You finished Onyx Storm. You're probably upset about it. (We're upset about it.) And now you need something to fill the hole where Xaden's secrets used to live.
Onyx Storm raised the stakes on everything the Empyrean series does: the military tension, the political betrayals, the "he's keeping something from me and it might kill us both" dynamic with Xaden, and Violet's growing power that keeps terrifying everyone including her. So we matched these to the specific pieces that make the Empyrean series hit. Not just "dragon books," because that's not why you're here.
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Start HuntingThe Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Oraya is the only human in a vampire kingdom. She has no vampire abilities, no natural advantages, and everyone wants her dead. Sound familiar? Her scrappy, refuse-to-quit energy mirrors Violet's, and the tournament arc is tighter than anything in the Empyrean. The enemies-to-lovers with Raihn starts as a reluctant alliance and becomes something devastating. Book one's ending will wreck you the same way Iron Flame's revelations did.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Raeve is an assassin. Kaan is a king who has been mourning a woman for centuries. She doesn't remember who she was. He does. The fated mates dynamic takes the Violet-and-Xaden bond and adds centuries of grief on top of it. Dense worldbuilding (give it 100 pages), but when it clicks, it clicks HARD. The "he knew before she did" energy that Onyx Storm amplified? This book runs on it from page one. Plus, dragons. Actual dragons that matter to the plot.
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
Freya is a shield maiden with blood magic, claimed by a Viking jarl as a political weapon. Bjorn, the jarl's son, is tasked with protecting her. He would burn down the world for her before she even realizes what's happening. The "touch her and die" energy is on the level of Xaden at his most feral. Viking setting, battle sequences, and a forced proximity situation that makes every scene between them pulse with tension. If the Xaden-as-protector thread is your thing, Bjorn delivers.
The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole
Dianna has served the gods for centuries. Liam is the World Ender. Both are ancient, both are devastating, and both are SO broken. The banter between them is the kind that makes you put the book down to recover. If the Violet-Xaden dynamic is your favorite part of the Empyrean, specifically the sharp exchanges that hide how much they care, this is your book. The scale is massive (gods, ancient wars, world-ending stakes) and the slow burn earns every moment.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Giant mecha instead of dragons. Pilots instead of riders. And a system where girls are expendable fuel for the boys who get the glory. Zetian refuses to die quietly. She becomes the first female pilot to survive, and she's not interested in being grateful about it. The military academy structure mirrors Basgiath, the "girls die so boys can fight" setup is darker than anything in the Empyrean, and Zetian makes Violet look diplomatic. If you want the rage and the rebellion without any softening, start here.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Mia Corvere trains at a school for assassins, and the school is designed to kill you. The academy vibes are darker than Basgiath, the training is more lethal, and Mia is brilliant and vicious in equal measure. The romance is secondary to the revenge plot but when it shows up, it leaves marks. If the Empyrean's "survival at a deadly institution" framework is your hook, Nevernight is the version where the institution has no interest in anyone graduating alive.
The Plated Prisoner by Raven Kennedy
Auren has lived in King Midas's golden cage, a trophy he gilded and keeps. When she falls into the hands of a dark army commander, everything she believed about her life starts to unravel. The "love interest who is morally grey but protective in a way that makes you feral" energy is peak Xaden. Commander Rip watches Auren figure out her own power the way Xaden watches Violet, with intensity and barely concealed pride. The slow burn across books rewards patience.
A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden
Arwen is captured by the king of darkness. She's a healer, not a warrior. He's terrifying and powerful and keeps her prisoner. And then, slowly, the dynamic shifts. Kane falls first and falls quietly, the way Xaden does, in actions rather than words. The forced proximity in a war setting, the FMC discovering power she didn't know she had, the MMC with dangerous secrets. If you drew a Venn diagram with Fourth Wing, the overlap would be massive.
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Six cursed realms. Six rulers. A deadly Centennial game where they must break their curses or die. Isla Crown enters hiding a secret that could get her killed. The tournament structure gives this a competitive, high-stakes energy similar to the Gauntlet and war games in the Empyrean. The court politics are messier, the alliances shift constantly, and the love triangle is the kind where both options feel dangerous. Less spice than Fourth Wing, but the "everyone is lying and someone is going to die" tension is comparable.
Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
Brexley is thrown into a brutal prison camp, a fae-blood girl surrounded by dangerous fae who want her dead or worse. Warwick, the most feared prisoner, becomes both her threat and her protection. The raw survival energy here is closer to the darker parts of Onyx Storm than anything on this list. No academy polish. No structure. Just two people who shouldn't trust each other, stuck together in a place trying to kill them. The possessive hero energy runs HOT, and the forced proximity is literal imprisonment. Not for the faint of heart.
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