I did it! I read the super popular TikTok romantasy sensation and... and I enjoyed it. Look, I knew it was a book with dragons, but if I am being honest (and when am I not honest when talking about books?), it wasn't anywhere near my radar. Then I joined an IRL Fantasy Book Club and this is the first book of 2024 we are reading. So here we are, I am obsessed with a book series that is not completely published - which kinda sucks, but it's also fun to just explore theories and especially debate them with your best friend who is just as obsessed with this series.
I am currently reading the second book in the series and I considered reviewing them together, but alas, there will be five books in the series so...
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| ★★★★☆ |
Fourth Wing follows Violet as she is pushed by her mother, General Sorrengail, to join the Riders Quadrant even though she's been training her entire life to join the Scribe Quadrant. But at Basgiath War College, you are either chosen by a dragon to bond or are killed in the process, and Violet is smaller and more breakable than anyone else (no, really, her bones and ligaments are easily breakable) and dragons only bond the strongest cadets. But she might not even get to the Threshing (the annual event where riders try to find the dragons they will bond with for life), because Xaden Riorson, the son of the rebel leader her mother executed, might kill her first.
"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead."
Since I am so excited for this series, please excuse the poor review. I will try my best to avoid spoilers - or mention them properly.
The Good (Mostly the Dragons!)
The dragons are by far my favourite part of this series - it is a dragon series, but I love the lore surrounding them and how they are not just a magical creature the humans use, but proper beings with their own government system and rules. They are treated with the respect they deserve! And some of them are really funny - a specific dragon is my favourite character! He is very funny, these are a few of his line (which will probably only be funny if you are familiar with the book):
"You're making us look bad. Stop it."
"You're bleeding. Stop it."
"Should I get the Wingleader?"
"You have the power to be a pain in the ass too. Trust me."
The female lead is not a Mary Sue! I avoid many fantasy books popular on TikTok because the heroines tend to be Mary Sues and Mary Sues are just not fun to spend time with. They annoy me and I roll my eyes so much they hurt, so I was very surprised when Violet did not fit the mould.
The secondary characters are great and they have a life of their own, they are not here just to push the plot forward or to fall for our heroine (another thing that happens in many popular books - everyone falls for the boring main character). And the dynamics between the characters is fun too!
It reads a bit too much like YA - which is not necessarily good, but it does mean it is an action-packed fast-paced read that I flew through. But word of advice, I highly do not recommend listening to the audiobook (even though an audioplay with full cast was just released) because there is a high chance of missing subtle things that can be spotted mostly from how the text is formatted; I regret going with the audiobook, but I do not own the book (yet).
The world-building is not that bad. Look, I am obsessed with it now, aren't I?
"People die. It’s going to happen over and over again. It’s the nature of what happens here. What makes you a rider is what you do after people die."
The Bad (Mostly the Recycling!)
Writing style wise... it is a bit lacking, but hey, that's why it reads like YA and it's fast-paced, ok? I wasn't expecting a masterpiece (and this is why it's so hard to choose quotes for this review). In its defence, it is very funny at times. Plus the writing in the smutty scenes is really really good, not vulgar, just passionate (I have a feeling Yarros started her career as a spicy romance writer).
And then the other part of writing - the story building, the character... it all feels oddly familiar to a million other books from the YA dystopia golden age or the more recent fairy porn books (or an even bigger book series and failed TV series with dragons). If you are like me and you already read ACOTAR before this book, then some things will be way too similar to be able to enjoy it. My friend who is buddy reading this book with me (she is also in the book club too) hasn't and I can tell she is enjoying this series a lot more than I am. To put it bluntly - I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy the books I rate 5 stars, but I had to deduct 1 star for all the rehashing of other works (especially Xaden - he is just too much like a batboy we all love and adore; and I now adore Xaden too).
It is a bit predictable. The bad guys are so easy to spot and the romance it's way too evident. There is a shadow of a love triangle, but you will not believe the other guy stands a chance at all!
I wanted more pagetime with the dragons!
"Remember that folklore is passed from one generation to the next to teach us about our past. If we lose it, we lose the links to our past. It only takes one desperate generation to change history- even erase it."
And The Conclusion
Should you read it? Look, if you want to just have fun and be excited and giggle and swoon? Then by all means YES! It's not the best fantasy out there, but it has those addictive tropes that will make it a hard book to put down. And the romance (and the smut) is really good! It's insta-lust, which is not always fun, but at the same time it develops into a slow-burn romance and you will come to care for these characters - and not only for the main characters!
It's definitely not a book for everyone and if you have a big problem with how similar it is to a bunch of other books, then it might not be your cup of tea. The truth is, as much as I like this book (it brings me joy, ok?), it is made out of scraps from other books. I personally avoided it because of this, but now I am hooked. It is what it is.
"Killing you wouldn’t be any trouble, Violence. It’s leaving you alive that seems to cause the majority of my trouble."
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros was first published in May 2023 and it won
the Goodreads Best Romantasy Award
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