Chicago resident Tori Payne said she felt like “punching a wall” after finishing the cliffhanger ending of “Iron Flame,” the sequel to Rebecca Yarros’ viral romantasy novel “Fourth Wing.”
Ever since, Payne has been looking forward to the third installment “Onyx Storm,” which was released Tuesday.
“I feel like it brought me in so quickly into the world, and it was my intro to romantasy,” Payne said.
The “Fourth Wing” series follows Violet Sorrengail, a 20-year-old woman forced to join the brutal Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College in the fictional kingdom of Navarre. The novel chronicles her journey in the academy as she tirelessly trains to bond with a dragon and fights to protect the kingdom from the threat of war.
Payne attended an “Onyx Storm” release party and trivia night hosted by Evanston bookstore Bookends & Beginnings Wednesday. Release parties such as this are one of the ways in which authors promote their books nowadays, often sending large batches of books, merchandise and trivia packets to bookstores to encourage them to hold events at the time of releases.
Yarros has seen tremendous success in the last few years — “Fourth Wing” has spent 78 weeks on The New York Times’s Best Sellers list and “Iron Flame” has spent 52, as of Jan. 23. Her popularity has soared, largely due to TikTok, or specifically, BookTok: the online cultural phenomenon that, as noted by Northwestern University Press Marketing Coordinator Maddie Schultz, is “revolutionizing the publishing industry.”
Since going viral on BookTok with “Fourth Wing’s” May 2023 release, it has sold over 2.3 million copies, not including the copies “Onyx Storm” will sell.
Schultz said that BookTok has been extremely “impactful” for her job and also helpful for new authors trying to sell their books. However, the curated space can be both a blessing and a curse, according to Schultz. The BookTok community can be a bit “vicious” at times, she said.
“I think (people on BookTok) do not take criticisms of the books they read well,” Schultz said.
Schultz cited examples of times when creators on BookTok have been “canceled” for having strong thoughts on certain tropes or books. She said she feels the community is closed off to readers who disagree with their opinions.
Chicago resident Lauren Hepburn echoed this sentiment but added that BookTok has been a fruitful source for her when it comes to discovering new books, despite its moments of toxicity.
Hepburn, who reread “Fourth Wing” and “Iron Flame” last week in anticipation of the new release, said she finds the series fast and engaging. However, to her, it isn’t the first of its kind the way BookTok has carved it out to be.
“Is it something new and innovative in the space? No, but I like it,” Hepburn said. “It makes me happy.”
Schultz, who is a self-proclaimed avid fantasy reader, said she thinks the series is just “okay.” Still, she said she understands why it has been a gripping introduction to fantasy for new readers, like Payne. Payne, who had previously only delved into romance novels, said she has read numerous fantasy books since reading “Fourth Wing.”
Molly Hart, the events and marketing coordinator at Bookends & Beginnings, said that although she isn’t on TikTok herself, she welcomes anything that gets people to read more.
“From a bookseller’s perspective, anything that gets people excited about books and reading is wonderful,” Hart said. “It doesn’t matter where that came from.”
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