11 Months After Onyx Storm, Fourth Wing Fans Get the Update They’ve Been Waiting For (With Just 1 Problem)

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In an Instagram post, Yarros confirmed that she’s hunkering down to pen her next book. She wrote, “Behold, the happy face of the author who finally gets to settle in for months of doing what I do best…playing with my imaginary friends at my desk!!! (And writing down their antics.)” The catch? She’s not talking about the next Fourth Wing sequel, at least not yet. Yarros is tackling a contemporary romance first, something her post goes on to discuss: “For transparency’s sake… I’m currently working on a contracted contemporary, and once I’m done, I’ll be living in the Empyrean world!”

Yarros announced that she’d begun plotting her next contemporary romance book on Instagram over the summer, so this won’t come as a surprise to anyone following her closely. She also released a contemporary novel between Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, telling TODAY.com that it “really set my feet back down. It reminded me, ‘Hey, you can write a book. You can do this.’”

This isn’t exactly the update Fourth Wing fans have been hoping for, but it does give them something to look forward to in the wait between Onyx Storm and Book 4. It also brings us in the right direction, as we’re steadily getting closer to bigger news about the Empyrean Series and its future.

Rebecca Yarros’ Update Brings Us Closer to Onyx Storm’s Sequel

Yarros is working her way through her next romance novel before diving back into the Empyrean Series, but the final line of her Instagram post highlights why this is still exciting. Now that Yarros is going from “summer hours” at her desk to fully being back to writing, we can expect things to move a little more quickly, at least when it comes to her next release. And once that book is finished, she’ll be able to focus on Onyx Storm‘s sequel, so it’s great that she’s locking in. There’s still no word on when Yarros’ upcoming novels will arrive, but this update allows us to further speculate about the next Fourth Wing sequel’s debut.

When the Next Fourth Wing Book Could Arrive

There was a little over a year between Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, so writing a contemporary romance shouldn’t delay Yarros too much when it comes to publication schedules. Of course, we’re already at the year mark, as the author has taken a longer break between Onyx Storm and her next two books. This will factor into the gap between novels. And although Yarros’ Instagram suggests she’ll pick up the Empyrean Series right after her contemporary project, it’s equally possible she’ll take another break. The author has talked about how chronic illness affects her writing, telling Entertainment Weekly that quick turnarounds like the one between Fourth Wing and Iron Flame are “really hard on [her] body.”

With that in mind, it’s looking like the earliest we’ll see the Empyrean Series Book 4 is in 2027 — and that may be an optimistic guess. As the romantasy series approaches its end, it’s only going to get lengthier and more complicated. That could result in the sequels taking more time to write, pushing it back further. And Amazon’s upcoming Fourth Wing show could pull Yarros away from the series again, even if her involvement as executive producer is limited. There’s a lot to look forward to on the Fourth Wing front, but fans shouldn’t get too eager for the next sequel just yet. Fortunately, there are plenty of other exciting fantasy projects in the works while we await larger updates.

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