Books like “Fourth Wing” to hear while you wait for the release of “Onyx Storm”

While the next installment in the Empyrean series won’t hit our headphones until 2025, these similar romantasy listens will help the time fly by.

Emily Martin

July 22, 2024

Books like Fourth Wing

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

Give the BookTok-beloved A Court of Thorns and Roses a listen and see why it deserves just as much hype as your favorite dragon series. Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, this series's starter tells the story of 19-year-old Feyre, whose life changes forever when she kills a wolf in the woods. Feyre is approached by a beastlike creature who demands she pay for her crimes. When he brings her with him back to the world of the Fae, the beast reveals himself to be the faerie Tamlin, and Feyre is now his captive. But anger and hate quickly turn to passion as the two grow closer. Sound similar to another hate-to-love relationship we might know? For a truly unique audiobook experience, try the dramatized adaptations, narrated by a full cast.

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Fireborne

Rosaria Munda

If your favorite elements of Fourth Wing are the dragons and the romance, then check out Fireborne. In this world, the highest class of citizens are dragon riders, and Annie and Lee—although orphaned and of low birth—are given an opportunity to become a part of this governing class. After working their way up to the top, they are in competition to take control of the dragon-riding fleet. That is, until the old regime returns to reclaim the city. Now war is imminent, and Annie and Lee will be forced to make decisions that might forever change their relationship.

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An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes is a gripping story that's got everything a Fourth Wing fan could ask for—fantasy, romance, action, and adventure alike. Set in a fantasy world not unlike the Roman Empire, this audiobook follows Laia, a scholar who will stop at nothing to protect those she loves. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia risks everything to go undercover at the military academy in the hopes of getting rebel scholars to help her save her brother's life. But then she meets Elias, the academy's finest soldier, who wants nothing more than to desert the military and take command of his own life. Elias and Laia come from different worlds, but maybe their paths were destined to cross. Steve West, who also lends his voice to Fireborne, performs this book along with award-winning narrator Fiona Hardingham.

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Vicious Bonds

Shanora Williams

For more steamy romance mixed with fantasy à la Fourth Wing, listen to Shanora Williams's Vicious Bonds, narrated by the talented Shane East and Aure Nash, who really bring passion to the story. Willow and Caz seem destined to be together, but they live in entirely different worlds. Then one day, Willow falls through a portal and ends up in the world of Vakeeli, where Caz is a Monarch. They've been hearing each other's voices in their heads for ages, and now, finally, they are face-to-face. But will Willow be able to remain in Caz's world without serious consequences?

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From Blood and Ash

Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash is another unforgettable romantasy you should add to your queue if you like Fourth Wing. It's the first novel in an audiobook series narrated by Stina Nielsen, praised by AudioFile Magazine for her "ability to thoroughly immerse listeners in [the book's] fantasy world." Oh, and this listen features a thrilling forbidden romance and lots of spice. Poppy has lived the life of an innocent, protected Maiden, but she is destined for great things. Hawke's duty is to protect Poppy at all costs and ensure she makes it to her Ascension day. But sometimes, desire overshadows duty, and the passion Hawke and Poppy ignite in one another is difficult to deny.

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A Deadly Education

Naomi Novik

Fourth Wing is set at Basgiath War College, an academy so intense that many students don't make it out alive. If you love the concept of a treacherous school, you should also try Naomi Novik's A Deadly Education. Scholomance is a school for the magically gifted. There are no teachers. Instead, the students learn from the school itself, and many don't make it out alive. El arrives on campus ready to take on whatever monsters the school throws her way, but is the school prepared for how dangerous her magic is? Listeners love this series for its thrilling narrative and Anisha Dadia's superb narration.

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A Touch of Darkness

Scarlett St. Clair

A Touch of Darkness is a sexy romantasy reimagining of the Hades and Persephone mythology. Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, moves to New Athens in the hopes of leading the life of a normal woman and working as a journalist. But then, Persephone meets Hades, God of the Dead, and suddenly she's charged with a nearly impossible task—she must create life in the Underworld. Failing this, she will lose her freedom. If you love the passion between Xaden and Violet, you'll love listening to every moment of Hades and Persephone's love story—and you won't want to stop there, especially with such a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. Fortunately, there's a whole series, including A Touch of Ruin, A Touch of Malice, and finally A Touch of Chaos, all narrated by the talented Meg Sylvan.

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Immortal Longings

Chloe Gong

If you loved the world-building in Fourth Wing, grab your earbuds and tune into Chloe Gong's Immortal Longings, an epic fantasy inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. In the kingdom of Talin, competitors meet in the twin cities of San-Er to use their skills of jumping between bodies to fight to the death. Though the stakes are high, the winner receives wealth beyond their wildest dreams. But in the shadows of the competition is Princess Calla Tuoleimi, quietly scheming and plotting the end of the monarchy once and for all. Meanwhile, Anton Makusa has entered the games in the hopes of winning enough money to save the life of his childhood love. Calla and Anton find an unlikely alliance with one another, but when their emotions get involved, they will both have to decide what's worth saving and what's worth sacrificing.

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The Priory of the Orange Tree

Samantha Shannon

Looking for hours and hours of fantasy that will fully immerse you in a different world? Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree is for you, especially if you loved all the fantasy world-building, dragons, and war strategy in Fourth Wing. (Yep, we're getting more dragon riders here.) Queen Sabran the Ninth is the ruler of Inys, but she is still unwed, and if she doesn't produce an heir, her family's reign over the kingdom will be in jeopardy. The East and the West are divided, and she knows assassins will be coming for her soon. But the queen has secret protection in her lady-in-waiting Ead Duryan. Ead is a member of a hidden society of mages, and she uses her forbidden magic to secretly keep Sabran away from harm. Meanwhile, across the sea and to the East, where dragons are revered as gods, the dragonrider Miduchi Tané encounters a stranger from the West who threatens to upend everything. This audiobook centers the narrative talents of Liyah Summers.

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To Shape a Dragon's Breath

Moniquill Blackgoose

Want more dragons and more military academy settings? You have to listen to To Shape a Dragon's Breath, the first book in Moniquill Blackgoose's Nampeshiweisit series. When fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon's egg and bonds with the hatchling, it's the first dragon seen on the island of Masquapaug in generations. Immediately, Anequs is named Nampeshiweisit, a person who develops a unique bond with a dragon. Unfortunately, Anequs's bond comes with responsibilities. She must now enroll in a dragon school on the mainland, and if she does not succeed in school, her dragon will be killed. For Anequs, this school is a world unlike anything she was raised to know. But she is determined to do well and save her dragon. But she won't do it by playing by anyone else's rules. To Shape a Dragon's Breath is a compelling coming-of-age story set in a magical and complex world that fans of Fourth Wing will love. Audible listeners love this audiobook for Charley Flyte's dynamic narration and her ability to take on different voices and accents for each character.

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