Happy February! The months have felt so slow, and I feel like I’ve been in a constant reading slump. How about you?

Today, however, there might be a great reason to celebrate. Rebecca Yarros has all three Empyrean books on her desk, and she said she’s started working on character cards. This is fantastic news, as it means she’s slowly getting into properly plotting Book 4.

We already know she has a plan for what’s going to happen, but we need all those juicy details on the page. I’m super excited about it.

We’ve been waiting for a very long time, and I honestly thought we would’ve had the book last June, but I was totally wrong. Since we left off sometime at the end of May, do you think there’s a chance we could get the new book this summer? Or are we being completely delusional?

I have no idea how long it will take her to write it and then for the editors to polish it, but I imagine there are a lot of people ready to jump in because this book is way too hot to delay forever.

Now, let’s be realistic for a minute.

Looking at how quickly Rebecca Yarros released Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, that pace was unusually fast. Traditional publishing timelines for a massive fantasy installment usually look like this:

• 6–9 months to draft (sometimes longer for complex plots)
• 3–6 months of edits and revisions
• Several additional months for production, printing, marketing, and global rollout

Even if she’s actively plotting now, a summer release would be very aggressive unless a large portion is already drafted. Big fantasy titles also require coordinated international releases, which slows things down.

If I had to make a disciplined guess? Late 2026 feels more realistic than summer 2026. Earlier is possible, but not something I’d bet on.

Tell me, when do you think Book 4 will come out? The darkest book of them all?

“The darkest book of them all” — that phrasing alone suggests emotional devastation is coming. Are you ready? I am not…When authors describe a book that way, it usually means major consequences, irreversible shifts, or losses that change the series trajectory. So prepare yourself.