What to read next
8 books like Threshing Day
Threshing Day leaves me interested in two things: characters facing a dangerous beginning, and supporting figures given enough attention to become the center of a story. The picks below take that appeal in different directions.
Read our review of Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros.
Follow my Empyrean reading order · Explore Rebecca Yarros and the books covered here
Best matches
Three strong places to start
If you only want three picks, start here.
Best overall
Fastest read
Best alternative
Choose by reading mood
Where to start
For the fastest read
The Will of the Many
BalancedFor the gentlest option
Mistborn: The Final Empire
GentleFor the strongest romance
Divine Rivals
SignificantFor the easiest entry
Red Rising
AccessibleThe full shortlist
Why each book belongs here
The first three choices offer a return to the main Empyrean novels in reading order. They develop the world and relationships behind the companion, with Onyx Storm best finished before Threshing Day itself. My five alternatives follow different interests: academy pressure, costly loyalty, emotional intimacy, magical training, and the pleasure of a brief companion.
Return to the Empyrean novels
1
Fourth Wing
- Pace
- Brisk
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- Fourth Wing takes me back to the full academy setting behind Threshing Day: lethal training, friendships under pressure, and dragon choice that no cadet can command.
- Different because
- Fourth Wing gives Violet a sustained school story and a central romance. That longer development is a different pleasure from the collection's separate rider portraits.
- Choose this if
- For the whole Basgiath experience, Fourth Wing remains my first choice. It is also the starting point for anyone who has not read the main novels.
2
Iron Flame
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- The rider loyalties and dragon relationships developed in Iron Flame give the beginnings in Threshing Day their weight. I value the sequel for showing what those bonds have to withstand over time.
- Different because
- Iron Flame stays with Violet through a long continuation, broader politics, and repeated pressure on trust. Its relationship conflicts have much more room than the companion's individual encounters.
- Choose this if
- Iron Flame is the next step after the first main novel, including on a return trip through the series. Choose it when the expanding conflict matters as much as the beginnings of the bonds.
3
Onyx Storm
- Pace
- Brisk
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- Onyx Storm gives the ensemble and wider dragon questions more space, the interests that draw me to Threshing Day. The companion's familiar riders gain context from that larger world.
- Different because
- Onyx Storm advances the central story through travel and alliances. The collection turns toward the riders' beginnings, so the two offer different kinds of time with the same cast.
- Choose this if
- Read Onyx Storm after the first two main novels, then turn to the companion. That order protects the third novel's revelations and is the sequence I suggest on a reread as well.
Alternatives to Threshing Day
4
The Will of the Many
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- The academy pressure is why The Will of the Many belongs on my list after Threshing Day. Survival depends on reading other people carefully inside an institution that demands conformity.
- Different because
- The Will of the Many concentrates on Vis, his hidden identity, and the politics behind the school. One sustained mystery takes the place of separate rider stories, with little romance and no dragon partnership.
- Choose this if
- The Will of the Many is my pick for the reader most interested in the cadets and the institution. Its concealment and late revelations deserve closer attention than a quick academy adventure might suggest.
5
Red Rising
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- Red Rising makes lethal training a test of alliances and responsibility. That is the connection with Threshing Day I find most compelling: surviving becomes harder when other people's lives and loyalties matter.
- Different because
- Red Rising follows Darrow through an elite war game in a science-fiction caste society. Human rivals dominate the danger, and a single urgent voice carries the story instead of an anthology's changing riders.
- Choose this if
- For tactical choices and friendships made uncertain by competition, try Red Rising. Its violence and hidden identity are the reasons I include it; romance is a smaller part of the attraction.
6
Divine Rivals
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Significant
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- The private vulnerability inside a dangerous world is what draws me from Threshing Day to Divine Rivals. This choice puts emotional connection ahead of the physical competition.
- Different because
- Divine Rivals builds Iris and Roman's trust through magical letters during a fantasy war. Restrained romance and professional rivalry offer a gentler pace than dragon bonding and cadet violence.
- Choose this if
- Divine Rivals suits the reader who wants to stay with one developing romance. I especially value the correspondence and its timing; allow for grief and an open ending that leads into the second book.
7
Mistborn: The Final Empire
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- Vin's difficulty accepting help gives the magical training in Mistborn: The Final Empire an emotional stake. I appreciate that connection with Threshing Day, where power matters alongside the relationships formed around it.
- Different because
- Mistborn: The Final Empire gathers a crew around one heist and rebellion, with magic governed by physical rules. The skills accumulate toward a shared objective, rather than separate dragon-bond beginnings.
- Choose this if
- Mistborn: The Final Empire offers the found family and tactical magic I want when training is the main attraction. Its substantial first-book payoff is another strength, and romance takes less space than in the Empyrean novels.
8
The Narrow Road Between Desires
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- A supporting character given the foreground is the pleasure linking The Narrow Road Between Desires with Threshing Day for me. Each companion makes room for someone whose main-story role leaves more to explore.
- Different because
- The Narrow Road Between Desires spends one village day with Bast, favors, bargains, and fairy-tale language. It is a quieter single-character novella beside the collection's thirteen dangerous dragon-bond stories.
- Choose this if
- The Narrow Road Between Desires is my gentler, more lyrical companion choice. Familiarity with the Kingkiller novels helps, and the unfinished central story remains with those novels.
Side-by-side
Pace, darkness, romance, and difficulty
| Book | Pace | Darkness | Romance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threshing Day | Brisk | Dark | Light subplot | Moderate |
| Fourth Wing | Brisk | Gentle | Central | Accessible |
| Iron Flame | Balanced | Moderate | Central | Accessible |
| Onyx Storm | Brisk | Gentle | Central | Accessible |
| The Will of the Many | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
| Red Rising | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Accessible |
| Divine Rivals | Balanced | Gentle | Significant | Accessible |
| Mistborn: The Final Empire | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Narrow Road Between Desires | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
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