Best Selling Author's Hit Book Is ‘Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in 20 Years'
Onyx Storm, the latest book in Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean romantasy series, became the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years, The New York Times reports. That success might come, in part, from how authors like Yarros work.
Award-winning authors love music. Whether using sonic therapy to enhance their focus, set an emotional tone for a scene, or block out distractions, writers have long turned to music to tap into a flow state that helps them hammer out best sellers.
@audible Grab your headphones and your flight leathers-it's time to fly back to Basgiath.⚔️ Listen to @Rebecca Yarros's hotly anticipated third book in the beloved Empyrean series in English and Spanish now on Audible.
♬ original sound - Audible
You've likely heard of John Lennon inspiring Stephen King's The Shining and Radiohead fueling Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, but there's another writer on the block who uses music as a muse to pull out her best ideas.
Yarros tells TODAY that she uses music to guide her through her world building, then she releases the playlist she made with the corresponding novel for fans to devour.
With Onyx Storm(The Empyrean #3), Yarros' music selection is brimming with pop and rock hits, including Taylor Swift's "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?," The Goo Goo Dolls' "Acoustic #3," and The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright." You can see the whole playlist here.
About a heroine named Violet navigating a world of war and dragons while battling chronic illness, the Empyrean series is a hit with readers on Goodreads. Consistently touted as a must-read, it's currently in the Top 10 Most Read Books This Year, with Freida McFadden's The Housemaid, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere, and Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary also getting top spots.
So far, Yarros has published three novels in her series of five. Fourth Wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), and Onyx Storm (2025). There is news of a fourth Empyrean novel, but not Book 4, arriving this fall.
The fourth book in the series is expected sometime in 2027. When TODAY asks for a sneak peek into the playlist she created for that one, she doesn't give an inch, saying simply, "I think it would scare everyone."
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In not so scary news: There is also a small-screen adaptation on the way. With Amazon MGM Studios and Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society involved, we're betting on another winner for Yarros.
Related: Best-Selling Author's Novel Named Best Mystery by the ‘Master of Domestic Suspense'
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 5:09 PM.