Discover the instant #1 New York Times bestseller! Now optioned for TV by Amazon Studios. Accolades for Fourth Wing Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 ( Fourth Wing and Iron Flame ) NPR "Books We Love" 2023 Audible Best Books of 2023 Hudson Book of the Year Google Play Best Books of 2023 Indigo Best Books of 2023 Waterstones Book of the Year finalist Goodreads Choice Award, semi-finalist Newsweek Staffers' Favorite Books of 2023 Paste Magazine's Best Books of 2023 "The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity." —Xaden Riorson Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it's designed to stretch the riders' capacity for pain beyond endurance. It's the new vice commandant, who's made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules . But a determination to survive won't be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end. The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Fourth Wing Book #2 Iron Flame