Fourth Wing

Plot or Character Driven: A mix Strong character development: Yes Loveable characters: Yes Diverse cast of characters: Yes Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated Fourth Wing has been on my TBR list for quite some time. I finally had the time to read, and I now know why so many people have been talking about this series. I quite enjoyed reading Fourth Wing. The story is engaging, with a plot that leaves you wanting to know more, and the characters are entertaining. This slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is definitely a page turner. Adding the dragons to the mix makes the read even more exciting. Violet always thought she was to be a scribe, writing the times and reviewing the history of the city and its future. She was not like her brother, a healer or a badass rider and fighter like her sister. She was a scribe like her father. Violet is also quite fragile; every week, something happens to her resulting in an injury. However, times have changed, and her mother, who is the General, demands that she become a rider. Violet has to go through the list of challenges, just like the others. The only rule is that one must stay alive. As Violet makes it through the challenges. She learns that not only is her fragile state something she has to work on, but also the other prospective riders who may view her as competition or even harbour hatred towards her because of her family name. Violet finds the courage and strength to overcome these challenges one by one. She is even chosen by one of the most powerful dragons to be his rider. Xaden, a third-year wingleader, has revenge on his mind towards Violet. After all, her mother killed his father in battle. He moves Violet and her squad to his section and lets her know that he intends to kill her. After watching her move through the challenges, he has started to develop respect for her and thinks less of killing her. Xaden's dragon and Violet's dragon are mates. This leads to them spending more time in each other's space. The attraction between them starts to sizzle. Xaden has now turned his focus toward keeping Violet safe. Reasons I enjoyed this book: Action-packed, Entertaining, Great world building, Page-turner, Romantic, Twisted, Wonderful characters

Let's get those two small warnings out of the way, okay? 1. Amazon lists this as a three book series (likely because that's all the author has written so far), the author plans it as a FIVE book series. Yeah, I failed research - after reading the sample of Fourth Wing, i bought books 1-3 and went aaarrrrgggggggh at the end of Onyx Storm, only to find reviews that noted there are two more books to come. My own fault, but trying to help others here. 2. Forget about doing *anything* else while reading these. Compelling? Absolutely. Full throttle from beginning to end? Yes, sir/ma'am! Keep you reading till way after your bedtime? Find yourself reading while fixing and eating breakfast/ lunch/dinner? Yes, and very yes. 2(a) If you have trouble with f-bombs or explicit sex scenes, this series is not your best bet as there are plenty of each. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book(/series - I gobbled up Iron Flame and Onyx Storm also). Our protagonist, Violet? I like her. She's far from perfect, but she is smart and resourceful, capable of thinking outside the box (without things becoming too cryptic). And there are plenty of other three-dimensional characters to interact with her. Characters show true growth in this series and the world building is solid (and expands beyond the initial borders in books 2 and 3). Clearly our author is thoughtful, careful, and determined to write books that you want to/ought to read. Technically a romantasy rather than high fantasy, but there is a lot to like, especially if you don't mind 100mph rides. And hey, there are way cool dragons.

Guys. I’m not lying here: 2023 is MY YEAR for reading. I cannot tell you how many books I’ve read that have been so astonishingly beautiful and amazing and overall top tier. This novel is no exception. Coming into this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The only other book I’ve read by Rebecca Yarros is The Things We Leave Unfinished. Also amazing, but if you’ve read it you know it’s on a completely different playing field than this book. I mean, Fourth Wing is on a different world and isn’t a historical romance novel. It is epic, though, and I’m not using that word lightly. Fourth Wing is a fantasy novel set in the world of Navarre where dragons, griffins, and magic are real. If you’ve followed a majority of my reviews on my blog, you know that I hardly ever review fantasy novels. I honestly think the only other fantasy novel I’ve reviewed was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which honestly was a real world fantasy, so wasn’t that far outside of my realm. With that being said, this book is outside of my typical comfort zone but holy hell did I love it. Now I’m thinking I’ve been missing out on all of these amazing fantasy novels and I might just go on a binge. So, what exactly did I like about this novel? Everything. But to break it down: the world building that went into writing this is absolutely insane and makes it an amazing read in itself; the characters that don’t necessarily make you think “oh this again” with the main heroine; the unbeatable plot; and the beautiful, comical writing style that Rebecca Yarros demonstrates. The world building speaks for itself, but the characters that don’t follow typical patterns particularly made me like this novel. For instance, our main heroine, Violet, is way weaker than other riders. She doesn’t fit the mould. While this is typical for our main character, what follows isn’t. Instead of her beating all odds and becoming the strongest rider of all, she basically just… adjusts. She has to do things differently and doesn’t just become a natural born rider. It’s amazing and you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve read the book. The plot is just like what I said: unbeatable. You have foreshadowing, a romantic subplot, tension and high stakes throughout the entire novel, and man is it satisfying. I’m not sure how long this series is going to be, but I am here for it. Lastly, Rebecca Yarros’ writing style in this novel is nothing short of spectacular. You get epic battle scenes, romantic moments that play with your heart, and comical snips that make you laugh out loud. It really does have everything and I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire novel. Overall, this review is huge but I had a lot to say. I honestly can’t even point to something that I disliked about this novel, which just goes to show you how much I loved it and how great I think it is. If you enjoy fantasy novels, you’ll fall in love with this book. If you don’t enjoy fantasy novels? You’ll still fall in love with this book. I’ve already recommended it to my book club, my mom, and my brother. Y’all are welcome. Favorite quote: “And when others are quick to stand in front of me, Xaden always stands at my side, trusting me to hold my own.”

Absolutely loved this book, read it a few days.

Llegó antes de la fecha y en perfectas condiciones. Este libro merece todo el hype que recibe. Estéticamente, los bordes pintados le dan un plus muy lindo a la edición. En cuanto a la trama, es simplemente espectacular, tenemos una protagonista que persevera a pesar de todas las adversidades. Un enemies to lovers nada tóxico, con mucha tensión y su recomendada dosis spicy. Un interés amoroso con vibes de Rhysand (ACOTAR). Un mundo fantástico donde existen lazos entre jinetes y dragones. Misterios, guerra y traiciones dentro del imperio. Llega a ser una perfecta montaña rusa de emociones.

Para quem ama esse universo de romantasy, Fourth Wing é uma ótima escolha. Superficialmente, é como se a autora pegasse Jogos Vorazes, As Crônicas de Gelo e Fogo, Harry Potter, ACOTAR e batesse em um liquidificador para criar essa obra. Porém, ao nos aprofundarmos na história, esquecemos essa primeira impressão, pois é notável que a Rebecca Yaros sabe escrever uma trama envolvente, que transporta o leitor para aquele universo e consegue fazê-lo sentir o que a personagem sente. Inicialmente, sobre a trama: Violet Sorrengail é a clássica heroína que se difere dos outros porque nunca quis se encaixar naquele contexto em primeiro lugar. Em uma escola dividida em quatro esquadrões - escribas, infantaria, curandeiros e montadores de dragões -, ela queria se dedicar ao primeiro, mas é forçada a ir para o último. Daí pra frente, apenas existir lá dentro se torna uma luta pela sobrevivência, pois os montadores de dragões não aceitam alguém que enfraqueça essa unidade. Lá, ela conhece Xanden Riorson, o qual é um, também clássico, anti-herói que será o interesse amoroso - e muito, muito carnal - da personagem. Ele tem tudo que amamos em um mocinho de romantasy: é lindo, é forte, chama a Violet por um apelido especial, apoia a liberdade e a liderança dela com um jeito de malvado, de perigoso, de irônico... mas tem todos os motivos do mundo pra fazer o que faz, é justo, é leal, é irresistível...e, no final das contas, completamente devoto a ela. É a receita infalível para um enemies to lovers de devorar em uma madrugada. Jogue no meio o perigo constante, ameaças mortais, dragões amedrontadores, inimigos POR TODA PARTE, uma revolução no mundo em que a protagonista vive e no jeito que ela vê as coisas e temos Fourth Wing nos prendendo à leitura como maníacas obcecadas. Claro, o livro tem defeitos: existem muitos clichês - desde bad boys vs mocinho, a garota diferente das outras garotas, protagonista superidealizada (vulgo Mary Sue/a escolhida/se errou, foi com razão) em alguns momentos, mommy e daddy issues pra todo lado -, pelo menos 1 palavrão por página (o que, em minha opinião, deixa o livro adolescente demais), e se você é apaixonada pelo Rhysand de ACOTAR, você provavelmente vai notar umas certas... semelhanças entre ele e o Xaden. Em suma, o livro cumpre o seu papel: é uma leitura divertida, te mantém interessada o tempo inteiro, te faz torcer por alguns personagens e odiar outros, te faz passar mal com as cenas hot (muito bem escritas, por sinal!), e ir correndo pro próximo livro da série só pra não nem 1 minuto de distância daquele mundo e daquele casal. Eu não diria que é super revolucionário, pois acho que esse nicho literário (fantasia com romances épicos para jovens adultos) já não tem tanto pra onde correr mais. Dito isso, cá estou eu, já terminando o segundo livro e em agonia por ter que esperar o terceiro. Enfim, recomendo!

I don’t think i’ve ever loved a book more. And no, i’m not biased. From the moment i started reading it, it had me by chokehold. It managed to bring me inside a whole new world every time, without fail. Don’t be scared by the length of it, as it is very “readable” and genuinely nice.

The book came in amazing condition 🤍