Rebecca Yarros has named the next Empyrean book Threshing Day and set its release for Sept. 29, 2026, giving Fourth Wing readers the clearest sign yet of what is coming next. The announcement came on Instagram on Wednesday, July 15.
The timing matters because readers have been waiting for a fresh sign after the wild finish of Onyx Storm, and Yarros’ reveal ends the guessing about the title and date. The new book is part of The Empyrean series, but it is not Book 4 in the way many fans expected, even though it will be the fourth book published in the series.
Yarros said Threshing Day will feature 13 stories about some of the biggest and most impactful characters in the Empyrean universe on Threshing Day, with dragons included in the mix. Joe Requeza handled the deluxe edition illustrations, giving the project the feel of a special release rather than a straight continuation of Violet and Xaden’s main storyline.
That split is the key detail beneath the announcement. In Fourth Wing, Conscription Day is the day cadets cross the parapet and officially join the Riders Quadrant, and Violet Sorrengail does so early in the first book. Threshing Day points back to that world, but it is not being positioned as the next chapter in Violet and Xaden’s journey after Onyx Storm. Yarros made that distinction clear with a blunt two-word note: “Not Book 4.”
That leaves readers with a date, a title and one lingering question: which 13 stories make the cut. Xaden’s story will be available on Yarros’ website at a later date, but the full shape of Threshing Day will only become clear when the book lands in late September. For now, the announcement does what the best fan news does — it answers the biggest question and creates the next one.
