Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Fourth Wing

This book reads like the novelization of a blockbuster action movie. There are pros and cons that come with that.

Pros:
-The general premise is really fun. I was excited to learn more about the dragon, magic, and government systems of the world
-The action sequences actually felt tense, and they definitely felt like they would be cinematic if in a visual format
-The side characters were really fun (and often eclipsed the main character in likeability)
-Xaden is an interesting and actually respectful male lead

Cons:
-A lot of Violet's inner monologue feels jarring and sometimes detracts from a tense vibe in a scene
-A lot of scenes that would be interesting and would add to the characters' growth are left offscreen, like they were cut for time, despite this being an original work where the author could decide what did and didn't exist. For instance,

most of Violet's hand-to-hand challenges occurred offscreen, even the ones where she finally wins without tricks. Like, that's a big moment for her character! I want to hear more about that!

-A lot of visual descriptions of settings were left out, like

the Parapet or what the hell a chimney formation is

-For the most part, we have to take Violet's word for it that characters, including herself, have experienced growth. The growth seems to happen offscreen and is not substantiated by their onscreen actions

Additionally, this book is screaming to be part of a series (I am aware that the sequel is out and a series is in the works, as is a movie). In my opinion, there is no finite conclusion of the book's overall plot quest at the end, mostly because there is not one unifying plot quest. The extent of the book is defined temporally, not from a plot perspective, which can give the book the feel of a series of episodes, rather than a unifying experience.

Obviously, this book is popular! I did enjoy it, and I can see how others may enjoy it more than me. That being said, it is not a polished experience, but if you know to expect that, it may help you brace yourself and enjoy it more.

Content Warnings

tess_gee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

sdovi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny tense

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

3.25

I’d describe this book as new adult Harry Potter meets dragons meets college. Not the best world building and not the most beautiful prose but the narrative voice felt authentic to the character and her age. The pacing of the development of Violet’s feelings for Xadan was one of the better enemies-to-lovers in my opinion and I just could NOT put it down!

Content Warnings

hannahcstocks's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Nothing groundbreaking (lots of cliches and tropes) but an enjoyable read. Pretty fast-paced, as there doesn’t seem to be much filler in any individual chapter outside of Violet’s internal monologue. The downside to this lack of filler can be that the world doesn’t feel fully built out, and the descriptions of some of the surroundings can feel lacking. I found my brain sort of filled in some of those gaps while reading though, especially when I didn’t overthink it. The plot was a bit repetitive and the internal monologue objectifying one of the characters was a little silly. But I don’t feel the book is trying to be anything beyond what it is, so I don’t begrudge those faults. Feels a little YA, which seems maybe to be a common theme in the NA genre, but just because it’s trope-y and your main character thinks like a lovestruck teen doesn’t make it a bad or unenjoyable book. Just not a profound one. Easy read despite the length, and while the plot was a little repetitive as mentioned, the chapters broke that up well enough that the repetition didn’t feel monotonous or at least still drove the story forward in some way.

TLDR: Overall, kept my attention, and I found the pacing to be done well. If you can’t handle the internal monologue of a somewhat rebellious lovestruck high schooler (I know that’s not the age of the characters but it is how it reads) or relatively predictable but intriguing enough plot, this book isn’t for you. Even you want an easy read to take you out of your own head and world for a while, and you can take the aforementioned characteristics in stride, then give it a shot.

Content Warnings

chiitea99's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

1 ⭐️

Where do I even begin?

I almost threw this book in my DNF pile within the first 3 chapters. I finished this out of pure SPITE just so I can say I hated it, and yes, I did finish it.

The number of times the threat of death was thrown around was almost comical. If my eyes could be lodged in the back of my skull from rolling them so much at the mere mention of death in this book, they would. And they were not even in a war. They were just TRAINING for it AT. SCHOOL. Don't die at the parapet. Don't die by the hands of other students. Don't die at sparring. Don't die at the gauntlet. Don't die at the threshing. Don't die during flight lessons. This thing can kill you. Your dragon can kill you just cus it wants to. Don't die here. Don't die over there. Watch out even the damn stairs can kill you.

I'm also a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope. But not when it's "oh, that's the son of the guy that killed my brother. Fuck him. But why is he so hot?" The 🌶 was the mildest I've ever read. I'm astonished that people rate it so highly. I've read better 🌶 in freaking fanfiction.

The only redeeming thing about this book is the dragons. I loved Tarin and Andarna. I wish there was just more lore about the dragons. The only thing that we learned about them was Violet listing off facts in the middle of practicing the gauntlet and it was separated between every sentence with actions so I didn't learn jack squat about the most interesting part of the book.

Only about the middle third of the book was interesting with the whitty banter and flirting from Xaden and Violet. And the interactions between them and their dragons, minus the super awkward scene. You know the one. By the last third, I was extremely bored, even with plot twist after plot twist.

Would I read this again? Probably not. Would I recommend it to anyone? No. Am I probably going to read the sequel. Yes. Out of spite as well.

Content Warnings

caitlinspeachyreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

Content Warnings

emsappho's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced

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

1.0

Very low-brow fantasy that reads fast-paced despite the SLOW plot-progression. Elements of the world-building (or lack thereof) took me out of the story sometimes; ex. why is a fantasy world using the Roman calendars?? The main character, Violet, is likeable enough...but also quite annoying. Her motivations are constantly questioned by the other characters in the book and she doesn't go through any real character growth. The pacing of the book was also super weird in that it felt like no time had passed between events and yet it took SO LONG for the plot to move on. The romance between Violet and Xaden was so slow and yet the timing of when they finally do get together it felt rushed. Dain is an ass and IDK why Violet kept making excuses for his behavior. The dragons were my favorite part.

Content Warnings

haddybea14's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-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

4.25

Content Warnings

More...