Yes, Rebecca Yarros' 'Threshing Day' Is Complete Filler (But It's Fun)
Look, let's just admit it: We're all counting down the days until the next Fourth Wing book. Onyx Storm hit shelves all the way back in January 2025, and it's unlikely we'll see Book 4 until late 2027 at the very earliest. Honestly, a 2028 release date feels like a safer bet, particularly since author Rebecca Yarros has been so candid about how much writing the first three novels, essentially back-to-back-to-back, took out of her, health-wise. This is a lot to say that it's basically a miracle that Threshing Day exists.
A surprise short story collection that was announced in July, the book brings together 13 tales about the biggest day of any rider's life at Basgiath War College. The brutal trial held every October 1 sees first-year cadets enter a valley full of dragons to find out if they'll be officially chosen as a bonded rider, or die in the attempt. (Okay, or fail and have to repeat the year. Not everyone gets killed. But a whole lot of people do.)
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Since we experience Fourth Wing heroine Violet Sorrengail's Threshing along with her, Threshing Day includes the stories of everyone else's. From her siblings Brennan and Mira to her friends Rhiannon, Sawyer, Imogen, Dain, and more, the stories break down the threshing process in greater detail, dropping in bits of additional worldbuilding and character details along the way. None of these stories are particularly intense or shocking—we all already know that all of these characters successfully bond with a dragon—and they're so short there's really time for much beyond a conversation or two (usually with another person and the dragon in question).
Unsurprisingly, the best stories revolve around Liam and his sister, Sloane, for reasons that will be immediately apparent to those who are familiar with Yarros's series. (Sorry to those of you who aren't just yet, but: spoilers!) The raw emotion, the unexpected connection between their dragons, the way that Violet is quietly present without actually appearing on the page—it's all very well done. Xaden Riorson's threshing, which opens the collection, is destined to be a reader favorite, given that it reveals a particualrly interesting secret about his background and shows us his infamous murder of Prince Alic of Navarre.
(I'm also a sucker for everything that's revealed about Garrick and Imogen's relationship, including how long they've both cared for and been denying one another.)
The collection also offers some excellent new dragon lore. In the Fourth Wing books, we tend to only hear from Violet's dragons, Tairn and Adarna. (Yes, she has two. It's a thing.) Occasionally Xanden's dragon, Sgaeyl, plays a key role. But we know almost nothing about the rest of the riot or their relationships with their riders. Threshing Day's focus on the unique bonds between each rider and dragon—as well as the broader personalities of the dragons themselves—is truly what makes it worth reading. (I love you, Cuir and Aotrom.)
Some of them are jerks. Others are incredibly loyal and determined. Many of them seem to have already decided who they're going to bond with, well before the official threshing process begins. Several definitely appear to be lying about their true names, ages, and/or other key details about themselves. To what end? No idea, but it's a surprising plot twist that adds some intriguing layers to events we've already seen.
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Yes, there were hints that certain riders were secretly bonding with family dragons (or, rather, dragons who had been previously ridden by a relative) in the hopes of manifesting a second form of signet magic. But if the dragons are in on this plan, if they're choosing the relic-marked rebel kids for a broader reason, then that's a whole different situation. In short: There's much to consider before the next full Empyrean book drops.
A ranking of the Threshing Day stories, for the record: 1.) Sloane 2.) Liam 3.) Sawyer 4.) Xaden 5.) Aaric 6.) Imogen 7.) Garrick 8.) Ridoc 9.) Bodhi 10.) Brennan 11.) Dain 12.) Mira 13.) Rhiannon
Threshing Day is available now, wherever books are sold.
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