Part 2
[Tea · Romantasy] It's official. Prime Video has cast the leads for its adaptation of Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing," and "fourth wing cast" shot up Google Trends in the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany overnight, while "Xaden" trended on X in the US and Brazil.
The casting
According to the X news summary, citing the trade reports, Esther McGregor will play Violet Sorrengail and Emilio Sakraya will play Xaden Riorson. The series is produced by Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society, with Meredith Averill as showrunner and Lisa Joy directing the pilot. "Fourth Wing" is the first book in Yarros' Empyrean series, a 2023 bestseller that sold millions of copies with a huge boost from BookTok.
Fans' early verdict
Reactions focused on fit. Fans pointed to McGregor's streaming experience, and to the intense screen presence Sakraya showed in "Warrior Nun" and "One Piece." The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Violet and Xaden is the heart of the books, so the pairing was always going to be judged on chemistry. No release date has been announced yet.
Why romantasy is everywhere
Romantasy is romance plus high fantasy: dragons, magic, battles and a love story with real heat at the center. "Fourth Wing" helped turn it into one of publishing's hottest categories. If you're searching "books like Fourth Wing," you want danger, banter and a slow-burn rivalry.
While you wait: an original opening
Here's the first scene of an original story for our night-novels section. It's our own world and our own characters. Both are adult soldiers. It has nothing to do with the books or the actors.
"Ash Over Varr"
Captain Ilse Maren, thirty-one, had flown the northern border for nine years, and she had never once been late to a muster. Tonight she was late, because the new wing commander had landed his black dragon on her bunkhouse roof.
"You're in my light," she called up.
Commander Teodor Hale, thirty-four, looked down from the ridge of the roof. He had a scar through one eyebrow and the patience of someone who'd been shouted at by better officers. "Your light," he said, "is a lantern. My dragon is cold."
"Then find him another roof."
"He likes this one." Teodor slid down, landing in the mud beside her. Up close he smelled of rain and smoke. "I read your reports, Captain. You're the only flier on this line who writes down what actually happened."
"Someone has to."
"Fly lead with me at dawn," he said. "I want the truth about this border from someone who isn't trying to impress me."
She should have said no. Instead she watched the black dragon shift on the roof tiles, and realized she wanted to know what kind of man flew a beast like that. "Dawn," she said. "Don't be late."
He grinned. "I'm never late."
Above them, his dragon exhaled a long, warm breath that turned the drizzle to steam.
Read the full story in our romantasy tag.
