Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders in Fourth Wing, the first book in The Empyrean Series.

Violet Sorrengail, at twenty years old, was meant to join the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life surrounded by books and history. But her life takes an unexpected turn when her tough-as-talons mother, the commanding general, orders her to join the hundreds of candidates vying to become the elite dragon riders of Navarre.

In this cutthroat environment, being smaller and physically fragile is a dangerous disadvantage. Dragons don’t bond with “fragile” humans—they incinerate them. With a scarcity of dragons willing to bond and fierce competition among cadets, Violet faces threats from all sides. Many would kill her to increase their own chances of bonding with a dragon, while others despise her simply for being the general’s daughter. Chief among her adversaries is Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

As Violet struggles to survive each day at Basgiath War College, the war outside grows increasingly deadly, and the kingdom’s protective wards begin to fail. The death toll rises, and Violet starts to suspect that leadership is concealing a terrible secret. In a world where friends, enemies, and lovers all have their own agendas, Violet must rely on her wits and determination to navigate the treacherous path to graduation—or face death.

Fourth Wing is a gripping tale of courage, survival, and the relentless pursuit of power in a world where only the strongest prevail.