---
title: "What to read after Fourth Wing: 7 dragon-adjacent romantasy picks"
description: "You've inhaled Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and now you're waiting for book three like the rest of us. Here's what to read in the meantime."
canonical: "https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/what-to-read-after-fourth-wing"
url: "https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/what-to-read-after-fourth-wing.md"
author: "Amy — Bella Bugs Books"
locale: "en-IE"
type: "blog-post"
date_modified: "2026-08-18"
---

# What to read after Fourth Wing: 7 dragon-adjacent romantasy picks

You've inhaled Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and now you're waiting for book three like the rest of us. Here's what to read in the meantime.

Category: Recommendations

*Fourth Wing* did to my sleep schedule what Basgiath did to Violet's ribs. If you're in the same boat — book two devoured, book three not out yet, and you need something *right now* — here's the shelf.

## If you want more dragons

### 1. *His Majesty's Dragon* — Naomi Novik
Napoleonic Wars, but with a dragon corps. Temeraire is one of the great dragon characters in fantasy full stop. Less romance-forward than Fourth Wing, more historical adventure, and completely charming.

### 2. *Eragon* — Christopher Paolini
Yes, really. If you missed it as a teenager, the dragon-bond and quadrant-style riders' academy DNA is right there. It reads younger than Fourth Wing but the worldbuilding holds up.

## If you want the magic-academy pressure cooker

### 3. *A Deal with the Devil* — Elizabeth O'Roark
Not an academy — but the enemies-to-lovers antagonism between Drew and Sloane is the closest thing to Xaden and Violet in contemporary romance. Perfect emotional palate cleanser.

### 4. *A Study in Drowning* — Ava Reid
A magical university, a gothic house, a woman doing thesis research on a poet who might be a fraud. Slower and moodier than Fourth Wing, but that "smart heroine outside her comfort zone" energy is identical.

### 5. *Zodiac Academy* — Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
This is the "I need eight more books immediately" recommendation. Rejected mates, fae academy, four love interests, and enough drama to fuel a small country. It's a lot. That's the point.

## If you want the enemies-to-lovers slow burn

### 6. *A Court of Mist and Fury* — Sarah J. Maas
If somehow you haven't — this is the book. Read *A Court of Thorns and Roses* first, then this. The Rhys-and-Feyre reveal in ACOMAF is the same kind of "oh, *oh*" moment as Violet finally understanding what Xaden has been doing.

### 7. *The Serpent and the Wings of Night* — Carissa Broadbent
Vampires, a tournament to the death, a heroine who is not what she seems, and a love interest whose motives change chapter by chapter. If you loved the Threshing and the Gauntlet, this whole book is basically that vibe.

---

## The one I'd start with

**A Court of Mist and Fury** if you haven't. **The Serpent and the Wings of Night** if you have.

And tell me — is it Team Xaden or Team Liam? I need to know.

---

_Every book recommended here is read in full and reviewed by Amy. No sponsorships, no gifted-book obligations, spoilers always marked._

## Related

- [What to Read Next, Based on Your Mood](https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/what-to-read-next-by-mood.md)
- [What to Read After Freida McFadden](https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/books-like-freida-mcfadden.md)
- [A Cosy Autumn Reading List for Dark Evenings](https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/cosy-autumn-reading-list.md)
- [Best Books to Read in a Reading Slump](https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog/best-books-for-a-reading-slump.md)
- [All blog posts](https://bellabugsbooks.com/blog.md)
- [Reading guides](https://bellabugsbooks.com/guides.md)