Rebecca Yarros' Threshing Day Is Officially The Most Important Read While Waiting For Empyrean Book 4

Published Nov 11, 2026, 4:30 PM EST Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Threshing Day might technically be a companion book, but it’s officially the most important read ahead of The Empyrean book 4. For The Empyrean fans, the wait for the fourth book is pretty unbearable. It's been almost a year since Onyx Storm was released, and no date has been announced for the fourth book. Yarros started drafting in March 2026, so it’s reasonable to project the next book around mid-to-late 2027. If she is plotting The Empyrean book 4 and 5 together, as has been heavily rumored, it could take a little longer. In one way, this is a good thing. It’s better to wait for a great book than to get a bad book sooner. Luckily, Yarros released Threshing Day to bridge the gap between the two. Dubbed “The Empyrean book 3.5,” Threshing Day came out on September 29, 2026, and it is a collection of short stories, rather than one complete narrative. Focusing on the titular dangerous ceremony, Threshing Day includes 13 character points of view, including Xaden, Sloane, and Mira. Because it has been branded a companion book rather than part of the main story, some fans of The Empyrean have skipped it. Unless a person absolutely loves the Threshing Day ceremony or wants to hear more POV from a specific character, it didn't seem, at face value, to be critically important. It was more the cherry on top of the sundae. A little something extra. However, Rebecca Yarros shared on her Threshing Day book tour that the book has more significance to The Empyrean Book 4 than it seemed at face value. Nearly Every Chapter Of Threshing Day Includes Hints & Reveals About Empyrean Book 4's Story An Instagram user called Well Read with Meghan attended the Denver release party for Threshing Day, and she shared clips of the interview on her account. One of the questions was, "Which Threshing Day chapters give us the most insight into book 4?" Rebecca Yarros’ answer explains why exactly the book is the most important read ahead of The Empyrean book 4 for most readers. Yarros said during the Denver Launch interview that, "There might be something in almost every single one of them that’s going to clue you in to Book 4." She declined to reveal which ones, as it was still a few hours before readers got their hands on books. However, those who read the book already report that it changes everything we know about the dragons. Much of the Fourth Wing fandom takes to social media to share their latest theories about what’s coming in The Empyrean books. If you want to figure things out ahead of time, Threshing Day is the most important read. Past books, of course, lay the foundation for what’s to come. However, Threshing Day provides direct hints and reveals. Threshing Day Isn't Technically A Mandatory Read If You're Willing To Wait 1+ Years Image: Entangled Publishing For the super-sleuths out there, Threshing Day is a goldmine. However, anyone with great delayed gratification can skip Threshing Day if they truly want to. Yarros explained, while answering the question about book 4, that she doesn’t want to force readers to buy another book. "Threshing is written so that if you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to. Like, the reveals in Threshing will come in book 4. I never want to look at you guys and say, 'Come buy another book that you have to buy to understand the story.'" Purchase Threshing Day here. Yarros clearly respects her readers' time and money, so she's making sure folks won't lose meaning without Threshing Day. Still, it's valuable for most. Some folks like to be spoiled, and that’s totally valid. Lots enjoy the detective work of trying to figure things out ahead of time. Then again, other readers might prefer to hold off on Threshing Day because they won’t have to wait a year, or possibly more, to see the reveals and hints applied to the main storyline. Ultimately, fans have to weigh whether they want to get the information now or later. Scratch & Peek Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.