REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Violet Sorrengail has been on one trajectory her whole life: to become a Scribe for her kingdom, just like her beloved father was before he passed away a couple of years ago. You would think that at twenty-years-old she would have the final say on her future. But being the daughter of a general means being ordered about. So instead of a safe place among scrolls and books, Violet will have to prove her frailness and small stature won’t hold her back in the harsh Rider Quadrant. The scariest of the training schools in Navarre. The majority of cadets never make it long enough to bond with a dragon or finish the three long years to make it out onto the battlefield. And Violet has more stacked against her than most of her fellow classmates.

‘Even the most effective poisons come in pretty packages, and Xaden’s exactly that–as beautiful as he is lethal.’

Being the general’s daughter puts a target on Violet’s back, particularly when it comes to the group of marked ones whose families were part of the rebellion. And their leader, as far as she can tell, is Xaden Riorson. Handsome but deadly. He makes it known immediately that he’s out to kill her. But as Violet has to interact with him more and more when he becomes her wingleader and she gets her eyes opened to the secrets and deceit at Basgiath War College, she has a feeling that the bad blood between them might be warranted. Soon she’s proving both to herself and to her remaining family that she’s made of tougher stuff than they believed, and Violet finds herself advancing in her class. And catching feelings for Xaden–which is most inconvenient. Especially when the fake war games she and her group must pass turns deadlier than planned.

‘Whether or not Violet will believe me, I’ve never lied to her. Not once.
I’ve just never been entirely truthful, either.’

FOURTH WING, Rebecca Yarros’ first foray into the Fantasy genre, was a resounding success in my humble opinion. Everything from the multifaceted characters to the slow burn romance as well as the intense fight scenes–and the dragons!–worked superbly together.

‘Power crackles above me, swirls around me, wraps along my feet below me.
I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been.
I am infinite.’

Talk about a page turner! I’m a fan of the Fantasy genre already, but FOURTH WING was an imaginative story full of twists, turns, and wonderful world building that I couldn’t put down. While there were moments where it felt like there was a contemporary tone to the characters’ dialogue and some of the everyday amenities they used, the overall feel was straight up Fantasy set in medieval times. There were different kingdoms and realms. Castles and outposts. Armies fighting a four-hundred-year war. And of course, dragons.

All but the final chapter is told from our heroine Violet’s POV. (The last chapter being Xaden’s perspective) And I couldn’t help but admire her tenacity as well as her capacity to care for those around her. She wasn’t a typical heroine in Fantasy, either. Violet was actually more bookish–she had been studying to become a Scribe, to record the history of their kingdom–before her mother, the general, forced her to train as a dragon Rider. But not only was Violet a kind twenty-year-old with no aspirations to fight in the war, but she also had a chronic illness that led to bruising, dislocations, and broken bones. Not a good match for the brutal life as a new cadet.

As Violet made her way through every obstacle thrown at her during her first year in the Rider Quadrant, even fending off those trying to kill her because of what they viewed as her fragileness, she persevered. It was impressive. Especially to her small cluster of friends and her frenemy Xaden. He was a hero that grew on me over time. I wasn’t certain of his motives. Or if he was trying to get closer to Violet just to harm her. But trust in Yarros and her vision for their story because by the shocking ending…whew. Xaden–and his fellow marked family–proved themselves in a huge way.

QOTD: Are you a fan of epic battle scenes in Fantasy novels? (Of which this book had a few) Or are you all about the romance and personal journeys of the characters?

Book Info:

Publication: Published May 2nd, 2023 | Entangled: Red Tower Books | The Empyrean #1

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

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.