Books Like Fourth Wing: 9 Picks Sorted by What You Loved

The best books like Fourth Wing depend on what hooked you. If it was the dragons, start with When the Moon Hatched. If it was the deadly trials, try Powerless or The Serpent and the Wings of Night. For a hotter enemies-to-lovers fae romance, Quicksilver is the closest match. This list has nine picks, each with a sourced spice note and the series status as of October 9, 2026.

TL;DR: Dragons: When the Moon Hatched (adult, 4/5 spice) and Fireborne (YA, 1/5). Deadly trials: Powerless (YA, 1/5), Lightlark (YA, 2/5), The Serpent and the Wings of Night and The Games Gods Play. Enemies to lovers: Quicksilver (5/5), Heartless Hunter (3/5) and A Fate Inked in Blood. Spice placements come from Common Sense Media and Publishers Weekly reviews; where neither describes the sex content, we say so.

Books like Fourth Wing (quick answer)

"Not rated" means no review we could verify describes the sex content clearly enough to place it on the FaeShelf spice scale. We do not fill that gap from memory.

Key Takeaways

• Closest overall match: When the Moon Hatched, for dragons, an adult rating and a slow burn that "grows quite graphic", per Common Sense Media.
• Lower heat: Fireborne and Powerless both get "a little" for sex content from Common Sense Media.
• Higher heat: Quicksilver gets 18+ and "a lot", with explicit, lengthy scenes.
• Finished series: only the Aurelian Cycle (Fireborne) is a confirmed finished trilogy here. Powerless has all three books out.

Overview: what makes a book like Fourth Wing

Publishers Weekly summed up Fourth Wing as "the epic tale of a reluctant dragon rider's coming-of-age with a sexy dark academia aesthetic". That is three different hooks: dragons, a deadly school, and an open-door romance. Common Sense Media rates the book 16+ with "a lot" of sex content, and its Goodreads average was 4.56 from about 4 million ratings on October 9, 2026.

Few books hit all three, so this list is split by hook. Each entry gives the first publication date and Goodreads average from the book's Goodreads page, an age category, a spice placement with its source, and where the series stands. If you have not finished the Empyrean yet, our Empyrean series reading order covers all four books, including the new Threshing Day collection.

Analysis: books like Fourth Wing with dragons

1. When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker (Moonfall #1, 2024). Common Sense Media calls it "a romantic fantasy written for an adult audience, but with significant teen appeal", centered on "a fierce assassin". It rates it 17+ and says "this slow burn romance grows quite graphic", with scenes that start "in the second half of the book". That puts it at 4 out of 5 on our scale, level with Fourth Wing. Goodreads average: 4.01 from about 376,000 ratings. Series status: two books out; The Ballad of Falling Dragons followed in 2026. Readers are split on it. One r/fantasyromance commenter called it "a 6-star read for me, but this book is polarizing!"

2. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda (The Aurelian Cycle #1, 2019). This is the YA pick for readers who want dragon riders without the explicit scenes. Common Sense Media rates it 12+ and describes "dragon riders attacking and torturing with fire, and tournament bouts and sparring to determine the best". Sex content is "a little": "an instance of implied sex, but nothing's described". Spice: 1 out of 5. Series status: finished. The trilogy ended with Furysong in 2022, which the publisher's blurb calls "this explosive conclusion to the epic trilogy". Goodreads average: 3.88 from about 38,000 ratings.

Cover image: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, via Open Library

r/fantasyromance readers keep naming it in dragon threads:

That comment reads: "Fireborne! It has dragons, politics, found family, and two amazing main romances (and a nice side romance as well)!"

GODEEPER: How explicit is the Empyrean, book by book, and where do these placements come from? Onyx Storm Spice Level: 4/5, With Sources and Content Notes →

Books like Fourth Wing with deadly trials

The second hook is the war college: a competition where losing means dying. These four books build their plots around trials, tournaments or games.

3. Powerless by Lauren Roberts (The Powerless Trilogy #1, 2023). Common Sense Media rates it 14+ and says its "purging trials that mimic the hunger games" bring plenty of bloody action. Romance is light: "mild kissing but plenty of touching and tension leading up to it". Spice: 1 out of 5. Series status: all three books are out; Fearless, book 3, came out in 2025. Goodreads average: 4.12 from about 1.1 million ratings.

Cover image: Simon & Schuster, via Open Library

4. Lightlark by Alex Aster (Lightlark #1, 2022). A YA fantasy about "a young woman trying to break a curse that will destroy the realm she rules". Common Sense Media rates it 15+ and marks sex content "a lot", though it describes no intercourse, and "a few erotic dreams mostly involve kissing". We place it at 2 out of 5: sensual, not open door. Series status: four books out, ending so far with Crowntide in 2025. Goodreads average: 3.84 from about 380,000 ratings.

5. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Crowns of Nyaxia #1, 2022). Publishers Weekly describes "a divinely sponsored tournament to the death" that "doubles as an addictive enemies-to-lovers romance" between a human "raised and trained by the king of the nightborn vampires" and a rival vampire. PW files the review under "romance/erotica" but does not describe the sex scenes, so we have not given it a number. It is "book 1 of the nightborn duet" inside the larger series, according to Bramble's page for the hardcover, which went on sale December 5, 2023 after the original 2022 release. Series status: ongoing, with a fifth book, The Lion & the Deathless Dark, published in 2026. Goodreads average: 4.25 from about 825,000 ratings.

6. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen (The Crucible #1, 2024). Same publisher as Fourth Wing: Red Tower Books. The gods choose mortals to compete for them in the Crucible, "the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler", and Hades picks a cursed San Francisco office clerk. We found no published review describing its sex content, so it is not rated here. Series status: the trilogy's last book, The Wrath Gods Reap, is listed on Goodreads as "the thrilling conclusion" with expected publication in 2026. Goodreads average: 4.13 from about 108,000 ratings.

Books like Fourth Wing for enemies to lovers

The third hook is Violet and Xaden: a romance that starts in open hostility. These three books lean hardest on that dynamic.

7. Quicksilver by Callie Hart (Fae & Alchemy #1, 2024). The heroine is "bonded to a handsome fae named Kingfisher", per Common Sense Media, which rates the book 18+. It says "explicit sex scenes include lengthy descriptions" and that "adults talk and think about sex frequently". That is a 5 out of 5 on our scale, one step above Fourth Wing. Series status: Brimstone (book 2) came out in 2025; book 3 is untitled and expected in 2027. Goodreads average: 4.3 from about 1 million ratings.

8. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth #1, 2024). Wednesday Books lists it as The Crimson Moth: Book 1, for ages 13 to 18. Common Sense Media's headline is "witch falls for her enemy", and it rates the book 15+. It notes that "the main characters have sex, described in some detail". That is a 3 on our scale: open door, but not a large part of the book. Goodreads average: 4.16 from about 464,000 ratings.

Cover image: Wednesday Books, via Open Library

9. A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen (Saga of the Unfated #1, 2024). A "norse mythology-inspired" romantasy from Del Rey. Publishers Weekly calls it "this sizzling if sometimes silly romantasy" and says "heated battles and steamy interludes keep the pages turning". "Steamy" is not specific enough for a number, so it stays unrated here. Series status: two books out; A Curse Carved in Bone followed in 2025. Goodreads average: 3.89 from about 209,000 ratings.

GODEEPER: Want series that are already finished, so you never wait on a cliffhanger again? Completed Romantasy Series You Can Binge Now →

Our take

This take is based on the reviews and listings cited above. If you want the closest thing to Fourth Wing, read When the Moon Hatched: dragons, an adult rating and a heat level Common Sense Media describes in similar terms. If Fourth Wing's sex scenes were the part you skimmed, Fireborne is the safer pick and the only one here that is a confirmed finished trilogy. If you wanted more heat, Quicksilver is the clear step up.

Three picks are unrated because the sources do not support a number. That is a gap, not a hint that they are closed door; PW's "steamy" and "romance/erotica" labels suggest otherwise. We will add placements once a dated rating we can cite is available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I read after Fourth Wing? Pick by what you loved. For dragons, try When the Moon Hatched (adult, 17+) or Fireborne (YA). For deadly trials, try Powerless or The Serpent and the Wings of Night. For an explicit enemies-to-lovers fae romance, Quicksilver by Callie Hart is the closest match on heat.

Is there a book like Fourth Wing with dragons? Yes. When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker is an adult dragon romantasy that Common Sense Media rates 17+, close to Fourth Wing's 16+. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda has dragon riders and tournament bouts too, but it is YA and its only sex is implied.

What is a less spicy book like Fourth Wing? Fireborne and Powerless. Common Sense Media rates both "a little" for sex content: Fireborne has only implied sex, and Powerless has mild kissing with plenty of tension. Both are YA with trials and fighting, and both series have all three books out.

What is a spicier book like Fourth Wing? Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Common Sense Media rates it 18+ and says its explicit sex scenes include lengthy descriptions, which puts it at 5 out of 5 on the FaeShelf scale, one step above Fourth Wing. It has a fae bond and a slow-building enemies dynamic.

Are there books like Fourth Wing from the same publisher? Yes. Red Tower Books, the Entangled imprint behind Fourth Wing, also publishes The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen, a deadly-competition romantasy in which the Greek gods choose mortals to fight for them and Hades picks the heroine. Goodreads lists its final book, The Wrath Gods Reap, for 2026.

Related Reading

• Books like ACOTAR: faerie courts, mates and morally grey love interests, with sourced spice notes.
• Romantasy books like guide: every "books like" list on FaeShelf, grouped by the book you loved.
• Monster romance fantasy books: for readers who wanted more of the creatures than the people.

References

• Publishers Weekly: Fourth Wing review
• Common Sense Media: Fourth Wing
• Common Sense Media: When the Moon Hatched
• Common Sense Media: Fireborne
• Common Sense Media: Powerless
• Common Sense Media: Lightlark
• Common Sense Media: Quicksilver
• Common Sense Media: Heartless Hunter
• Macmillan (Bramble): The Serpent & the Wings of Night
• Macmillan (Wednesday Books): Heartless Hunter
• Publishers Weekly: The Serpent and the Wings of Night
• Publishers Weekly: A Fate Inked in Blood
• Goodreads: The Aurelian Cycle series
• Goodreads: The Crucible series
• Goodreads: Fae & Alchemy series
• Goodreads: Crowns of Nyaxia series
• Goodreads: When the Moon Hatched (ratings checked October 9, 2026)
• r/fantasyromance: list of books featuring dragons