A review by beckyyreadss
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because it had become a hit all over bookstagram and booktok when it was first released. I am easily influenced. But I decided to wait for the paperback version, which took forever to get here. Sometimes I prefer waiting until the paperback comes out because it gives it time for the hype to die down and it doesn’t cloud your judgement. 

This book is based on twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail. She was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant and live a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general – also known as her tough-as-talons mother – has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away . . . because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter – like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Everyone at Basgiath has an agenda, and every night could be your last. So, sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. 

So I had to re-read certain parts of this book which is why this review took forever. Don’t read a fantasy on holiday whilst drinking tequila sunrise, the words get all blurry and you forget certain key points. I usually judge fantasy with how quickly I understand the book and how quickly I can get into the storyline. I was hooked on to this book from the first page. The way that this writing was done was brilliant, it was the perfect mix of romance, fantasy and found family. There were chapters that reminded me of Divergent especially with the fights and the team building exercises. Besides the fact that there was dragons and sex, it was Divergent and Hunger Games mixed. This book was fast paced and easy to get into. I was trying not to be influenced to get sucked in, but it was hard to. It was so captivating, and the smut was on point. I love Violet and she did remind me of Tris and how she went from this weak child who had to have everyone’s approval and being protected to kicking ass and taking names and standing up for herself.  I love Xaden and I love the hot, protective, jealous man. Yet, he knows what he is doing is for Violet’s sake and safety. I just loved him.  

Unlike other people, I didn’t find the ending predictable, I nearly threw the damn book at the wall. The way it just ended, and the action beforehand had me screaming. I did find some bits re-done all the time, like the whole picking on the weak girl and the leader bending the rules with stepping in and saving her. The only thing that would have made this book five stars is the dual POV, we got a snippet of it with bonus content, but I would have loved this book to be dual with Xaden’s the whole way through.  

I will probably have to wait another year before I read the second book, but I cannot wait for it.  
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