Obsessed With Fourth Wing? Add These Romantasy Novels to Your TBR Pile ASAP
You're gonna need a bigger book tote.
Still waiting for your acceptance letter from Basgiath War College to arrive by carrier dragon? Same. The War College for Dragon Riders is at the center of Fourth Wing, the first book in a steamy romantasy series by author Rebecca Yarros. It's there we meet Violent Sorrengail as she trains to become an elite dragon rider against all odds.
On her inspiration for Fourth Wing, Yarros told Today, "I love dragons. I don't know anyone who doesn't. Us fantasy girlies, right? I grew up reading a ton of fantasy. I knew my publisher was looking for romantasy in that new-adult line — and I love new adult, I think it's such an unexplored genre. There are not a lot of books that deal with people in that period between adolescence and adulthood. I love that sweet spot. So, knowing that I could definitely build it on a romance, I was in love with the forced proximity of the romance being between their dragons and not necessarily (the characters)."
Even if you don't consider yourself a romantasy reader, you've definitely heard of Fourth Wing. The 528-page novel has blown up on BookTok and Instagram. Its sequel, Iron Flame, came out in 2023, and the third novel, Onyx Storm, is set to publish in early 2025. But until then, I've gathered a list of books like Fourth Wing to help satiate your romantasy palate.
Books Like Fourth Wing
1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
ACOTAR has taken BookTok and the romantasy world by storm. After killing a wolf (which is actually a shape-shifting immortal faerie!), Feyre is held captive by the High Lord of the Spring Court, whose name is Tamlin. Under his wing, she learns about a fantastical world she never thought possible and its inhabitants called the Fae.
2. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
A human living in a vampire kingdom, Oraya must win the Kejari tournament if she hopes to outlive and outlast her peers, who view her as prey. Oraya finds an unlikely ally in competitor and familial nemesis, Rajhn. Surely, a human-vampire pact isn’t the smartest plan for winning Kejari — let alone the strongest foundation for a budding romance.
3. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Pegged as a Game of Thrones x Fourth Wing crossover, Fireborne follows best friends Annie and Lee as they fight for the top position in the governing class of dragonriders. But when survivors from the old regime resurface, Annie and Lee’s priorities are put into question — including the status of their relationship, which has been teetering on the edge of becoming something more.
4. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
If you like a higher ratio of fantasy to romance, you’ll enjoy The Priory of the Orange Tree. In its 848 pages (yeah, it’s a chunker of a book), we meet Queen Sabran the Ninth, lady-in-waiting Ead Duryan, and dragonrider Tané, whose paths cross when a dangerous enemy awakens and threatens havoc on their kingdom.
5. Neon Gods by Katee Robert
If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, give Neon Gods a read. It’s the first book in the Dark Olympus romantasy series and marketed as a “scorchingly hot modern retelling” of Hades and Persephone.
6. In The Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
This is by no means a fantasy storyline (if anything, it’s a little too real), but if you’re craving more of Yarros’ work, you should absolutely pick up a copy of In The Likely Event. It follows strangers-turned-plane crash survivors-turned-lovers Izzy and Nate as they fight for their shot at love amid military deployments, engagements, loss, career shifts, and stolen moments with each other in between.
