Everything We Know About The Next Fourth Wing Book Release

Published Oct 2, 2026, 2:44 PM EDT Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Onyx Storm.Rebecca Yarros released Fourth Wing, which became an instant viral sensation in the "romantasy" (romantic fantasy) world and launched The Empyrean series. It follows young and fragile Violet Sorrengail, who has chronic pain, as she is forced to compete at the brutal and deadly Basgiath War College for dragon riders. Published in 2023, the series was initially pitched as a five-novel series, and after the spinoff Threshing Day, the fanbase is eagerly awaiting the fourth novel that continues the main story. The author has kept rather quiet about the progress of book 4, with no official title or release date announced. Yarros officially resumed writing The Empyrean series early this year and has hinted that fans will have to wait until late 2027 or even later for the book to reach the shelves. Luckily, Fourth Wing won't end with the fourth novel, as five books have been the plan since the beginning. However, fans are eager to see what's in store in the penultimate novel, leading everyone to the hopefully epic conclusion. But everyone is left scratching their heads, wondering exactly how Yarros intends on saying goodbye to these iconic characters once and for all. Fourth Wing Book 4 Remains Nameless...Or Does It? Custom Image by Hannah Diffey Of course, fans have begun to speculate on what the fourth book in The Empyrean series will be called as the build-up to the conclusion has kept everyone tense. There is obviously a pattern of Fourth Wing titles, with the releases being named Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm. Keen-eyed readers have spotted an elemental/dragon theme to each title, with Fourth Wing being named to symbolize air and wings, Iron Flame for fire, and Onyx Storm for water and, of course, storms. With this in mind, the fourth book could shift toward an Earth title or perhaps even something related to ice, with it being storm-related and symbolic of Violet and her mother's powers. The color gradient for each novel works cohesively, and Onyx Storm, being the most recent, leads into an icy and almost smoky white and grey color scheme, possibly hinting at and agreeing with fan theories that ice certainly is a plausible option. Some potential names include Silver Throne and Silver Reign, but Yarros has yet to officially announce any titles or confirm any theories. Onyx Storm's Cliffhanger & Fan Theories Create The Perfect Storm Custom image by Yeider Chacon Violet Sorrengail travels to distant regions seeking alliances and the rare irids to fix Aretia's failing wards and hopefully find a cure for Xaden's venin condition throughout the novel Onyx Storm. As Xaden struggles against his ever-growing dark side, he fully turns venin and channels immense power from the ground to save his bonded dragon, Sgaeyl. This happens during a brutal battle against enemy leader Theophanie as he creates a terrifying and deadly onyx storm. Violet strikes and kills Theophanie and ultimately saves Aretia. However, not all is hopeful, as Imogen uses her signet and wipes twelve hours of memories from Violet. Ultimately, Violet wakes up and discovers evidence framing Xaden for murdering riders and stealing dragon eggs, and the most shocking of all is that she married Xaden...but can't remember a thing about it. Xaden vanishes, and Violet is unable to feel her bond with him, with Yarros teasing readers with the most devastating of cliffhangers. Theories began emerging as the world finished the novel after its release, with some suggesting that Andarna's origins could point to the true origin of the venin. As well as characters such as Berwyn secretly being either Xaden's father or a powerful Sage. There has been a venin called Sage since the first novel who has largely been kept a mystery, but he turned Xaden and had a rivalry with Theophanie. However, Berwyn has a weird fixation on the character that is almost too personal to be normal. A heartbreaking theory also indicates Tairn had to break his bond with Sgaeyl in order to save Violet from the torment of knowing Xaden's current state due to his fully turning venin. With Tarin wanting a long rest and his exhaustion shown, it is unusual for the dragon, who's described as unstoppable, to be so fatigued and perhaps breaking the bond, ultimately breaking his heart, and the rest is a mask for his own devastation at the events. Rebecca Yarros' Hints Point To Heartbreak & Intrigue In Fourth Wing's Book 4 Fan theories suggest that book 4 could finally add to Xaden's point of view that Yarros has hinted won't happen until the character stops keeping secrets. The author has also confirmed that at least one dragon is lying about their name, launching a fandom-wide panic about who and what this could mean for the hidden identities of the key reptilian creatures. The author has stated that book 4 will be an emotional heartbreaker where Xaden enters his full "villain era." That is certainly not good news for those who love the dynamic between Violet and Xaden. By the end of book 4, Yarros has stated that the missing twelve hours will be fully explained while also stating that a beloved character won't survive. However, she assured fans that the character Broccoli would remain unharmed. Book 4 is also becoming one of the bigger novels as the author has stated how she is mapping out the final two novels and ensuring that it will end with a strong conclusion. Fourth Wing's penultimate novel will address Xaden's whereabouts, other missing riders and dragon eggs, as well as the deep emotional toll of Xaden's damaged soul. However, only time will tell what remains true or just some wild fan theories, as Yarros still has yet to reveal any more signs of the second to last book in The Empyrean series. Publisher(s) Red Tower Books Publication Date 2023-04-05 Franchise The Empyrean Series ISBN# 9781649374042 Author(s) Rebecca Yarros Genre(s) Fantasy, Romance