"Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros is an enthralling 5-star journey into a fantastical realm, where Violet Sorrengail's transformation from aspiring scribe to dragon rider unfolds with gripping intensity. The narrative skillfully weaves elements of trial, love, and self-discovery as Violet navigates the challenges of the riders quadrant.

Violet's resilience and determination to overcome physical limitations make her an exceptionally compelling protagonist. The emotional connection to her struggles is heightened by the relatability for readers, especially those who, like myself, can empathise with issues such as hypermobility/EDS. Yarros masterfully crafts Violet's character, endowing her with confidence, empathy, integrity, and a delightful touch of sass that resonates throughout the story.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Violet and Xaden Riorson adds an electrifying layer to the narrative. Xaden emerges as the epitome of a perfect book boyfriend, seamlessly blending sarcasm, calm strength, and an unwavering devotion to Violet. Xaden will live rent-free in my head forever I think. His refusal to underestimate her internal strength becomes a refreshing aspect of their evolving relationship.

The dragons in "Fourth Wing" contribute to the story's charm, each character exuding unique personalities. The sass of Andarna, coupled with the dry wit of Tairn and Sygael, injects moments of joy and humour that enhance the overall reading experience. These mythical creatures become more than just companions to the protagonists; they are integral to the narrative, adding depth and complexity.

Violet's friends, Rhiannon, Ridoc, Sawyer, Jesinia, Liam etc., provide a crucial support system, each contributing a unique dynamic to the group. Their camaraderie and unwavering loyalty add layers of authenticity to the friendships depicted in the novel. Whether offering encouragement during challenging moments or celebrating victories, these characters serve as pillars that strengthen Violet's journey.

As a debut into fantasy, "Fourth Wing" has set an exceptionally high standard. Yarros' storytelling prowess shines through, captivating readers with a blend of action, romance, and fantastical elements. This novel is not only a captivating read for fantasy enthusiasts but also a testament to Yarros' ability to craft a rich, immersive world.

After experiencing the magic of "Fourth Wing," it's clear that this won't be my last foray into the fantasy genre.

SPOILERS INCLUDED

Whilst I did not finish Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing in one sitting like some of you gifted people out there, it did take me only a matter of days to get through as I was constantly eager to find out what was going to happen next. I think that this speaks for the novel’s plot, in that there was never really a dull moment, I did not feel at any point that I had been waiting too long for the next event to occur, there was always something else happening around the corner.

The narrative style and pace are definitely components in the readability of this novel. Yarros only tells us the information that we need to know when it is required, rather than dumping paragraphs of unnecessary description into the text. I have seen a critique of the novel’s lack of world-building, however, I think it’s foreclosure of information, as and when necessary, is one of its greatest attributes. For example, we do not find out absolutely everything there is to know about dragons, rather this information is revealed only when it aids the plot, and yet I did not feel as though my understanding of the creatures was at all lacking. I think one of the reasons that, to me, Fourth Wing was such a refreshing read is it’s lack of overbearing world building. Yarros trusts her readers to understand the information she provides them with and to otherwise fill in the gaps.
I personally found the method of revealing the elements of world building to be effective and relatively seamless, Violet reciting facts to calm her, as would make sense to her character. Often times this could seem on the nose, however in this circumstance I believe it makes sense and furthermore works not only to introduce us to facts about the world but also develop the characters and plot at the same time. None of the information that is provided to us is, by any means, unnecessary.

For me, the pacing of the novel as a whole was great. A contained example of this is the description of the obstacles within the Gauntlet task. Yarros does not describe Violet undertaking each task in depth, instead she depicts the other members of her group at various points along the course, allowing her to focus on the sections that challenge Violet. This technique allows the reader to feel as though they are watching it all happen, not rushed but without feeling bored by repetitive descriptions. The pacing of the novel’s overarching plot also impressed me, the progression of the cadets through the year being a strong timeline to follow without getting waylaid. The various time jumps also aided this, not at all feeling as though we had skipped anything important. The final chapters of the novel, during which a whole new plot line is introduced, help to maintain the rising tensions that we have witnessed throughout, whilst expanding Violet’s world in a way that will be greatly beneficial to the sequel, rather than this information having to be introduced at the start of Iron Flame.

For a quick note on character development, I think that Yarros does a brilliant job of developing side characters throughout the novel. Even those without many lines or much time on the page are very present in the reader’s mind as members of the group. However, my one critique is that I personally did not feel quite as emotionally invested in Liam’s character as I would have liked to have been prior to his death. I think in fact that Yarros did a great job of introducing elements of his past, his sister and his loyalty to Xaden, but for whatever reason, I was sad, but not crying over it.

I really appreciated the way in which Yarros avoided most of the regular clichés, or at least managed to present them in a way that was still relatively surprising. For example, had she introduced the idea that ‘No rider has ever had two dragons’ earlier in the novel, it would have been obvious that Violet was… going to bond with two dragons. However, this was not the case, I was left debating which of the two *slightly cliché* options she was going to end up with and instead found that I was satisfied with her having both because I simply hadn’t been expecting it.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that whilst Yarros made various hints to Xaden’s alliance with the Fliers, (e.g. Violet spotting them returning from Athebyne) and Dain’s betrayal (Dain placing his hand on Violet’s cheek) and even the book of fables, they were not in your face. This meant that whilst they helped link everything together in the story, I had not figured them all out from miles away, and so I was able to actually enjoy the plot twists when they arrived.

One element that I found slightly underdeveloped was Xaden’s nature towards Violet. I have seen a speculative theory that perhaps Brennan had spoken to Xaden of Violet and so he already felt affection for her, or perhaps simply they are not as great enemies as it is made out simply because Xaden is a better person than he is described to be. But I felt as though I could have done with a little more showing of a change of heart than the quick jump from Violet being scared of him to them being in love.

I enjoyed that although grounds for the sequel had already been set, with the introduction of the world outside the wards, we still received a major cliff hanger in the final few lines (Brennan is alive!) that opened up a world of new questions. Whilst this was not hinted to significantly at any point, it did not feel at all out of place and was a great way to end the book in my opinion.

Overall, I went into Fourth Wing apprehensive about whether I would like it as much as most people seemed to have… and I think I did. It was a refreshing return to a plot line reminiscent of a YA novel, without exuding the awkward predictability found in some YA. I particularly enjoyed that the characters were older as the tasks they were undertaking seemed more believable and the depths of their relationships were able to progress further, the stakes being higher. Furthermore, the writing style felt refined, with dialogue that felt natural rather than forced and the characters themselves didn’t do annoying things for the sake of it. The plot was never halted due to angstiness that caused big fall outs etc, everything was quickly resolved in order to move forward.

I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read the next one, I have preordered it, which is pretty unheard of for me.

I'll start by saying that I usually read high fantasy not romance, so this kinda "romantasy" genre is new to me. Perhaps that's why it fell a little flat.
The plot is good, and it does jump relatively quickly into action rather than too much build-up, making this an easy book to get into. The dragons are cool and you can see that there is starting to be some real world-building (particularly at the end, as the hook into the next book). It is quite a short book though, so not much potential for more in-depth world building and some of the key character development points (e.g. the first time she kills someone - so much potential for self-reflection and dealing with the challenge) felt skimmed over.
I did skip through the romance bits though, they felt a little thrown in / unnecessary to the actual story. The romance also felt a bit rushed and focused just on physical attraction, without much development (so much potential for an "enemies to lovers" trope but it was too rushed to be believable).
I'll probably buy the next book to give it a chance, as it's an easy light read, but overall I kinda feel it was a bit overhyped.

Ordered a copy of the new paperback with dragon edges and it arrived damaged. I ordered several items and they all arrived in an oversized box. Including two glass bowls that were just loose in the box and not padded or wrapped or anything. Very surprised they weren't broken. Unfortunately my copy of the book was damaged. So I reported it and they sent me a replacement copy. It was sent in a padded envelope which my mail carrier squeezed into my mailbox. So the fault could lay with USPS for the second copy being damaged but if it has been sent in a box...