A review by jbellomy
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Very fun but doesn't deserve the hype! I rolled my eyes non-stop at both the characterization and the prose. Violet is the specialest girl alive -- simultaneously ~oh so weak~ but also THE STRONGEST EVER (it's giving bella from twilight), Xaden is your stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold (it's giving every LI in an enemies-to-lovers story), the writing explains stuff in narration, then re-explains it in painfully repetitive dialogue, then explains it AGAIN in narration (it's giving low-rent 2010s YA fantasy). More than once, a character would say something in one chapter, only to fully contradict themself the next chapter -- and not in a way that was supposed to indicate complexity; these instances were clearly editing oversights. Also if anyone could tell me why she had to say the word "caress" so many times, or why she chose to cop the idea of elementally powerful sex from Sarah J Maas, that'd be swell. Hopefully later installments will have more Rhiannon, she's the only one still alive at the end of this who really interests me.