Reviews with content warning for Bullying - A patra aripă

Representation: Implied Brown character, character with a physical disability
Score: Five points out of ten.
I own this book.

So this one won Best Romantasy and is the novel on everyone's radars. When I tried to get Fourth Wing at the library, so many people placed a hold on it that I had to buy it alongside the following instalment in the series, Iron Flame. Did I mention Fourth Wing will be series spanning five parts long? Unfortunately, when I read and finished Fourth Wing, it underwhelmed me.

Fourth Wing starts with the first character I see, Violet Sorrengail, conscripted to be part of the Riders Quadrant rather than the Scribe one, all because her mother forced her into it. Why? It's not clear since it's a plot hole. If I made a list of all the imperfections Fourth Wing has, it would go on for so long. It's apparent that the author put more effort into the romance than the world itself. I must also give credit to Rebecca Yarros for creating memorable and likable characters like Violet, but I cringed at Fourth Wing at times, especially when Xaden calls Violet 'Violence.' Really?

I was not expecting that one spicy scene to happen toward the 400 page mark, and after I read that, it disgusted me, but there's more of them. Violet is the underdog as the author portrayed at Basgiath War College, a school of dragons which doesn't care about its students' lives. It's like The Hunger Games with dragons. No one cares if one person in the college murders another. However, in some chapters, Violet didn't fight off cadets alone. Instead, another friend poisoned Violet's opponents to increase the odds for her. I'm unsure how I feel about that, but I understand how that would be necessary, considering Violet's condition. The worldbuilding isn't there. There's no reason as to why everything is the way they are. I struggle to comprehend how Basgiath War College came to be, or why do they care about dragons so much. I'd have preferred if Rebecca Yarros created names by herself instead of stealing Gaelic words and then mispronouncing them. The conclusion is a high note.

To summarise, Fourth Wing is a high fantasy story that looked so promising, but when I accomplished reading the narrative, it disenchanted me and left room for improvement. Maybe romantasy isn't my cup of tea yet.

Content Warnings

nikimorr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book deserves every star. I am beyond amazed at the world the author has created.

There is a mix of everything - adventure, friendship, romance. I found the main character, Violet, to be lovable, and I was rooting for her from the beginning. Even when I did not always agree with her decisions, I was all in on Team Violet, which does not happen in many books. I appreciated that she wasn’t a “perfect” main character - she has many flaws but prevails nonetheless.

I love that this book took place in a school - there was so many different elements to the school and the student’s training that allowed us to learn about not only the world but also the characters and watch them develop, grow and bond (with each other and dragons).

At first, I wanted more world building, but by the end as more and more unfolded, I was grateful for the timing of development - instead of overly intense world building in the beginning, it all slowly unfolds making it very easy to read.

SPOILERS: Threshing and forward had me hooked. The personality of Tairn and Andarna added so much to the book - Tairn as powerful and grumpy, and Andarna as simply adorable. The ability for everyone to mentally connect made it all feel so intimate and special. It is as if Tairn and Andarna represent both sides of Violet.

SPOILERS: The slow burn between Xaden and Violet was ‘chef’s kiss.’ The grumpy/sunshine and protector trope developed perfectly. Their survival being connected added in all the best ways.

SPOILERS: The ending left so much open for this series. The first battle was perfect and emotional. Liam’s, and his dragon’s, death devastated me, and in that battle I knew this was a 5 star book for me. I am so excited to keep going on this journey.

Content Warnings