What is this? Am I… writing an actual book review? I guess I really am back! Okay, in all seriousness, finding the time and energy to not only read a novel, but write down my thoughts about it, really fills me with joy. And no better book to do that than one that took BookTok by storm last year. I’m of course talking about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. So did it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!
Violet Sorrengail always thought she would become a scribe, but her mother, the commanding general, has ordered her to enter the Rider Quadrant and become a dragon rider… if she manages to survive the ruthless challenges of training and the other cadets who would rather see her dead – like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful wingleader in the Quadrant. While Violet needs all her wits just to see the next sunrise, the war outside grows more deadly and Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Fun fantasy
So let me start by saying that I have been quite out of touch with the book community these last couple of years. And I have absolutely no idea what’s happening over on TikTok. But even I couldn’t ignore the hype surrounding Fourth Wing and it piqued my interest.
I flew through this book in a couple of days, which surprised me because I’m not the fastest reader these days. And yes, that does mean I enjoyed it. In fact, I had a great time with it – while at the same also realizing that it is by no means Great Literature. But does it have to be in order to be fun? I don’t think so.
We’ve seen this before
Why do I say it’s not the most amazing fantasy novel out there? Well, because it’s not exactly original. Dragon riders who can communicate telepathically with their dragons, a military academy, students trying to kill each other, a brooding love interest who can command shadows,… We’ve all seen that before. More than once.
But it didn’t bother me. Maybe that’s because I barely touched a book these last 3 years and therefore it’s been a while since I read about these tropes/clichés/whatever-you-wanna-call-them. Or maybe it’s because I didn’t go into Fourth Wing expecting a whole new take on the genre. Even from the synopsis, it’s pretty clear that the plot won’t win any originality awards.
Seeing how it’s labeled as a romantasy, I figured most of its focus would be on the romance plot anyway. Yes, that part of the novel has also been done before. But I find that to be true of a large part of the romance genre. And I didn’t mind one bit while reading Fourth Wing. I guess I’m just a sucker for enemies-to-lovers with banter and knife-wielding. And smut. I love me some smut and we definitely got that.
So let’s talk about the main characters. I loved Violet and how she had to overcome her disability, and how she ignored her sister’s advice to only make allies instead of friends. Said friends were fun to read about as well and I hope to see more of them in the sequel. But most of Violet’s attention went to Xaden, who has a good reason to want her dead but happens to be incredibly hot. Cliché, but hey, their chemistry worked for me. I also loved Tairn and Andarna, but I can’t tell you too much about them because I don’t want to spoil anything.
What I didn’t like
I already talked about how the story wasn’t too original but that it didn’t bother me. Yet, there were also a few things I didn’t like about Fourth Wing. For one, Violet might be the protagonist and that of course means there’s something special about her. But there’s one major plot point where it gets a bit too Special One for me. I won’t go into details so as not to spoil it for you, but you’ll know when you read it.
There isn’t a whole lot of world building happening throughout the story. We get glimpses of the world beyond the Rider Quadrant, but when I reached the finale of this book, I felt like we could have used a bit more of that. It would have helped to understand better what was going on.
It was also jarring to read a story set on a fictional continent that has no connection to our world, yet they use the same names for days and months as we do. Why would this kingdom have a Tuesday or July? They have their own deities, so why not name the days of the week for those, to give just one example?
Like I said, overall Fourth Wing was a fun read. Not the best novel ever, nor the most creative or original one. It doesn’t bring anything new to the genre of fantasy, and the romance was predictable as well. But Rebecca Yarros has managed to combine those familiar elements into a story that worked – for me, at this specific time. I wanted to enjoy myself with an uncomplicated book that took me along for the ride. And that’s exactly what Fourth Wing did.
Fiction
Piatkus Books
April 28, 2023
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. Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies . . . or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
