.
4. Zodiac Academy (Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti) — If you want another unfinished-feeling academy with a strict first book.
5. [The Empyrean, then stop.] Book 4 will still be book 4 when it exists.

FAQ

Is the series finished?
No. Three numbered novels are published.

Is Threshing Day required?
No.

Can I start with Iron Flame?
No.

Fourth Wing or Empyrean?
Fourth Wing is the first novel. Empyrean is the series name.

Sources

• Rebecca Yarros, The Empyrean — author series page. Opened 2026-09-13.
• Entangled, Fourth Wing — publisher page for book one. Opened 2026-09-13.