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A review by randi_jo
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.25
Full disclosure here: as a general hyped-romantasy cynic, I went into this very pessimistic. I have to say that while I, surprisingly, didn't hate this book, I also read it in like two days, which is very above average speed for me lol. This is basically the encapsulation of what makes genre fiction fun and popular: don't think, just vibe. The moment you think, the whole thing pretty much falls apart due to a lack of deep thought and originality. This has nothing to to with anything but the obstacle course they have to climb is literally a Ninja Warrior course, complete with the warped wall finale lmfao.
For a good 400 of those middle pages I was certainly along for the ride. The first and last 100 were definitely a struggle. In all a decent 3 stars from me, though I don't think it could ever hold up to that in a reread - even if i reread it tomorrow.
Pros:
🐲 Fast paced action, plot progression, and romance. Twists don't derail the overall vibe too much at first.
🐲 Fun dialogue banter. Honestly I will always be a sucker for mindspeech with mystical creatures.
🐲 Leans heavily into creating character connections and diversification rather than heavy world building, which is my favorite romantasy approach.
Cons:
🐲 Lack of originality and surprises makes me feel like I've already read this book at least a dozen times, just replace magic horses with dragons etc.
🐲 The final arc. It feels incomplete and disjointed to the rest of the book. I think it would've been a much better opener for book 2 and give it space to become something more substantial.
🐲 The romantic drama being summed up as "I CAN'T TRUST HIM/HER WITH MY SECRETS" and then hitting us over the head with it over and over and over..... and over................ and over again. Jesus.
For a good 400 of those middle pages I was certainly along for the ride. The first and last 100 were definitely a struggle. In all a decent 3 stars from me, though I don't think it could ever hold up to that in a reread - even if i reread it tomorrow.
Pros:
🐲 Fast paced action, plot progression, and romance. Twists don't derail the overall vibe too much at first.
🐲 Fun dialogue banter. Honestly I will always be a sucker for mindspeech with mystical creatures.
🐲 Leans heavily into creating character connections and diversification rather than heavy world building, which is my favorite romantasy approach.
Cons:
🐲 Lack of originality and surprises makes me feel like I've already read this book at least a dozen times, just replace magic horses with dragons etc.
🐲 The final arc. It feels incomplete and disjointed to the rest of the book. I think it would've been a much better opener for book 2 and give it space to become something more substantial.
🐲 The romantic drama being summed up as "I CAN'T TRUST HIM/HER WITH MY SECRETS" and then hitting us over the head with it over and over and over..... and over................ and over again. Jesus.