Fourth Wing: Book Review
Hi friends! Today I’m reviewing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros!
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
I will do my best to summarize the book without spoilers, but it is long and detailed, so feel free to skip ahead to read my review!
The first book in The Empyrean series, Fourth Wing, follows Violet Sorrengail and her fellow cadets as they strive to become dragon riders for the kingdom of Navarre. Violet is a twenty-year-old citizen of Navarre who is about to enter Basgiath War College in the Scribe Quadrant, where she will live among books and history. Her mother, the commanding general, orders her to join the elite dragon riders quadrant. As the daughter of a famous war general and a sister to two war heroes, Mira and Brennan, Violet must overcome her physical frailty and not just succeed but survive.
The book begins with Conscription Day, known to be the deadliest day. The cadets must walk across a parapet, a treacherous balance beam in the sky, to enter the Riders Quadrant. Even if you make it through, only a fraction of the class will make it through the three years to graduation.
Some background on this fantasy world: The book takes place on one fictional continent with two kingdoms that have been at war for 400 years. Navarre is the larger kingdom. Tyrrendor, the largest province in Navarre, is the only province to attempt secession. After this rebellion, there was an execution of the traitor officers, and their children were marked with a rebellion relic and conscripted into the Riders Quadrant to prove their loyalty or show their service through death.
Basgiath War College is in Navarre. There are several quadrants with wing leaders and section leaders, and Violet ends up in the fourth wing, hence the book’s name. Everyone ranks as a cadet before Threshing, when dragons choose a human rider with whom they bond. Dragons speak only with their bonded riders, and the bond creates both a relic and a signet, which is an extraordinary power in humans.
Violet crosses the parapet and finds Dain Aetos, her childhood best friend, who tells her he will look after her. He’s a second-year leader whose father is an advisor to Violet’s mother. But Violet’s sister informs her to avoid the powerful wingleader Xaden Riorson. Xaden is tall, dark, and handsome, but he has it out for her and wants to kill her. He and many others are only there because of the fallout from their parents’ rebellion, after which Violet’s mother executed them.
To make matters worse, Xaden’s dad played a part in Violet’s brother’s death. They go through a series of physical challenges and then get to Threshing. Threshing inextricably links Violet and Xaden due to unexpected circumstances. As their bond grows, so does their romance until the spark fully ignites. Meanwhile, it’s becoming evident that all may not be what it seems, and attacks are arising on the border.
My review (a few spoilers):
I loved this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’m not a fantasy girl. I’ve never read Twilight, Game of Thrones, or even all of Harry Potter because I didn’t think they would be for me. I was surprised by how much I loved this book. It was over 600 pages, but I didn’t want it to end. Fourth Wing was the perfect introduction to fantasy. Many of these books spend most of the story setting up the world, which I don’t have the patience for. I thought the author made the book relatively easy to grasp and got straight to the point. I’m also so glad I waited to read it because now I can jump straight into the recently released sequel.
I’m also a harsh critic of the “enemies to lovers” romance novels because they tend to be cheesy and unrealistic. But, in Fourth Wing, the romance builds to a place where it feels more realistic two-thirds of the way through the book. Violet and Xaden have genuine motivations to be enemies and believable reasons why they must come together.
Lastly, the characters are so loveable. It’s hard not to root for Violet to find love and survival, especially amidst her circumstances. The book doesn’t explicitly state it, but the author confirmed Violet has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. Seeing her overcome obstacles with wisdom and courage rather than physical strength is admirable.
I could have done without only a few things in Fourth Wing. First, I wasn’t a fan of how the book led the reader to believe there would be a love triangle. I wish we had known from the beginning that Dain was only a friend because it felt distracting to think there was more. He was also by far the most annoying character.
While the fantasy land was easy to understand, there were a lot of new terms to learn. For example, the terms “parapet” and “threshing” were mentioned initially but weren’t further explained until a few chapters later.
There are also so many things I wish we learned more about. What is the history behind the enemy? Did Violet’s dad genuinely die of a heart attack? What’s the story with Violet’s mother? I’m sure we’ll get the answer to these questions in the following books.
I give Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros a perfect five out of five stars. This book had it all between the constant life-threatening situations, loveable characters, magic, shocking plot twists, and an ending that leaves the reader wanting more. I can’t wait to read the second book and I hope it lives up to the first one.
Thanks for reading!
