Books Like  Fourth Wing | The Gilt List 

If you finished Fourth Wing and immediately thought, “Well, now what the hell am I supposed to do with myself,” same.

This list pulls together books like Fourth Wing with dragon riders, war colleges, deadly tournaments, morally grey love interests, and frankly irresponsible amounts of lust and plotting, organized by why you loved it and what to do now. 

Takeaways! What to read after Fourth Wing 

If you’re skimming while half-asleep (relatable), here’s the short version:

• Closest overall “oh no I’m feral for this” feeling: The Serpent and the Wings of Night, From Blood and Ash, A Court of Thorns and Roses
• More dragons and war politics, less romance: Fireborne
• More romance and spice, less worldbuilding faff: The Bridge Kingdom, Zodiac Academy
• If you want something like Fourth Wing but with poetic tones: House of Earth and Blood, Divine Rivals
• If you loved the underdog of disability angle: A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Divine Rivals
• If you want dangerous games and competitions: The Serpent and the Wings of Night, The Bridge Kingdom

You can scroll down for proper breakdowns, spice levels, and notes so you don’t waste your money.

Book	Dragons?	Spice	Why it’s like Fourth Wing	Best for
Fireborne – Rosaria Munda	Yes	Low	Dragon riders as an actual military force, deep political fallout, class tension and revolution aftermath; much more war and ethics than romance.	Readers who wanted more serious dragon politics and less romance.
Zodiac Academy – Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti	No (fae academy)	Medium → High over series	Chaotic magical academy where everyone is stronger and kind of awful, brutal trials, constant “you’re not meant to survive this” energy, extremely bingeable.	Readers who want messy, addictive academy drama and can tolerate bully dynamics and an unpolished start.
A Promise of Fire – Amanda Bouchet	No	Medium	Underdog heroine hiding huge power, travelling with a war band, prophecies and gods, lots of banter wrapped around real danger.	Readers who want something that feels like Fourth Wing crossed with a romantic fantasy road-trip and more humour.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night – Carissa Broadbent	No (vampires)	Medium → High	Deadly tournament where failure means death, human FMC in a world built to kill her, dangerous love interest who absolutely shouldn’t be trusted but is.	Readers who want darker worldbuilding, higher emotional stakes, and properly earned spice.
The Bridge Kingdom – Danielle L. Jensen	No	Medium	FMC sent into hostile territory on a mission, constant political tension and espionage, romance tangled up with betrayal and shifting loyalties.	Readers who loved the mix of war, romance, and scheming and want tighter plotting.
From Blood and Ash – Jennifer L. Armentrout	No	High	Oppressed chosen-maiden heroine, secretive guard with too much chemistry, big twists and soap-opera-level drama that keep you turning pages.	Readers who mainly want high-heat, bingeable romantasy chaos and don’t need subtlety.
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas	No (fae courts)	Low → Medium in book one; higher later	Human girl thrown into a dangerous magical world, broody morally complicated love interests, trauma and healing arcs, massive fandom discourse.	Readers who somehow skipped ACOTAR and want that same “epic messy feelings” hit.
The Shadows Between Us – Tricia Levenseller	No	Low (high in malicious flirting)	Morally questionable leads you still root for, court intrigue, plotting, and knives under the table.	Readers who want a quick standalone with villain energy, clever banter, and low time commitment.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer	No	Low	Underdog heroine with cerebral palsy whose body doesn’t magically become “perfect,” Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling with political stakes and stubborn survival.	Readers who loved the disability / underdog angle in Fourth Wing and want thoughtful, YA-leaning representation.
Divine Rivals – Rebecca Ross	No	Low → Medium	War backdrop, characters carrying grief and trauma, intense emotional connection built through letters and vulnerability instead of just proximity.	Readers who liked the war and trauma elements of Fourth Wing but want gentler, more lyrical writing and less chaos.
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) – Sarah J. Maas	No	Medium	Huge, dangerous city with angels, demons, and shifters; murder mystery; heavy grief and found-family dynamics; a slow-burn relationship that lands hard.	Readers who want a meatier, more complex fantasy world with strong emotional payoff and are ready to commit to a chunky book.

What kind of book is Fourth Wing, Really?

These are fantasy books like Fourth Wing with some heavy on dragons and war colleges, some heavier on romance and spice, all chosen because they actually deliver, not just because a cover looks familiar.

Let’s get on the same page before we start throwing books at your TBR when they won’t actually work for you. 

Fourth Wing is, at heart:

• Romantasy – fantasy first, romance and spice woven through
• Dragon rider/war college story – training, exams, politics, trauma
• Chronic-illness underdog arc – small, breakable, and constantly underestimated FMC
• High-stakes, high-body-count plot – people actually die, which is… refreshing
• Spicy enemies-to-lovers – with enough tension to make you deeply question your standards in men

So when we say “books like Fourth Wing,” we’re not just looking for dragons and a vaguely angry man, aggressive? Tortured? We’re looking for:

• that “I stayed up until 2am and now I’m wrecked” kind of reading energy
• morally dubious romance that still pays off
• a world that feels dangerous, even if the magic system isn’t PhD-level deep to be fair

If you want more of that, you’re in the right place.

Which books feel closest to Fourth Wing’s dragon‑rider war college chaos?”

If what you loved most was the academy vibe by which I mean training, brutal exams, political mess, these are your best bets.

What Readers Are Saying:

• The comps set this book up for a brutal level of expectation. Plenty of readers went in thinking, bloody hell, this had better be incredible if we’re throwing around Game of Thrones, Red Rising, Plato, revolutions, and dragons in the same breath. For quite a few people, that level of hype did the book absolutely no favours.
  
• The pacing is where a lot of readers got twitchy. One of the biggest complaints is that the story keeps hinting that something major is about to happen, then sort of… doesn’t. A lot of people said it dragged for long stretches and only really came alive right near the end, which left them thinking, oh greaaat, now we’re moving?
  
• Readers seem split on Annie and Lee, especially as a romance. Some people much preferred Lee’s calmer, more measured POV, while Annie frustrated them because she could feel constantly irritated or emotionally on edge. Others were fully into the enemies to tension and slow burn messiness. So really, this one comes down to whether that dynamic works for you or makes you want to scream.
  
• Even readers with issues admitted the political setup is actually good. The class conflict, revolution aftermath, morally grey power shifts, and whole “new regime, same ugly tactics” angle is the part people keep pointing to as the most interesting. Several reviews basically said the ideas are strong, they just wanted way more depth and follow through.
  
• The dragons are either a selling point or a letdown. Some readers loved the dragon rider school energy, the rivalries, and the training scenes. Others were like… are you nuts? Why do the dragons feel weirdly underused when there is literally a dragon on the cover? That seems to be a real dividing line.
  
• For the right reader, this absolutely hits. The fans are not casual about it either. They’re talking rereads, emotional damage, favourite book of all time territory, loving the angst, the tension, the politics, and the character dynamics more with each read. So even with the mixed response, the people this works for seem properly obsessed.

What Readers Are Saying

• This book is deeply divisive, and the reason is obvious. Even readers who ended up obsessed are very clear that this is not a casual fantasy romance situation. The bullying is extreme, the humiliation is extreme, and for a lot of readers it crosses straight into non con and abuse territory. So yes, people are hooked, but also fully furious.
  
• A huge chunk of the backlash comes from the way it’s pitched. Readers who came in expecting “sexy Harry Potter” or a dark magical academy romp were caught completely off guard by how nasty, repetitive, and genuinely upsetting the violence and power dynamics feel. A lot of the angriest reviews are basically saying: that’s not a trope issue, that’s a expectations issue.
  
• If you are not a bully romance reader, this will probably feel horrific. That is the recurring message over and over. Fans are basically saying you have to meet this book where it is. Detractors are saying absolutely not, are you crazy, I did not sign up for this. There is very little middle ground.
  
• And yet… people still get wildly attached. That is the maddening part. Even reviews calling it trash, torture porn, or completely unhinged still admit the series has a bizarre addictive pull. Readers hate the Heirs, want revenge, want justice, want several men launched into the sun… and then immediately pick up book two. Welp.
  
• The twins are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Even plenty of negative reviews say Tory and Darcy are the reason they kept reading at all. Readers connect with Tory’s feral refusal to back down and Darcy’s softer but still resilient energy, and that emotional attachment is what makes the whole thing either gripping or completely unbearable.
  
• For fans, the pain is the point. The good reviews are not pretending this book is wholesome or clean or even remotely well adjusted. They love it because it is messy, addictive, rage inducing, dramatic, and full of tension that makes them want to scream into a pillow. For the right reader, that makes it actually satisfying. For the wrong reader, it is a bloody nightmare.

What Readers Are Saying

• For the right reader, this is actually really fun fantasy romance. The people who love it are here for the full package: Greek mythology, magic, monsters, politics, adventure, and a white hot romance with enough bickering to keep things lively. It has that older fantasy romance feel where everything is a bit dramatic, a bit chaotic, and very committed to the bit.
  
• Cat is either a hilarious menace or an absolute nightmare for you. Fans love her sass, her feral survival instincts, and the fact that she is constantly ready to mouth off, throw hands, and make everyone’s life harder. Detractors, however, think she reads immature, inconsistent, and deeply annoying. There is no neutral position on this woman.
  
• The romance is the biggest dividing line. A lot of readers are very into Griffin as the intense warlord love interest and fully bought into the tension, banter, and eventual emotional softness. Other readers took one look at the kidnapping setup and said, well, crap, absolutely not. Whether this romance works for you seems to depend entirely on your tolerance for possessive alpha nonsense in fantasy.
  
• The chemistry does a lot of heavy lifting. Even readers who had issues with the setup often admitted the dynamic is addictive once it gets going. There is loads of sexual tension, loads of arguing, and that classic romantasy rhythm where two people spend half the book resisting what is very obviously happening.
  
• The world has catnip elements for fantasy romance readers. Gods interfering, kingdoms on the brink, monsters showing up at inconvenient times, hidden powers, prophecies, found family energy, and a heroine everyone wants to use. That combination really works for readers who want plot with their kissing and not just one or the other.
  
• Even some sceptical readers ended up weirdly won over. That is the funny part. A few reviews basically say, yes, the book is messy, yes, parts of it are ridiculous, yes, the heroine made me want to scream into a pillow, and yet… I still had a bloody good time. Which honestly tells you a lot about the kind of hold this book has on people.

What should you read if you loved the deadly trials and competition in Fourth Wing?

If your favourite parts were the “oh, we could die at any moment” obstacles, these will scratch that itch.

What Readers Are Saying

• This is the kind of book that grabs people by the throat immediately. So many readers say they opened page one and were basically done for. The pacing is addictive, the atmosphere is rich, and the whole thing has that “just one more chapter” energy that turns into 2am emotional collapse.
  
• Oraya is a massive part of why people love this book. Readers are obsessed with her feral, sharp edged survival instinct, her dark humour, and the fact that she can stand in a room full of vampires and still feel like the most dangerous person there. She is not there to be rescued and people absolutely eat that up.
  
• The romance is a slow burn that actually satisfies. This is one of the biggest points in its favour. Readers keep praising the gradual build, the banter, the tenderness tucked inside all the tension, and the fact that it does not rush into instalust and call it development. The small moments are doing serious work here.
  
• Vincent has readers in an emotional chokehold. Genuinely, a ridiculous amount of love goes to Oraya’s father. Even when people come for the romance, they stay yelling about Vincent, crying about Vincent, defending Vincent, and generally acting like this man personally rearranged their internal organs. Fair enough, honestly.
  
• The ending is what sends readers fully over the edge. Plenty of reviews are basically coherent for 80 percent of the book and then descend into keyboard smashing by the final stretch. The twists, the betrayals, the emotional damage, the sheer what the hell of it all, that last section is what turns a lot of readers from “this is good” into “I need compensation for my suffering.”
  

For fans, this absolutely nails the balance between plot and obsession. Readers love that it is not just romance in a fantasy costume. You get trials, politics, violence, power plays, family wounds, and a proper sense of danger alongside the yearning. That mix is what makes it feel actually satisfying instead of just pretty and empty.

What Readers Are Saying

• If you love enemies to lovers plus marriage of convenience, this book is basically catnip. Readers who enjoy political romance setups absolutely devour this one. Assassin bride sent to spy on her new husband, hostile kingdom, dangerous politics, and a slow shift from enemy to partner. That formula just works for a lot of people.
  
• Lara is the kind of heroine romantasy readers love. She is lethal, calculating, and trained from childhood to survive brutal circumstances. Fans enjoy watching her navigate a world she thought she understood, only to realise she has been lied to her entire life.
  
• The political setup is what hooks many readers early. The bridge controlling trade, the starving kingdom, the uneasy alliance through marriage, and the constant spying all create a tense backdrop that keeps the plot moving. Even readers who have seen similar setups before say this one feels particularly gripping.
  
• The romance leans heavily on tension rather than instant passion. A lot of reviews mention the slow shift from suspicion to attraction between Lara and Aren. Their dynamic starts with manipulation and strategy before it gradually turns into something more emotional.
  
• The cliffhanger ending is what sends many readers straight to book two. Even readers who were only mildly invested admit the final twist lands hard enough that they immediately go looking for the sequel. That last section is doing serious work.
  
• For fans, this is the kind of fantasy romance that’s just ridiculously easy to binge. Political intrigue, deadly heroine, protective king, morally messy choices, and a relationship that constantly shifts alliances. It is not reinventing the genre, but for a lot of readers it delivers exactly what they want.

What if you’re mostly here for spicy enemies-to-lovers chaos?

Absolutely fair. If you were there for the tension and the dangerous romance, I’ve got you. 

What readers are saying:

• The first chunk is a slog any many beg that you get through it. Think info dumps, new terms, and it feels like nothing is happening yet.
• The worldbuilding can feel like fantasy word salad at times (Ascended, Craven, Atlantia… okay??), and some readers stay confused.
• Poppy is very love-or-hate. For real, either you vibe with her bold, stubborn, consequences-be-damned thing… or she makes you want to scream.
• Hawke is the reason many people keep turning pages. He’s flirty, protective, “I’d burn the world” vibes, and yes, the tension and spice is doing the most heavy lifting to be lifted.
• The plot twists aren’t always shocking—some readers call them predictable—but it weirdly doesn’t matter once the pace finally picks up.
• Biggest consensus? If you push past the slow start, it turns into a bingeable, dramatic, spicy train you can’t stop watching crash.

What Readers Are Saying

• Some readers absolutely hate the writing style. I’m talking full essays about repetitive phrases, dramatic inner monologues, and people counting how many times certain words show up. There is a whole subsection of reviews dedicated to Feyre’s bones “barking” and readers losing their minds over it.
  
• Feyre drives a lot of readers slightly insane. The biggest complaint is basically: girl, why are you doing that? People point out how often she’s warned not to do something and then immediately does it anyway. Midnight snack while the magical murder festival is happening? Sure, why not.
  
• The romance is where readers start fighting in the comments. Some people genuinely enjoy the dark fairytale energy with Tamlin. Others are side eyeing the relationship hard and saying the chemistry feels forced or weirdly rushed. And then there’s the crowd who read the whole book thinking, oh greaaat… clearly the other guy is the real love interest.
  
• Rhysand causes absolute chaos in the reviews. Half the readers are already obsessed with him the second he appears. The other half are like… are you nuts? This man is creepy, manipulative, and deeply suspicious. It’s basically the start of the fandom civil war.
  
• A lot of people say the plot only really wakes up at the end. The first chunk feels slow to some readers, and then suddenly the last section goes full chaos with trials, riddles, torture, and dramatic reveals. Even people who struggled early admit the ending is where things get intense.
  
• And yet… people still binge the entire series. Even reviews that spend five paragraphs roasting the book will end with something like “well crap, now I have to read the sequel.” Love it or hate it, ACOTAR has that weird addictive energy that makes readers keep going.

What Readers Are Saying

• Readers absolutely love the unapologetically ambitious heroine. Alessandra is the kind of main character people either instantly adore or immediately side eye. Fans love that she is openly scheming, openly power hungry, and not pretending to be the sweet innocent girl who just wants a quiet life. Her entire plan is literally “marry the king, kill him, take the crown.” Honestly? Iconic behaviour.
  
• The “Slytherin energy” marketing worked on a lot of readers. A huge chunk of reviews basically say the same thing: finally, a YA fantasy heroine who knows exactly what she wants and is perfectly happy manipulating her way there. People who are tired of shy, self sacrificing heroines had a great time watching Alessandra chew through court politics.
  
• The enemies to lovers dynamic is a big selling point. Readers loved the tension between Alessandra and the Shadow King, especially once they realise they are both ambitious, slightly unhinged, and fully capable of out scheming each other. It has that fun “two dangerous people flirting with knives behind their backs” energy.
  
• It’s a very bingeable standalone fantasy. One thing people repeatedly praise is that it is not a six book commitment. The pacing is fast, the writing is easy to devour, and a lot of readers say they finished it in a single sitting because it is just ridiculously fun to read.
  
• The court drama and friendships surprised people. Many readers expected pure romance chaos but ended up loving the social politics, the fashion scheming, and the female friendships that develop along the way. It adds a lot more personality to the story than people expected going in.
  
• Even readers who noticed the flaws still had a blast. A lot of reviews openly admit the villain is easy to guess and the ending wraps up a bit too neatly. But the overall reaction is basically: do I care? Not really. Because the whole ride is entertaining enough that people were happy to go along with it.

Spicy books like Fourth Wing (high heat, high drama)

Look, if the real reason you inhaled Fourth Wing was the tension, the open-door scenes, and the morally questionable romantic decisions… same. Dragons are great. Dangerous men with terrible judgement? Also great. Are we making healthy choices as readers? Absolutely not.

If what you want is romantasy with real spice, high drama, and addictive chemistry, these deliver that same late-night “just one more chapter” energy.

What Readers Are Saying

• Readers seem really split between “this is delicious fae chaos” and “why does this feel like 300 pages of set up?” A lot of people loved the dark romantasy ingredients right away: cursed atmosphere, angry heroine, morally grey fae man, loads of tension. But even fans admitted this first book feels much more like groundwork than full payoff.
  
• The biggest complaint is pacing, but not always in a dealbreaker way. Plenty of readers said the middle drags and that the book leans heavily on travelling, simmering attraction, and waiting for the real plot to kick in. Still, for readers who are here for mood, tension, and feral chemistry, that slower build clearly worked better.
  
• Caelum is very much a “your mileage may vary” love interest. If you like possessive alphahole fae men doing the whole touch her and die routine, readers say he absolutely delivers. If that archetype already annoys you, he will probably send you into orbit. There is not really a middle lane with him.
  
• Estrella is one of the stronger points for a lot of readers. Even reviews with issues say she has bite. People liked that she is angry, defensive, messy, and willing to fight back rather than just drift through the story while things happen to her. She gives the book a lot of its fire.
  
• A lot of readers clocked the twists early, but many still enjoyed the ride. This is not really being praised as a super subtle book. Most people saw the reveals coming. The difference is that fans did not particularly care because they were there for the tension, the darkness, the spice, and the fantasy drama more than the shock factor.
  
• The overall feeling is basically: flawed, tropey, addictive. Even readers who called it derivative or underdeveloped still admitted it has that compulsive romantasy pull. It is very much one of those books where people go in knowing exactly the kind of nonsense they are signing up for and then have a bloody good time anyway.

What readers are saying: 

• Readers who loved this were fully seated for the pirate king thing. Dark sea magic, enemy tension, stormy atmosphere, all of that really worked for people who wanted something dramatic and a bit feral.
  
• Erik is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the good reviews. People kept describing him as dangerous, damaged, possessive, and annoyingly easy to fall for, which honestly tells you exactly who this book is for.
  
• The romance seems to land best for readers who enjoy captor captive tension, lots of banter, and that obsessive pet name energy that either gets you giggling or makes you want to launch the book.
  
• A lot of more mixed reviews said the dialogue starts to feel repetitive after a while, especially once certain phrases and nicknames keep coming round again. Fair complaint, to be honest.
  
• Some readers also wanted more from the world beyond the romance. The setting and magic intrigued them, but they did not always feel as developed as the central relationship.
  
• General consensus: if you want dark romantasy with a pirate king, strong chemistry, and a very specific kind of obsessive energy, this is really fun. If you want originality, depth, and no repeated pet names, maybe not your girl.
  

What readers are saying:

• Readers who are into dark romance were absolutely unwell over this one. The words that keep coming up are intense, twisted, addictive, and deeply unhinged, which is either a glowing endorsement or a warning label.
  
• Fans were especially hooked by the captive setup, the raven shifters, the brutal emotional tension, and the fact that the book commits very hard to its own darkness. It is not pretending to be soft or sweet for five minutes.
  
• A lot of positive reviews basically say the same thing: this book knows exactly what it is. Toxic, dramatic, high heat, slightly chaotic, and fully committed to wrecking your peace. For the right reader, that makes it actually satisfying.
  
• The backlash is just as strong, though. Lower rated reviews push back hard on the consent issues, the violence, and the sexual content, and quite a few readers felt it crossed lines they were not willing to go with.
  
• Some readers also thought the worldbuilding and pacing were a bit of a mess, with the shock factor doing more of the work than the actual plot. So even people who liked the concept did not always think the execution held together.
  
• Overall, this is very much a lane book. If you like dark romance that goes properly dark, you may end up obsessed. If that is not your thing, bloody hell, this will go badly.
  

What readers are saying:

• Readers who had a good time with this were here for the full romantasy package: court politics, fae intrigue, spying, longing, and a love interest with very obvious shadow daddy appeal. Which, fair enough.
  
• A lot of positive reviews describe it as tropey in a way that works. Not groundbreaking, not trying to reinvent fantasy romance, just giving people enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and a morally grey man in a way that scratches the itch.
  
• The romance seems to be the main draw. People liked the tension, the secrecy, and the sense that attraction keeps getting more inconvenient at the worst possible moments.
  
• Quite a few readers also connected with the heroine, especially her stubbornness and the way she keeps pushing back in a political setting that is not designed to let women move freely or safely.
  
• On the more critical side, some readers found it cheesy, overdramatic, or a bit too slow. Pacing seems to be one of the biggest split points, especially if you need the plot to move faster than the yearning.
  
• General feeling: this works best when you go in wanting a fun, trope heavy fae romance with good tension. If you are looking for something especially tight, subtle, or wildly original, you may come out a bit twitchy.

What should you read if you want something like Fourth Wing… but feels more intelligent?

Look, we can admit it: Fourth Wing is an incredible reading experience, but if you’re used to denser fantasy, some of the writing and worldbuilding might have felt a bit shallow and that’s ok! Not all books are for everyone. If you want books that hit similar emotional beats but with more craft, try these.

What readers are saying:

• Even readers who struggled with the beginning often admit the emotional payoff is massive. That final stretch does a ridiculous amount of work, and for a lot of people it is the reason the book ends up living in their head rent free.
  
• Fans loved the mix of urban fantasy chaos, murder mystery, grief, friendship, and full scale emotional devastation. It is doing a lot, and the people who click with it tend to love it for exactly that reason.
  
• Bryce gets a lot of praise in positive reviews. Readers describe her as messy, funny, reckless, sharp, and emotionally convincing, even when she is being a complete nightmare. Which is honestly part of her charm.
  
• The biggest complaint by miles is the opening info dump. Plenty of readers felt buried under names, factions, lore, and history before they had any reason to care, and some never fully recovered from that.
  
• More critical reviews also mention the length, the repetition, and some very familiar Sarah J. Maas character patterns. If you are already sensitive to those writing habits, you will probably notice them here too.
  
• Overall, readers seem split between two very dramatic positions: either this is an epic emotional knockout with one hell of an ending, or it is an overstuffed monster that needed a firmer edit. There is not much middle ground, which is quite funny.
  

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (again)

I know she already showed up in the tournament section, but she belongs here too.

Why it fits here:

Carissa Broadbent’s prose and worldbuilding are a step up from a lot of BookTok darlings. If you want something as addictive as Fourth Wing but a bit more intentional, she’s a strong shout.

Quick list of Books like Fourth Wing at a Glance

For the “just give me the list, please” crowd:

• Fireborne – dragons, revolution, low spice, more politics.
• Zodiac Academy – fae academy chaos, bully romance, very messy, medium–high spice.
• A Promise of Fire – travelling war band, powerful hidden FMC, Greek-inspired gods, medium spice.
• The Serpent and the Wings of Night – vampire death tournament, dark, high stakes, medium–high spice.
• The Bridge Kingdom – spy princess marries enemy king, political tension, medium spice.
• From Blood and Ash – chosen maiden, secretive guard, dramatic twists, high spice.
• A Court of Thorns and Roses – fae courts, trauma and healing arcs, low–medium spice in book one.
• The Shadows Between Us – villain FMC and villain king, court intrigue, low spice, standalone.
• A Curse So Dark and Lonely – disability rep, Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling, YA tone, low spice.
• Divine Rivals – war backdrop, rivals-to-lovers via letters, strong writing, low–medium spice.
• House of Earth and Blood – urban fantasy city, murder mystery, big cast, medium spice.
• What Lies Beyond the Veil – dark fae romantasy, sheltered heroine, morally grey love interest, high spice.
• The Ever King – fae pirate romantasy, enemies-to-lovers tension, sea adventure, medium–high spice.
• Feathers So Vicious – extremely dark fae romantasy, captivity and revenge plot, very high spice.
• A Kiss of Iron – fae court intrigue, secret identities, political scheming, medium–high spice.

You obviously don’t need to read all of these. Pick the ones that match why Fourth Wing worked for you, not just the ones everyone else can’t stop talking about.

Want more guilty pleasure recs like this?

If this helped narrow things down at all, you’ll probably like being on my email list. Once a week, I send:

• What I actually read (good, bad, and “wait for a sale”)
• A couple of quick-hit recs or warnings
• Extra books like Fourth Wing and other romantasy picks that never make it to the main blog

Frequently Asked Questions for What to Read After Fourth Wing