If You Loved Fourth Wing, Try These Books With Dangerous Academies and Dragon Bonds

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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros isn't just a book—it's a phenomenon. With its lethal war college, deadly dragons, and high-stakes romance, it reignited our collective obsession with dangerous magical academies and emotionally intense fantasy stories.

If you’ve finished Iron Flame and Onyx Storm and you’re spiraling in a dragon-sized book hangover, here are seven high-rated books that deliver the same heart-pounding blend of high stakes, elite training grounds, dragon lore, and romantic tension.

1. The Power of Five by Alex Lidell

Tropes: Reverse harem, magical mates, deadly academy

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.4)

Plot Summary: Four elite warrior mages—powerful, bonded, untouchable—need a fifth to complete their quint. Enter Lera, a servant girl thrust into the brutal world of magic she never knew existed. As tensions rise and danger closes in, she must prove her worth—or die trying. The bond between the five isn't just magical—it’s emotional, intimate, and explosive.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: Lera’s underdog story mirrors Violet’s, and the academy setting feels just as cutthroat. Expect sizzling tension, found-family dynamics, and bonds that are both magical and steamy.

2. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Tropes: Political intrigue, dragonriding, found family

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.3)

Plot Summary: In the aftermath of a violent revolution, dragonriders now serve the people—not the aristocracy. Lee, an orphaned noble boy hiding his identity, and Annie, a lowborn girl rising through the ranks, both fight for their ideals from within the same academy. But when rival nations rise and secrets resurface, their bond is tested—on the battlefield and in their hearts.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: Think Fourth Wing and Game of Thrones with deeper world-building and moral complexity. The dragonriding is intense, the politics sharp, and the emotional stakes feel real.

3. A Tale of Ashes by J.R. Dawson

Tropes: Hidden powers, elemental magic, dragon lore

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.00)

Plot Summary: In a crumbling world where elemental magic determines power and status, Ember is sent to the Dominion Academy to learn to control the fire inside her. But her magic is unstable—and possibly linked to an ancient line of dragonbloods. As she fights to survive brutal classes, secret trials, and betrayal, she unravels a hidden history of dragonkind that could change everything.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: This one’s got Fourth Wing’s slow-burn romance, dragon ancestry, and elite school danger—but with even more magical mystery and a heroine discovering her inner fire.

4. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Tropes: Military academy, dark power awakening, war & trauma

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.4)

Plot Summary: Rin, a war orphan from the south, shocks the empire by acing the entrance exam to Sinegard, the most elite military academy. But this isn’t your average school. Sinegard is brutal, elitist, and designed to break students. When war breaks out, Rin discovers an ancient, terrifying power tied to a god—and learns that victory often demands inhuman sacrifices.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: No dragons, but the school setting is savage, the battles are devastating, and Rin’s magical journey is raw, powerful, and deeply personal. Think Fourth Wing, but darker, smarter, and unflinching.

5. House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein

Tropes: Hidden magic, fae academy, slow-burn romance, bonded creatures

Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆ (4.15)

Series: The Kingdom of Crows (Book 1 of 3, complete)

Plot Summary: When 19-year-old Fallon is cursed with forbidden fae blood, she’s thrust into the gilded yet dangerous world of the Winged Court. There, she’s forced to attend a brutal academy to learn to harness her latent magic—while hiding what she truly is. As she uncovers the truth behind her ancestry and navigates cutthroat politics, she forms an unexpected bond with a magical creature that could change everything.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: Think Fourth Wing meets ACOTAR  but with a fresh fae twist, an enemies-to-lovers arc, and a unique magical bond that hits those same emotional beats as Violet and Tairn. The world feels both lush and threatening, and Fallon’s transformation from outsider to power player will absolutely scratch the post-Onyx Storm itch.

6. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Tropes: Indigenous fantasy, dragon bonds, outsider at elite school

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

Plot Summary: When Anequs, a young Indigenous girl, bonds with a wild dragon, the Anglish empire demands she attend their dragon academy to be trained “properly.” But the school is hostile, her instructors are condescending, and her culture is considered inferior. While Anequs navigates the crushing weight of colonial expectations, her bond with her dragon deepens—and her resistance grows stronger.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: It’s like Fourth Wing seen through a sharper, more critical lens. The school setting is tense, the dragon bond is sacred, and Anequs’s voice is refreshing, powerful, and necessary.

7. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Tropes: Secret societies, dark academia, morally gray characters

Amazon rating: ★★★★☆ (4.4)

Plot Summary: Alex Stern, a high school dropout with a dark past, is offered a place at Yale on one condition: she must monitor the university’s secret societies, each dealing in occult magic. But the deeper she gets, the more dangerous the secrets become—and the more her own buried powers start to surface.

🔥 Why you’ll love it: No dragons, but the dark, deadly academia vibes are strong. There’s a magical school, secret initiations, high stakes, and a main character as complex and fierce as Violet.

💭 Final Thoughts

Fantasy readers want more than just dragons—they want stakes, longing, power struggles, and heroines who claw their way to the top. Fourth Wing gave us all that and more, but it’s far from the only book to do so. These titles deliver on the same core themes: dangerous schools, magic in chaos, and bonds—whether human or dragon—that change everything.

Got more recommendations? Drop them below—I’m always down to add to my dangerous dragons & deadlier schools reading list.