Fourth Wing

I figured this novel would be similar to the ACOTAR series, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that close at all. It reminded me more of Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games plus dragons. It reads quick and definitely keeps you entertained. There are a few small shocks here and there, but I feel like it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen. I wish Rebecca Yarros was a bit more descriptive when it comes to the characters because I couldn't really tell you what anyone looked like, besides Xaden being handsome with dark hair and a scar (not exactly unique when it comes to romantasy) and Violet having silver hair and being frail. It also felt like some of the characters were thrown in haphazardly, like Professor Carr (who has almost no real involvement minus a couple paragraphs at best) and basically all of the staff. As entertaining as it was, a lot of it felt redundant--Dain trying to get Violet to quit for safety, the descriptions for the rebel branding, how everyone is trying to kill the same person the entire novel, how hot Violet thinks Xaden is, how Violet's mom is a cold/heartless mother, etc.

Bonus points for having more inclusive characters (using sign language, being non-binary, LGBTQ friendly).

Ultimately I am excited to start book two, Iron Flame.

📚 I am absolutely blown away by Rebecca Yarros's "Fourth Wing" - this fantasy masterpiece has completely captivated me from start to finish. As someone who has devoured countless fantasy novels, I can confidently say this stands among the best I've ever encountered

🏰 The world of Navarre is brilliantly crafted, with its War College, dragon riders, and intricate political dynamics. Yarros has created a rich, immersive universe where dragons aren't just mounts, but complex beings with distinct personalities and bonds with their riders. 🐉 The attention to detail in the world-building is exceptional, from the military structure to the magical systems that govern this realm. ✨

💫The character development is absolutely stellar. Violet Sorrengail's journey from a would-be scribe to dragon rider candidate is compelling and authentic. Her physical limitations make her triumph even more meaningful, and her intellectual approach to challenges adds a refreshing dimension to the typical fantasy hero. The dynamics between characters, especially the tension-filled relationship with Xaden Riorson 🔥, are masterfully written and emotionally engaging.

⚔️The plot is perfectly paced, balancing action-packed sequences with character development and world-building. There's never a dull moment, yet the story doesn't feel rushed. The political intrigue, military training, dragon bonding, and personal relationships are woven together seamlessly, creating a multi-layered narrative that keeps you completely engrossed. 📖

🎧 I had the incredible opportunity to experience this story in two formats - through the paperback edition 📚 and following along with the Graphic Audio version 🎭. While the physical book allowed me to savor every written detail at my own pace, the Graphic Audio production took the experience to another level. The full-cast production, sound effects, and music created an incredibly immersive experience that brought this already vibrant world to life in an extraordinary way. If you haven't read "Fourth Wing" yet, I highly recommend both formats - start with the book to create your own mental imagery, then enhance your experience with the Graphic Audio version. It's truly the best of both worlds! ✨

💭 This book is simply exceptional in every aspect - from its compelling characters and rich world-building to its engaging plot and emotional depth. It's rare to find a book where you can't find any faults, but "Fourth Wing" achieves this feat. The blend of fantasy, romance, and military training creates a perfect storm of storytelling that will keep you absolutely hooked until the very last page. I'm absolutely thrilled to dive into "Iron Flame" next and continue this extraordinary journey! 🐉✨

A masterpiece that deserves every bit of praise it receives. This isn't just a book - it's an experience that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

beginning was strong, but got worse as it went on. 3.5 but i am going to read the sequel :P

I avoided this book on my book shelf because it isn't my typical genre, and I thought it was just overhyped and I would be disappointed.

I was not. I devoured this book in 24 hours, and when I was reading, I was thinking about it.

To say it exceeded my expectations would be putting it mildly.

I love the main characters, the side characters and Xaden is a book boyfriend for the ages. I would follow him into battle without question.

The slow burn, enemies to lovers, the action, it was all top notch for me. Before the store closed today I took a break from reading to go buy books 2 and 3.

original update, June 2023:

Book of the year right here. What am I even supposed to do with myself until November?!?! THE AUDACITY

Review coming when I can stop screaming

re-read update, November 2023:

I still haven't stopped screaming

re-read update, February 2025:

Will I EVER not sob at "it was my honor"? Unlikely.

Wow, great storytelling overall. This series was recommended by many friends on social media when “Onyx Storm” came out. I somehow managed to avoid any spoilers before reading this book and I'm glad I did. Also, I am getting back into reading and seems I picked quite a feisty series. (#noregrets) The characters are well established and I love how the dragons have names and personalities. (Frankly, Tairn is my favorite character at this moment.) The relationship between Violet and Xaden had me all over the place and yet it's somehow addicting. Much of the story in the beginning was captivating but there were elements that annoyed me...until we got to the last quarter of the book and it started to make sense and fall into place.

My thoughts are still forming as the story reveals itself. I've already started on the second book and looking forward to knowing more about this world. There are so many questions by the time you get to the end of the first book... but I appreciated the attention to detail in battle and lore. I guess we'll see where this journey takes us..fly.or.die.

A damn good book. Very engaging and kept me wanting for more. My only complaint is the ending left me wanting for a little more explanation.

God dammit, I enjoyed it more that I would like to admit.

Cheers.

Not my cup of tea. Everything felt repetitive and strongly telegraphed. Nothing happened between pages 51 to 541 that couldn't be guessed in the first fifty pages. I had a hard time liking the main character or finding a unique personality in any of the supporting characters. Just...not for me, but I'm happy for folks who like it and happy I checked it out to see what the hype was about.

Kicking my feet, crying, laughing!

Why does a book about dragons have so little actual dragons in it? Especially when they’re the best part? The hype for this series seems like it’s driven by networking and big publishing money. Good writing and pacing and a great hook, rallying dragon lovers everywhere. But hard pass for me on the rest of the series. Here are a few reasons why:

Insultingly ableist: I have the same hypermobility disorder, so I found MC’s attitude toward healers and her “just push through the pain” plot device internal dialogue not only bullshit but insulting. Rock climber here, and you do NOT just “push through” when your wrist ligaments or other joints pop out of alignment while you’re in the middle of moving because literally it’s like a when your chain comes off the bicycle and no matter how you peddle, you’re NOT moving. To turn down healer powers because “people would think I’m weak” when 1. They already do and 2. You ARE because you have a disability made my blood boil. What I wouldn’t GIVE to have access to a magical healer. You wanna tell an asthmatic, if you take that albuterol during your 5K people will think you’re weak! And when they literally can’t breathe and all the oxygen is disappearing from their tissues, they’re waving away the inhaler. “No, no I’ll just push through it.” So. Incredibly. Insensitive.

Not believable: Having been a military spouse, I found the world building silly at best. Popped me right out from almost the first chapter — if you’re going to wage war, you don’t kill 99% of your canon fodder in ego-based military exercises. Maybe you use these exercises to cull the herd, to find the diamonds and leaders, to spot weakness points. But you don’t unalive the infantry. No, you reassign them to the front lines. You’d think the author wasn’t actually a military spouse or at least wasn’t paying attention. Finally as a survivor or sexual assault and with a first-hand knowledge of the realities of a brutalistic militaristic culture, the LACK of attempted SA and rape felt like either a marketing ploy to keep from having to add content warnings or to prevent the inevitable backlash reviews that claimed the author was making some kind of statement or referencing the very really sexual assaults experienced by 1 in 5 females attending the U.S. Air Force academy in the y2k era, for example, or it was a Pollyanna oversight by the author that smacks of unseriousness.

Again, fun action scenes, spiciness was nice, somewhat memorable moments. Passing on next in series.

I didn't know what I expected from romantasy, so it's my fault. But the whole military rider complex didn't sell well with me, especially given the author military background. I think for romance and fantasy vibe, the book is good, and the main romantic relationship is kinda silly but not toxic. The world building is very primitive and gives “hard to be hard” without explanation, and like the only believable thing was main character physical struggles. In conclusion, this is my end with the Emperyan world, and I would not read more.

I really am not the demographic for this book. The story or plot concerning Navarre was really what brought me into the book. That and the dragons. But the young adult love, the crass language at how some sex scenes were worded and all just made this feel like a soft porn teenage fantasy. The insistence on the attraction of the characters was also tiresome. We get it, they wanna get in each other's pants. Let's move on.

Not my cup of tea but I can see others might like it.

Going into Fourth Wing, I knew I wasn’t the target audience, but with all the buzz, I wanted to see what it was about. Early on, the book set up a lot of compelling elements—family mysteries, shifting alliances, a brutal training school, political tension, and, of course, dragons. It felt like there were so many directions the story could take.

But as things progressed, most of those threads took a backseat to Violet’s relationship with Xaden. It’s not the relationship itself that didn’t work for me, but rather the relentless focus on it—so much introspection, so much longing, with little to balance it out. The world and its complexities started to feel secondary, which was disappointing given how much potential was there.

That said, I absolutely see why this book resonates with so many readers. If you love highstakes romance with a fantasy backdrop, this delivers exactly that. I just personally wanted a broader view of the world rather than such a tight zoom-in on the relationship. Maybe the sequels will expand on that, but for now, I don’t think this series is for me.

This book actually hooked me pretty early on, and kept me interested all the way through. Good balance of world building, character development, and ~spice~ to keep me wanting more. The characters didn't feel boring or 2-dimensional, and I found myself really invested in their stories. I'm definitely picking up the next book!

I wasn’t too sure about this at first, but wow, it ended up being so good. I finished it a few hours ago, and now I just feel empty and desperately need more—good thing I already have the next one ready to go, haha!

At the start, the characters really annoyed me, but they definitely grew on me as the story went on. The combat training scenes and the dragon imagery were absolutely incredible. And the ending was an insane twist I wasn’t expecting and I can’t wait to pick the next one ><

This is well worth the hype!

Talking dragons. Enough said.

4.5/5
I feel like there are a lot of plot holes in the book. A lot of places where you can say: really? The government or the big players couldn't think of ANYTHING better?
Furthermore, I'm not gonna lie, I did cringe at the “romance” part of the book. Maybe/Especially because I'm a man and the romance is from a woman's perspective.
Now that we got the cringe parts out of the way, I'd like to say that this book always kept me interested and excited. The plot is interesting and i always wanted more. Even though i would've liked more world building, since the book does move at a fast pace, i didn't miss it that much. Given this, I liked that the book kinda reads like screenplay and i could visualize the story or the “movie” playing in my head as I listened to the book. Yes i did listen to an audiobook. However, i did like it enough to buy it and buy the second and the third book. So there's that. I would recommend it for every romantasy lover. And if you can get over the cringe romance parts even to men who might wanna read more about dragons and fighting.

I was hooked from the beginning until the end!

Yeah... Safe to say I'm on the fourth wing train now. Love anything dragon related too. 

(2.5 stars)

+2 stars for: making me LAUGH OUT LOUD at the absurdity of some of the dialogue and writing. like some of these quotes are just so unserious that i just couldn't help but have a good time

+1,000 stars for: DRAGONS!!!

+1 star for: genuinely like actually pulling me in. this book was def a page turner! was it good??? ummmmmm

-1,000 stars for: xaden's pov. if you thought violet was insufferably horny i give you... her boyfriend!!! he's so fucking gross in that last chapter like... UR GIRL NEARLY DIED AND YOUR LOOKING AT HER BOOBS???

-1 star for: FINALLY some small and pale girl rep! we have really been lacking in that department!!!

+1 star for: rhiannon's friendship and andarna (the cutest to ever do it)!

-.5 stars for: black best friend trope PLUS gay best friend trope! AND KILLING LIAM!!!

ok ok ok putting aside the insane amounts of nostalgia for divergent and other 2000s dystopians... i really get why people love this book. easy to read, fun (if not hilariously predictable) twists and an interesting world to enjoy as long as you don't think about it too long.

It's a no for me

this book was ridiculousy fun. guilty pleasure for sure

Recommended by my daughter. I loved the Hunger Games elements and I loved the dragons but was turned off by the horny crushing of Xaden and the annoying presence of Dain. Honestly ruined the second half of this book for me. Love Violet’s relationship with Rhiannon and her sister.

I read this for a book club as January's pick to explore some "romantasy" that seems to be taking over the shelves. For me, this was a rather middle of the road one. There were things I enjoyed, and things I didn't, as all things are. Here's what I liked:

1. It was a quick, simple read. Easily digestible. I read the entire thing in less than two hours of timed reading. It flowed very quickly.
2. It was fun in a corny way. It was like the fantasy version of watching a classic cult film like "Scream" ( quality of prose non-withstanding ). Pretty hilarious dialogue bits, some of the cheesiness that I expected. The "You missed." made me laugh out loud.
3. Mean Girls, as the Hunger Games, with dragons. Not necessarily a bad thing. It reminded me of my teenager telling me all about high school and its escapades.
4. The erotica was some of the better I've read, despite that corniness as well.
5. Her being pale being given an actual reason, confirmed by the author, as disability rep was a pleasant surprise. Also, the willingness to let Violet appear weak, which is a novelty.
6. I loved Xaden's innate ability and dragon bond. ( No more info here to avoid spoilers. )

What I disliked or could've left outside the door:

1. Too digestible. I know she made this as a more accessible fantasy read, but there is a difference between accessible and blank. I rarely knew what was going on in the world itself. I couldn't tell you a thing about how the Wings work, what the Dragons have going on, the politics besides the mentions of war. I had little descriptions to ground myself in, and the ones I did have ... ( see point 2 )
2. The descriptions were vapid. If I read one more "soft brown eyes" or "tender squeeze of the bicep" I was going to throttle the protagonist. I also understand it's intended to be romantic fantasy, but I was sore for the fantasy elements. I wanted more about the bonds, I wanted more serious emotions. Being "told" how I was supposed to feel via Violet saying it multiple times did zero for me.
3. Re: cheesy dialogue. Some of it should've been unwritten. The attempt at the love triangle was dubious.
4. Although "pale skin" is given a medical representation reason, considering the over-saturation of focus on protagonists who are light-skinned, and knowing Violet's other family members are briefly said to be darker / medium, I do wonder if there is some colourism, unintentional or otherwise, in this choice. Not everybody with EDS goes pale.
5. I appreciated the signs of weakness; at the same time, that did need to be balanced. The "saving" mechanism only worked up until the third time. Also, if she received one more injury to the ribs, she would be dead by page 150.
6. The second erotica scene contained some elements that made me laugh. I'm sorry.

I will not be continuing the series, but am glad I read it.