I’ve heard so many good things about Fourth Wing already and thought it sounded good, ordered it on a whim and when it arrived, started reading it immediately. I’m not sure what I expected but all expectations have been met and exceeded. Whew.
Synopsis:
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.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
Book: Fourth Wing | Series: The Empyrean #1 | Author: Rebecca Yarros | Publisher: Piatkus | Published: 02.05.2023 | Pages: 512 | Genre: NA fantasy | Rep: chronically ill MC, scarred LI and side characters, queer side characters | TW: blood, death, loss of loved ones, murder, attempted murder, violence
Review
Without wanting to sound cliché, I was enthralled from the very first chapter. I fell in love with Violet as soon as she appeared on the page. I loved her narrative voice and seeing the world through her eyes. Being chronically sick and having a fragile body, Violet was raised to become a scribe. But she comes from a family of prestigious dragon riders and her mother won’t have her join the scribes, instead forcing her to take a path of fighting and violence.
While Violet is skeptic at first, wanting nothing more than to flee to the safety of books, she soon accepts her fate and deals with the situation accordingly. She grows into her badassery, he need to survive and proof herself, not only to others but to herself. She gets creative and as being one of the smartest people in Basgiath War College, finds her way around by making good use of her brain cells. I enjoyed her approach to situations so much.
And I guess I wasn’t the only one, since Xaden definitely also did. And I enjoyed seeing Xaden through Violet’s eyes, her physical attraction to him, how that attraction grows and changes, how she finds things in him she wouldn’t have expected. How he teaches her about the world as he sees it and how he helps her without her needing to ask. I loved how the two of them simply accept and admire each other despite their families’ history. Yes, Rebecca Yarros managed to make Xaden and Violet the most attractive pair of War College for so many reasons. Yeah, physical hotness but also their minds? The way they just click? Amazing. Outstanding. I am behind this relationship 100%.
Another very important aspect of the book that I HIGHLY enjoyed were the dragons. If you like sarcastic off-screen commentary, then you’d love the dragons. They give their opinions on anything, wether the characters like it or not. And while they are dangerous and short-tempered, when it comes to their riders and loved ones, wow do they get emotional and protective. I loved the bonding scenes so much. Ahh. AHHHHHH.
Ok, I start to get incoherent thoughts again, so here’s what I loved about Fourth Wing: everything. I loved the story, I loved all the action and the fight scenes, the character development, the spicy scenes, how this book feels excitingly like home. I stayed up two nights until 4am just to read this book. I couldn’t physically sleep. There was only Fourth Wing Fourth Wing Fourth Wing in my head. It still is. I have the urge to immediately reread it. This book is easily my favourite read so far this year and I have a feeling that probably won’t be changed by any other book. Except maybe the second Empyrean book. I am obsessed, this story has officially become part of my personality.
Anyways, if that wasn’t clear already. Please do yourself a favor and read Fourth Wing.
Rating:
YOU MIGHT ENJOY FOURTH WING IF YOU LIKE…
enemies to lovers romance | sexual tension | dragons | sarcastic commentary | badass female MC | nicknames | action scenes | great character development | academy settings
Have you read Fourth Wing? Or plan to? What was the last book you was completely obsessed with? What’s your favourite book featuring dragons?
Until next time,
