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A review by littlecitycorner
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book. I have so many thoughts and I wish they were more positive than they are. But I couldn't get past the bad writing and underdevelopment of, well, everything. I also listened to the audiobook, which was a mistake, because the narrator was not good.
The first part of the book is basically all information dumping and it's grueling to get through. I couldn't enjoy any exposition, description, plot layout, and above all, dialogue -- it was all dedicated to giving us as much information as possible about the world in such an obvious way that it made it made it painful to read. It felt extremely unnatural and the worldbuilding could've been done a lot more seamlessly. Due to that, it's also really hard to connect with any of the characters because they are all written as one-dimensional, except Violet (since we're in her head), Xaden eventually (and not completely), and the dragons.
Once the plot picks up the book gets a little more interesting, but the premise is still somewhat nonsensical. What do you mean Violetis so smart and bonds with the best dragons when she misses so many things? How does she go from having a specific point of view on one person on one page and then completely changing it up on the next one? Why did she <i>actually</i>decide to stay with the dragon riders and not go to the scribes? Also, the romance was flat. Yes, there is tension and that was well done but I refuse to believe she's deeply in love with Xaden and that's all she can talk about for a chapter until he betrays her. It was all underdeveloped! I would have loved to get a broader look into the depth of their relationship, their friendships with other people, their grief, and their actual anxieties and desires. Not to sound like an <i>English Graduate (TM)</i> but there was SO MUCH telling and not enough showing. Yarros tells us what we're supposed to believe, see, and feel for this story but doesn't leave any room to show how the story and characters develop. And she tells us all of this with substandard writing and a main character that leaves nothing up to interpretation.
My biggest qualm is probably that this should have been a YA book. I can understand Yarros' desire to market it as adult because of the sex scenes, but I think the book could have done without them, and the characters, premise, storytelling, descriptions, and world all point to a young adult story. The dialogue especially reads too much like teens and, not adults, speaking to each other (including when they discuss sex outside of the explicit sex scenes!).
On a positive note, I thought the element of the dragons was very interesting, the sex scenes were fun and well-written in terms of tension, some characters have potential, and the ending was well-done. I will be picking up the second book in the hopes that it is better developed and leaves a little more room to breathe and see the story with more depth.
The first part of the book is basically all information dumping and it's grueling to get through. I couldn't enjoy any exposition, description, plot layout, and above all, dialogue -- it was all dedicated to giving us as much information as possible about the world in such an obvious way that it made it made it painful to read. It felt extremely unnatural and the worldbuilding could've been done a lot more seamlessly. Due to that, it's also really hard to connect with any of the characters because they are all written as one-dimensional, except Violet (since we're in her head), Xaden eventually (and not completely), and the dragons.
Once the plot picks up the book gets a little more interesting, but the premise is still somewhat nonsensical. What do you mean Violet
My biggest qualm is probably that this should have been a YA book. I can understand Yarros' desire to market it as adult because of the sex scenes, but I think the book could have done without them, and the characters, premise, storytelling, descriptions, and world all point to a young adult story. The dialogue especially reads too much like teens and, not adults, speaking to each other (including when they discuss sex outside of the explicit sex scenes!).
On a positive note, I thought the element of the dragons was very interesting, the sex scenes were fun and well-written in terms of tension, some characters have potential, and the ending was well-done. I will be picking up the second book in the hopes that it is better developed and leaves a little more room to breathe and see the story with more depth.