Best Romantasy Books to Read After Fourth Wing in 2026

If your feed is full of dragon riders, letter-writing gods and morally grey princes, you have already discovered romantasy – the fantasy-romance mash-up that has taken over BookTok and UK bestseller charts alike. This guide is for readers who have devoured Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series and want to know what comes next, or who are simply curious what all the fuss is about. We will look at where the genre stands right now, which series to start with, and how to build a collection without ending up with duplicates or spoilers.

What exactly is "romantasy"?

Romantasy sits at the crossing point of epic fantasy and romance: expect intricate magic systems and political stakes alongside a slow-burn (or not-so-slow-burn) central relationship. Romantasy blends fantasy worldbuilding with a central romance that carries as much weight as the plot itself, which is why fans of Sarah J. Maas's Fae courts or Rebecca Yarros's dragon riders tend to binge the whole subgenre once they are hooked. Because the romance is central rather than a subplot, these books reward readers who enjoy character-driven tension as much as battles and prophecy.

Start with the series everyone is talking about: Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series is the book most readers name first when asked how they got into romantasy. Fourth Wing is a new adult fantasy romance and dystopian fiction novel published on 2 May 2023, running to 512 pages, and it launched The Empyrean series. The sequel followed quickly: Iron Flame, the second book in The Empyrean, was published on 7 November 2023 and runs to 623 pages. The third instalment, Onyx Storm, arrived in early 2025, continuing the story of Violet Sorrengail as she navigates a war college for dragon riders where the drop-out rate is measured in body counts rather than exam failures. If you are working through the series in order, read Fourth Wing first, then Iron Flame, then Onyx Storm. One reading guide is explicit about this: Onyx Storm is book three of The Empyrean, so read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame first. Given the size of these hardbacks, a full boxed set makes sense both for shelf appeal and value, and you can browse complete series bundles in our Box Sets & Collections range or filter by genre in Fantasy.

When is book four coming?

There is no confirmed UK release date yet, so it is worth managing expectations before buying the series as a gift for a fan who will want the next chapter immediately. Coverage of Yarros's own updates suggests the wait will be considerable: based on previous release patterns and Yarros's commitment to a healthier writing pace, late 2027 is the most realistic estimate for Fourth Wing book 4. That makes now a good moment to gift the existing trilogy as a set, or to fill the gap with adjacent series while everyone waits.

Beyond Fourth Wing: where to go next

Once a reader has finished the Empyrean books, there are several well-established romantasy series worth pointing them towards, each with a slightly different flavour.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

For readers who prefer a slower, more literary romance wrapped around gods and letters rather than dragons and combat, Divine Rivals is a strong next step. The publisher describes it as the Sunday Times bestselling international sensation from Rebecca Ross, following a young journalist competing for a promotion against a rival columnist while a war between gods rages in the background. It is the opening book in the Letters of Enchantment duology, and the story does not wrap up neatly at the end of book one: the first book in the Letters of Enchantment series ends on a cliffhanger, but the story immediately continues in the sequel, Ruthless Vows. Readers who like their romantasy a little gentler, with epistolary elements and a wartime backdrop, tend to love this pairing.

The Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts

If the appeal of Fourth Wing is the forbidden-romance-meets-high-stakes-kingdom setup, Lauren Roberts's Powerless trilogy hits a similar note for young adult readers. The publisher pitches it directly at that audience: perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, this young adult fantasy trilogy follows the forbidden romance between a powerful prince and an ordinary girl as their kingdom's grueling laws pit them against each other. The trilogy opens with Powerless, continues with Reckless, and concludes with Fearless, giving readers a complete arc rather than an open-ended wait for a fourth book. It sits comfortably alongside other titles in our Young Adult collection.

Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent

For darker, more gothic romantasy with a tournament-to-the-death structure reminiscent of a fantasy Hunger Games, Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia series is worth seeking out. The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series and also the first instalment of the Nightborn Duet within the series, and the central conflict revolves around a lethal tournament called the Kejari, held between vampiric and human factions. It is a good pick for readers who enjoyed the political scheming and blood-soaked stakes of Fourth Wing but want a self-contained duet rather than an ongoing series with an uncertain release schedule.

How to build a romantasy collection without wasting money

• Check series order before you buy. Romantasy series rarely stand alone, and buying book two before book one is a common and avoidable mistake. Always confirm the numbering, especially with duologies that are sometimes marketed under a wider series name.
• Look for complete sets rather than single titles. If a trilogy or duet is already finished, buying the whole thing as a set avoids the frustration of a cliffhanger with no sequel to hand, and can work out better value than buying each book individually. Our Collections range groups these together.
• Mind the page count if you are buying for a slower reader. Several of the biggest romantasy titles run past 500 pages, so it is worth checking length if the recipient is a first-time fantasy reader rather than a seasoned one.
• Use genre browsing to find adjacent authors. Once you know the tropes a reader enjoys – enemies-to-lovers, found family, morally grey love interests – browsing by genre in Fantasy or Romance will surface similar titles quickly.

Gifting romantasy this year

Because so many of these series are mid-run, gifting can be tricky: buying book one for someone who has already read it is a common misstep, and buying an incomplete series risks leaving them stuck on a cliffhanger for months. The safest gifting choices right now are complete trilogies and duets, such as the Powerless trilogy or the first Crowns of Nyaxia duet, rather than an ongoing series like Empyrean where book four has no confirmed date. For a reader whose taste you are less sure of, a boxed set from our Best Books To Gift collection takes the guesswork out of matching individual titles, and buying brand-new sets at a discount with fast UK delivery means you are not paying full RRP for what is currently the fastest-growing corner of fiction.

Final thoughts

Romantasy shows no sign of slowing down, and with book four of the Empyrean series unlikely to appear before 2027 at the earliest, there has never been a better moment to fill the gap with adjacent series. Whether you are drawn to the war-college brutality of Fourth Wing, the epistolary romance of Divine Rivals, the forbidden-love stakes of Powerless, or the gothic tournament of Crowns of Nyaxia, there is a complete or near-complete series ready to read. Browse our full Fantasy collection to find your next favourite, or head to Box Sets & Collections to pick up a complete series in one go.