Goodreads’ Most Popular Book of 2025 Is a Fantasy Hit That Will Keep Getting Better
If you’re anything like me when it comes to finding your next read or deciding whether a book is worth the hype it’s getting on BookTok and Bookstagram, then Goodreads is likely one of your go-to first stops. It’s where I can get all the necessary details that might sway whether I pick up or pass on a book, including reviews from book lovers like myself.
Other than the ratings and reviews of books, one of my favorite Goodreads features is “Goodreads members’ shelves,”virtual bookshelves that users create to organize and track their books. The three default shelves include Want to Read (books a user plans to read in the future), Currently Reading (books they are reading right now), and Read (books they have finished). A major part of Goodreads data tracking is keeping track of how many times a book has been shelved by Goodreads members, which is another strong indicator of how popular a book is. It is this parameter that has revealed that the most popular book of 2025 was none other than Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, the third book in The Empyrean series, famous for its first book, Fourth Wing.
How Onyx Storm Earned Its 'Most Popular Book of 2025' Ranking
Onyx Storm Was First Published on January 21, 2025
Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onxy Storm by Rebecca YarrosCustom image by Yeider Chacon.
Goodreads has an incredible resource where readers can view the most popular books by year. The ranking criteria are based on the most frequently added books to Goodreads members’ shelves, and the ranking is managed by the company’s data team rather than by members’ votes. Yarros’ Onyx Storm claimed the number one spot for 2025, with 3 million shelvings, nearly 2 million ratings, over 209,000 reviews, and an average of 4.21 stars out of 5. However, it isn’t only the discernment of Goodreads data analysts that has positioned Onyx Storm as the most popular book of 2025. Onyx Storm also claimed the Goodreads Choice Awards Winner for Readers' Favorite Romantasy (2025) and Winner for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2025). This sort of recognition from readers and Goodreads is exceptional and truly speaks to how loved this book and the two before it, Iron Flame and Fourth Wing, are within the reading community.
What Is Fourth Wing About?
Fourth Wing Was First Published on May 2, 2023
Imagery from Onyx Storm and Forth WingCustom Image By Yailin Chacon
For those unfamiliar with The Empyrean series, the first book, Fourth Wing, was published in 2023 and follows twenty-year-old female protagonist Violet Sorrengail on her journey as she attends Basgiath War College. She was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, a quiet life among books and history, but instead gets ordered by the commanding general, who is also her mother, to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. However, this is almost certainly a death sentence for Violet because when “you’re smaller than everyone else, and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.” In addition to the high-stakes dragon riding, Violet also has to contend with Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
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4th Empyrean Book: The Next Fourth Wing Sequel Updates, Story, & Everything We Know
Onyx Storm has finally made its debut, but the book’s ending may leave readers wondering what’s going on with the fourth Empyrean Series book.
While a war rages outside the college walls, Violet must fight to stay alive and navigate her relationship with Xaden, which starts with hate and morphs into something entirely different. And yes, for those who love a little smut with their romance, there is plenty of spice in this series.
Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda―because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
As previously mentioned, there are currently three books in The Empyrean series, and while the series was initially slated for only three, it has expanded to five. However, the fourth and fifth books have yet to be released. Hence, this is an ongoing series that has been exceptional so far and promises to just keep getting better. So, if you’re one of the few who have resisted reading Fourth Wing, this is your sign to binge the first three books and see what all the hype is about.
