If you've just finished Dire Bound and you're desperately searching for your next dark romantasy obsession, you're not alone. Sable Sorensen's debut novel has taken BookTok by storm with its deadly Bonding Trials, fierce heroine Meryn Cooper, and the kind of slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that keeps readers up well past midnight.
Described as "Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games," Dire Bound delivers everything romantasy fans crave: a strong female protagonist fighting against impossible odds, morally grey love interests, animal bonding, and high-stakes competition where failure means death. The book has earned comparisons to Throne of Glass and Game of Thrones for good reason – it's dark, it's spicy, and it's absolutely unputdownable.
Whether you're waiting for Fury Bound (the highly anticipated sequel) or simply need more books with wolves, deadly trials, and swoon-worthy romantic tension, these five recommendations will scratch that itch. Each book shares key elements that made Dire Bound so addictive – from animal companions and brutal training academies to the "who did this to you?" moments we all live for.
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
If you loved the bonding aspect of Dire Bound, Fourth Wing is essential reading. Rebecca Yarros delivers a dragon rider academy fantasy that shares Dire Bound's DNA: deadly trials where students don't just fail – they die. The protagonist, Violet Sorrengail, enters Basgiath War College expecting to become a scribe, but her mother has other plans.
Like Meryn, Violet must survive brutal training whilst forming a bond with a creature far more powerful and dangerous than herself. The enemies-to-lovers romance with the darkly magnetic Xaden Riorson will satisfy anyone who fell for Dire Bound's romantic tension. Both books feature a female protagonist underestimated by everyone around her, academic competition with deadly stakes, and the kind of slow-burn chemistry that makes you want to scream into a pillow.
Why You'll Love It
Animal bonding: Dragons instead of direwolves, but the same mental connection and fierce loyalty
Deadly academy: Students die during training – the stakes couldn't be higher
Enemies-to-lovers: The banter and tension between Violet and Xaden is chef's kiss
Spicy romance: Adult content that delivers on the slow-burn buildup
Complete series vibes: Multiple books available if you need to binge
2. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
For readers who loved Dire Bound's darker elements and morally grey love interests, Kingdom of the Wicked is a perfect match. When Emilia's twin sister is murdered, she makes a deal with a demon prince to hunt down the killer – and nothing goes as planned.
This Italian-inspired dark fantasy romance features the same delicious tension between characters who shouldn't want each other but absolutely do. Wrath, the demon prince, gives major "cold and beautiful" vibes that Stark Therion fans will appreciate. The book builds its enemies-to-lovers dynamic slowly, with verbal sparring, reluctant alliances, and moments that will make your heart race. If you enjoyed the power dynamics and dangerous attraction in Dire Bound, this series will consume you.
Why You'll Love It
Morally grey hero: Wrath is dangerous, possessive, and utterly captivating
Dark atmosphere: Gothic, atmospheric worldbuilding with demons and witches
Slow-burn tension: The romantic buildup across multiple books is exquisite
Strong heroine: Emilia refuses to be a victim and fights for what she wants
Mystery plot: A murder investigation keeps the pages turning
3. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
If the deadly trials and competition aspect of Dire Bound had you on the edge of your seat, Powerless will deliver that same adrenaline rush. In a kingdom where everyone has supernatural abilities, Paedyn is an anomaly – she has no power at all. When she's thrown into the Purging Trials, she must compete against the most elite fighters in the kingdom whilst hiding her deadly secret.
Like Meryn entering the Bonding Trials as an outsider, Paedyn is the underdog everyone underestimates. The enemies-to-lovers romance with Prince Kai features the same push-and-pull dynamic, sharp banter, and "he falls first" energy that made Dire Bound's relationships so compelling. This BookTok sensation has been compared to The Hunger Games meets romantasy, making it a natural companion read for Dire Bound fans.
Why You'll Love It
Deadly competition: The Purging Trials are brutal, high-stakes, and nail-biting
Underdog heroine: Paedyn survives on wit and skill alone
Enemies-to-lovers: The romance with Prince Kai is swoon-worthy
Plot twists: Betrayals and revelations that will shock you
Hunger Games energy: Perfect for fans of survival competitions with romance
4. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince offers a different flavour of enemies-to-lovers that Dire Bound fans will devour. Jude, a mortal girl raised in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, refuses to be weak in a world that sees her as nothing. Her complicated, hate-fuelled relationship with the wicked prince Cardan is the stuff of romantasy legend.
This book captures the same "everyone is out to get her" energy as Dire Bound, with political scheming, dangerous alliances, and a heroine who earns her power through sheer determination. The fae court setting delivers dark fantasy vibes, and Jude's journey from vulnerable outsider to formidable player mirrors Meryn's transformation. If you loved watching Meryn navigate a world where every smile hides a knife, you'll be obsessed with Jude's story.
Why You'll Love It
Iconic enemies-to-lovers: Jude and Cardan's relationship is legendary in the genre
Political intrigue: Schemes, betrayals, and power plays at every turn
Fierce heroine: Jude is ruthless, clever, and refuses to be a victim
Dark fae world: Beautiful but deadly court politics
Completed trilogy: Binge the entire Folk of the Air series
5. Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
For readers who want more brutal academy settings, enemies-to-lovers tension, and spicy romance, Zodiac Academy delivers in abundance. Twin sisters Tory and Darcy discover they're fae princesses and are thrown into a magical academy where four powerful heirs are determined to make their lives hell.
This series shares Dire Bound's "common blood" outsider dynamic – the twins face bullying, dangerous challenges, and a hostile environment where they must prove themselves worthy. The slow-burn romances build across multiple books with delicious tension, and the magic system featuring zodiac-based powers adds unique worldbuilding. Be warned: this series is addictive, spicy, and will consume your every waking thought. The bully romance elements hit similar notes to the tension between Meryn and those who look down on her.
Why You'll Love It
Academy setting: Training, challenges, and dangerous magic
Multiple slow-burns: Several romantic pairings with incredible tension
Outsider heroines: The twins fight to prove their worth against all odds
Spicy content: Adult romantasy with explicit scenes
Epic series: Multiple books to binge when you need more
Ready for Your Next Dark Romantasy Obsession?
Each of these books captures something special about what made Dire Bound so addictive. Whether you're craving more animal bonding like Fourth Wing, deadly competitions like Powerless, or the fierce enemies-to-lovers tension of The Cruel Prince, there's a book on this list waiting to consume your every thought.
While you wait for Fury Bound to continue Meryn's story, these dark romantasy reads will keep you satisfied with strong heroines, morally grey love interests, and the kind of slow-burn tension that makes this genre impossible to resist. Happy reading – and don't forget to clear your schedule, because once you start these books, you won't be able to stop.
Books Featured in This Article
Dire Bound
by Sable Sorensen
Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this spicy, page-turning romantasy where humans and direwolves forge unbreakable bonds and fight for survival at all costs. Featuring exclusive bonus content! Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She'll risk her life - and her heart - to be one of them. Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious direwolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped - stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting - Meryn's world falls apart. Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life. Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness. Everything is a competition, and everyone is out to get her--everyone except the dangerously handsome crown prince, whose attention adds another target to her back. In the castle, every smile hides a knife...and the halls hide dark secrets. It's bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin. Don't miss the brand-new bonus chapter from Stark Therion's perspective! Dire Bound contains mature content including depictions of graphic violence, and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author''s website.
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
Don't miss out on the series that everyone can't stop talking about! 'Pure escapism - think Hunger Games meets Fifty Shades' -The Sun 'We weren't expecting to become obsessed with Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing, but we very much are - and we're not alone . . .' -Sunday Times Style'I couldn't put it down!' -Millie Bobby Brown'This book contains an addictive, drug like essence that will make you relinquish all responsibility until the very last word. Do not say I didn't warn you' -Glamour'Yarros had me hooked from the first chapter' -Mail on SundayWelcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College . . .Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.But 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.With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.Everyone at Basgiath has an agenda, and every night could be your last. So, sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION READERS HAVE ALREADY GIVEN FOURTH WING FIVE STARS. ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE WORLD OF BASGIATH WAR COLLEGE? 'If I can convince you to read one book I recommend it would be this one' 'I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, and when I finished, I had the overwhelming urge to just start it all over again' 'This book is probably the best fantasy book I have ever read''FIVE. FREAKING. STARS. There is no universe where I could give this book any less of a rating' 'There are some
Kingdom of the Wicked
by Kerri Maniscalco
Two sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself . . .A new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper.Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. Until one night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant.Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin . . . desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost - even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked - princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island.But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems . . .
Powerless
by Lauren Roberts
OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD! THE INSTANT NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON. 'Nothing short of epic' Rosie Talbot, bestselling author of Sixteen Souls 'A thrilling fantasy with the most delicious slow-burn romance' M.A. Kuzniar, bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood '[A] titillating debut' Publishers Weekly 'A masterpiece' Goodreads Reader Review 'Everyone needs to read it' TikTok Review 'The BEST book I've read' NetGalley Reader Review 'A sizzling slice of fantasy romance' Booksellers Review Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this sizzling fantasy romance not to be missed. Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya . . . The exceptional. The Elites. The Elites have possessed powers for decades, gifted to them by the Plague, while those born Ordinary are just that, banished from the kingdom and shunned from society. No one knows this better than Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary posing as an Elite. When she unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya's princes, Kai Azer, she's thrown into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition to showcase her 'Elite' powers. If the Trials and the opponents don't kill her, the prince she's fighting feelings for will if he discovers what Paedyn really is . . . completely Ordinary. Be swept away by the first in the smash hit, dagger-to-the-throat romantasy trilogy that's taken the world by storm. Reckless, Powerful and Fearless available now. Follow Lauren Roberts on TikTok and Instagram @LaurenRobertsLibrary
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever ... And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong. But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan ...
Zodiac Academy The Awakening
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
"I'm a Gemini. Impulsive. Curious. Headstrong. A twin. Heir to a throne I know nothing about. And it turns out, I'm Fae. But of course there's a catch--all I have to do to claim my birth right is prove that I'm the most powerful supernatural in the whole of Solaria. And sure, technically that's true as I'm the daughter of the Savage King. But the bit they didn't put in the brochure was that every single Fae in this Kingdom would claim my throne if they could. The school they've sent me to is both dangerous as sh*t and one helluva party. Vampires bite weaker students in the corridors, the Werewolf pack has orgies in the Wailing Wood at every full moon and don't even get me started on the dark and twisted ways the Sirens use their powers on people's emotions, or how my sinfully tempting Cardinal Magic teacher hosts detentions that leave people needing therapy. Classes are totally interesting if you manage to live through them. And that Gemini star sign I mentioned? It now determines my elemental magic and affects my destiny, so learning astrology is essential if I'm going to beat down my classmates--which is actively encouraged by the way. My biggest problem is the drool worthy Dragon shifter who has his eyes on my throne. He and his three psycho friends are determined to make my time here hell. All I've got to do is survive. But fate might have other ideas"--Provided by publisher.