Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)

21 reviews for Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Madison – November 4, 2023

   
   5/5⭐️4/5????️i have nothing but good things to say about this book, buckle up.i’m honestly not even sure that i will be able to gather my thoughts and form a coherent review to adequate explain how much i adored this book but i’m going to try. let’s start by saying that i am obsessed with this book.this was outstanding and amazing in every single way. i cried, i laughed, i giggled, i gasped, i did ALL THE THINGS. i have not felt so many things while reading a book since my last SJM read. fourth wing absolutely deserves all the hype and more. if the hunger games, divergent, harry potter, and game of thrones had a baby, this would be it.this book was the perfect mixture of romance and high stakes and the vibes were so spot on. fourth wing is fast paced from beginning to end and will absolutely hook you from the very first chapter. the world building was perfection and so seamless that it never felt awkward and i was never confused about the fantasy world. this is a world i would absolutely love to live in!i have heard that a lot of people found this book predictable, but i’m personally HORRIBLE at predicting endings so i may have forseen one or two things but i definitely could not have predicted the entire ending for this book and that made it that much more enjoyable.i LOVED violet’s character so much. her bond with her sister and her friends was so genuine. she is tough and strong willed and is unstoppable, despite her disadvantage (which yarrow displayed SO SO well). i loved her journey and how much she grew throughout this whole book.XADEN!!!! rhysand has been my #1 book boyfriend since i devoured ACOTAR last year and no one has lived up to the hype since. xaden freaking riorson has officially take my #1 book boyfriend spot with rhysand as a very close second. how can you not love this man?? he is an ABSOLUTE SIMP from violet even from the start despite his grumpy exterior. men who show their love through actions >>>this man had me literally gasping and giggling like a little kid because of some of the things he did. he was exactly what violet needed. i loved their tension but also how he always believe in her. and the nicknames?? ????the romance was perfection. usually i get really impatient with slow burns, but the fantasy aspect of this book was done SO WELL that i was such as obsessed with the story as i was with the romance. and enemies to lovers??? sign me tf up. ????‍???? violet and xaden had the perfect build up between them. and the SPICE?? puh-lease. absolutely amazing!!tairn and andarna were hands down, the best part of this book. yarros did SO GOOD with described all of the details of the dragons and giving them so much personality. the interactions between the dragons and their riders were so much fun. i loved tairn’s grumpy exterior, his sassy comments, and how protective he was of violet. andarna is so freaking cute and i love her to death.i could honestly rave about every single aspect of this book but i feel like this really sums up some of my biggest feelings. this is definitely a book that deserved ALL the hype and definitely a book that you need to read, even if you aren’t a fantasy lover.this book was not perfect by any means. like anything else, this book had flaws but it was perfect to me. i am obsessed. it had everything i wanted from a fantasy book AND DRAGONS!!???? i cannot wait to get my hands on iron flame!! this is definitely a book that i will be rereading before book 2 comes out! i know for a fact that this will be the best book that i read for this year.(peep my 73 kindle highlights from this book because it had the BEST QUOTES and xaden says the BEST THINGS -> may have some spoilers so read at your own risk)“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.”“So then why are you here, Xaden?” “Because I can’t seem to stay away.”“There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Basil Argyros – October 31, 2023

   
   Rebecca Yarros has ‘it’ — the gift of writing certifiable page-turners. I’m an old hand at fantasy literature, and I’m embarrassed to confess how often I robbed myself of sleep by reading ‘one more chapter’ in Fourth Wing past my usual bedtime. If she continues in this vein, her new series will be a commercial blockbuster. Kudos. It also qualifies as a crossover adult/YA series (more on this, later in the review).To step back and give it a critical evaluation — for any fantasy novel or series, the first criteria is whether the world the author builds is interesting, and believable. The geography in Fourth Wing is pedestrian, but serviceable. The society adheres to the usual fantasy requirement of technological stagnation over a period of centuries. The culture in Fourth Wing, with its high level of literacy and the absence of plate armor, resembles Rome more than the usual ‘medieval’ setting, which is rather refreshing. Magic furnishes some quasi-modern amenities (e.g., ‘mage lights’ that illuminate interior rooms).The society is interesting. If Rebecca were toiling in the Star Trek novel fields, her ‘Riders Quadrant’ would make a nice analogue of Starfleet Academy — in the Mirror Universe. Martial arts training is all full-contact, edged weapons included. Cadets in this elite institution routinely kill each other, with few repercussions.The human-dragon relationship is symbiotic. A human to whom a dragon chooses to bond will acquire special abilities, fueled by the dragon’s magical nature. To use another Star Trek analogy, human and dragon are like Trill and symbiont — while a dragon can survive the loss of its rider, a human, once bonded, cannot survive the death of its dragon.The aspect of the society that I most appreciated is the obvious ‘secret’ that the established ruling elites are ruthless bastards who carefully control the prevailing narratives to keep the masses in line and patriotic, while themselves are completely amoral. This is where Rebecca’s fantasy world shines, with this resemblance to our contemporary world.The heroine, Violet, is an analogue of Rebecca herself. No fault there — authors re-imagining themselves in their fiction has a long, and often successful, history. What makes Violet interesting is that Rebecca has replicated her own, very difficult medical challenges in her heroine. (This is surely the first work of fiction in which forms of the word ‘subluxation’ occur repeatedly.) I give her credit for this, for it makes Violet more interesting (I can’t help but be reminded of Moorcook’s Elric, whose physical weakness from his albinism is compensated for only by drugs, or the possession of Stormbringer).I have a few literary criticisms, none of which will detract from (indeed, they’ll probable add to) the series’ appeal. For example, applicants to the death factory that is the Riders Quadrant are almost puppy-dog eager to get in — seemingly unoppressed by the reality that three-quarters of them (if I remember correctly) will die during training. They also look and talk like contemporary Zoomers. This is part of the YA appeal of the books, but it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine contemporary Zoomers cheerfully signing up for such a place! The sex scenes are painstakingly detailed, with truly anatomic precision. For a YA audience, I suppose this might be useful information, but for an adult reader, they become tedious rather quickly.Congratulations, Rebecca. I look forward to receiving my pre-order of Flame Wing . . . 🙂

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Henriette – July 31, 2023

   Jahreshighlight????
   •Fourth Wing von Rebecca Yarros•Ein absolut unbeschreibliches Jahreshighlight, das ich sicher nicht so schnell vergessen werde und mir sehr unter die Haut gegangen ist. Violet, Xaden, die Drachen, diese Welt und alles andere konnte mich von Anfang an nicht mehr loslassen und hat mich süchtig gemacht. Ich kann den Hype nun wirklich zu 100% verstehen und möchte diese Geschichte nie mehr missen!????Außerdem habe ich mich sehr in das Cover und die gesamte Gestaltung des Buches verliebt. Während das Cover auffällig und unglaublich passend ist, ist der Inhalt des Buches sehr liebevoll und bildlich gestaltet worden. Ich liebe vor allem auch die Karte sehr, genauso wie ich mich in den wunderschönen Schreibstil verliebt habe, der unfassbar authentisch und intensiv ist. Man fühlt alles hautnah mit und wird zu einem Teil der Geschichte, die aus Violets Sicht erzählt wird.Violet war wirklich meine Heldin der Geschichte! Obwohl alle ihr gesagt haben, wie schwach sie ist und dass sie niemals überleben wird, hat sie nicht aufgehört zu kämpfen und ist so zu einem der stärksten Charaktere geworden. Ich habe sie so sehr für diese Entwicklung und ihren Kampfgeist bewundert. Von allen Charakteren hat Violet definitiv die krasseste Entwicklung durchlaufen. Gleichzeitig ist sie nicht auf den Mund gefallen, selbstständig, unabhängig, herzlich und mitfühlend. Liebe sie sehr!Allerdings hat auch Xaden mir absolut mein Herz gestohlen und einen Platz auf meiner Bookboyfriend-Tribüne ergattert. Auf den ersten Blick war er kalt, unberechenbar, distanziert und gemein zu Violet. Aber er hat sie auch gefordert, ihr Mit zugesprochen und sie nicht verhätschelt. Xaden kann so unglaublich sanft und aufmerksam sein und hat Violet teils auf Händen getragen. Auch er hat immer unerbittlich gekämpft und für das eingestanden, was wichtig ist, vor allem für Violet. Er ist knallhart, unfassbar stark und weiß genau, was er will.Es gab einfach so unglaublich viele Nebencharaktere in diesem Buch, die teils gekommen und schnell wieder gegangen sind. Doch wer immer geblieben ist, waren Rhiannon, Garrick, Bodhi, Liam, Tairn, Sgaeyl, Adarna, Imogen und Mira. Ich habe diese Charaktere unfassbar doll ins Herz geschlossen, vor allem Xadens und Violets Drachen sowie Liam und Rhiannon. Ihre Gesellschaft war immer wundervoll aufmunternd und die Drachen wussten genau, wie sie ihren Reitern zur Seite zu stehen hatten. Tairn ist einfach großartig! Auf der anderen Seite gab es auch einige Charaktere, die ich gar nicht leiden konnte. Dazu gehörten an erster Stelle Dain, Violets Mutter, Jack und einige andere, die Violet das Leben schwer gemacht haben. Es war teils einfach super anstrengend, vor allem mit Dain, der Violet viel zu sehr verhätschelt und klein gehalten hat. Das war nicht in Ordnung.Als ich das Buch begonnen habe, hatte ich zwar schon entfernt eine Ahnung, was mich erwarten würde, aber ich hätte nicht damit gerechnet, dass mich dieses Buch so sehr umhauen und für sich gewinnen würde. Von der ersten Seite an habe ich mich unfassbar in die Geschichte, ihre Charaktere und alles andere verliebt. Ich konnte das Buch gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und wollte immer mehr. Zuerst aber habe ich mich in dir Atmosphäre, das Setting, die Welt und ihre Magie verliebt. Die Atmosphäre war immer ein wenig düster und geheimnisvoll, während das Setting reine Brutalität und Gefahr vermittelt hat. Man war irgendwie stets auf der Hut. Doch was die Autorin mit der Welt, den Drachen und der Magie erschaffen hat, war einfach beeindruckend und unglaublich spannend. Ich habe jede Information über die Verbindung von Reiter und Drachen in mich aufgesaugt und fand das Ganze richtig cool! Es war spannend zu erleben, wie Drache und Reiter sich aneinander binden, praktisch eins werden und sich gegenseitig unterstützen. Da war ganz besonders Violets Bindung zu Tairn und Adarna interessant und wundervoll! Aber auch die ganze Geschichte rund um den Krieg, die Rebellen und das Trainingslager, in dem Violet war, waren total abwechslungsreich und unglaublich gut ausgebaut. Ich war richtig gefesselt! In all dem waren jedoch Violet und Xaden mein großes Highlight. Ihre Enemies to Lovers Geschichte ist wirklich etwas ganz Besonderes und geht einem richtig krass unter die Haut. Man fiebert mit ihnen mit, saugt ihre intensiven Emotionen in sich auf und wird von dem Spice sicher nicht kalt gelassen. Violet und Xaden funktionieren zusammen einfach perfekt und sind ein unglaubliches Paar! Ich war teils sprachlos und konnte nicht genug von ihnen bekommen. Es war besonders, wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützt haben und aus diesem Hass unendliche Liebe wurde! Natürlich gab es auch genug Drama, das einen auf Trab gehalten hat. Denn in dieser Geschichte hat praktisch an jeder Ecke eine Gefahr gelauert und der Tod war ein stetiger Begleiter der Charaktere. Manche Tode haben einen weniger getroffen, andere haben einem das Herz gebrochen. Vor Tränen bleibt man ganz sicher nicht verschont! Aber all das hat das Buch so einzigartig gemacht. Denn man wusste wirklich nie, was als nächstes kommt. Die Story war einfach der Hammer, spannend, abwechslungsreich, voller Nervenkitzel und starker Teamarbeit. Ich habe es geliebt, Violet, Xaden und die anderen durch das Jahr im Trainingslager zu begleiten. Man hat einfach unglaublich viel erlebt, Liebe wie Feindseligkeit und Hass. Vor allem zum Ende hin haben sich die Ereignisse heftig überschlagen und einen schockiert zurückgelassen. Mit dieser Wendung hatte ich wirklich nicht gerechnet. Es hat mich kaputt gemacht und mein Herz brechen lassen. Allerdings war es auch gleichermaßen interessant, weil so viele neue Informationen ans Licht gekommen sind. Nach dem Ende muss ich definitiv sofort Band 2 haben!Fazit: abschließend gebe ich dem ersten Band der Geschichte von Violet und Xaden definitiv 5+ von 5 Sternen. Ich kann gar nicht beschreiben, wie sehr ich das Buch geliebt habe und wie sehr es mich ins Herz getroffen hat. Ich will es am liebsten direkt noch mal lesen!

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Pierre J. – May 13, 2023

   Surprisingly worth the hype
   To be completely honest, I purchased and went into Fourth Wing because I was seeing it everywhere and a couple of my friends rated it 5 stars which instantly made me intrigued.I don’t usually do hyped books nor do I read them the same month they come out, because I am a mood reader after all, but I felt the need to consume this book and actually see whether it is worth the hype or not, and again, to be honest, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that it is in fact worth the hype.This was my very first dragon centered fantasy book and I’ve got to say, it’s made me want to check out more of these dragon based books because I absolutely freaking loved it?!Really though, the element I enjoyed the most out of this book is Violet’s relationship with her (SPOILER) dragons, (SPOILER OVER) the banter between them and just the dialogue overall which I did not expect to be that good between a human and a dragon.Another element I very much enjoyed about this book is the comedic touches that never felt out of place and hit just right. Rebecca Yarros clearly knows how to write banter and comedy, even in a serious and brutal world as this one, and that makes me want to check out more of her writing in the future.The last couple of things about this world: I liked this very brutal and monstruous world that the author has created, the magical school setting was a superb element, especially since we actually got to see our characters go to class and stuff which never felt too boring, as it was included just enough to actually show the readers that these people are actually going to class in a school.Now, about the characters:You know, I didn’t much like Violet at first because her character screamed nOt LIkE mOst GOrlS, but as the story progressed and we got to see her develop and evolve into the sarcastic badass lady that she is, I can confidentally say that I very much like her as a character.Dain is a redacted word I can’t use on Amazon and I am DYING to see him get his comeuppance in the following books, especially after the reveal we got of him in the last part of the book.Xaden… Oh, Xaden. Our tortured, heroic, dark, broody and DAngEroUS bad boy who turns out to have a heart of gold, I really won’t ever get sick of this trope.I adored Xaden so much, he can do whatever he wants to me and I won’t blink an eye, that’s how much I loved the love interest in this book.As for the side characters, I very much enjoyed them enough, even though some were more one dimensional than others, but in particular I adored the life out of Liam.The romance was shockingly outstanding, and I say shockingly because I haven’t enjoyed a good fantasy romance in a while.The author took her time to build up their chemistry with banter, flirting and some damn good deep and emotional moments, and she gifted us two mindblowing naughty scenes that were incredibly well written and never felt like too much for a fantasy book.I very much enjoyed all the action and the drama we got throughout it, but I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil it for anyone reading this review.The last part of the book was pretty epic.Dragons were unleashed, plot reveals occurred, Violet was shook, people died, people lived, more action and drama and betrayals and heartache and pain and suffering.And then the last plot twist happened, and I would’ve been shook had I not spoiled it for myself by trying to look at how many pages this book has and coming across a name that ruined it for me, but you’ll be shook if you don’t make the same mistake as I lol.Overall, Fourth Wing was a very, very strong kickoff to what is sure to be a damn good fantasy romance series and I’m looking forward to reading the next ones!

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Cristina (storm_reader) – August 28, 2023

   Perfetto per staccare la spina | Recensione da parte di storm_reader
   ????⚔️“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”Fourth Wing è da settimane sulla bocca di tutti. Draghi, enemies to lovers, scontri all’ultimo sangue, una scuola dalle politiche decisamente letali e vibes alla Hunger Games.Insomma le premesse per una lettura ricca di azione, da restare ancorati alle pagine, c’erano tutte e beh…dai ve lo dico subito: sono state più che mantenute!Ma Fourth Wing è il libro del millennio, dell’anno, del secolo…insomma una roba fuori di testa?No.Fourth Wing è un libro perfetto per staccare la spina e catapultarsi in una storia avventurosa?Oh si.Questo romance fantasy creato da Rebecca Yarros, primo a quanto pare di una serie lunga cinque volumi, ha parecchi difetti e alcuni più difficili da ignorare di altri.Una protagonista che è una Mary Sue (anche se fa finta di non esserlo) che va avanti a colpi di fortuna e deus ex machina, scene un po’ cringe, trama assolutamente prevedibile, spiegazioni che non sono spiegazioni ma più che altro un “è così perché sì”, la tendenza a svicolare dalle situazioni buttandola in caciara…e potrei continuare!Quindi il bello dove sta?Fourth Wing ha il pregio di avere un ritmo serrato, con molte scene dinamiche e scontri che tengono sempre viva l’attenzione, tanto da distogliere questa dai difetti più evidenti, trasportando il lettore in una storia coinvolgente ed appassionante.In breve si resta incuriositi dalle dinamiche di questo mondo, dalla presenza dei draghi e dal lato romance (per chi è più attento a questo aspetto).Il personaggio di Violet nonostante alcuni difetti offre uno spunto interessante per via della sua disabilità fisica.La frustrazione, gli altri che continuamente le rinfacciano la sua fragilità (ciao Dain, dico proprio a te), la necessità di presentarsi forte a prescindere…Violet mostra intelligenza, determinazione ma anche molta empatia trovando nuovi modi per sopravvivere e spingendosi comunque oltre i suoi limiti. Ho anche apprezzato molto il suo rapporto con i draghi e anche con Xaden, personaggio che al di là dei soliti cliché, si è rivelato piuttosto intrigante!Non nego però che avrei preferito qualche dettaglio in più sul worldbuilding, così come avrei preferito che Violet, non avesse una plot armor o, ancor peggio, tratti che la avvicinano pericolosamente a essere un personaggio op… ma che ce frega!Fourth Wing è stata una lettura divertente, scorrevole e che ha saputo trascinarmi in un turbinio di eventi senza annoiarmi. Nonostante la prevedibilità di alcune svolte di trama e di alcune dinamiche tra i personaggi mi sono sentita coinvolta e ho seguito con gusto la loro storia.Era il libro che ci voleva in un periodo particolarmente pieno, ha saputo intrattenermi e incuriosirmi, tanto da lasciarmi con più di un dubbio su come andranno le cose nei prossimi libri!Non è il libro perfetto ma se sapete cosa aspettarvi, Fourth Wing può rivelarsi davvero la lettura perfetta da divorare per staccare la spina!

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   allbythebook – October 3, 2023

   It’s not literary by any means, but I just really enjoyed this
   Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has been a BookTok/Bookstagram sensation, with some readers absolutely obsessed with it and others forming a sort of counter-culture of hate. But for me, it’s a good easy-reading romp that kept me gripped, even if it’s not the best thing I’ve read this year – so a 4 star review from me.So, first, it has to be said that I love that our female lead is disabled. It isn’t explicitly stated, but she reads as having Ehler Danlos or some other connective tissue disorder. And contrasting that with a really cutthroat fantasy setting where only the physically strong survive is a really accessible way to demonstrate the reality of physical disability to readers and develop empathy rather than sympathy – especially with an emotionally and mentally strong character like Violet. So big props to Yarros for this portrayal, I really liked it – and it’s nice to have a main character who isn’t a perfect Mary Sue, as can be a bit of a trend in fantasy romance. Whilst her intelligence is told about a bit more than it was actually portrayed (she has a good memory for facts but we all know that’s not the same as smarts!), her mental fortitude was demonstrated on numerous occasions.However, saying that, we didn’t really see a whole lot of character development. Violet got a bit less perpetually terrified as she adapted, but she didn’t exactly read as a shrinking violet (sorry for the pun) at the beginning – I mean, she had a knife to a guy’s balls before she even officially joined the quadrant after all. And other than her coming to realise that her disability wasn’t perhaps as much of a death sentence as she had believed, she doesn’t really grow as a character. And we don’t ever really find out why she was special enough for not only the most badass dragon going to bond to her, but for a second rare shiny (literally) dragon to bond to her too – and the double dose of special magic powers that go with it. So that aspect falls a little flat.I did, however, really like the crazy death school for dragons setting we had going on. It wasn’t the most descriptive and immersive world building I’ve ever encountered, but Yarros absolutely got across the feeling of never being able to relax and stop watching your back. This book pales in contrast to other crazy death school novels like The Novice by Tracy Canavan (Book 2 of the Black Magician Trilogy) or the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (beginning with A Deadly Education) that have much more world building and a feeling of impossibility in actually getting to graduation – something we never reaaaaally feel for Violet despite the quoted statistics. But it kept moving quickly and the new challenges kept on piling up, and it was simple enough to follow without getting confused.The male lead, Xaden Riorson (I must say, a pretty cliched fantasy romance lead name if there ever was one), was superficially hot. As in, I absolutely was convinced he was very sexy – Violet could only seem to think about that any time she was in a five mile radius of him – but not convinced that she fell in love with him. Where was the actual bonding (dragons aside)? I loved how her crush on Dain developed (best bit of character development in the book actually), but falling in love with Xaden was more like… just falling in lust, really. On both sides.And don’t get me started on the horny dragons. Yes, many readers of Fourth Wing that found it via BookTok will be too young to remember the Dragonriders of Pern series by Ann McCaffrey, but it’s not an original idea, and if you’re going to do it, at least commit to how non-consensual it is like Dragonflight did.But despite my criticisms, I did actually really enjoy it, and spent not only an international flight reading it (hi again to the lovely Aussie sitting next to me who was a massive ACOTAR fan) but stayed up way too late reading it once I got home because I couldn’t put it down. So I’ve added Iron Flame to my pre-order pile!

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Fluff – November 12, 2023

   Obsessed
   I really enjoyed reading this book (multiple times) and the number of different editions I own stands testimony to that.It has everything : adrenaline-filled scenes, likeable characters, magic, dragons (so, so many dragons 😀 ), soul ripping moments (could have done with a few less), ¨romance¨ (a bit too detailed and coarse for my taste, but it sells book and I will not be the one to change our society’s mentality).Although, just like with so many other books, it is hard not to spot the influence of TOG and ACOTAR, from the characters to some of the events, Fourth Wing it’s in a league of its own. There wasn’t a single moment where I struggled to read, I was completely and utterly swept of my feet and thrust into its world.It made me laugh, it made me cry (again, could have done with less tear-jerking scenes), it made me hold my breath! I got attached to so many of the characters, especially the dragons! Tairn, Sgaeyl, and the ridiculously adorable Andarna will forever hold a place in my heart.However… I was a bit disappointed by the last chapters. I mean, I still enjoyed them, but they left a sour taste behind.First, Violet’s reaction when learning the obvious truth – way over the top ! It was just to create the usual temporary split in the ‘power couple’ in all YA books (yes, this is new adult but, basically, same thing with a different hat).The battle – throughout the book we are constantly told how powerful dragons are, yet during the battle they did not do much, especially Tairn, who was supposed to be the strongest. I was so disappointed! And the unnecessary, predictable, YA-style, death of a beloved character – saw it coming and the author used it just to get some tears out of the readers.Then, the big revelation, did not come as a revelation at all, as I knew it would happen from the start (if u read enough books, you will be able to spot the patterns and the direction of the story) , and did not buy into its delivery.And to top it all up, Xaden, the mmc, suddenly changes personality and forgets the fact that a few of his friends died, including his foster brother, and he basically turns into Violet’s doormat and can only think with his ‘appendix’ . And this is what worries me the most, that the author will take the same direction as other YA writers and will ‘diminish’ the male characters (aka turn them into complet doormats, living in the shadow of the female characters’ ‘glory’), just to make the mfc seem stronger, which is beyond sad and I doubt I will ever understand the reasoning behind.I really hope I am wrong and that I will also love the next books in the series ????????

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Madison – November 4, 2023

   
   5/5⭐️4/5????️i have nothing but good things to say about this book, buckle up.i’m honestly not even sure that i will be able to gather my thoughts and form a coherent review to adequate explain how much i adored this book but i’m going to try. let’s start by saying that i am obsessed with this book.this was outstanding and amazing in every single way. i cried, i laughed, i giggled, i gasped, i did ALL THE THINGS. i have not felt so many things while reading a book since my last SJM read. fourth wing absolutely deserves all the hype and more. if the hunger games, divergent, harry potter, and game of thrones had a baby, this would be it.this book was the perfect mixture of romance and high stakes and the vibes were so spot on. fourth wing is fast paced from beginning to end and will absolutely hook you from the very first chapter. the world building was perfection and so seamless that it never felt awkward and i was never confused about the fantasy world. this is a world i would absolutely love to live in!i have heard that a lot of people found this book predictable, but i’m personally HORRIBLE at predicting endings so i may have forseen one or two things but i definitely could not have predicted the entire ending for this book and that made it that much more enjoyable.i LOVED violet’s character so much. her bond with her sister and her friends was so genuine. she is tough and strong willed and is unstoppable, despite her disadvantage (which yarrow displayed SO SO well). i loved her journey and how much she grew throughout this whole book.XADEN!!!! rhysand has been my #1 book boyfriend since i devoured ACOTAR last year and no one has lived up to the hype since. xaden freaking riorson has officially take my #1 book boyfriend spot with rhysand as a very close second. how can you not love this man?? he is an ABSOLUTE SIMP from violet even from the start despite his grumpy exterior. men who show their love through actions >>>this man had me literally gasping and giggling like a little kid because of some of the things he did. he was exactly what violet needed. i loved their tension but also how he always believe in her. and the nicknames?? ????the romance was perfection. usually i get really impatient with slow burns, but the fantasy aspect of this book was done SO WELL that i was such as obsessed with the story as i was with the romance. and enemies to lovers??? sign me tf up. ????‍???? violet and xaden had the perfect build up between them. and the SPICE?? puh-lease. absolutely amazing!!tairn and andarna were hands down, the best part of this book. yarros did SO GOOD with described all of the details of the dragons and giving them so much personality. the interactions between the dragons and their riders were so much fun. i loved tairn’s grumpy exterior, his sassy comments, and how protective he was of violet. andarna is so freaking cute and i love her to death.i could honestly rave about every single aspect of this book but i feel like this really sums up some of my biggest feelings. this is definitely a book that deserved ALL the hype and definitely a book that you need to read, even if you aren’t a fantasy lover.this book was not perfect by any means. like anything else, this book had flaws but it was perfect to me. i am obsessed. it had everything i wanted from a fantasy book AND DRAGONS!!???? i cannot wait to get my hands on iron flame!! this is definitely a book that i will be rereading before book 2 comes out! i know for a fact that this will be the best book that i read for this year.(peep my 73 kindle highlights from this book because it had the BEST QUOTES and xaden says the BEST THINGS -> may have some spoilers so read at your own risk)“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.”“So then why are you here, Xaden?” “Because I can’t seem to stay away.”“There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Basil Argyros – October 31, 2023

   
   Rebecca Yarros has ‘it’ — the gift of writing certifiable page-turners. I’m an old hand at fantasy literature, and I’m embarrassed to confess how often I robbed myself of sleep by reading ‘one more chapter’ in Fourth Wing past my usual bedtime. If she continues in this vein, her new series will be a commercial blockbuster. Kudos. It also qualifies as a crossover adult/YA series (more on this, later in the review).To step back and give it a critical evaluation — for any fantasy novel or series, the first criteria is whether the world the author builds is interesting, and believable. The geography in Fourth Wing is pedestrian, but serviceable. The society adheres to the usual fantasy requirement of technological stagnation over a period of centuries. The culture in Fourth Wing, with its high level of literacy and the absence of plate armor, resembles Rome more than the usual ‘medieval’ setting, which is rather refreshing. Magic furnishes some quasi-modern amenities (e.g., ‘mage lights’ that illuminate interior rooms).The society is interesting. If Rebecca were toiling in the Star Trek novel fields, her ‘Riders Quadrant’ would make a nice analogue of Starfleet Academy — in the Mirror Universe. Martial arts training is all full-contact, edged weapons included. Cadets in this elite institution routinely kill each other, with few repercussions.The human-dragon relationship is symbiotic. A human to whom a dragon chooses to bond will acquire special abilities, fueled by the dragon’s magical nature. To use another Star Trek analogy, human and dragon are like Trill and symbiont — while a dragon can survive the loss of its rider, a human, once bonded, cannot survive the death of its dragon.The aspect of the society that I most appreciated is the obvious ‘secret’ that the established ruling elites are ruthless bastards who carefully control the prevailing narratives to keep the masses in line and patriotic, while themselves are completely amoral. This is where Rebecca’s fantasy world shines, with this resemblance to our contemporary world.The heroine, Violet, is an analogue of Rebecca herself. No fault there — authors re-imagining themselves in their fiction has a long, and often successful, history. What makes Violet interesting is that Rebecca has replicated her own, very difficult medical challenges in her heroine. (This is surely the first work of fiction in which forms of the word ‘subluxation’ occur repeatedly.) I give her credit for this, for it makes Violet more interesting (I can’t help but be reminded of Moorcook’s Elric, whose physical weakness from his albinism is compensated for only by drugs, or the possession of Stormbringer).I have a few literary criticisms, none of which will detract from (indeed, they’ll probable add to) the series’ appeal. For example, applicants to the death factory that is the Riders Quadrant are almost puppy-dog eager to get in — seemingly unoppressed by the reality that three-quarters of them (if I remember correctly) will die during training. They also look and talk like contemporary Zoomers. This is part of the YA appeal of the books, but it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine contemporary Zoomers cheerfully signing up for such a place! The sex scenes are painstakingly detailed, with truly anatomic precision. For a YA audience, I suppose this might be useful information, but for an adult reader, they become tedious rather quickly.Congratulations, Rebecca. I look forward to receiving my pre-order of Flame Wing . . . 🙂

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Henriette – July 31, 2023

    Jahreshighlight????
    •Fourth Wing von Rebecca Yarros•Ein absolut unbeschreibliches Jahreshighlight, das ich sicher nicht so schnell vergessen werde und mir sehr unter die Haut gegangen ist. Violet, Xaden, die Drachen, diese Welt und alles andere konnte mich von Anfang an nicht mehr loslassen und hat mich süchtig gemacht. Ich kann den Hype nun wirklich zu 100% verstehen und möchte diese Geschichte nie mehr missen!????Außerdem habe ich mich sehr in das Cover und die gesamte Gestaltung des Buches verliebt. Während das Cover auffällig und unglaublich passend ist, ist der Inhalt des Buches sehr liebevoll und bildlich gestaltet worden. Ich liebe vor allem auch die Karte sehr, genauso wie ich mich in den wunderschönen Schreibstil verliebt habe, der unfassbar authentisch und intensiv ist. Man fühlt alles hautnah mit und wird zu einem Teil der Geschichte, die aus Violets Sicht erzählt wird.Violet war wirklich meine Heldin der Geschichte! Obwohl alle ihr gesagt haben, wie schwach sie ist und dass sie niemals überleben wird, hat sie nicht aufgehört zu kämpfen und ist so zu einem der stärksten Charaktere geworden. Ich habe sie so sehr für diese Entwicklung und ihren Kampfgeist bewundert. Von allen Charakteren hat Violet definitiv die krasseste Entwicklung durchlaufen. Gleichzeitig ist sie nicht auf den Mund gefallen, selbstständig, unabhängig, herzlich und mitfühlend. Liebe sie sehr!Allerdings hat auch Xaden mir absolut mein Herz gestohlen und einen Platz auf meiner Bookboyfriend-Tribüne ergattert. Auf den ersten Blick war er kalt, unberechenbar, distanziert und gemein zu Violet. Aber er hat sie auch gefordert, ihr Mit zugesprochen und sie nicht verhätschelt. Xaden kann so unglaublich sanft und aufmerksam sein und hat Violet teils auf Händen getragen. Auch er hat immer unerbittlich gekämpft und für das eingestanden, was wichtig ist, vor allem für Violet. Er ist knallhart, unfassbar stark und weiß genau, was er will.Es gab einfach so unglaublich viele Nebencharaktere in diesem Buch, die teils gekommen und schnell wieder gegangen sind. Doch wer immer geblieben ist, waren Rhiannon, Garrick, Bodhi, Liam, Tairn, Sgaeyl, Adarna, Imogen und Mira. Ich habe diese Charaktere unfassbar doll ins Herz geschlossen, vor allem Xadens und Violets Drachen sowie Liam und Rhiannon. Ihre Gesellschaft war immer wundervoll aufmunternd und die Drachen wussten genau, wie sie ihren Reitern zur Seite zu stehen hatten. Tairn ist einfach großartig! Auf der anderen Seite gab es auch einige Charaktere, die ich gar nicht leiden konnte. Dazu gehörten an erster Stelle Dain, Violets Mutter, Jack und einige andere, die Violet das Leben schwer gemacht haben. Es war teils einfach super anstrengend, vor allem mit Dain, der Violet viel zu sehr verhätschelt und klein gehalten hat. Das war nicht in Ordnung.Als ich das Buch begonnen habe, hatte ich zwar schon entfernt eine Ahnung, was mich erwarten würde, aber ich hätte nicht damit gerechnet, dass mich dieses Buch so sehr umhauen und für sich gewinnen würde. Von der ersten Seite an habe ich mich unfassbar in die Geschichte, ihre Charaktere und alles andere verliebt. Ich konnte das Buch gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und wollte immer mehr. Zuerst aber habe ich mich in dir Atmosphäre, das Setting, die Welt und ihre Magie verliebt. Die Atmosphäre war immer ein wenig düster und geheimnisvoll, während das Setting reine Brutalität und Gefahr vermittelt hat. Man war irgendwie stets auf der Hut. Doch was die Autorin mit der Welt, den Drachen und der Magie erschaffen hat, war einfach beeindruckend und unglaublich spannend. Ich habe jede Information über die Verbindung von Reiter und Drachen in mich aufgesaugt und fand das Ganze richtig cool! Es war spannend zu erleben, wie Drache und Reiter sich aneinander binden, praktisch eins werden und sich gegenseitig unterstützen. Da war ganz besonders Violets Bindung zu Tairn und Adarna interessant und wundervoll! Aber auch die ganze Geschichte rund um den Krieg, die Rebellen und das Trainingslager, in dem Violet war, waren total abwechslungsreich und unglaublich gut ausgebaut. Ich war richtig gefesselt! In all dem waren jedoch Violet und Xaden mein großes Highlight. Ihre Enemies to Lovers Geschichte ist wirklich etwas ganz Besonderes und geht einem richtig krass unter die Haut. Man fiebert mit ihnen mit, saugt ihre intensiven Emotionen in sich auf und wird von dem Spice sicher nicht kalt gelassen. Violet und Xaden funktionieren zusammen einfach perfekt und sind ein unglaubliches Paar! Ich war teils sprachlos und konnte nicht genug von ihnen bekommen. Es war besonders, wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützt haben und aus diesem Hass unendliche Liebe wurde! Natürlich gab es auch genug Drama, das einen auf Trab gehalten hat. Denn in dieser Geschichte hat praktisch an jeder Ecke eine Gefahr gelauert und der Tod war ein stetiger Begleiter der Charaktere. Manche Tode haben einen weniger getroffen, andere haben einem das Herz gebrochen. Vor Tränen bleibt man ganz sicher nicht verschont! Aber all das hat das Buch so einzigartig gemacht. Denn man wusste wirklich nie, was als nächstes kommt. Die Story war einfach der Hammer, spannend, abwechslungsreich, voller Nervenkitzel und starker Teamarbeit. Ich habe es geliebt, Violet, Xaden und die anderen durch das Jahr im Trainingslager zu begleiten. Man hat einfach unglaublich viel erlebt, Liebe wie Feindseligkeit und Hass. Vor allem zum Ende hin haben sich die Ereignisse heftig überschlagen und einen schockiert zurückgelassen. Mit dieser Wendung hatte ich wirklich nicht gerechnet. Es hat mich kaputt gemacht und mein Herz brechen lassen. Allerdings war es auch gleichermaßen interessant, weil so viele neue Informationen ans Licht gekommen sind. Nach dem Ende muss ich definitiv sofort Band 2 haben!Fazit: abschließend gebe ich dem ersten Band der Geschichte von Violet und Xaden definitiv 5+ von 5 Sternen. Ich kann gar nicht beschreiben, wie sehr ich das Buch geliebt habe und wie sehr es mich ins Herz getroffen hat. Ich will es am liebsten direkt noch mal lesen!

11. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Pierre J. – May 13, 2023

    Surprisingly worth the hype
    To be completely honest, I purchased and went into Fourth Wing because I was seeing it everywhere and a couple of my friends rated it 5 stars which instantly made me intrigued.I don’t usually do hyped books nor do I read them the same month they come out, because I am a mood reader after all, but I felt the need to consume this book and actually see whether it is worth the hype or not, and again, to be honest, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that it is in fact worth the hype.This was my very first dragon centered fantasy book and I’ve got to say, it’s made me want to check out more of these dragon based books because I absolutely freaking loved it?!Really though, the element I enjoyed the most out of this book is Violet’s relationship with her (SPOILER) dragons, (SPOILER OVER) the banter between them and just the dialogue overall which I did not expect to be that good between a human and a dragon.Another element I very much enjoyed about this book is the comedic touches that never felt out of place and hit just right. Rebecca Yarros clearly knows how to write banter and comedy, even in a serious and brutal world as this one, and that makes me want to check out more of her writing in the future.The last couple of things about this world: I liked this very brutal and monstruous world that the author has created, the magical school setting was a superb element, especially since we actually got to see our characters go to class and stuff which never felt too boring, as it was included just enough to actually show the readers that these people are actually going to class in a school.Now, about the characters:You know, I didn’t much like Violet at first because her character screamed nOt LIkE mOst GOrlS, but as the story progressed and we got to see her develop and evolve into the sarcastic badass lady that she is, I can confidentally say that I very much like her as a character.Dain is a redacted word I can’t use on Amazon and I am DYING to see him get his comeuppance in the following books, especially after the reveal we got of him in the last part of the book.Xaden… Oh, Xaden. Our tortured, heroic, dark, broody and DAngEroUS bad boy who turns out to have a heart of gold, I really won’t ever get sick of this trope.I adored Xaden so much, he can do whatever he wants to me and I won’t blink an eye, that’s how much I loved the love interest in this book.As for the side characters, I very much enjoyed them enough, even though some were more one dimensional than others, but in particular I adored the life out of Liam.The romance was shockingly outstanding, and I say shockingly because I haven’t enjoyed a good fantasy romance in a while.The author took her time to build up their chemistry with banter, flirting and some damn good deep and emotional moments, and she gifted us two mindblowing naughty scenes that were incredibly well written and never felt like too much for a fantasy book.I very much enjoyed all the action and the drama we got throughout it, but I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil it for anyone reading this review.The last part of the book was pretty epic.Dragons were unleashed, plot reveals occurred, Violet was shook, people died, people lived, more action and drama and betrayals and heartache and pain and suffering.And then the last plot twist happened, and I would’ve been shook had I not spoiled it for myself by trying to look at how many pages this book has and coming across a name that ruined it for me, but you’ll be shook if you don’t make the same mistake as I lol.Overall, Fourth Wing was a very, very strong kickoff to what is sure to be a damn good fantasy romance series and I’m looking forward to reading the next ones!

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Cristina (storm_reader) – August 28, 2023

    Perfetto per staccare la spina | Recensione da parte di storm_reader
    ????⚔️“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”Fourth Wing è da settimane sulla bocca di tutti. Draghi, enemies to lovers, scontri all’ultimo sangue, una scuola dalle politiche decisamente letali e vibes alla Hunger Games.Insomma le premesse per una lettura ricca di azione, da restare ancorati alle pagine, c’erano tutte e beh…dai ve lo dico subito: sono state più che mantenute!Ma Fourth Wing è il libro del millennio, dell’anno, del secolo…insomma una roba fuori di testa?No.Fourth Wing è un libro perfetto per staccare la spina e catapultarsi in una storia avventurosa?Oh si.Questo romance fantasy creato da Rebecca Yarros, primo a quanto pare di una serie lunga cinque volumi, ha parecchi difetti e alcuni più difficili da ignorare di altri.Una protagonista che è una Mary Sue (anche se fa finta di non esserlo) che va avanti a colpi di fortuna e deus ex machina, scene un po’ cringe, trama assolutamente prevedibile, spiegazioni che non sono spiegazioni ma più che altro un “è così perché sì”, la tendenza a svicolare dalle situazioni buttandola in caciara…e potrei continuare!Quindi il bello dove sta?Fourth Wing ha il pregio di avere un ritmo serrato, con molte scene dinamiche e scontri che tengono sempre viva l’attenzione, tanto da distogliere questa dai difetti più evidenti, trasportando il lettore in una storia coinvolgente ed appassionante.In breve si resta incuriositi dalle dinamiche di questo mondo, dalla presenza dei draghi e dal lato romance (per chi è più attento a questo aspetto).Il personaggio di Violet nonostante alcuni difetti offre uno spunto interessante per via della sua disabilità fisica.La frustrazione, gli altri che continuamente le rinfacciano la sua fragilità (ciao Dain, dico proprio a te), la necessità di presentarsi forte a prescindere…Violet mostra intelligenza, determinazione ma anche molta empatia trovando nuovi modi per sopravvivere e spingendosi comunque oltre i suoi limiti. Ho anche apprezzato molto il suo rapporto con i draghi e anche con Xaden, personaggio che al di là dei soliti cliché, si è rivelato piuttosto intrigante!Non nego però che avrei preferito qualche dettaglio in più sul worldbuilding, così come avrei preferito che Violet, non avesse una plot armor o, ancor peggio, tratti che la avvicinano pericolosamente a essere un personaggio op… ma che ce frega!Fourth Wing è stata una lettura divertente, scorrevole e che ha saputo trascinarmi in un turbinio di eventi senza annoiarmi. Nonostante la prevedibilità di alcune svolte di trama e di alcune dinamiche tra i personaggi mi sono sentita coinvolta e ho seguito con gusto la loro storia.Era il libro che ci voleva in un periodo particolarmente pieno, ha saputo intrattenermi e incuriosirmi, tanto da lasciarmi con più di un dubbio su come andranno le cose nei prossimi libri!Non è il libro perfetto ma se sapete cosa aspettarvi, Fourth Wing può rivelarsi davvero la lettura perfetta da divorare per staccare la spina!

13. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    allbythebook – October 3, 2023

    It’s not literary by any means, but I just really enjoyed this
    Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has been a BookTok/Bookstagram sensation, with some readers absolutely obsessed with it and others forming a sort of counter-culture of hate. But for me, it’s a good easy-reading romp that kept me gripped, even if it’s not the best thing I’ve read this year – so a 4 star review from me.So, first, it has to be said that I love that our female lead is disabled. It isn’t explicitly stated, but she reads as having Ehler Danlos or some other connective tissue disorder. And contrasting that with a really cutthroat fantasy setting where only the physically strong survive is a really accessible way to demonstrate the reality of physical disability to readers and develop empathy rather than sympathy – especially with an emotionally and mentally strong character like Violet. So big props to Yarros for this portrayal, I really liked it – and it’s nice to have a main character who isn’t a perfect Mary Sue, as can be a bit of a trend in fantasy romance. Whilst her intelligence is told about a bit more than it was actually portrayed (she has a good memory for facts but we all know that’s not the same as smarts!), her mental fortitude was demonstrated on numerous occasions.However, saying that, we didn’t really see a whole lot of character development. Violet got a bit less perpetually terrified as she adapted, but she didn’t exactly read as a shrinking violet (sorry for the pun) at the beginning – I mean, she had a knife to a guy’s balls before she even officially joined the quadrant after all. And other than her coming to realise that her disability wasn’t perhaps as much of a death sentence as she had believed, she doesn’t really grow as a character. And we don’t ever really find out why she was special enough for not only the most badass dragon going to bond to her, but for a second rare shiny (literally) dragon to bond to her too – and the double dose of special magic powers that go with it. So that aspect falls a little flat.I did, however, really like the crazy death school for dragons setting we had going on. It wasn’t the most descriptive and immersive world building I’ve ever encountered, but Yarros absolutely got across the feeling of never being able to relax and stop watching your back. This book pales in contrast to other crazy death school novels like The Novice by Tracy Canavan (Book 2 of the Black Magician Trilogy) or the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (beginning with A Deadly Education) that have much more world building and a feeling of impossibility in actually getting to graduation – something we never reaaaaally feel for Violet despite the quoted statistics. But it kept moving quickly and the new challenges kept on piling up, and it was simple enough to follow without getting confused.The male lead, Xaden Riorson (I must say, a pretty cliched fantasy romance lead name if there ever was one), was superficially hot. As in, I absolutely was convinced he was very sexy – Violet could only seem to think about that any time she was in a five mile radius of him – but not convinced that she fell in love with him. Where was the actual bonding (dragons aside)? I loved how her crush on Dain developed (best bit of character development in the book actually), but falling in love with Xaden was more like… just falling in lust, really. On both sides.And don’t get me started on the horny dragons. Yes, many readers of Fourth Wing that found it via BookTok will be too young to remember the Dragonriders of Pern series by Ann McCaffrey, but it’s not an original idea, and if you’re going to do it, at least commit to how non-consensual it is like Dragonflight did.But despite my criticisms, I did actually really enjoy it, and spent not only an international flight reading it (hi again to the lovely Aussie sitting next to me who was a massive ACOTAR fan) but stayed up way too late reading it once I got home because I couldn’t put it down. So I’ve added Iron Flame to my pre-order pile!

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Fluff – November 12, 2023

    Obsessed
    I really enjoyed reading this book (multiple times) and the number of different editions I own stands testimony to that.It has everything : adrenaline-filled scenes, likeable characters, magic, dragons (so, so many dragons 😀 ), soul ripping moments (could have done with a few less), ¨romance¨ (a bit too detailed and coarse for my taste, but it sells book and I will not be the one to change our society’s mentality).Although, just like with so many other books, it is hard not to spot the influence of TOG and ACOTAR, from the characters to some of the events, Fourth Wing it’s in a league of its own. There wasn’t a single moment where I struggled to read, I was completely and utterly swept of my feet and thrust into its world.It made me laugh, it made me cry (again, could have done with less tear-jerking scenes), it made me hold my breath! I got attached to so many of the characters, especially the dragons! Tairn, Sgaeyl, and the ridiculously adorable Andarna will forever hold a place in my heart.However… I was a bit disappointed by the last chapters. I mean, I still enjoyed them, but they left a sour taste behind.First, Violet’s reaction when learning the obvious truth – way over the top ! It was just to create the usual temporary split in the ‘power couple’ in all YA books (yes, this is new adult but, basically, same thing with a different hat).The battle – throughout the book we are constantly told how powerful dragons are, yet during the battle they did not do much, especially Tairn, who was supposed to be the strongest. I was so disappointed! And the unnecessary, predictable, YA-style, death of a beloved character – saw it coming and the author used it just to get some tears out of the readers.Then, the big revelation, did not come as a revelation at all, as I knew it would happen from the start (if u read enough books, you will be able to spot the patterns and the direction of the story) , and did not buy into its delivery.And to top it all up, Xaden, the mmc, suddenly changes personality and forgets the fact that a few of his friends died, including his foster brother, and he basically turns into Violet’s doormat and can only think with his ‘appendix’ . And this is what worries me the most, that the author will take the same direction as other YA writers and will ‘diminish’ the male characters (aka turn them into complet doormats, living in the shadow of the female characters’ ‘glory’), just to make the mfc seem stronger, which is beyond sad and I doubt I will ever understand the reasoning behind.I really hope I am wrong and that I will also love the next books in the series ????????

15. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Madison – November 4, 2023

    
    5/5⭐️4/5????️i have nothing but good things to say about this book, buckle up.i’m honestly not even sure that i will be able to gather my thoughts and form a coherent review to adequate explain how much i adored this book but i’m going to try. let’s start by saying that i am obsessed with this book.this was outstanding and amazing in every single way. i cried, i laughed, i giggled, i gasped, i did ALL THE THINGS. i have not felt so many things while reading a book since my last SJM read. fourth wing absolutely deserves all the hype and more. if the hunger games, divergent, harry potter, and game of thrones had a baby, this would be it.this book was the perfect mixture of romance and high stakes and the vibes were so spot on. fourth wing is fast paced from beginning to end and will absolutely hook you from the very first chapter. the world building was perfection and so seamless that it never felt awkward and i was never confused about the fantasy world. this is a world i would absolutely love to live in!i have heard that a lot of people found this book predictable, but i’m personally HORRIBLE at predicting endings so i may have forseen one or two things but i definitely could not have predicted the entire ending for this book and that made it that much more enjoyable.i LOVED violet’s character so much. her bond with her sister and her friends was so genuine. she is tough and strong willed and is unstoppable, despite her disadvantage (which yarrow displayed SO SO well). i loved her journey and how much she grew throughout this whole book.XADEN!!!! rhysand has been my #1 book boyfriend since i devoured ACOTAR last year and no one has lived up to the hype since. xaden freaking riorson has officially take my #1 book boyfriend spot with rhysand as a very close second. how can you not love this man?? he is an ABSOLUTE SIMP from violet even from the start despite his grumpy exterior. men who show their love through actions >>>this man had me literally gasping and giggling like a little kid because of some of the things he did. he was exactly what violet needed. i loved their tension but also how he always believe in her. and the nicknames?? ????the romance was perfection. usually i get really impatient with slow burns, but the fantasy aspect of this book was done SO WELL that i was such as obsessed with the story as i was with the romance. and enemies to lovers??? sign me tf up. ????‍???? violet and xaden had the perfect build up between them. and the SPICE?? puh-lease. absolutely amazing!!tairn and andarna were hands down, the best part of this book. yarros did SO GOOD with described all of the details of the dragons and giving them so much personality. the interactions between the dragons and their riders were so much fun. i loved tairn’s grumpy exterior, his sassy comments, and how protective he was of violet. andarna is so freaking cute and i love her to death.i could honestly rave about every single aspect of this book but i feel like this really sums up some of my biggest feelings. this is definitely a book that deserved ALL the hype and definitely a book that you need to read, even if you aren’t a fantasy lover.this book was not perfect by any means. like anything else, this book had flaws but it was perfect to me. i am obsessed. it had everything i wanted from a fantasy book AND DRAGONS!!???? i cannot wait to get my hands on iron flame!! this is definitely a book that i will be rereading before book 2 comes out! i know for a fact that this will be the best book that i read for this year.(peep my 73 kindle highlights from this book because it had the BEST QUOTES and xaden says the BEST THINGS -> may have some spoilers so read at your own risk)“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.”“So then why are you here, Xaden?” “Because I can’t seem to stay away.”“There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”

16. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Basil Argyros – October 31, 2023

    
    Rebecca Yarros has ‘it’ — the gift of writing certifiable page-turners. I’m an old hand at fantasy literature, and I’m embarrassed to confess how often I robbed myself of sleep by reading ‘one more chapter’ in Fourth Wing past my usual bedtime. If she continues in this vein, her new series will be a commercial blockbuster. Kudos. It also qualifies as a crossover adult/YA series (more on this, later in the review).To step back and give it a critical evaluation — for any fantasy novel or series, the first criteria is whether the world the author builds is interesting, and believable. The geography in Fourth Wing is pedestrian, but serviceable. The society adheres to the usual fantasy requirement of technological stagnation over a period of centuries. The culture in Fourth Wing, with its high level of literacy and the absence of plate armor, resembles Rome more than the usual ‘medieval’ setting, which is rather refreshing. Magic furnishes some quasi-modern amenities (e.g., ‘mage lights’ that illuminate interior rooms).The society is interesting. If Rebecca were toiling in the Star Trek novel fields, her ‘Riders Quadrant’ would make a nice analogue of Starfleet Academy — in the Mirror Universe. Martial arts training is all full-contact, edged weapons included. Cadets in this elite institution routinely kill each other, with few repercussions.The human-dragon relationship is symbiotic. A human to whom a dragon chooses to bond will acquire special abilities, fueled by the dragon’s magical nature. To use another Star Trek analogy, human and dragon are like Trill and symbiont — while a dragon can survive the loss of its rider, a human, once bonded, cannot survive the death of its dragon.The aspect of the society that I most appreciated is the obvious ‘secret’ that the established ruling elites are ruthless bastards who carefully control the prevailing narratives to keep the masses in line and patriotic, while themselves are completely amoral. This is where Rebecca’s fantasy world shines, with this resemblance to our contemporary world.The heroine, Violet, is an analogue of Rebecca herself. No fault there — authors re-imagining themselves in their fiction has a long, and often successful, history. What makes Violet interesting is that Rebecca has replicated her own, very difficult medical challenges in her heroine. (This is surely the first work of fiction in which forms of the word ‘subluxation’ occur repeatedly.) I give her credit for this, for it makes Violet more interesting (I can’t help but be reminded of Moorcook’s Elric, whose physical weakness from his albinism is compensated for only by drugs, or the possession of Stormbringer).I have a few literary criticisms, none of which will detract from (indeed, they’ll probable add to) the series’ appeal. For example, applicants to the death factory that is the Riders Quadrant are almost puppy-dog eager to get in — seemingly unoppressed by the reality that three-quarters of them (if I remember correctly) will die during training. They also look and talk like contemporary Zoomers. This is part of the YA appeal of the books, but it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine contemporary Zoomers cheerfully signing up for such a place! The sex scenes are painstakingly detailed, with truly anatomic precision. For a YA audience, I suppose this might be useful information, but for an adult reader, they become tedious rather quickly.Congratulations, Rebecca. I look forward to receiving my pre-order of Flame Wing . . . 🙂

17. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Henriette – July 31, 2023

    Jahreshighlight????
    •Fourth Wing von Rebecca Yarros•Ein absolut unbeschreibliches Jahreshighlight, das ich sicher nicht so schnell vergessen werde und mir sehr unter die Haut gegangen ist. Violet, Xaden, die Drachen, diese Welt und alles andere konnte mich von Anfang an nicht mehr loslassen und hat mich süchtig gemacht. Ich kann den Hype nun wirklich zu 100% verstehen und möchte diese Geschichte nie mehr missen!????Außerdem habe ich mich sehr in das Cover und die gesamte Gestaltung des Buches verliebt. Während das Cover auffällig und unglaublich passend ist, ist der Inhalt des Buches sehr liebevoll und bildlich gestaltet worden. Ich liebe vor allem auch die Karte sehr, genauso wie ich mich in den wunderschönen Schreibstil verliebt habe, der unfassbar authentisch und intensiv ist. Man fühlt alles hautnah mit und wird zu einem Teil der Geschichte, die aus Violets Sicht erzählt wird.Violet war wirklich meine Heldin der Geschichte! Obwohl alle ihr gesagt haben, wie schwach sie ist und dass sie niemals überleben wird, hat sie nicht aufgehört zu kämpfen und ist so zu einem der stärksten Charaktere geworden. Ich habe sie so sehr für diese Entwicklung und ihren Kampfgeist bewundert. Von allen Charakteren hat Violet definitiv die krasseste Entwicklung durchlaufen. Gleichzeitig ist sie nicht auf den Mund gefallen, selbstständig, unabhängig, herzlich und mitfühlend. Liebe sie sehr!Allerdings hat auch Xaden mir absolut mein Herz gestohlen und einen Platz auf meiner Bookboyfriend-Tribüne ergattert. Auf den ersten Blick war er kalt, unberechenbar, distanziert und gemein zu Violet. Aber er hat sie auch gefordert, ihr Mit zugesprochen und sie nicht verhätschelt. Xaden kann so unglaublich sanft und aufmerksam sein und hat Violet teils auf Händen getragen. Auch er hat immer unerbittlich gekämpft und für das eingestanden, was wichtig ist, vor allem für Violet. Er ist knallhart, unfassbar stark und weiß genau, was er will.Es gab einfach so unglaublich viele Nebencharaktere in diesem Buch, die teils gekommen und schnell wieder gegangen sind. Doch wer immer geblieben ist, waren Rhiannon, Garrick, Bodhi, Liam, Tairn, Sgaeyl, Adarna, Imogen und Mira. Ich habe diese Charaktere unfassbar doll ins Herz geschlossen, vor allem Xadens und Violets Drachen sowie Liam und Rhiannon. Ihre Gesellschaft war immer wundervoll aufmunternd und die Drachen wussten genau, wie sie ihren Reitern zur Seite zu stehen hatten. Tairn ist einfach großartig! Auf der anderen Seite gab es auch einige Charaktere, die ich gar nicht leiden konnte. Dazu gehörten an erster Stelle Dain, Violets Mutter, Jack und einige andere, die Violet das Leben schwer gemacht haben. Es war teils einfach super anstrengend, vor allem mit Dain, der Violet viel zu sehr verhätschelt und klein gehalten hat. Das war nicht in Ordnung.Als ich das Buch begonnen habe, hatte ich zwar schon entfernt eine Ahnung, was mich erwarten würde, aber ich hätte nicht damit gerechnet, dass mich dieses Buch so sehr umhauen und für sich gewinnen würde. Von der ersten Seite an habe ich mich unfassbar in die Geschichte, ihre Charaktere und alles andere verliebt. Ich konnte das Buch gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und wollte immer mehr. Zuerst aber habe ich mich in dir Atmosphäre, das Setting, die Welt und ihre Magie verliebt. Die Atmosphäre war immer ein wenig düster und geheimnisvoll, während das Setting reine Brutalität und Gefahr vermittelt hat. Man war irgendwie stets auf der Hut. Doch was die Autorin mit der Welt, den Drachen und der Magie erschaffen hat, war einfach beeindruckend und unglaublich spannend. Ich habe jede Information über die Verbindung von Reiter und Drachen in mich aufgesaugt und fand das Ganze richtig cool! Es war spannend zu erleben, wie Drache und Reiter sich aneinander binden, praktisch eins werden und sich gegenseitig unterstützen. Da war ganz besonders Violets Bindung zu Tairn und Adarna interessant und wundervoll! Aber auch die ganze Geschichte rund um den Krieg, die Rebellen und das Trainingslager, in dem Violet war, waren total abwechslungsreich und unglaublich gut ausgebaut. Ich war richtig gefesselt! In all dem waren jedoch Violet und Xaden mein großes Highlight. Ihre Enemies to Lovers Geschichte ist wirklich etwas ganz Besonderes und geht einem richtig krass unter die Haut. Man fiebert mit ihnen mit, saugt ihre intensiven Emotionen in sich auf und wird von dem Spice sicher nicht kalt gelassen. Violet und Xaden funktionieren zusammen einfach perfekt und sind ein unglaubliches Paar! Ich war teils sprachlos und konnte nicht genug von ihnen bekommen. Es war besonders, wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützt haben und aus diesem Hass unendliche Liebe wurde! Natürlich gab es auch genug Drama, das einen auf Trab gehalten hat. Denn in dieser Geschichte hat praktisch an jeder Ecke eine Gefahr gelauert und der Tod war ein stetiger Begleiter der Charaktere. Manche Tode haben einen weniger getroffen, andere haben einem das Herz gebrochen. Vor Tränen bleibt man ganz sicher nicht verschont! Aber all das hat das Buch so einzigartig gemacht. Denn man wusste wirklich nie, was als nächstes kommt. Die Story war einfach der Hammer, spannend, abwechslungsreich, voller Nervenkitzel und starker Teamarbeit. Ich habe es geliebt, Violet, Xaden und die anderen durch das Jahr im Trainingslager zu begleiten. Man hat einfach unglaublich viel erlebt, Liebe wie Feindseligkeit und Hass. Vor allem zum Ende hin haben sich die Ereignisse heftig überschlagen und einen schockiert zurückgelassen. Mit dieser Wendung hatte ich wirklich nicht gerechnet. Es hat mich kaputt gemacht und mein Herz brechen lassen. Allerdings war es auch gleichermaßen interessant, weil so viele neue Informationen ans Licht gekommen sind. Nach dem Ende muss ich definitiv sofort Band 2 haben!Fazit: abschließend gebe ich dem ersten Band der Geschichte von Violet und Xaden definitiv 5+ von 5 Sternen. Ich kann gar nicht beschreiben, wie sehr ich das Buch geliebt habe und wie sehr es mich ins Herz getroffen hat. Ich will es am liebsten direkt noch mal lesen!

18. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Pierre J. – May 13, 2023

    Surprisingly worth the hype
    To be completely honest, I purchased and went into Fourth Wing because I was seeing it everywhere and a couple of my friends rated it 5 stars which instantly made me intrigued.I don’t usually do hyped books nor do I read them the same month they come out, because I am a mood reader after all, but I felt the need to consume this book and actually see whether it is worth the hype or not, and again, to be honest, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that it is in fact worth the hype.This was my very first dragon centered fantasy book and I’ve got to say, it’s made me want to check out more of these dragon based books because I absolutely freaking loved it?!Really though, the element I enjoyed the most out of this book is Violet’s relationship with her (SPOILER) dragons, (SPOILER OVER) the banter between them and just the dialogue overall which I did not expect to be that good between a human and a dragon.Another element I very much enjoyed about this book is the comedic touches that never felt out of place and hit just right. Rebecca Yarros clearly knows how to write banter and comedy, even in a serious and brutal world as this one, and that makes me want to check out more of her writing in the future.The last couple of things about this world: I liked this very brutal and monstruous world that the author has created, the magical school setting was a superb element, especially since we actually got to see our characters go to class and stuff which never felt too boring, as it was included just enough to actually show the readers that these people are actually going to class in a school.Now, about the characters:You know, I didn’t much like Violet at first because her character screamed nOt LIkE mOst GOrlS, but as the story progressed and we got to see her develop and evolve into the sarcastic badass lady that she is, I can confidentally say that I very much like her as a character.Dain is a redacted word I can’t use on Amazon and I am DYING to see him get his comeuppance in the following books, especially after the reveal we got of him in the last part of the book.Xaden… Oh, Xaden. Our tortured, heroic, dark, broody and DAngEroUS bad boy who turns out to have a heart of gold, I really won’t ever get sick of this trope.I adored Xaden so much, he can do whatever he wants to me and I won’t blink an eye, that’s how much I loved the love interest in this book.As for the side characters, I very much enjoyed them enough, even though some were more one dimensional than others, but in particular I adored the life out of Liam.The romance was shockingly outstanding, and I say shockingly because I haven’t enjoyed a good fantasy romance in a while.The author took her time to build up their chemistry with banter, flirting and some damn good deep and emotional moments, and she gifted us two mindblowing naughty scenes that were incredibly well written and never felt like too much for a fantasy book.I very much enjoyed all the action and the drama we got throughout it, but I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil it for anyone reading this review.The last part of the book was pretty epic.Dragons were unleashed, plot reveals occurred, Violet was shook, people died, people lived, more action and drama and betrayals and heartache and pain and suffering.And then the last plot twist happened, and I would’ve been shook had I not spoiled it for myself by trying to look at how many pages this book has and coming across a name that ruined it for me, but you’ll be shook if you don’t make the same mistake as I lol.Overall, Fourth Wing was a very, very strong kickoff to what is sure to be a damn good fantasy romance series and I’m looking forward to reading the next ones!

19. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Cristina (storm_reader) – August 28, 2023

    Perfetto per staccare la spina | Recensione da parte di storm_reader
    ????⚔️“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”Fourth Wing è da settimane sulla bocca di tutti. Draghi, enemies to lovers, scontri all’ultimo sangue, una scuola dalle politiche decisamente letali e vibes alla Hunger Games.Insomma le premesse per una lettura ricca di azione, da restare ancorati alle pagine, c’erano tutte e beh…dai ve lo dico subito: sono state più che mantenute!Ma Fourth Wing è il libro del millennio, dell’anno, del secolo…insomma una roba fuori di testa?No.Fourth Wing è un libro perfetto per staccare la spina e catapultarsi in una storia avventurosa?Oh si.Questo romance fantasy creato da Rebecca Yarros, primo a quanto pare di una serie lunga cinque volumi, ha parecchi difetti e alcuni più difficili da ignorare di altri.Una protagonista che è una Mary Sue (anche se fa finta di non esserlo) che va avanti a colpi di fortuna e deus ex machina, scene un po’ cringe, trama assolutamente prevedibile, spiegazioni che non sono spiegazioni ma più che altro un “è così perché sì”, la tendenza a svicolare dalle situazioni buttandola in caciara…e potrei continuare!Quindi il bello dove sta?Fourth Wing ha il pregio di avere un ritmo serrato, con molte scene dinamiche e scontri che tengono sempre viva l’attenzione, tanto da distogliere questa dai difetti più evidenti, trasportando il lettore in una storia coinvolgente ed appassionante.In breve si resta incuriositi dalle dinamiche di questo mondo, dalla presenza dei draghi e dal lato romance (per chi è più attento a questo aspetto).Il personaggio di Violet nonostante alcuni difetti offre uno spunto interessante per via della sua disabilità fisica.La frustrazione, gli altri che continuamente le rinfacciano la sua fragilità (ciao Dain, dico proprio a te), la necessità di presentarsi forte a prescindere…Violet mostra intelligenza, determinazione ma anche molta empatia trovando nuovi modi per sopravvivere e spingendosi comunque oltre i suoi limiti. Ho anche apprezzato molto il suo rapporto con i draghi e anche con Xaden, personaggio che al di là dei soliti cliché, si è rivelato piuttosto intrigante!Non nego però che avrei preferito qualche dettaglio in più sul worldbuilding, così come avrei preferito che Violet, non avesse una plot armor o, ancor peggio, tratti che la avvicinano pericolosamente a essere un personaggio op… ma che ce frega!Fourth Wing è stata una lettura divertente, scorrevole e che ha saputo trascinarmi in un turbinio di eventi senza annoiarmi. Nonostante la prevedibilità di alcune svolte di trama e di alcune dinamiche tra i personaggi mi sono sentita coinvolta e ho seguito con gusto la loro storia.Era il libro che ci voleva in un periodo particolarmente pieno, ha saputo intrattenermi e incuriosirmi, tanto da lasciarmi con più di un dubbio su come andranno le cose nei prossimi libri!Non è il libro perfetto ma se sapete cosa aspettarvi, Fourth Wing può rivelarsi davvero la lettura perfetta da divorare per staccare la spina!

20. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    allbythebook – October 3, 2023

    It’s not literary by any means, but I just really enjoyed this
    Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has been a BookTok/Bookstagram sensation, with some readers absolutely obsessed with it and others forming a sort of counter-culture of hate. But for me, it’s a good easy-reading romp that kept me gripped, even if it’s not the best thing I’ve read this year – so a 4 star review from me.So, first, it has to be said that I love that our female lead is disabled. It isn’t explicitly stated, but she reads as having Ehler Danlos or some other connective tissue disorder. And contrasting that with a really cutthroat fantasy setting where only the physically strong survive is a really accessible way to demonstrate the reality of physical disability to readers and develop empathy rather than sympathy – especially with an emotionally and mentally strong character like Violet. So big props to Yarros for this portrayal, I really liked it – and it’s nice to have a main character who isn’t a perfect Mary Sue, as can be a bit of a trend in fantasy romance. Whilst her intelligence is told about a bit more than it was actually portrayed (she has a good memory for facts but we all know that’s not the same as smarts!), her mental fortitude was demonstrated on numerous occasions.However, saying that, we didn’t really see a whole lot of character development. Violet got a bit less perpetually terrified as she adapted, but she didn’t exactly read as a shrinking violet (sorry for the pun) at the beginning – I mean, she had a knife to a guy’s balls before she even officially joined the quadrant after all. And other than her coming to realise that her disability wasn’t perhaps as much of a death sentence as she had believed, she doesn’t really grow as a character. And we don’t ever really find out why she was special enough for not only the most badass dragon going to bond to her, but for a second rare shiny (literally) dragon to bond to her too – and the double dose of special magic powers that go with it. So that aspect falls a little flat.I did, however, really like the crazy death school for dragons setting we had going on. It wasn’t the most descriptive and immersive world building I’ve ever encountered, but Yarros absolutely got across the feeling of never being able to relax and stop watching your back. This book pales in contrast to other crazy death school novels like The Novice by Tracy Canavan (Book 2 of the Black Magician Trilogy) or the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (beginning with A Deadly Education) that have much more world building and a feeling of impossibility in actually getting to graduation – something we never reaaaaally feel for Violet despite the quoted statistics. But it kept moving quickly and the new challenges kept on piling up, and it was simple enough to follow without getting confused.The male lead, Xaden Riorson (I must say, a pretty cliched fantasy romance lead name if there ever was one), was superficially hot. As in, I absolutely was convinced he was very sexy – Violet could only seem to think about that any time she was in a five mile radius of him – but not convinced that she fell in love with him. Where was the actual bonding (dragons aside)? I loved how her crush on Dain developed (best bit of character development in the book actually), but falling in love with Xaden was more like… just falling in lust, really. On both sides.And don’t get me started on the horny dragons. Yes, many readers of Fourth Wing that found it via BookTok will be too young to remember the Dragonriders of Pern series by Ann McCaffrey, but it’s not an original idea, and if you’re going to do it, at least commit to how non-consensual it is like Dragonflight did.But despite my criticisms, I did actually really enjoy it, and spent not only an international flight reading it (hi again to the lovely Aussie sitting next to me who was a massive ACOTAR fan) but stayed up way too late reading it once I got home because I couldn’t put it down. So I’ve added Iron Flame to my pre-order pile!

21. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Ange – November 24, 2023

    I would give it 6 ⭐️ if I could
    THIS BOOK 1000% LIVES UP TO THE HYPE!!! Way too excited for the movie adaption to be made. I felt all the emotions with this book. Stress, happiness, sadness, anger, love, excitement, panic and shock and it all combined to make this perfect book.And of course the ultimate plot twist right at the end. Boy am I glad I already have the 2nd book!It exceeds a 5 ⭐️ read in my opinion!Never have I written a review so long! I had to write it as I read, I was afraid to leave anything out.*****SPOILERS AHEAD******Violet is such a bada**, but not in the traditional way. Shes not the biggest or strongest but she is definitely the smartest and has the best heart. She continues to succeed even when typically someone like her should of died. And her tolerance for pain is ridiculous!The tension between Violet and Xaden is *chefs kiss*. But wow the slow burn is crazy! But when things finally start happening its so worth the wait. And then you add them communicating in their heads too and it just gets better and better.But also like come on, the way she describes Xaden, how can you not find him attractive. And I swear the one liners he comes out with from time to time get me so giddy. And his nickname for her is just too perfect!And then you add that final chapter from his point of view and get to see his feelings for her and how fast and hard he fell! Damn it had me feeling all the feels for these two.”There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence””There’s only you, Violence. Is that what you needed to hear? Even when I’m not with you, there’s only you.””I’m going to keep you, he promises, You’re mine, Violet.Only if you’re mine.I’ve been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.”We also need to address Dain. Dain just had to go and be a let down. He could literally be the perfect guy if he wasn’t so overbearing and so rule orientated. He actually just becomes more and more annoying as the book goes. Like dude, stop acting like an overbearing brother and quit being an a**. And then he has to go and completely ruin everything by betraying her trust.And then the dragons. Tairn & Andarna are just the best. I love how grumpy and sassy Tairn is and how cute and sweet Andarna is. They do not at all match being in each others orbit but I love how he is her father figure. And even better I love his relationship with Violent. Even though he is a bit of a grumpy old man, he can still mock Violent and throw the best sass in hers and others direction. I love both their commitment toward Violet as well.And lastly, need to add some praise for the side characters. Rhi, Ridoc, Sawyer & Liam really added some depth to this book with their unwavering friendships. But most definitely Liam! It was truly the one part in the book that almost broke me.