Rebecca Yarros burst onto the literary scene in 2023 with her instant New York Times bestseller, Fourth Wing . She quickly became a titan of the “ romantasy ” genre alongside the likes of Sarah J Maas and Carissa Broadbent.

Her Empyrean series is set in a fantasy world of dragons and magic and centres on cadets in military training at a college, drawing comparisons with nostalgic titles like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games . By blending the best romantasy themes (think enemies-to-lovers storylines, depictions of otherworlds, brutal war and found-family), the series has gained the author a legion of loyal fans on TikTok.

When the third book, Onyx Storm , was released in January last year, it garnered a 4.39 rating on Goodreads, surprising acclaim from literary critics and completely dominated social media feeds with commentary about that ending.…