In my past two reviews, I’ve covered series written by Sara J. Maas, so for this week we’ll be looking at another popular fantasy writer’s work.
The Empyrean series is an adult fantasy, romance book series written by Rebecca Yarros. The series is currently not finished, with only two books out and a third to be released in January, but it is estimated to be a five book series in the future.
“Fourth Wing” is the first book in the series. It was released on May 2, 2023, and soon took off on the internet, primarily TikTok.
The book follows the main character, Violet Sorrengail. Sorrengail was trained to enter what is known as the scribe quadrant in Basgaith War College, where cadets are taught to transcribe and spread information and basically record history.
However, Sorrengail is forced into the rider’s quadrant by her mother, where both her physical and mental strength is tested every day while she is trained to become a dragon rider.
“Fourth Wing” is a captivating book from the very beginning, and there is never a dull moment. From when Sorrengail’s first trial takes place to the very last page, the book is filled with so many twists and turns it’s hard to tell what is coming next.
The plot isn’t the only thing that is incredible about this book. The characters themselves and in relation to one another add to what makes this book so great.
To start off, Violet Sorrengail is an amazing example of a woman who doesn’t need a prince charming to save her. She uses her own wits and strength to save herself. Instead of fleeing, she faces things head on, even if other characters need to remind her of things from time to time.
She isn’t the only strong and powerful female character, either. There are several throughout the book that are strong in their own ways, but their strength doesn’t take away from their femininity.
There are also so many great male characters, too. Liam Mairi made his appearance later on in the book, but he still left a big impact. He is an incredibly observant, kind and funny person. Even when others seemed clueless about Violet’s relationships, he always knew what was going on without being told.
He was also a great support both on and off the battlefield to those he cared about. Especially for Xaden Riorson, the main love interest in the book and Liam’s non-biological brother.
The entire book is a masterpiece. The ending of the book was a tearjerker and also included a shocking cliffhanger.
“Iron Flame” is the next book in the series. While the book was great , it wasn’t as amazing as the first.
With even more characters and plot twists, “Iron Flame” is a great continuation of the series. It does a great job of picking up where the last one left off with both the loss and love from the first.
A big flaw of the book is that Riorson kept several big things from Sorrengail because, if placed into the wrong hands, the information would put himself and everyone he cared about in jeopardy.
Regardless of that, Sorrengail was angry at him for withholding the truth for what felt like majority of the book. It appeared to be drawn out just to have a conflict going on until the next big plot twist.
Once it was resolved, the book became fast-paced and more enchanting to read than it was in the beginning.
The end of “Iron Flame” was a huge cliffhanger just like the first, and many readers of the series are impatiently waiting for book three.
“Onyx Storm” is book three in the series, and little is known about it. Here is what is known:
Book three releases on Jan. 21, 2025, with a deluxe, limited-edition hardcover for the first print of the book. The limited edition includes stenciled sprayed edges and special design features that won’t be featured in the other editions. The deluxe limited edition is only available while supplies last.
The only other thing known for sure is the excerpt from “Onyx Storm” that was posted on Yarros’ Instagram account.
As a final note, if you are looking for a book to get you out of your reading slump, “Fourth Wing” is an amazing book to consider picking up.
