What to Read After Fourth Wing: BookTok‑Fav Fantasy Romance Picks
If you finished Fourth Wing and felt like you’d just been dropped out of a dragon saddle and straight into the hangover of zero‑books‑but‑all‑the‑feels, you’re definitely not alone. On BookTok this one went viral for a reason: dragon riders, war college, fatal trials, enemies‑to‑lovers vibes, and a heroine who learns to survive (and maybe thrive) in a world stacked against her.
So if you’re hunting for the next thing that hits those same tropes — training under fire, powerful creatures (dragons or similar), slow‑burn romance, and fantasy world building you don’t want to leave — here are five books that’ll do the trick.
1. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
This one’s practically made for Fourth Wing fans. It’s got dragon‑riding academy vibes, intense competition between riders, a heroine working hard against the odds, and a romance that builds out of everything collapsing around them. Great pick for when you want more of the dragon‑+rising stakes formula.
2. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
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If you’re craving political intrigue mixed with romance and fantasy — less dragons this time, more “everything is at stake” energy. A female spy marries the enemy king hoping to bring down his kingdom — and maybe falls for him. The training, the stakes, the world shifting beneath the characters’ feet: all similar flavour to what you loved in Fourth Wing.
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
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This one’s a classic in the “romantasy” genre (fantasy + romance) that BookTok adores. If the school/adult training setting of Fourth Wing was one of the draws, this switches up to fae courts and magic but keeps the dangerous love, the epic world‑building, and the heroine forced into a new, hostile world where she has to fight to belong.
4. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
If you liked the “I’m supposed to stay safe / hidden / weak but I’m going to throw down anyway” vibe in Fourth Wing, this hits similarly. The heroine has a role she’s forced into, but as things go sideways she ends up training, fighting, and falling into a romance she never expected. Perfect when you want more fantasy, more training, more heat.
5. Bound by the Viking Wolves by Shortbread
If the “I’m outmatched but I’ll fight anyway” vibe of Fourth Wing worked for you, this delivers. Dropped centuries in the past, Sophie is expected to fold—yet every battle, every betrayal, every choice pulls her deeper into power and deeper into the orbit of three wildly different warriors. Perfect when you want more worldbuilding, more warrior training, more tension, and a heroine who claws her way from pawn to player.
Final Thoughts
If Fourth Wing got you hooked on the “romantasy” genre (yeah, that’s what people are calling it: fantasy + romance) and shook you with that deadly school + dragon bond + enemies‑to‑lovers tension combo, you’re in luck — there are lots more where that came from. These five picks will keep your page‑turning nights going long past midnight.
