There was certainly a lot of excitement about Threshing Day from Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series in the romantasy community. And I have to admit, after starting the series earlier this year and being left with that nasty cliffhanger at the end of Onyx Storm, I was also counting down to September 29, the book’s release date.
The collection contains 13 short stories about some of our favourite characters and their Threshings. My German edition has 240 pages, the English 224, so it is quite a slim book.
My short answer to the question above: For me, Threshing Day was worth it – mainly because of the side characters, the dragons and the beautiful design. If you are hoping for a continuation of Onyx Storm, though, I have to disappoint you. We get backstories here, not book four. And a few more pages certainly wouldn’t have hurt. 😉
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What Is Threshing Day About?
The content is quite easy to explain. Threshing Day gives us 13 short stories about Threshing. If you are not that familiar with the series yet: this is when the cadets face the dragons and hope that one will choose to bond with them. These are the characters whose Threshings we get to read about:
- Brennan Sorrengail
- Mira Sorrengail
- Xaden Riorson
- Garrick Tavis
- Dain Aetos
- Bodhi Durran
- Imogen Cardulo
- Rhiannon Matthias
- Sawyer Henrick
- Ridoc Gamlyn
- Liam Mairi
- Sloane Mairi
- Aaric Greycastle
The individual chapters are quite short, with Xaden’s being by far the longest. So I don’t want to say too much more about the content and spoil anything. It is definitely interesting to spend some time inside other heads for a change, away from Violet’s. We get to know the side characters much better this way. Learn about their past, their fears and what they hope for. And of course, it is also fun to get to know the other dragons a little better.
So far, we have mostly heard from Tairn, Andarna and a little from Sgaeyl, after all.
What New Things Do We Learn?
If you were hoping for huge revelations, I have to disappoint you. Threshing Day gives us background information about the individual characters, but nothing that made me think: you absolutely need to know this to understand the series. It is still interesting, though. We learn something about Dain’s mother, find out more about Xaden and get a better feeling for what Sloane is going through, for example.
I can’t even quite decide which chapter I found the most interesting. It was simply lovely to get inside the other characters’ heads and see how they view the world. By the way, there is nothing from Violet’s point of view in this book. She does still make her way into a few chapters, though – not directly, but because other people are thinking about her. 😉
A Beautiful Book – But Quite a Short One
My German hardcover cost €28, which I do find quite expensive for such a small, thin book. But it contains 16 truly stunning illustrations of the dragons featured in the chapters, plus Tairn and Andarna. The rest of the book is beautifully designed, too. With this edition, you are paying quite a bit for the presentation and probably the name as well, rather than a particularly long read.
I personally think it is a lovely collector’s piece for the bookshelf. If the colour illustrations and pretty details are not that important to you, the English ebook is another option.
As I enjoy reading the Empyrean series in its original language, I treated myself to that one as well. So now I have the German hardcover and the English ebook. Yes, both. 😉 As a German reader, I find the English quite easy to follow, which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading these books in the original.
If you would like to try a chapter before buying, you can read Xaden’s chapter for free on Rebecca Yarros’ website (I don’t know when exactly she will share it, but keep a look on her Bonus Content page ;-)). A good way to see whether you would enjoy these extra stories.
Can You Read Threshing Day Before the Other Books in the Series?
In theory, you can start with Threshing Day – Rebecca Yarros has said this herself. However, it contains quite a few spoilers, especially for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. My (and her) recommendation would therefore be to read the books in this order:
- Fourth Wing
- Iron Flame
- Onyx Storm
- Threshing Day
Even if spoilers don’t bother you, I would personally recommend reading at least Fourth Wing first. Otherwise, the characters and the magic system probably won’t mean that much to you.
So, to answer the question: yes, you theoretically can. Personally, I wouldn’t, though. I would read all three main books first.
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So, Is Threshing Day Worth Reading? My Verdict
Whether Threshing Day is worth it for you depends on what you are looking for. If you simply want to know how the series continues and are not particularly interested in the side characters, I would say: probably not. The background information is interesting, but I didn’t feel it was essential to follow the main story. Of course, I can’t say yet how much of it will become relevant in book four. Rebecca Yarros has also repeatedly said that Threshing Day is not required reading for the fourth book.
However, if you would enjoy getting inside the side characters’ heads and finding out how their Threshings went, which dragon is a bit of a joker, which one doesn’t like repeating herself and who is most likely lying about their name, then there is plenty to enjoy here. I also love the colour illustrations, sprayed edges and little finishing touches on my edition. It really is a beautiful book. (As far as I know, though, the US version only has colour illustrations in the first limited edition, and black and white in the following, so please check that out before you buy it, if you want the colourful illustrations.)
What I would have liked, though, is a little more room for the stories themselves. Some chapters are over very quickly, and while I enjoyed the extra background, I would happily have spent more time with these characters. A pretty book is lovely, of course, but a few more pages to actually read would have been nice, too.
So yes, for me, Threshing Day was worth it. I have wanted to know more about the side characters for a long time, beyond what we get to see through Violet’s eyes. I also love beautiful books and am quite happy to spend money on them. But I certainly wouldn’t have complained about a slightly thicker one. 😉
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P.S. Have you been to the Threshing yet and secured your dragon? You can now try your luck at Dragonkind (a site created specifically by Rebecca Yarros) and find out whether you end up bonding with a dragon or meeting Malek. By the way, I now have an orange daggertail; he’s 98 and saved me from a green dragon I had actually set my sights on. 😉
You can find plenty more book recommendations in my reading category. I have also just started a book Instagram account, @retrocat_reads, where I will be sharing my latest reads and old classics. I would love it if you followed me there. 😉
