Rebecca Yarros blew away fans for the second time on Oct. 31, 2023, with a sequel to the bestseller Fourth Wing. In a world of magic, dragons, and chaos, Violet Sorrengail struggles to survive amidst conspiracies and betrayals from all around.
After barely making it out of her first year in Bagsiath War College, where not even half the students who entered manage to graduate, Violet thinks the worst is over. But after stumbling into secrets some people would rather keep from her, she is once again forced to watch her every step.
“Violence” isn’t her nickname for no reason, however, and the journey Yarros takes readers as Violet continues to face her fears time and time again is incredible. Her journey as a main character is very unique, and Yarros makes her out to be a confident and extremely brave woman, which is always refreshing to see in female leads. Yes, she makes plenty of mistakes, but every action she took was something that made me think, “You know what, I would do the same thing.”
The fantasy world is written beautifully, with extremely detailed imagery and characteristics that made the movie behind my eyes very enjoyable. Once I picked up the book, I couldn’t put it down, which meant a lot because I had been in a reading slump for a few months. Every character has their own quirks and that’s what makes each one so special. Even the background characters seem special and I love the individual side stories they have. The death of any character was heartbreaking, and yes, there were a lot. But that’s what makes Yarros such a great writer- she is not afraid to do what it takes to make her story all the more special.
The romance throughout the book is also perfectly placed and not too excessive. There is just enough longing and chemistry between Violet and Xaden that readers are entranced, but also not so much that it is the center of attention for the whole book. However, there are some explicit scenes, so read with caution.
Rebecca Yarros has announced that the Empyrean series will be a pentalogy and the third book will be available starting Jan. 21, 2025. I would wholeheartedly recommend this series as it is one of the best ones!
