Books Like Tempest
by Victoria Aveyard
Tempest pivots Victoria Aveyard into adult fantasy with a clearly defined engine: high-seas politics, a hunted heroine with a notorious past, and a romance that must be reckoned with under the threat of execution. Cat Rose — once Lady Catrine Rose of the Meridian Empire and now the Widow Rose, owner of a pirate tavern — is forced by imperial justice to hunt the one pirate captain she ever loved. The plot is driven by maritime worldbuilding, the clash between an imperial regime and a pirate republic, and repeated situations that test loyalty, law, and love.
Readers will reach for different things in Tempest: the pirate atmosphere and shipboard detail; the second‑chance, enemies‑to‑lovers arc under crushing stakes; or the imperial-versus-republic political framework that makes every personal choice also a geopolitical one. Below are nine books chosen because they echo one or more of those elements — from gritty naval warfare and found-family crews to sweeping political scope and tense romantic payoffs — with candid notes on which aspect each pick shares with Aveyard’s novel.
Recommended for fans of Tempest
The Bone Ships
R. J. Barker
High-seas fantasy centered on ships, naval warfare, and found-family bonds with gritty tone.
Pick this if you want hard, ship-centered fantasy where naval tactics, crewmates-as-family, and brutal sea campaigns are front and center — the closest tonal and thematic match on this list.
Ship of Magic
Robin Hobb
Epic maritime fantasy with political intrigue, complex loyalties, and rich character-driven arcs.
Pick this if you want thick, character-driven sailing politics and long-term loyalty tests similar to Aveyard’s empire-versus-pirate tensions.
Assassin's Fate
Robin Hobb
Dark, emotionally resonant continuation of seafaring plots and fraught, deep relationships.
Pick this if you’re after a darker, more wrenching continuation of seafaring relationships and their long emotional costs; this is a mood and relationship match rather than a piracy-first book.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
Sweeping epic with political empires, queer and adult romance, and large-scale conflict.
Pick this if you’re drawn to the imperial scope and layered political conflict; this choice matches Tempest’s large-scale stakes and mature romance, though it’s broader and less sea-focused.
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
Romantic tension and enemies-to-lovers elements within a lush, dangerous fantasy setting.
Pick this if you loved Tempest mainly for its enemies-to-lovers romance and want another book where a charged relationship unfolds against a dangerous, quasi-fantastical landscape.
The Rage of Dragons
Evan Winter
Vividly violent, empire-focused fantasy with revenge-driven motive and fast pacing.
Pick this if it was the empire-level violence and revenge-driven momentum that gripped you; this pick shares high-stakes political fury and fast pacing more than nautical detail.
The Waking Fire
Anthony Ryan
Alternate-history nautical adventure mixing political power struggles, dragon-blood magic and personal loyalties.
Pick this if you’re interested in the political uses of nautical technology and resource-driven empire conflict; this shares political power-struggle elements but mixes in different speculative mechanics.
Daughter of the Pirate King
Tricia Levenseller
A pirate captain’s daughter goes undercover aboard an enemy ship, with sharp banter and enemies-to-lovers tension.
Pick this if you want brisk enemies-to-lovers chemistry aboard ships and clever, flirtatious dialogue; it matches Tempest’s romantic tension but is lighter and YA-leaning compared with Aveyard’s adult cast.
The Last Runaway
Tracy Chevalier
Historic-smuggler atmosphere and moral conflicts between law, rebellion, and love (non-fantastic).
Pick this if you liked the historical-smuggler atmosphere and ethical tensions between law and rebellion; note this is the loosest fit and has no fantasy elements, so choose it only for the moral tone.
At a glance
Matches were selected on three practical axes that define Tempest: maritime/high‑seas focus, the enemies-to-lovers/second‑chance romance dynamic, and the empire-versus-pirate‑republic political conflict. Each recommendation shares some combination of those elements (or the novel’s emotional tone), and percentages reflect how many of those axes it most strongly touches.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Bone Ships R. J. Barker | 2019 | 257 | Naval warfare & found family | 95% |
Ship of Magic Robin Hobb | 1998 | 699 | Maritime political intrigue | 92% |
Assassin's Fate Robin Hobb | — | — | Emotionally fraught seafaring | 78% |
The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon | 2018 | 848 | Sweeping political epic | 74% |
Uprooted Naomi Novik | 2015 | 438 | Romantic tension & magic | 70% |
The Rage of Dragons Evan Winter | 2017 | 438 | Revenge and relentless pacing | 66% |
The Waking Fire Anthony Ryan | 2016 | 679 | Alternate nautical power struggles | 60% |
Daughter of the Pirate King Tricia Levenseller | — | — | Sharp pirate banter | 55% |
The Last Runaway Tracy Chevalier | 2013 | 416 | Smugglers & moral conflict | 50% |
About Tempest
Published 8 September 2026, Tempest is the first adult fantasy by Victoria Aveyard, who previously wrote Red Queen and Realm Breaker. It is book one of The Lyrian Sea duology and has already been optioned for television.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tempest a standalone or part of a series?+
Tempest is book one of The Lyrian Sea duology, so it’s the opening volume of a two-book arc. Expect continuing plotlines and relationship developments to carry into the second book.
How does Tempest compare tonally to Aveyard’s YA work?+
This is Aveyard’s first adult fantasy, so the prose, stakes and political complexity skew more mature than Red Queen or Realm Breaker. The pirate setting and second‑chance romance are new directions, but her interest in shifting power structures and fraught loyalties remains familiar.
Does Tempest focus more on romance or politics?+
Both are central: the immediate plot hinges on a coerced hunt born from legal and political pressure, while the emotional core is the rekindled relationship with the pirate captain. Readers looking for one over the other will still find substantial doses of each.
Is Tempest closely tied to historical piracy?+
The book is inspired by the fall of the Golden Age of Piracy, but it is a fantasy work with its own invented world and political actors — expect historical feeling rather than strict historical fidelity.
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