The beloved first book in the record-breaking, multi-million-copy bestselling Empyrean series.
A major TV adaptation has now been greenlit at MGM Amazon Studios with Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society - don't be the last to discover the magic of this blockbuster world. 'Yarros is the true inheritor of Harry Potter and inspires Hunger Games levels of devotion'
GUARDIAN 'This book contains an addictive, drug-like essence that will make you relinquish all responsibility'
GLAMOUR 'The new publishing sensation'
DAILY MAIL -
FRIENDS. ENEMIES. LOVERS.
EVERYONE HERE HAS AN AGENDA.
AND EVERY NIGHT COULD BE YOUR LAST. Violet Sorrengail had expected to live a quiet life surrounded by books, until she was forced onto the world's deadliest training ground. Now she must fight to join the army's elite: dragon riders. But dragons don't choose fragile riders; they incinerate them, and when your body breaks as easily as Violet's does - death is only a heartbeat away. Many cadets would kill Violet to better their own chances of success; the rest would kill her just because of her last name . . . including the ruthless Xaden Riorson, her family's greatest enemy. With the odds stacked against her, Violet must use every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise, because once you enter Basgiath War College, there are only two ways out: GRADUATE OR DIE.
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Millions of readers have already begun their Empyrean adventure. Now it's your turn to cross the parapet . . . pray to Malek that you survive. 'Full of action, suspense and intrigue. This is the ride you have been waiting for, hold on tight' Daily Mirror 'I couldn't put it down!' Millie Bobby Brown 'Yarros had me hooked from the first chapter' Mail on Sunday 'Incredible storytelling on every page' The Sun 'Pure escapism . . . We'd suggest savouring every moment' Independent 'We weren't expecting to become obsessed . . . but we very much are, and we're not alone' Sunday Times Style 'A deliciously gripping dish, which I downed in one sitting' Stylist 'One of the publishing events of the year' BBC News 'Prepare to get obsessed' Cosmopolitan
OTHER BOOKS IN THE EMPYREAN SERIES:
-FOURTH WING
-IRON FLAME
-ONYX STORM
COMING SOON IN THE EMPYREAN WORLD: THRESHING DAY: Return to the world of Empyrean with thirteen stories starring your favourite Fourth Wing characters. Coming September 29th 2026.
FOURTH WING, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL: VOLUME ONE: The first volume of a stunning graphic novel adapted by Rebecca Yarros. Coming April 6th 2027.
FOURTH WING, TAROT DECK: 78 tarot cards with familiar characters, scenes, and symbols from the Empyrean series. Coming April 6th 2027.

Portrait

Rebecca Yarros is the no. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event, with multiple starred Publishers Weekly reviews and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. She's the mother of six children, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she's not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon cat named Artemis, who rules them all. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she co-founded with her husband in 2019.