Reviews with content warning for War - Fourth wing - Tome 01

Late to the party again, I know... but I got there eventually! And I can TOTALLY understand the hype!

There are elements in here from all of your favourite fantasy/dystopian future series - Divergent, Red Queen, The Hunger Games, ACOTAR, Crescent City, Throne of Glass etc etc etc, so it's like slipping into something comfortable and familiar. But at the same time, it's completely its own thing, standing on its own merits and taking you on a fantastic trip into the writer's own little corner of fantasy land.

I have to admit I wasn't 100% sure I was going to enjoy it (that, plus the fact I wanted to wait until it came out in paperback is the reason it took me a while to read it), as I was uncertain about the dragon element in particular. They lead me more towards high fantasy, which I don't enjoy quite as much. However, I am very pleased to have my worries proven as unfounded; the dragons are amazing! I like the fact that they're characters in their own right and, of course, the way the relationships grow between dragon and rider is fantastically done.

Our main character, Violet, does fit within the usual mould of this sort of series; your unlikely hero who must go through tough times to get physically and mentally stronger whilst being exposed to both expected and unforeseen dangers. However, I do like the fact that the author has given Violet a physical reason for her weakness, as I understand it based somewhat on her own experiences; she's not just a girl that's fallen on hard times and had to learn to survive in ways which just so happen to give her the skills she needs. And more importantly, her perceived weakness isn't just forgotten or fixed - there are gentle reminders of it throughout, she and those around her find ways to adapt things that don't quite work, and in a couple of places it turns into an asset. She does perhaps come across as a little bit immature for her 20 years, but generally she's a likeable character that you're happy to accompany through the story.

As for Xaden and Dain, they are both immediately recognisable fantasy men; you'll start out rooting for the good guy, but then the shadow daddy appears with his brooding and bad boy attitude and you know exactly where we're headed. I can't say that I'm as enthralled by Xaden as I am with the Bat Boys (no wings of his own for one thing!), but I am only one book into this series so there's hope for me yet!

I am totally sold on the series though, and will absolutely be getting the graphic audios of this from Audible! Now I just need my library to get its systems back online so I can order Iron Flame...

Content Warnings

eldersong's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It’s a decent read. The plot and world building is mostly sound but not amazing. The characters are alright but tend to stay within their archetypes. The author explores some interesting concepts about war and punishment, but these deep thoughts are often pushed aside for the protagonist to tell us about her ongoing weakness or her developing desire for teammates. If these concepts were fully fleshed out this book could have an actual message to it. Speaking of Violet though, she’s our favourite fantasy protagonist - weak and underestimated but with a vicious tongue. The flicks back and forth like a metronome as to her capabilities, yes she was raised to be a scribe and she’s overall weak, but she has no problem threatening you like she could take it.

And apparently no issues throwing daggers? I don’t believe we ever learn why she is so good at that.

The only characters in this book that have any sort of interest or agency die. Which is tragic for the plot and for our beloved Violet but also for the reader as they are stuck with named shards of personality. Aurelie pissed me off when I first met her but the story about a trained legacy rider would be much more interesting than Violet’s nonsense. Oh and don’t forget she’s the special one, she’s bonded two dragons - one of them the biggest, baddest unbounded dragon out there - and she controls lightning. Oh and Brennan is alive because of course he is.

The pace to this book was good, I found myself wanting to read more, but don’t walk into this thinking it is the most well written. If you’re prepared to ignore some strange character behaviour and odd plot devices then you can go for it. I personally picked this up preparing for a trashy fantasy romance and that’s what I got. I am vaguely interested to see where Yarros takes Iron Flame but I won’t be purchasing it given she is a Zionist. It’s intriguing to me that you can write about war and injustices and your own message can still slip right over your head.

Content Warnings

jqui_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

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