Rebecca Yarros set a bar with Fourth Wing that readers are still trying to clear. The Empyrean series has introduced millions of people to a specific kind of fantasy: one where the romance is electric, the world-building earns its complexity, and the stakes feel personal enough to keep you up until 3am.
The question is: what do you read next?
Whether you’re waiting for the next installment or just need something to fill the dragon-shaped hole in your chest, this list has you covered. These ten books share the DNA that makes Fourth Wing impossible to put down: strong-willed protagonists, slow-burn romance that actually delivers, and worlds rich enough to get lost in.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
If you’ve read Fourth Wing and somehow haven’t read ACOTAR yet, stop what you’re doing. Sarah J. Maas is a large part of why romantasy is having its moment, and A Court of Thorns and Roses is where it started for most readers. Feyre Archeron is human, young, and wildly out of her depth when she’s dragged into a world of immortal, terrifyingly beautiful fae. The slow burn between Feyre and Rhysand is some of the most talked-about romance in modern fantasy. Start here, read everything Maas has written, regret nothing.
Why you’ll love it: Dark fae world, magnetic male lead, a heroine who refuses to be a victim.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
From Blood and Ash runs on the same fuel as Fourth Wing: a forbidden attraction that the characters have no business pursuing, a world with more secrets than it’s letting on, and a male lead who is suspicious in ways that turn out to be extremely attractive. Poppy is a woman with a carefully controlled fate she’s beginning to resent, and Hawke is the guard assigned to protect her who is, surprise, not what he seems. The pacing is propulsive, the romance is genuinely fun, and the reveals hit harder than you expect.
Why you’ll love it: Forbidden romance, mystery-drenched plot, a series that just keeps going.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Holly Black writes fae fiction the way it should be written: dangerous, morally complicated, and entirely uninterested in your comfort. Jude is a human girl raised among the fae after a violent childhood, desperate to earn a place in a world that sees her as inferior. Cardan, the cruelest of the fae princes, becomes her enemy, her obsession, and eventually her problem. The enemies-to-lovers arc here is some of the sharpest in the genre, and the books are short enough that stopping feels like a choice you actively have to make.
Why you’ll love it: Enemies-to-lovers at its best, morally grey characters, viciously good prose.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
This is the book to reach for when you want the romance to take a back seat to world-building and plot without losing any emotional heat. Set in a Roman-inspired empire ruled by brutal military law, An Ember in the Ashes follows Laia, a slave trying to free her brother, and Elias, a soldier looking for a way out of the life he was bred for. Their paths collide in ways that feel inevitable and devastating at once. The action sequences are tightly written, the moral questions are real, and the love interests are genuinely complicated.
Why you’ll love it: Military fantasy, dual POV, romance that earns every page of tension.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
For readers who want something epic in the truest sense of the word, The Priory of the Orange Tree is a standalone novel that feels like a whole trilogy compressed into one book. It’s a feminist reimagining of dragon lore, where the relationship between humans and dragons sits at the center of an unfolding war, with four distinct characters spread across a sprawling, richly detailed world. The writing is patient and the payoffs are enormous. If you want to feel like you’ve lived somewhere else for a week, this is the book.
Why you’ll love it: Dragons as central characters, epic scale, beautifully crafted world.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Danielle L. Jensen writes political fantasy romance with a particular gift for setup. Lara is trained from childhood as a spy and sent to marry the king of an enemy kingdom, tasked with bringing down his defenses from the inside. Aren, the king, is not what she expected. What follows is an enemies-to-lovers story where the central tension is built on deception rather than just banter, which makes the emotional turns hit harder. Jensen is seriously underrated in this space, and this series is a great entry point.
Why you’ll love it: Spy romance, political intrigue, a male lead who’s genuinely decent.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The Jasmine Throne is the standout of this list for readers who want something that pushes beyond the genre’s defaults. Set in a world inspired by medieval India, it follows Priya, a maidservant with hidden power, and Malini, an exiled princess with her own agenda. The romance between them is central, the politics are layered, and the magic system is tied to the land and its history in a way that feels original and earned. Suri is a beautiful writer and this series deserves far more attention than it gets.
Why you’ll love it: Stunning world-building, queer romance, genuinely literary prose.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Based on the Chinese legend of Chang’e, Daughter of the Moon Goddess follows Xingyin, raised in secret on the moon to hide her from a vengeful emperor. When her cover is blown, she enters the Celestial Kingdom, trains as a warrior, and navigates a world of ancient politics and divine power. This is a book for readers who want their fantasy to feel like a fairy tale told at full volume: lyrical, sweeping, and emotionally generous. The romantic subplot is elegantly handled, and the sequel is just as good.
Why you’ll love it: Chinese mythology, warrior heroine, gorgeous prose.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Set in turn-of-the-century Sicily, Kingdom of the Wicked blends fantasy with historical fiction in a way that has few equivalents on this list. Emilia is a young woman who summons a demon to help solve her twin sister’s murder, and the demon Wrath turns out to be insufferable and magnetic in equal measure. Maniscalco is a strong atmospheric writer and the Sicilian setting is used to full effect. It’s a darker read than most others here, with a gothic edge that fans of Fourth Wing’s more intense sequences will appreciate.
Why you’ll love it: Dark romance, historical setting, wickedly fun dynamic between leads.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor writes like no one else in the genre. Strange the Dreamer follows Lazlo Strange, a librarian obsessed with a mythical lost city, and Sarai, a young woman with nightmare powers who haunts people from above. Their romance develops in dreams before it happens in reality, which sounds unusual and is, in fact, one of the most original uses of romantic tension in fantasy in years. Taylor’s prose is dense with imagery, and the story carries a genuinely tragic quality that makes it linger long after you’re done.
Why you’ll love it: Gorgeous writing, slow-burn done right, emotionally devastating in the best way.
Any of these ten will give you what you’re looking for after Fourth Wing, but each one does something slightly different with the same ingredients. Start with ACOTAR for the quintessential romantasy experience. Pick up Strange the Dreamer if you want to be floored by beautiful writing. Reach for An Ember in the Ashes if you want the romance grounded in something with real weight.
However you work through the list, you won’t be disappointed. The fantasy shelf is in good shape right now.