by Rebecca Yarros
4.3 · 4 reviewsTrust nothing, fly toward the storm: the third Empyrean novel sends Violet beyond the wards to forge alliances that could save Navarre — or doom it.
Violet Sorrengail has survived Basgiath War College, the deadly trials of cadet life, and revelations that shattered everything she thought she knew about her kingdom. But survival was only the beginning. With Navarre's defenses failing and the truth about the venin spreading, Violet must do the unthinkable: leave the protection of the wards and venture into unknown territory to seek allies who may not want to be found.
Bonded to two dragons and torn between the people she loves and the secrets that keep multiplying around her, Violet faces a journey across uncharted lands where loyalty is a currency and trust can be fatal. The threats are no longer confined to the battlefield — they hide in plain sight, in the faces of those closest to her, in the politics of a world on the brink.
As alliances shift and the line between ally and enemy blurs, Violet will have to decide how much she is willing to risk, and how much of herself she is willing to lose, to protect Xaden and everyone she has fought to keep alive. The storm is coming, and this time there is nowhere left to hide.
First published in 2025.
4 reviews
Yarros raises the stakes in all the right ways and the emotional gut-punches land hard. I docked a star because a couple of the twists I saw coming, but honestly the journey was so fun I didn't mind. Bring on the next one.
Still entertaining and the back third absolutely flies, but the early travel sections dragged for me and a few plot beats felt like setup for later books rather than payoff here. Solid, just not as tight as Fourth Wing.
The new settings outside the wards added so much to the world without losing the tension I loved in the first two books. Tairn and Andarna steal every scene they're in. Already counting down to book four.
I devoured this in two sittings and immediately wanted to start over. Yarros knows exactly how to wreck you and then hand you just enough hope to keep flipping pages. That ending had me yelling at my book at 2am.