Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
I avoided this book for about two weeks after I heard about it because it was surrounded in hype. Books surrounded in hype scare me. The last book I read because it was hyped up was It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover and I hated it.
But.
Boy.
Oh boy.
This book is worth the hype.
Violet Sorrengail is twenty years old. She has spent her whole life training to become a scribe, someone who records history and lives a quiet life. Her mother, General Sorrengail, has different plans for her. She forces Violet to join the Riders Quadrant. Violet, with her fragile body and brittle bones, attends War College, where the dragons incinerate the weak, where most people would kill her simply because of her last name. And that includes Xaden Riorson, the most powerful rider in the quadrant.
This book was a rollercoaster. I was hooked from the beginning. From Violet walking the Parapet to every cruel challenge first years face, I couldn’t put the book down. Because of her weakness, because we have to watch her grow and adapt to every situation, because she could die at any moment, the tension in the book is immense.
I didn’t realize I wanted a dragon.
My favorite thing about this book is its representation.
There are LGBTQIA+ characters, deaf characters, people of color, and none of it feels forced. It’s wonderful and amazing and beautiful. This is what realistic writing looks like. And I know, it’s weird to talk about realistic writing when there are literal dragons in the book, but life is diverse. Books should be, too.
Violet, who is physically weaker than everyone else, is incredibly strong mentally. Her mental fortitude and her capability of finding ways to be strong despite her apparent weaknesses is inspiring.
“I’m used to functioning in pain, asshole. Are you?”
Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing.
Not to mention, she is given accommodations for her illness, accommodations she tries to deny, and it is not portrayed as a bad thing. It doesn’t make her any less than the other riders. None of the other riders doubt her or her strength because of these accommodations.
I didn’t realize I had a thing for romantasy. I mean, of course I’ve read A Court of Thorns and Roses and adored it.
Gods.
Mysterious, dark, and brooding men who are extremely powerful really help keep me engaged in the story. Really help.
I’m talking about Xaden Riorson.
“Going for blood today, are we, Violence?”
Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing
His mysterious past had me asking questions. His morally gray character had me doubting his intentions. There are a bunch of politics involved between Violet, Xaden, and her childhood best friend, Dain, that keeps the reader hooked.
Not to mention, the tension between Violet and Xaden is insane. As in I was squealing in my room at 3am, kicking my feet, and covering my face with my Kindle.
“He might wield shadows, Violet, but give him his way, and you’ll become one.”
Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing
If you liked Rhysand, or Rowan, then you’ll love Xaden.
The side characters felt a smidge flat in this book. A lot of this is because Violet was trying to keep distance in order to keep herself from getting hurt if they die. I get it. I’m not mad at it. But that is part of the reason why this is a four star read and not a five star read.
4/5.
Xaden has my soul. If anything happens to him I will lose my mind.
Also. One last thing.
Fuck Dain.
“Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aims it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs–on the probabilities.”
Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing