Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros – 3-Book Deluxe Hardcover Collection Set (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame & Onyx Storm) with Sprayed Edges

Why it's worth it

This collects all three Empyrean novels — Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm — in matching sprayed-edge hardcovers. It's the most accessible starting point in romantasy, and the completed trilogy means you won't be left waiting on a cliffhanger.

Fourth Wing is the book that converts people who don't read fantasy. The setup does a lot of work: a war college for dragon riders, a protagonist who isn't built for it, and an enemies-to-lovers thread with a classmate whose loyalties keep shifting. You don't need to know a thing about magic systems to follow it. That accessibility is why the series became the genre's default recommendation, and it's why we'd hand this to a newcomer over anything else here.

The trilogy is finished, which matters more than it sounds. Onyx Storm closed the arc, so you can read straight through without the multi-year gaps that make other series frustrating to start. If you've ever bailed on a series because you forgot what happened by the time book three landed, this solves that.

From our review of 6 romantasy books, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +Fourth Wing is the book that converts people who don't read fantasy
• +The trilogy is finished, which matters more than it sounds
• +Owners who bought this set consistently praise how it looks
• +The physical set is the weak link, not the writing

What to know

• –It's heavy — nearly five and a half pounds for the three books
• –The content is firmly adult