The Unexpected Connection Onyx Storm’s Rebecca Yarros Has With It Ends With Us’ Colleen Hoover

Onyx Storm and It Ends With Us book covers
(Image credit: Red Tower Books/Atria Books)

It’s fair to say that two of the most highly-anticipated upcoming book adaptations currently on the way would not be in the works if it wasn’t for their viral status among book readers. I’m of course talking about the phenomenon that is Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series and the Verity movie based on Colleen Hoover’s bestseller currently filming. And apparently the two wildly famous authors have actually linked up about their massive fame.

On the heels of Rebecca Yarros’ third fantasy book in the Empyrean series hitting shelves in January, and remaining at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list since its release, the author spoke about becoming a big name on the Open Book with Jenna podcast. Here’s how Colleen Hoover came up:


Jenna Hagar Bush: “Your meteoric rise has been — I don't know that there's ever been anything like this.”

Rebecca Yarros: “I think maybe Colleen Hoover. I love her, and she’s who I called, honestly, before 'Iron Flame.' I was like, 'I don’t know if I can do this. This is a lot. There’s a lot of people. There’s a lot of media.' And she was someone I called that really helped me get through it.”


Yarros is just getting settled into her fame following the first book in the series, Fourth Wing, becoming a massive seller when it was first published in 2023. Colleen Hoover has a few more years on her, especially having experienced the 2021 resurgence of It Ends With Us thanks to TikTok ahead of the Blake Lively movie adaptation’s release last year, and since been boiling with public controversy after controversy.

Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Empyrean, 3)
was $32.99 now $19.78 at Amazon

The fantastic latest novel in Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series, Onyx Storm, is currently 40% on sale on Amazon. On Violet's third adventure she goes beyond the failing Aretian wards to find new allies. This special edition has a gorgeous black and gold page design riddled with dragons.

As Yarros opened up on the podcast, she has a relationship with Colleen Hoover, and got in contact with the fellow author before moving forward with the Fourth Wing sequels. While the success that Yarros has received is every author’s dream, she’s also the mother of six kids and wasn’t expecting both her and their lives to become so “public.” In fact, she shared that some people found their house and they were even forced to move following Fourth Wing’s fame.

On top of the trilogy of books (and a fourth to come after Yarros takes a break), Fourth Wing is being developed into a series at Amazon Studios with Anne With An E creator/showrunner and Breaking Bad producer Moira Walley-Beckett as showrunner. Once it’s adapted into a TV show, which fans believe is actively in the works given the author’s recent visit to Amazon, the books will only extend their reach. So far, Yarros has shared what she’s seen from the scripts’ development and happily gave “no notes” to her.

How sweet is it that these two massively popular authors can lean on each other as they experience these huge careers at the same time?

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.

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