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angelofthetardis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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...
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and War
Minor: Grief, Medical content, and Vomit
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Murder, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, War, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Medical content, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Stalking, Vomit, Drug use, Animal cruelty, and Toxic relationship
mercerhanau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Medical content, Ableism, War, Death, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Death of parent, and Vomit
zydecovivo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’d like to start by saying it is good. If you like romantasy (fantasy+romance) with a touch of dystopia, you’ll have a great time reading Fourth Wing. The main character is also explicitly disabled and it is intertwined with her journey of self-discovery, as well as challenging the status quo of the society she is in. Based on the descriptions, I think she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. I also love the dragons. They are characters in their own right, not just tools to be used. However, the entire time I was reading, I couldn’t help but tell myself “This is just Divergent with dragons.” The general plot is almost identical. Everything was predictable because of this and the only things that I didn’t predict were because something we were told was “impossible” was, in fact, possible for our super special main character. This occurs multiple times. I don’t even think it’s an unreliable narrator at that point. I think it’s an unreliable universe. The upper hand that Fourth Wing has over Divergent is that this fantasy setting allows for more creativity (and covering up for narrative mistakes). Additionally, I did not enjoy most of the main character’s “love life”. This is enemies-to-lovers, so much so that it is almost anti-friends-to-lovers. I don’t care about either trope, but the blatant comparisons get old. I also felt that the main character thinks about “spice” a lot more than I care for, especially considering the actual spice level of the book. There may be people who want to see this since women’s sexuality is largely swept aside in many stories. But this was not it for me.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Blood, Chronic illness, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Vomit, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Sexual content
euleau's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: War, Medical content, Death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
indigo_fox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The story itself was interesting. I found myself excited to find out more details as the plot unraveled. It was good, there were times when I HAD to read another chapter before returning to regular life. I'm definitely going to read the next book.
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, and Medical trauma
my_aesthetic_is_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War, Sexual content, Cursing, Violence, Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Body horror, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying
chloe_acceber's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide
anilein's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Toxic friendship, War, Torture, Cursing, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Ableism, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
melist6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Murder, Violence, Medical content, Sexism, and War