Summary
The third book in
The Empyrean
series is in the works, but the release date hasn’t been announced yet.
Rebecca Yarros is taking her time with the third book, so its release date may not arrive until late 2024 or early 2025.
The third novel’s plot is teased during
Fourth Wing
and
Iron Flame,
and the latter sets up many directions to go in.
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Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean series got off to a strong start with Fourth Wing, which became a massive phenomenon in the book community, along with its sequel Iron Flame — and a third novel is planned for the beloved “romantasy” story. Anyone who has read Iron Flame will know that Yarros is setting up a longer narrative for Violet and Xaden, both of whom have come a long way since Violet’s early days at Basgiath War College. Fourth Wing saw Violet learning to be a dragon rider and falling for Xaden, and its ending left her questioning everything she believes about her home and family.
Iron Flame sees Violet continuing to grapple with these questions as she enters her second year at Basgiath War College — a year that’s somehow even more chaotic than her first one at the academy. The threats descending on Basgiath and Navarre get even worse, and Violet’s put in the impossible situation of choosing between those she loves and doing what she knows is right. Fortunately, more people come around to her cause as the book goes on. But Iron Flame’s many storylines and twisty ending set the stage for her plight to continue in the third Empyrean book and beyond.
The Empyrean Series Book 3 Has A Release Date – But It’s Not Announced Yet
The 3rd Book Will Take Longer Than Iron Flame Did
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Not much is known about the third book in The Empyrean series, but Yarros confirmed that it has a release date; it simply hasn’t been announced yet. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about her sequel plans, the author revealed that fans may have a longer wait for book three than they did for Iron Flame. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame came out during the same year, something that’s almost unheard of in traditional publishing. Because Yarros has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — the condition Violet has in Fourth Wing — she told the outlet that she’s “taking [things] a bit slower so that I can be healthy through all of it.”
That said, a publication date has been set, even if it hasn’t been made public yet. Given Yarros’ comments, it seems plausible that readers will see the third Empyrean book either later in 2024 or sometime in 2025. This will give Yarros the time to balance her health and personal life with writing her next book, and it could help the third novel’s chances of success as well. Time away from Violet and Xaden’s story will no doubt build anticipation for the next installment, especially after Iron Flame’s jaw-dropping ending.
The 3rd Empyrean Series Book Does Not Yet Have A Title
Rebecca Yarros Chooses Her Title While Plotting
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The third Empyrean book may have a secret release date, but the novel doesn’t have a title just yet. Yarros revealed as much during an interview with Variety, telling the outlet that the names of her books typically “come to me when I’m plotting.” As she’s still in the process of planning and writing the third installment, she doesn’t seem to have landed on anything specific. Yarros noted that she plots nearly every detail of her novels. On the topic of titles, she explained, “It comes to me as I’m staring at the plot board and looking at what is key, it just pops in.”
Yarros did add that she’s got the overall plot of The Empyrean books planned already, but the smaller stuff likely still needs to be fleshed out. Given her statement about taking her time with book three, it could be a while before she decides on the sequel’s title. Whatever it is, it will probably speak to Violet and Xaden’s journeys at this point of the series. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame stem from their books’ lore, so it only makes sense the next installment will do the same with its name.
The Empyrean Series Book 3 Story: What Fourth Wing & Iron Flame Set Up
Rebecca Yarros Has Dropped Some Big Hints
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Those wondering what the plot of the third Empyrean book will cover can look to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame for clues. There’s obviously no synopsis for the third novel yet, but Yarros’ first two Empyrean books set up clear threads for the next sequel to follow. In particular, Iron Flame sets the stage for the story to go in many different directions. The sequel will need to address Iron Flame’s big plot twist: that Xaden is now a venin. That will likely take up much of the narrative on its own, but the general fight between Navarre and the venin is also unlikely to be resolved any time soon.
As for Violet’s journey, there’s still a lot to learn when it comes to her connection to Andarna and her second signet. On the signet front, Yarros told Variety that she has already dropped plenty of clues about Violet’s second power throughout Iron Flame. “I will tell you that that’s third book,” she said, “but every single hint you would need to know what her second signet is in Iron Flame.” The fact that Andarna is a more mysterious type of dragon also warrants further explanation, so there’s plenty of room for Violet’s world to expand further — and Yarros’ fantasy world as an extension.
How Many More Books In The Empyrean Series Will There Be
Fourth Wing Was Just The Beginning Of A Major Saga
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There’s a lot to address on the heels of Iron Flame, but all readers’ questions may not be answered in the third Empyrean book. That’s because Yarros has already confirmed that there are several more sequels planned for the series. While it started as three books, Yarros now plans to write five novels in total. “Probably about 30,000 words in, I called my editor and I said, I think this is a five-book series,” she told Variety. “And that’s how we went from three to five.” That means things may expand even further in the third installment, even after all the work Iron Flame did to build on the world.
Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV Show Won’t Overtake The Books
The Adaptation Won’t Face Game Of Thrones’ Biggest Problem
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Fourth Wing fans have more Empyrean books to look forward to, but there’s also a TV adaptation on the horizon. Amazon is adapting Fourth Wing for the small screen, and with any luck, it will tackle Yarros’ entire series. There’s no word on when Amazon will begin work on the show, and Yarros can’t say much on the subject. However, Fourth Wing being green-lit for an adaptation before the first book’s release raised concerns that it would fall into a trap that’s hurt other fantasy adaptations: the series surpassing the books.
While this is something that’s happened with adaptations as big as Game of Thrones, it doesn’t seem to be a concern for the Empyrean series’ TV show. For one, Fourth Wing’s publication schedule already seems to be moving faster than something like A Song of Ice and Fire. Yarros also told Variety that she doesn’t intend to let that happen, saying, “So I can promise, unless something happens to me, we’re not going to have that situation.” That’s a promising sentiment for fans of the Empyrean series, and it means book three won’t take that long to arrive — a major relief after Iron Flame’s bombshell ending.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Variety