missgeek21's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
16chazel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
erin_rita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
crum_93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am a bit annoyed I was so tethered to this book. I flew through it. The spice was totally unnecessary, and the writing was meh, but the bones of the story were really good. Will likely be catching the next book as well.
navigatingfiction's review
5.0
I don’t currently have words for how amazing this book was.
It was just fantastic- everything I want out of a fantasy with realistic characters and an enemies to lovers romance, perfect plot flow, tons of action (never boring but not overwhelming), and a lovely little surprise at the end.
The author also did an amazing job weaving the world building and history into the story through Violet’s anxiety induced info dumps and the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter from various “sources” from the continent. Nothing felt forced but I wasn’t left clueless and wanting for context throughout the story.
I was a bit worried Fourth Wing wouldn’t live up to the hype, but this might be my favorite read of the year (definitely is so far)!
I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens with Violet and Xaden next!
Also- I’ve been thinking for years that I’d love a story similar to Eragon (ie with dragon riders/ human-dragon bonding) but with a FMC and this was just more than I could have ever hoped for. Absolutely perfect!
It was just fantastic- everything I want out of a fantasy with realistic characters and an enemies to lovers romance, perfect plot flow, tons of action (never boring but not overwhelming), and a lovely little surprise at the end.
The author also did an amazing job weaving the world building and history into the story through Violet’s anxiety induced info dumps and the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter from various “sources” from the continent. Nothing felt forced but I wasn’t left clueless and wanting for context throughout the story.
I was a bit worried Fourth Wing wouldn’t live up to the hype, but this might be my favorite read of the year (definitely is so far)!
I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens with Violet and Xaden next!
Also- I’ve been thinking for years that I’d love a story similar to Eragon (ie with dragon riders/ human-dragon bonding) but with a FMC and this was just more than I could have ever hoped for. Absolutely perfect!
queenizzay's review
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this and will definitely continue the series.
I do have some issues though:
Pretty predictable plot - but that doesn’t really bother me a ton. If the reader can piece it together, it means it makes sense, but it’s the kind of storyline I’ve seen a dozen times (and obviously enjoy cause I keep reading more of it)
One POV - there are so many interesting characters, I would have loved to see the story - or Violet - through their eyes (friends, loves, enemies - anything)
Things I really liked:
Casual diversity - a lot of times there’s either none or the author tries to shove it in your face. I really enjoyed the way Yarros just has it and it is what it is. There’s a range of skin tones and it doesn’t come into play because this world isn’t ours - it doesn’t have to. At some point two characters start signing and it’s not a drawn out “this person is deaf because such and such” it just is and it isn’t something that should be weird. Open relationships and sexuality? No one bats an eyes. I love it.
Dragons - duh. And I want to know so much more about the politics of them and the relationships
I do have some issues though:
Pretty predictable plot - but that doesn’t really bother me a ton. If the reader can piece it together, it means it makes sense, but it’s the kind of storyline I’ve seen a dozen times (and obviously enjoy cause I keep reading more of it)
One POV - there are so many interesting characters, I would have loved to see the story - or Violet - through their eyes (friends, loves, enemies - anything)
Things I really liked:
Casual diversity - a lot of times there’s either none or the author tries to shove it in your face. I really enjoyed the way Yarros just has it and it is what it is. There’s a range of skin tones and it doesn’t come into play because this world isn’t ours - it doesn’t have to. At some point two characters start signing and it’s not a drawn out “this person is deaf because such and such” it just is and it isn’t something that should be weird. Open relationships and sexuality? No one bats an eyes. I love it.
Dragons - duh. And I want to know so much more about the politics of them and the relationships
winniejlt's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.5
phebby_grace's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
catronky's review
4.0
A low 4.
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Romance: 2.5/5
I really enjoyed the plot. I’m a sucker for magical schools and discovering powers, especially when they’re highly personalized. It was predictable, but had very entertaining moments that kept me interested.
The characters are pretty one-dimensional. The evil people are EVIL and that's pretty much it. Violet's friends are her friends so they're obviously very cool and very good. I assume there are a few people in the book you're supposed to be surprised by, but no way was anyone actually surprised.
The romance has good parts to it for sure, but boy:
(gif of Marcia Langman saying "There really is a tremendous amount of quivering")
I'm no prude with sex scenes in books but I just never was a horny young adult to relate to how every single page talked about how hot the love interest is. We get it, he's hot and mysterious and you can't keep your eyes off "how unfairly handsome he is" or "that incredible jawline" or whatever it was.
Another reviewer (Luka) described it as "pretty stock standard commercial horny hetero fiction" and that's pretty spot on. If that had been about 70% less, I think I still would have gotten the point and I would have rooted for them way harder, because there were enough things bringing them together that I actually found incredibly interesting.
All in all, it's a fun read and no one needs me to recommend it, but I would. It's just not the life-changing book people say it is, and that's okay. I am excited for the next one!
SPOILER SECTION:
It's so weird how Violet and Rhiannon (I don't know how to spell anyone's names) use the completely useless American shoe sizing.
Jack's gang's whole "we have to go way out of our way to kill this little dragon because she's so weak it's bad for everyone instead of going to find our own dragons" was so unbelievable. It was a pretty strong hole for me and I feel like the author could have thought of a more compelling reason why they were after Andarra.
The Xaden/Violet (and Dain) felt exactly the same as others I've read, notably ACOTAR. Xaden literally controls the shadows, and it was immediately clear that Dain was exactly like Tamlin. It honestly felt like ACOTAR fanficiton at times, especially with how basically perfect Xaden was. So powerful, so hot, so mysterious, so desired. And, again, I'm not a prude at all, but I didn't need to keep reading how much they can't get enough of the sex to believe they have great chemistry. I will say that as a gift receiving love language girlie, I did enjoy the thoughtfulness of Xaden’s gifts (especially and specifically Andarra’s strap).
That being said, besides her endless horniness, I found Violet likable, and I LOVED when she pushed back on Xaden on how he couldn't dictate what she was supposed to feel, and called him out on lying and being a coward about his feelings for her. I want that kind of confidence!
Parts I loved: that Brennan had a journal, that her dad was a scribe and there was a lot of mystery in his death, the amount of mystery over the reunification/rebellion (I mean, it was clear early on that the Kingdom would be the bad guys, but trying to figure out what did happen was interesting), the bonding with their dragons, Teirn and Andarra, discovering their powers
Parts I wanted more of: character development, DRAGONS, Andarra, Xander's dragon (Segail?? I forget her name), Violet's chronic illness.
MAJOR SPOILERS (last few chapters)
Xander's dragon was dope and I want to hear why she chose Xander and if she knew about what was really happening and chose him in part because of that. I loved hearing from her in the last chapter, even if it was just a little.
I'M SO MAD LIAM DIED. Honestly he's in my top two characters I liked in this book and I'm sad he's dead. I honestly thought the narrater got teary-eyed in the audiobook, but she's probably just incredible at it.
Xaden's betrayal seems very small beans and I hope they can move past it quickly. Like was there really a moment where she thought he had really shared his secrets?
I definitely saw Brennan being alive coming and I'm super super here for it. I want to hear more about mending, his decisions, and I cannot wait to delve into the Sorrengail family dynamics more. I really hope the dad knew!
The Brennan reveal is great, sure, but Xander is literally there thinking about how much he wants to shag Violet. Love her, touch her, hold her, sure, but thinking about sex when you know her LONG DEAD BROTHER IS ALIVE AND WAITING TO SEE HER? That's insane behavior and I hated it.
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Romance: 2.5/5
I really enjoyed the plot. I’m a sucker for magical schools and discovering powers, especially when they’re highly personalized. It was predictable, but had very entertaining moments that kept me interested.
The characters are pretty one-dimensional. The evil people are EVIL and that's pretty much it. Violet's friends are her friends so they're obviously very cool and very good. I assume there are a few people in the book you're supposed to be surprised by, but no way was anyone actually surprised.
The romance has good parts to it for sure, but boy:
(gif of Marcia Langman saying "There really is a tremendous amount of quivering")
I'm no prude with sex scenes in books but I just never was a horny young adult to relate to how every single page talked about how hot the love interest is. We get it, he's hot and mysterious and you can't keep your eyes off "how unfairly handsome he is" or "that incredible jawline" or whatever it was.
Another reviewer (Luka) described it as "pretty stock standard commercial horny hetero fiction" and that's pretty spot on. If that had been about 70% less, I think I still would have gotten the point and I would have rooted for them way harder, because there were enough things bringing them together that I actually found incredibly interesting.
All in all, it's a fun read and no one needs me to recommend it, but I would. It's just not the life-changing book people say it is, and that's okay. I am excited for the next one!
SPOILER SECTION:
It's so weird how Violet and Rhiannon (I don't know how to spell anyone's names) use the completely useless American shoe sizing.
Jack's gang's whole "we have to go way out of our way to kill this little dragon because she's so weak it's bad for everyone instead of going to find our own dragons" was so unbelievable. It was a pretty strong hole for me and I feel like the author could have thought of a more compelling reason why they were after Andarra.
The Xaden/Violet (and Dain) felt exactly the same as others I've read, notably ACOTAR. Xaden literally controls the shadows, and it was immediately clear that Dain was exactly like Tamlin. It honestly felt like ACOTAR fanficiton at times, especially with how basically perfect Xaden was. So powerful, so hot, so mysterious, so desired. And, again, I'm not a prude at all, but I didn't need to keep reading how much they can't get enough of the sex to believe they have great chemistry. I will say that as a gift receiving love language girlie, I did enjoy the thoughtfulness of Xaden’s gifts (especially and specifically Andarra’s strap).
That being said, besides her endless horniness, I found Violet likable, and I LOVED when she pushed back on Xaden on how he couldn't dictate what she was supposed to feel, and called him out on lying and being a coward about his feelings for her. I want that kind of confidence!
Parts I loved: that Brennan had a journal, that her dad was a scribe and there was a lot of mystery in his death, the amount of mystery over the reunification/rebellion (I mean, it was clear early on that the Kingdom would be the bad guys, but trying to figure out what did happen was interesting), the bonding with their dragons, Teirn and Andarra, discovering their powers
Parts I wanted more of: character development, DRAGONS, Andarra, Xander's dragon (Segail?? I forget her name), Violet's chronic illness.
MAJOR SPOILERS (last few chapters)
Xander's dragon was dope and I want to hear why she chose Xander and if she knew about what was really happening and chose him in part because of that. I loved hearing from her in the last chapter, even if it was just a little.
I'M SO MAD LIAM DIED. Honestly he's in my top two characters I liked in this book and I'm sad he's dead. I honestly thought the narrater got teary-eyed in the audiobook, but she's probably just incredible at it.
Xaden's betrayal seems very small beans and I hope they can move past it quickly. Like was there really a moment where she thought he had really shared his secrets?
I definitely saw Brennan being alive coming and I'm super super here for it. I want to hear more about mending, his decisions, and I cannot wait to delve into the Sorrengail family dynamics more. I really hope the dad knew!
The Brennan reveal is great, sure, but Xander is literally there thinking about how much he wants to shag Violet. Love her, touch her, hold her, sure, but thinking about sex when you know her LONG DEAD BROTHER IS ALIVE AND WAITING TO SEE HER? That's insane behavior and I hated it.