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The Empyrean #1
Fourth Wing
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award
Winner for Readers' Favorite Romantasy (2023)Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general鈥攁lso known as her tough-as-talons mother鈥攈as ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you鈥檙e smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don鈥檛 bond to 鈥渇ragile鈥� 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鈥檚 daughter鈥攍ike Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She鈥檒l 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.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda鈥攂ecause once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general鈥攁lso known as her tough-as-talons mother鈥攈as ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you鈥檙e smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don鈥檛 bond to 鈥渇ragile鈥� 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鈥檚 daughter鈥攍ike Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She鈥檒l 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.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda鈥攂ecause once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
665 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2023
198k people are currently reading
1m people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Yarros
58听books159k听followersRebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and coffee addict. She is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing, The Last Letter and The Things We Leave Unfinished. She鈥檚 also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer鈥檚 Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward. Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. A mother of six, she is currently surviving the teenage years with all four of her hockey-playing sons.
Want to know about Rebecca鈥檚 next release? Check her out online at .
Want to know about Rebecca鈥檚 next release? Check her out online at .
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November 5, 2023
鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€ 1st read 2023 (may): 5 stars
鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€鈹€ 2nd read 2023 (nov): 5 stars
SONG:
how did I miss the feeling of reading such a good book that I couldn鈥檛 wait to run to my notes app once I finished the book and write down a thesis dedicated to how awesome the book is. This is the best book that came out this year. THANK YOU FOURTH WING AND REBECCA FOR CURING MY READING AND REVIEWING SLUMP! 馃檹听
first of all while there are a lot of reason why I absolutely adored this book, I gave this book 5 stars, because while reading Fourth Wing I was reminded again why I love reading. While I still enjoyed reading in the last 2 years, most of the books I鈥檝e read just felt so average and boring. Every plot, every character written, every love story felt predictable like I鈥檝e read it a million times already. Reading Fourth Wing on the other hand felt refreshing and unique. I was on the edge of my seat every chapter wanting to know what would happen next and every time something great happened it made me giddy as hell like I鈥檓 13 again reading Twilight/The Hunger Games in the middle of night just immersing myself in a new world. The stakes are fucking high in this book and no characters is safe. The two main characters are safe due to plot amor, but everyone else? Fuck around and find out. 馃寶听
let鈥檚 start with a couple of selling points why everyone on planet earth and beyond HAS to give this book at least a try:
鉃� this book is set in a WAR COLLEGE. What does that mean? Imagine Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy, but deadlier. Navarre is in a conflict with another country (don鈥檛 ask me to name it, the names in this books are insane but not in a good way 馃槶听I can鈥檛 remember shit) so because of the war that is going on, the student at Basgiath War College learn battle strategies, train for battle etc. and students die all the times there.
鉃� DRAGONS AND DRAGONRIDERS! I was always lowkey obsessed with books or shows that have dragons in it, but this book solified my obsession. Dragons actually can choose their riders and have magic how cool is that?! Once a dragon and a rider bonds, the rider can channel the dragon鈥檚 magic and it comes in all kind of forms. Someone could wield water, wind. Someone else can read memories through touching, Someone else can move objects. It鈥檚 fucking fantastic.
鉃� GREAT WORLD BUILDING. Besides the magic and dragons and all that which is amazing. The whole world of this universe is so interesting. The names and places in this world are complicated af, but the world building was explained great imo. Instead of a big info dumping we get the information easily through dialogues. I also thought it was quite endearing see Violet reciterandom history about Navarre when she is under stressful situation to calm herself down.
The 4 Quadrant groups at Basgiath War College are:
鉁� Riders Quadrant: the dragon riders and the ones that protect the country and fight against the enemies. They also have the best reputation in Naverre, because of how badass they are.
鉁� Healers Quadrant: are people who are the doctors and tend to all kind of injuries. There are also menders who are very rare who can mend broken bones quickly.
鉁� Scribe Quadrant: the academics and scholars of Navarre.. basically the brainiacs who know all about the history and all wars etc.
鉁� Infantry Quadrant: i鈥檓 honestly don鈥檛 know what they do.. i guess they are trained as soldier? idk really because we barely get informations about them and what they do..
鉃� SLOWBURN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE. Violet and Xander are real enemies, since Violet鈥檚 mother killed Xanden鈥檚 father, but Xanderns father killed Violet鈥檚 brother!! so there is a lot of delicious tensions between them for a good reason. It takes them a while to open up, but when they do it鈥檚 explosive 馃敟听so don鈥檛 worry there is smut and it鈥檚 very explicit you just have to be a little patient.
鉃� CHARACTERS ON POINT. The whole cast of this book is interesting. Not one single boring character in sight. Even the villains or bad characters in this book have a spark to them that will make you want to know more. Also all the relationship, friendship and alliances forged are great.
鉃� a very FAST PACED PLOT that will keep you on your toes. So much happens in this book I wouldn鈥檛 even know where to start summarizing it.
鉃� DRAGONS.. i can鈥檛 mentioned this enough. These dragons are ruthless and cunning and so badass I can鈥檛 stop talking about them. All of the dragons have their own personality. If you love House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones! This book is for you besties. 鉁�
馃棥锔� VIOLET SORRENGAIL (h) 馃棥锔�
don鈥檛 we all root for the underdog and want to see them win?
even tho I don鈥檛 think a perfect heroine exist, Violet makes an almost perfect fantasy heroine. She is the newest addition to my all time fav heroines that鈥檚 how awesome she is. 馃拝听
All her life she has been called weak and fragile due to ther size. She was trained to be a Scribe, but because her mother is an infamous Rider and doesn鈥檛 allowed for anything else beside being a Rider and boy did everyone underestimate Violet. It was so easy to root for Violet, because she never had it easy or choose the easy way out. What I always hate about fantasy heroine is that they are the chosen one and are always special in some kind of way or kickass from the beginning and that鈥檚 not Violet. She might fall into the chosen one/special trope, but she literally had to claw and fight her way to the top. Violet doesn鈥檛 have raw physical power, so every obsticle and challenged she had to use her wit, intelligence, will and sheer determination. Violet鈥檚 most powerful organ is her brain.
Another trait that I admire about Violet is her 鉁�compassion鉁�. The world, and especially Basgiath War College, is as cutthroat and ruthless as it can be. I fell in love with Violet the moment she decided to help a girl cross the parapet by asking her to switch one shoe with her since the other girl鈥檚 (Rhiannon) shoes were not made to cross that parapet, and she would have easily slipped and fallen to her death. Violet could have easily ignored that and let the competition take themselves out while making her climb simultaneously easier by having two good shoes, but that鈥檚 not how Violet is. How could I not root for her every step of the way? Impossible. My badass softie. 馃ズ
馃敼 XANDEN RIORSON (H) 馃敼
tall, broody, dark and handsome he embodies every typical fantasy hero to a T but who fucking cares it works, why change a running system?
Xanden is so hot. The most powerful wing leader at the college? Hell yes sign me up! The way he doesn鈥檛 care about rules and what everyone expects of him 馃洂听but the hottest thing about Xanden is that he always believed in Violet鈥檚 potential. While everyone else around Violet always tries to baby her and protect her from harm, Xanden challenges her to be better and get stronger. I can also not forget what a comedian Xanden could be with his sarcasm.. it took me out sometimes because I didn鈥檛 see it coming lmao.
Xanden is tough on the outside and seems more broody than he already is, cause inside he is a lowkey softie. For the people he cares about he is loyal and would do anything for them and his friends would do anything for him as well. The loyalty is mutual. The found family y鈥檃ll. 馃ズ馃憠馃憟
Since the book is written solely from Violet鈥檚 POV there is so much about Xanden that intrigues me. He is still pretty much a mystery. There is so much about his past .. I鈥檓 looking at him and his mother鈥檚 relationship 馃憖听that needs to be uncovered. I want to know more about his relationship with his father as well since his father is the Great Betrayer who tried to rebel against Navarre鈥檚 king. There is so much potential to his backstory in book 2 and I can鈥檛 wait to find out more.
馃悏 TAIRN & ANDARNA (DRAGONS) 馃悏
My grumpy old dragon Tairn and my sunshine princess Andarna baby. 馃ズ馃槱听I have no words great enough to describe my love for these two dragons.
This big ass dragon bonding with this tiny human being will never cease to amaze me. You know we all love the grumpy hero, but give the heroine a grumpy dragon and that relatonship HITS DIFFERENT. Tairn and Violet鈥檚 relatonship is so funny .. all their banters had me grinning like a little kid it was so fun. 馃枻
馃 THE ROMANCE 馃
from enemies to reluctant partners to lovers? Their development was so on point without being toxic. Both of them hated with hate for each other for valid reasons, but it never got toxic between them like a lot of real enemies to lovers in fantasy do.
Violetxander are the new standard for the 鈥渟he fell first, but he fell harder鈥� trope. Violet with her compassion can鈥檛 help but see the good in people, while it鈥檚 really hard for Xander to let anyone in let alone his mortal enemy. But his actions speak louder than his words. All the times he silently watches Violet, helped her, challenged her, trained her >>> I know he is obsessed with Violet even tho he is reluctant to admit his feelings for her.
馃懌 SIDE CHARACTERS 馃懌
Liam, Rhiannon, Imogen, Garrick and the rest. I love them all with and without their flaws.. some of them needed longer to grow and me then others, but eventually they all got me. They feel like family. 馃檹
I鈥檇 tell you to not get attached to them cause you don鈥檛 really now if they are making it until the end of the series or not, but honestly it鈥檚 not possible to not get attached to any of them. I鈥檒l just be crying quietly in my corner when one of them eventually ends up dead bc of war and all. 馃槶
馃懐鈥嶁檧锔� VIOLET & MIRA 馃懐鈥嶁檧锔�
Mira the older protective sister who Violet had to live in the shadow all these years. While there weren鈥檛 that many scenes with Violet and Mira together.. I adored their scenes.
馃挜 THE DEPICTION OF WAR 馃挜
One thing I liked a lot about Fourth Wing is how war is portrayed in this book. It might sound weird that I liked that a lot of people died in this book, but I thought that鈥檚 just realistic when it comes to war. Even the most efficient fighters in this book die not because they can鈥檛 protect themselves or fail in some kind of way, but some just do because they tried protecting their friends and some things don鈥檛 go their way. I never knew what would happen next and that was 鉁ㄌ齮hrilling 鉁�.
Nothing is black and white as it seems and to see that realization from Violet slowly throughout the book was so interesting. She started the book firmly believing in one side (her mother being a war hero and all that) and to see her journey by the end of this book is quite fascinating. In war it always takes at least two to tango and neither side are 100% right or wrong..it鈥檚 just a matter of perspective.
CONCLUSION
For people who know me or have been following my reviews for some time, they know I鈥檓 the stingiest of reader and find fault in everything and get bored easily 馃槶听but this book got me hooked from the beginning and it only got better with each chapter. Was everything perfect no? I could always nitpick on some things, but as a whole? Fourth Wing is a fantasy masterpiece. The pace, the characters, the plot, the romance, did I mention THE DRAGONS??? *chef鈥檚 kiss*
I鈥檇 like to add that the book ends on a cliffhanger, but it鈥檚 a 鈥渨ow I can鈥檛 wait what will happen next鈥� cliffhanger so it鈥檚 a good kind of cliffhanger not one where you want to flush the book down the nearest toilet. 馃槍听but anyways WAKE ME UP WHEN IT鈥橲 NOVEMBER 7th!!
鈹嶁攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹伮烩€⒙� 芦鈥⒙攣鈹�
THE EMPYREAN SERIES
#1 Fourth Wing 鈥撎�5 stars
#2 Iron Flame 鈥撎齮br
鈹曗攣禄鈥⒙� 芦鈥⒙攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲敊
鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€鈹€ 2nd read 2023 (nov): 5 stars
SONG:
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead.
how did I miss the feeling of reading such a good book that I couldn鈥檛 wait to run to my notes app once I finished the book and write down a thesis dedicated to how awesome the book is. This is the best book that came out this year. THANK YOU FOURTH WING AND REBECCA FOR CURING MY READING AND REVIEWING SLUMP! 馃檹听
first of all while there are a lot of reason why I absolutely adored this book, I gave this book 5 stars, because while reading Fourth Wing I was reminded again why I love reading. While I still enjoyed reading in the last 2 years, most of the books I鈥檝e read just felt so average and boring. Every plot, every character written, every love story felt predictable like I鈥檝e read it a million times already. Reading Fourth Wing on the other hand felt refreshing and unique. I was on the edge of my seat every chapter wanting to know what would happen next and every time something great happened it made me giddy as hell like I鈥檓 13 again reading Twilight/The Hunger Games in the middle of night just immersing myself in a new world. The stakes are fucking high in this book and no characters is safe. The two main characters are safe due to plot amor, but everyone else? Fuck around and find out. 馃寶听
let鈥檚 start with a couple of selling points why everyone on planet earth and beyond HAS to give this book at least a try:
鉃� this book is set in a WAR COLLEGE. What does that mean? Imagine Harry Potter meets Zodiac Academy, but deadlier. Navarre is in a conflict with another country (don鈥檛 ask me to name it, the names in this books are insane but not in a good way 馃槶听I can鈥檛 remember shit) so because of the war that is going on, the student at Basgiath War College learn battle strategies, train for battle etc. and students die all the times there.
鉃� DRAGONS AND DRAGONRIDERS! I was always lowkey obsessed with books or shows that have dragons in it, but this book solified my obsession. Dragons actually can choose their riders and have magic how cool is that?! Once a dragon and a rider bonds, the rider can channel the dragon鈥檚 magic and it comes in all kind of forms. Someone could wield water, wind. Someone else can read memories through touching, Someone else can move objects. It鈥檚 fucking fantastic.
鉃� GREAT WORLD BUILDING. Besides the magic and dragons and all that which is amazing. The whole world of this universe is so interesting. The names and places in this world are complicated af, but the world building was explained great imo. Instead of a big info dumping we get the information easily through dialogues. I also thought it was quite endearing see Violet recite
The 4 Quadrant groups at Basgiath War College are:
鉁� Riders Quadrant: the dragon riders and the ones that protect the country and fight against the enemies. They also have the best reputation in Naverre, because of how badass they are.
鉁� Healers Quadrant: are people who are the doctors and tend to all kind of injuries. There are also menders who are very rare who can mend broken bones quickly.
鉁� Scribe Quadrant: the academics and scholars of Navarre.. basically the brainiacs who know all about the history and all wars etc.
鉁� Infantry Quadrant: i鈥檓 honestly don鈥檛 know what they do.. i guess they are trained as soldier? idk really because we barely get informations about them and what they do..
鉃� SLOWBURN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE. Violet and Xander are real enemies, since Violet鈥檚 mother killed Xanden鈥檚 father, but Xanderns father killed Violet鈥檚 brother!! so there is a lot of delicious tensions between them for a good reason. It takes them a while to open up, but when they do it鈥檚 explosive 馃敟听so don鈥檛 worry there is smut and it鈥檚 very explicit you just have to be a little patient.
鉃� CHARACTERS ON POINT. The whole cast of this book is interesting. Not one single boring character in sight. Even the villains or bad characters in this book have a spark to them that will make you want to know more. Also all the relationship, friendship and alliances forged are great.
鉃� a very FAST PACED PLOT that will keep you on your toes. So much happens in this book I wouldn鈥檛 even know where to start summarizing it.
鉃� DRAGONS.. i can鈥檛 mentioned this enough. These dragons are ruthless and cunning and so badass I can鈥檛 stop talking about them. All of the dragons have their own personality. If you love House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones! This book is for you besties. 鉁�
馃棥锔� VIOLET SORRENGAIL (h) 馃棥锔�
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to die today.鈥�
don鈥檛 we all root for the underdog and want to see them win?
even tho I don鈥檛 think a perfect heroine exist, Violet makes an almost perfect fantasy heroine. She is the newest addition to my all time fav heroines that鈥檚 how awesome she is. 馃拝听
All her life she has been called weak and fragile due to ther size. She was trained to be a Scribe, but because her mother is an infamous Rider and doesn鈥檛 allowed for anything else beside being a Rider and boy did everyone underestimate Violet. It was so easy to root for Violet, because she never had it easy or choose the easy way out. What I always hate about fantasy heroine is that they are the chosen one and are always special in some kind of way or kickass from the beginning and that鈥檚 not Violet. She might fall into the chosen one/special trope, but she literally had to claw and fight her way to the top. Violet doesn鈥檛 have raw physical power, so every obsticle and challenged she had to use her wit, intelligence, will and sheer determination. Violet鈥檚 most powerful organ is her brain.
Another trait that I admire about Violet is her 鉁�compassion鉁�. The world, and especially Basgiath War College, is as cutthroat and ruthless as it can be. I fell in love with Violet the moment she decided to help a girl cross the parapet by asking her to switch one shoe with her since the other girl鈥檚 (Rhiannon) shoes were not made to cross that parapet, and she would have easily slipped and fallen to her death. Violet could have easily ignored that and let the competition take themselves out while making her climb simultaneously easier by having two good shoes, but that鈥檚 not how Violet is. How could I not root for her every step of the way? Impossible. My badass softie. 馃ズ
馃敼 XANDEN RIORSON (H) 馃敼
tall, broody, dark and handsome he embodies every typical fantasy hero to a T but who fucking cares it works, why change a running system?
Xanden is so hot. The most powerful wing leader at the college? Hell yes sign me up! The way he doesn鈥檛 care about rules and what everyone expects of him 馃洂听but the hottest thing about Xanden is that he always believed in Violet鈥檚 potential. While everyone else around Violet always tries to baby her and protect her from harm, Xanden challenges her to be better and get stronger. I can also not forget what a comedian Xanden could be with his sarcasm.. it took me out sometimes because I didn鈥檛 see it coming lmao.
鈥淗ave you always been this tall?鈥� I blurt the first thing that comes to mind.
鈥漀o. I was a child at some point.鈥�
Xanden is tough on the outside and seems more broody than he already is, cause inside he is a lowkey softie. For the people he cares about he is loyal and would do anything for them and his friends would do anything for him as well. The loyalty is mutual. The found family y鈥檃ll. 馃ズ馃憠馃憟
Since the book is written solely from Violet鈥檚 POV there is so much about Xanden that intrigues me. He is still pretty much a mystery. There is so much about his past .. I鈥檓 looking at him and his mother鈥檚 relationship 馃憖听that needs to be uncovered. I want to know more about his relationship with his father as well since his father is the Great Betrayer who tried to rebel against Navarre鈥檚 king. There is so much potential to his backstory in book 2 and I can鈥檛 wait to find out more.
馃悏 TAIRN & ANDARNA (DRAGONS) 馃悏
鈥淰iolet Sorrengail ,鈥� she says as she writes in the Book of Riders. 鈥淣ice to see that you made it.鈥� She offers me a quick, shaky smile. 鈥淔or the record, please tell me the name of the dragon who chose you.鈥� I lift my chin. 鈥淭airneanach.鈥�
鈥淧ronunciation could use some work.鈥� Tairn鈥檚 voice rumbles through my head.
鈥淗ey, at least I remembered ,鈥� I think back in his general direction, wondering if he鈥檒l hear me across the field.
鈥淎t least I didn鈥檛 let you fall to your death.鈥� He sounds utterly bored, but he definitely heard me.
My grumpy old dragon Tairn and my sunshine princess Andarna baby. 馃ズ馃槱听I have no words great enough to describe my love for these two dragons.
This big ass dragon bonding with this tiny human being will never cease to amaze me. You know we all love the grumpy hero, but give the heroine a grumpy dragon and that relatonship HITS DIFFERENT. Tairn and Violet鈥檚 relatonship is so funny .. all their banters had me grinning like a little kid it was so fun. 馃枻
馃 THE ROMANCE 馃
鈥淎m I affecting your schedule, Violence?鈥� There鈥檚 a definite smirk on those lips. 鈥淚 just need to know what my chances are here.鈥� My hands curl into fists. The ass has the nerve to smile.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the oddest way I鈥檝e ever been hit on鈥斺€�
鈥淣ot my chances with you, you conceited prick!鈥�
from enemies to reluctant partners to lovers? Their development was so on point without being toxic. Both of them hated with hate for each other for valid reasons, but it never got toxic between them like a lot of real enemies to lovers in fantasy do.
He nips at my skin. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sweet. Please don鈥檛 mistake any part of me for soft or kind. That will only get you hurt, and whatever you do鈥︹€� He buries his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. 鈥淒on鈥檛 fall for me.鈥�
Violetxander are the new standard for the 鈥渟he fell first, but he fell harder鈥� trope. Violet with her compassion can鈥檛 help but see the good in people, while it鈥檚 really hard for Xander to let anyone in let alone his mortal enemy. But his actions speak louder than his words. All the times he silently watches Violet, helped her, challenged her, trained her >>> I know he is obsessed with Violet even tho he is reluctant to admit his feelings for her.
馃懌 SIDE CHARACTERS 馃懌
鈥淲hat did you want to be when you grew up?鈥� I ask, just to keep the conversation going.
鈥滱live.鈥� He shrugs.
Liam, Rhiannon, Imogen, Garrick and the rest. I love them all with and without their flaws.. some of them needed longer to grow and me then others, but eventually they all got me. They feel like family. 馃檹
I鈥檇 tell you to not get attached to them cause you don鈥檛 really now if they are making it until the end of the series or not, but honestly it鈥檚 not possible to not get attached to any of them. I鈥檒l just be crying quietly in my corner when one of them eventually ends up dead bc of war and all. 馃槶
馃懐鈥嶁檧锔� VIOLET & MIRA 馃懐鈥嶁檧锔�
鈥淒on鈥檛 die, Violet. I鈥檇 hate to be an only child.鈥� She grins and walks away, sauntering past the line of gawking candidates as word spreads of exactly who she is and what she鈥檚 done.
Mira the older protective sister who Violet had to live in the shadow all these years. While there weren鈥檛 that many scenes with Violet and Mira together.. I adored their scenes.
馃挜 THE DEPICTION OF WAR 馃挜
One thing I liked a lot about Fourth Wing is how war is portrayed in this book. It might sound weird that I liked that a lot of people died in this book, but I thought that鈥檚 just realistic when it comes to war. Even the most efficient fighters in this book die not because they can鈥檛 protect themselves or fail in some kind of way, but some just do because they tried protecting their friends and some things don鈥檛 go their way. I never knew what would happen next and that was 鉁ㄌ齮hrilling 鉁�.
Nothing is black and white as it seems and to see that realization from Violet slowly throughout the book was so interesting. She started the book firmly believing in one side (her mother being a war hero and all that) and to see her journey by the end of this book is quite fascinating. In war it always takes at least two to tango and neither side are 100% right or wrong..it鈥檚 just a matter of perspective.
CONCLUSION
For people who know me or have been following my reviews for some time, they know I鈥檓 the stingiest of reader and find fault in everything and get bored easily 馃槶听but this book got me hooked from the beginning and it only got better with each chapter. Was everything perfect no? I could always nitpick on some things, but as a whole? Fourth Wing is a fantasy masterpiece. The pace, the characters, the plot, the romance, did I mention THE DRAGONS??? *chef鈥檚 kiss*
I鈥檇 like to add that the book ends on a cliffhanger, but it鈥檚 a 鈥渨ow I can鈥檛 wait what will happen next鈥� cliffhanger so it鈥檚 a good kind of cliffhanger not one where you want to flush the book down the nearest toilet. 馃槍听but anyways WAKE ME UP WHEN IT鈥橲 NOVEMBER 7th!!
鈹嶁攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹伮烩€⒙� 芦鈥⒙攣鈹�
THE EMPYREAN SERIES
#1 Fourth Wing 鈥撎�5 stars
#2 Iron Flame 鈥撎齮br
鈹曗攣禄鈥⒙� 芦鈥⒙攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲攣鈹佲敊
February 3, 2025
#4 Reread - February 2025 - 喑冣伓拟灧 5 stars
Fourth wing
(noun) my favourite hello and my hardest goodbye鈥�
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#3 Reread - November 2023 - 喑冣伓拟灧 5 stars
I鈥檒l never get over their soulmatery
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#2 Reread - August 2023 - 喑冣伓拟灧 5+ stars
. . . Mrs Yarros, hmu if u run out of creative ways to carry out dainty boys death trope, I鈥檝e got some amazing ideas. I鈥檒l do u and everyone proud <333
Also everything from my first review still stands 馃槍馃憫
Also pt.2, yes. . . Yes, the ending still hurtWORSE the second time around 馃グ馃グ馃敨馃敨
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#饾煭 饾棩饾棽饾棶饾棻 - 饾棤饾棶饾槅 饾煯饾煬饾煯饾煰 - 喑冣伓拟灧 饾煴 饾榾饾榿饾棶饾椏饾榾
TO ANYONE LISTENING YOU NEED TO GO INTO THIS BOOK AS BLIND AS POSSIBLE I PROMISE ITS GONNA ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE TENFOLD. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT THIS WILL BE YOUR NEW FAV BOOK FOREVER <3
But for everyone else who needs to know鈥�
Here鈥檚 a quick rundown of the book:
it鈥檚 about the daughter of a high-ranked general, Violet, getting ordered into learning how to become a dragon rider (but she doesn鈥檛 initially want to bc all she鈥檚 known are books her entire life) and so she commits to basgiath War collage where she goes through trials designed to root out the weak. She has to figure out how to best everyone and weaponise her strengths. While navigating her feelings for a certain forbidden boi. There鈥檚 romance AND (back arching) spice with sparks and tension galore. Also for everyone wondering, the ending isn鈥檛 that bad. It鈥檚 more of a promising cliffhanger. Makes you feel hopeful rather than making you want to crash and burn everything in your line of sight lmao.
*
I鈥檓 sorry in advance bc this review is gonna be gigantisaourus*wags brows* do you see what I did there?
It鈥檚 been ages since I鈥檝e loved all the MCs in a book so I deserve to go crazy on the fangirling, leave me alone 馃檹
This book. THIS BOOK- It gives you EVERYTHING you crave in romantasy. The drama, the characters, the plot, the action, the betrayal, the romance, the tension, THE HOPE THAT THERE ARE STILL AMAZING BOOKS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD-
AND IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER- There is not a single dry page. Not one. It constantly stimulates your imagination. And there aren鈥檛 the usual boring unnecessary bs conversations happening, they鈥檙e almost always full of banter and in every chapter, something is happening. It鈥檚 fast-paced and that鈥檚 something I ADORE about this book.
BUT CAN WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUCKING TENSION PLS?? The addictive chemistry between XadenVi will chew you up, eat you alive and then shit you out, effectively altering the composition of your DNA forevermore 馃槱鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦�
The dialogue in this book is so yummy istg I was always giggling and kicking my feet whenever the MCs would interact 馃き馃挆馃 they鈥檙e both sarcastic funny smart and complement each other sm. I鈥檓 telling you this book never left me wanting for anything. There was never a time when I was like ugh the MCs hardly interact or wtv. There鈥檚 a perfect amount of every aspect in this book, I鈥檒l never be able to get over it.
While reading, it leaves you feeling as though you鈥檝e lost a limb whenever you have to remove yourself from the book to carry out the most trivial inconvenience like feeding and hydrating yourself 馃槫馃敧 I'm telling you this book is the only sustenance I need to keep me alive 馃檹
Violet is me. I am Violet. We are one.
No bc she is the most relatable character I鈥檝e read in a long ass time. The way she is so reasonable, empathetic and HAS INTEGRITY. She鈥檚 not a pushover. She knows her mind and isn鈥檛 afraid to speak it when she feels the need to. There鈥檚 no 鈥榤y body is betraying me鈥� bullshit. Not in this house. I鈥檓 in LOVE with violet sfmmm. She owns her feelings and demands what she鈥檚 owed. And when Xaden challenges her but she takes it as an incentive to poke and tease him back tenfold is 鉁煉楌煢嬸煠�
Watching her grow and become stronger was one of the most satisfying things about this book. Her character development was elite. She never changed her morals but she always adapts and moves on quickly and I cannot stress enough hm I love that about her.
There wasn鈥檛 a single moment where I was annoyed at her for being hardheaded. She鈥檚 strategic but also carefree. She behaved like a normal 20-year-old would, not older/younger.
XADEN is such a seductive menace but he鈥檚 MY precious seductive menace.
He's always up for a challenge and he SERVES every freaking time. I love everything he has to say. He鈥檚 such a lil softy when it comes down to it. Him showing his love through his actions and constantly challenging Vi to do better?? It鈥檚 the way he never coddles her but also shaves years off his life, worrying about her safety for me 馃ス馃挆馃檹馃槱馃馃挒鉁煣�
I鈥檓 always waiting on hands and feet for any interaction with him whether it be his glares 馃き
theirnot so short glances across the classroom 馃挒
his sarcastic quips 馃拝
him being a brooding surly grump馃槱
him being lethally calm 馃憫
him obsessed with her every move 馃檹馃挆
Him telling her not to look at him like that bc he only has sm restraint?? 馃鉂わ笍鈥嶐煍� (I have to note that Lance did it better sksksksk) BUT EVERYTHING HE DOES IS HOT PLS-
The way I fell for him the first moment he was described?? Everyone is saying how he鈥檚 like this guy or that guy from this book and that and I鈥檓 just here like idc if he was an amalgamation of every MMC I love?? I DONT CARE BECAUSE IT MADE ME LOVE HIM EVEN MORE 馃憦 I respect Rebecca for plucking the best traits of every fantasy MMC, like don鈥檛 be shy put some more 馃拃鉁�
And there are the dragons but all you need to know is that each one has their personality. They rule themselves. They're the real legends here. And the way this author has weaved them into the book is just MWAH *chefs kiss*
The found family in this book is the most precious thing ever. I loved to read how they鈥檙e bonded together and I can see that each relationship has the potential to grow into something really special ugh I cannot wait for the next books 馃槱
Okay SPOILERS ahead!! bc your girl gotta scream <33
-
-
-
When Tairn came out of wherever tf he was hiding I was screaming and legit shaking from the adrenaline. I鈥檓 still having a hard time accepting how good this book is! I thought she would only get Andarna and I was kinda disappointed bc the moment Tairn got mentioned in that lesson I JUMPED ON THE IDEA OF HIM SO FAST YOU DONT UNDERSTAND. But when he came to save her and Goldie AND THEN SPOKE TO HER IN HER MIND?? I BROKE DOWN AND HOWLED. SO. FUCKING. LOUD.
And then Andarna was like 鈥淭ELL HER MY NAME AS WELL鈥� and I鈥檓- *passes out from yelling so much*
I LOVE ANDARNA SFMMM SHES THE MOST ADORABLE CUTE LITTLE SUNSHINE IVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO READ ABOUT 馃ス馃珎馃挆馃槴馃挒馃Ц The light of my life I鈥檓 telling you. she must be protected at all costs. (But omg at the end Xaden was like Goldie鈥檚 gone huge and I鈥檓 here like oop- I NEED TO SEE HER RFN)
I love how Tairn is a dad adjacent to Violet 馃檹 he鈥檚 my grumpiest overprotective pookie 馃き馃挆with STRONG feelings for his mate skskdhjd (I鈥檓 kinda jelly of Sgaeyl ngl)
ALSO HOW FUCKING DARE YOU REBECCA!! You ripped my heart out of my chest, gave it a thousand paper cuts and flung it into a volcano for good measure. Liam's death BROKE me馃敧 I cried too many fat ugly tears 馃槶 it was unbearable *shaky breath* but when XADEN found out and cried the cry of all cries?!? Me: (;麓嗉庎憾俟嗉庎憾`) X 100
And the fact that her brother is alive made me do a lap around my garden from sheer satisfaction bc I WAS FUCKING RIGHT. 15% in I guessed that he would be alive but he鈥檒l be part of the 鈥渨rong鈥� side of the war and it鈥檚 been kept a secret bc of the shame/treason and AHHH *does cheerleader flip and cartwheel*
And Dain?? That pussy ass lil BITCHHHH- I wasn鈥檛 born with enough middle fingers to let you know hm I feel about him. He鈥檚 basically Adam from shatter me, and fml bc my reread is just gonna be me wanting to rip his spine out and strangling him w it whenever he speaks 馃槂馃敨
But when that inntinnsic called his every thought out to the crowd it was the most hilarious shit ever pls 馃拃 he鈥檚 so pathetic.
SPOILERS OVER
One thing I have to say is that this book is not perfect. The action aspect of the book gets a LOT better towards the end imo but the start was a little rusty and needed some finesse but idc idc I鈥檒l take it, faults and all. After all, I鈥檓 a character development lover so I can overlook it.
BUT THE WORLD BUILDING IS- 銉�(鈾♀€库櫋)銉�Oml the way this author writes leaves you ON THE EDGE WHITE KNUCKLING YOUR SEAT GASPING SHAKING SCREAMING bc you have no idea what will happen next.
IT'S THE BIGGEST FLEX TO NOT ONLY OUTDO THE OGS BUT TO EXCEL PHENOMENALLYYYYY AT IT AS WELL 馃拝鉁� REBECCA YAROS YOU ARE AN ICON BC I GOBBLED UP EVERY SCENE EVERY CHAPTER EVERY WORD.
饾棪饾椂饾棻饾棽 饾椈饾椉饾榿饾棽:
I think it鈥檚 become my favourite fantasy book ever. Maybe joint place with ZA and that鈥檚 a huge deal 馃檹
饾棪饾椉饾椈饾棿饾榾: 馃帶
饾棛饾棶饾槂 饾棨饾槀饾椉饾榿饾棽饾榾: I HAVE 324 HIGHLIGHTS IN TOTAL TF!
鈥淪tay the hell away from Xaden Riorson.鈥�
鈥淲hy would I waste my energy killing you when the parapet will do it for me?鈥� A wicked smile curves his lips.
~HES PERFECT 馃槶馃檹馃挆馃き馃馃挒鉁煠�
鈥淣ow, get back to bed before your wingleader realizes you鈥檙e out after curfew.鈥�
鈥淲hat?鈥� I gawk after him. 鈥�驰辞耻鈥檙别 my wingleader!鈥�
鈥淔ascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e really a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l need those?鈥� I ask, palming my own blades. His chest is massive, with wide shoulders and heavily muscled arms alongside. A target this big should be easy to hit.
鈥淣ope. Not when you brought enough for the both of us.鈥� A wicked smile curves his mouth as he stretches out his hand and curls his fingers in a come-hither motion. 鈥淟et鈥檚 go.鈥�
~the scream I scrumpt
鈥淕oing for blood today, are we, Violence?鈥� he whispers.
鈥淚 just need to know what my chances are here.鈥� My hands curl into fists.
The ass has the nerve to smile. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the oddest way I鈥檝e ever been hit on鈥斺€�
鈥淣ot my chances with you, you conceited prick!鈥�
~HAHAHHAHA I LOVE HIM SFMMMM
鈥淚 catch Jack Barlowe running a finger across his neck at me. So original. 鈥�
~Lmaooo i love Violet
鈥淐hest heaving, my lungs desperate for air, I chance a look over my shoulder to see why Tynan鈥檚 retreating.
And my heart lurches into my throat.鈥�
~ I LITERALLY JUST SCREAMED MY HEAD OFF IM ACTUALLY SHAKING SFM MY PHONE JUST FELL OUT OF MY HANDS HAHA IM IN FUCKING BLISS AAAHHHH IVE WANTED THIS SINCE IT WAS MENTIONED AKDGJEJDHEIRNDYRS YES YES YES I LOVE THIS FOR HER OMG SHES GOT THE BEST ONE QKSGJDUEE HE CHOSE HERRRRR GUENDUDNVD
鈥淪tep aside, Silver One,鈥� a deep, gruff, definitely male voice orders.
I blink. Wait. What? Did he just speak to me?
鈥淵es. You. Move.鈥�
~AHAAHHHHHHHHEEEEEHEHHHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHHEHEM OMGOMGOMGOMGOMV GUEGSUBEJDHRIR IM SCREAMING WITH THE BIGGEST FUCKING GRIN ON MY FACE OMFDSSSSBFUFHIFHFIRURKFHJFJTJR
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 making us look bad. Stop it.鈥�
I LOVE HIM HAHAH
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 freakishly calm for someone who just heard she鈥檚 about to be hunted.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a typical Wednesday for me.鈥�
~she really out here calling it fan behaviour 鉁煉咅煈�
鈥淵ou鈥檒l have to鈥斺€�
鈥淚 know how to handle a corset.鈥�
~Scream scream screammmmmm
鈥淗ave you always been this tall?鈥� I blurt the first thing that comes to mind.
鈥淣o. I was a child at some point.鈥�
~BAHAHAHHA I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT OMF 馃拃馃拃
鈥淔uck it.鈥�
~IM SAT IM SAT IM SAT
鈥淚nteresting. I didn鈥檛 take you for an exhibitionist.鈥�
鈥淜eep pushing, and I guess you鈥檒l find out.鈥� His gaze drops to my mouth.
~YOOOO IM HOWLINGGG THIS SCENE IS SCRUMPTIOUS
鈥淔uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥�
鈥淪o then why are you here, Xaden?鈥�
鈥淏ecause I can鈥檛 seem to stay away.鈥�
~STOP IT RFN
鈥淔uck, I鈥檓 never going to get enough of you, am I?鈥�
鈥淥nly within these walls,鈥� he says quietly, and I understand what he means.
~sobbing
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 going to be the death of me.鈥�
鈥淐ome on, let鈥檚 get you to bed.鈥� I lean in and kiss the scar on his eyebrow. 鈥淚t will be tomorrow when you wake up.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 deserve you.鈥� His arm curls around my hips and he tugs me closer. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 going to keep you all the same.鈥�
鈥淵ou have everything I have to give.鈥�
鈥淚 fucking love your hair. If you ever want to bring me to my knees or win an argument, just let it down. I鈥檒l get the point.鈥�
~just stab me in the chest already
Seconds later, his soundless, soul-rending scream fills my head with such force that my heart shatters like glass against a stone floor.
~I鈥檓 sobbing fat ugly tears rn 馃槶 DAIN WAS RIGHT FUCKING THERE?!!! WHYYYYYY 馃敧
鈥�(鈥�) just grins and opens his arms.鈥�
~I WAS RIGHT I FUCKING KNEW IT
饾棔饾椉饾椉饾椄饾榾 饾槃饾椂饾榿饾椀 饾榾饾椂饾椇饾椂饾椆饾棶饾椏 饾槂饾椂饾棷饾棽饾榾:
Divergent
Zodiac Academy
Harry Potter
ACOTAR
***
1 hr post losing a limb - how do I move on?? My heart my brain my soul wont let me even THINK about anything other than XadenViDiaries鈥� 馃槶鉂わ笍鈥嶐煩�
***
5/5/23 鈥� I鈥檓 halfway through the book and if you want a measurement of how obsessed I alr am鈥� I鈥檝e kept the map for this world as my home screen, Pinterest boards galore, made a Spotify playlist, 135 highlights and again- I鈥檓 only halfway through this book!
My obsession is just a Fetus atm and I'm scared of the monster this book is gonna give birth to once I鈥檝e finished 馃拃馃ぁ馃檹
Fourth wing
(noun) my favourite hello and my hardest goodbye鈥�
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#3 Reread - November 2023 - 喑冣伓拟灧 5 stars
I鈥檒l never get over their soulmatery
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#2 Reread - August 2023 - 喑冣伓拟灧 5+ stars
. . . Mrs Yarros, hmu if u run out of creative ways to carry out dainty boys death trope, I鈥檝e got some amazing ideas. I鈥檒l do u and everyone proud <333
Also everything from my first review still stands 馃槍馃憫
Also pt.2, yes. . . Yes, the ending still hurt
鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴鈽嗏媴鈰� 鈹€鈹€
#饾煭 饾棩饾棽饾棶饾棻 - 饾棤饾棶饾槅 饾煯饾煬饾煯饾煰 - 喑冣伓拟灧 饾煴 饾榾饾榿饾棶饾椏饾榾
TO ANYONE LISTENING YOU NEED TO GO INTO THIS BOOK AS BLIND AS POSSIBLE I PROMISE ITS GONNA ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE TENFOLD. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT THIS WILL BE YOUR NEW FAV BOOK FOREVER <3
But for everyone else who needs to know鈥�
Here鈥檚 a quick rundown of the book:
it鈥檚 about the daughter of a high-ranked general, Violet, getting ordered into learning how to become a dragon rider (but she doesn鈥檛 initially want to bc all she鈥檚 known are books her entire life) and so she commits to basgiath War collage where she goes through trials designed to root out the weak. She has to figure out how to best everyone and weaponise her strengths. While navigating her feelings for a certain forbidden boi. There鈥檚 romance AND (back arching) spice with sparks and tension galore. Also for everyone wondering, the ending isn鈥檛 that bad. It鈥檚 more of a promising cliffhanger. Makes you feel hopeful rather than making you want to crash and burn everything in your line of sight lmao.
*
I鈥檓 sorry in advance bc this review is gonna be gigantisaourus
It鈥檚 been ages since I鈥檝e loved all the MCs in a book so I deserve to go crazy on the fangirling, leave me alone 馃檹
This book. THIS BOOK- It gives you EVERYTHING you crave in romantasy. The drama, the characters, the plot, the action, the betrayal, the romance, the tension, THE HOPE THAT THERE ARE STILL AMAZING BOOKS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD-
AND IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER- There is not a single dry page. Not one. It constantly stimulates your imagination. And there aren鈥檛 the usual boring unnecessary bs conversations happening, they鈥檙e almost always full of banter and in every chapter, something is happening. It鈥檚 fast-paced and that鈥檚 something I ADORE about this book.
BUT CAN WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUCKING TENSION PLS?? The addictive chemistry between XadenVi will chew you up, eat you alive and then shit you out, effectively altering the composition of your DNA forevermore 馃槱鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦�
The dialogue in this book is so yummy istg I was always giggling and kicking my feet whenever the MCs would interact 馃き馃挆馃 they鈥檙e both sarcastic funny smart and complement each other sm. I鈥檓 telling you this book never left me wanting for anything. There was never a time when I was like ugh the MCs hardly interact or wtv. There鈥檚 a perfect amount of every aspect in this book, I鈥檒l never be able to get over it.
While reading, it leaves you feeling as though you鈥檝e lost a limb whenever you have to remove yourself from the book to carry out the most trivial inconvenience like feeding and hydrating yourself 馃槫馃敧 I'm telling you this book is the only sustenance I need to keep me alive 馃檹
Violet is me. I am Violet. We are one.
No bc she is the most relatable character I鈥檝e read in a long ass time. The way she is so reasonable, empathetic and HAS INTEGRITY. She鈥檚 not a pushover. She knows her mind and isn鈥檛 afraid to speak it when she feels the need to. There鈥檚 no 鈥榤y body is betraying me鈥� bullshit. Not in this house. I鈥檓 in LOVE with violet sfmmm. She owns her feelings and demands what she鈥檚 owed. And when Xaden challenges her but she takes it as an incentive to poke and tease him back tenfold is 鉁煉楌煢嬸煠�
Watching her grow and become stronger was one of the most satisfying things about this book. Her character development was elite. She never changed her morals but she always adapts and moves on quickly and I cannot stress enough hm I love that about her.
There wasn鈥檛 a single moment where I was annoyed at her for being hardheaded. She鈥檚 strategic but also carefree. She behaved like a normal 20-year-old would, not older/younger.
XADEN is such a seductive menace but he鈥檚 MY precious seductive menace.
He's always up for a challenge and he SERVES every freaking time. I love everything he has to say. He鈥檚 such a lil softy when it comes down to it. Him showing his love through his actions and constantly challenging Vi to do better?? It鈥檚 the way he never coddles her but also shaves years off his life, worrying about her safety for me 馃ス馃挆馃檹馃槱馃馃挒鉁煣�
I鈥檓 always waiting on hands and feet for any interaction with him whether it be his glares 馃き
their
his sarcastic quips 馃拝
him being a brooding surly grump馃槱
him being lethally calm 馃憫
him obsessed with her every move 馃檹馃挆
Him telling her not to look at him like that bc he only has sm restraint?? 馃鉂わ笍鈥嶐煍� (I have to note that Lance did it better sksksksk) BUT EVERYTHING HE DOES IS HOT PLS-
The way I fell for him the first moment he was described?? Everyone is saying how he鈥檚 like this guy or that guy from this book and that and I鈥檓 just here like idc if he was an amalgamation of every MMC I love?? I DONT CARE BECAUSE IT MADE ME LOVE HIM EVEN MORE 馃憦 I respect Rebecca for plucking the best traits of every fantasy MMC, like don鈥檛 be shy put some more 馃拃鉁�
And there are the dragons but all you need to know is that each one has their personality. They rule themselves. They're the real legends here. And the way this author has weaved them into the book is just MWAH *chefs kiss*
The found family in this book is the most precious thing ever. I loved to read how they鈥檙e bonded together and I can see that each relationship has the potential to grow into something really special ugh I cannot wait for the next books 馃槱
Okay SPOILERS ahead!! bc your girl gotta scream <33
-
-
-
When Tairn came out of wherever tf he was hiding I was screaming and legit shaking from the adrenaline. I鈥檓 still having a hard time accepting how good this book is! I thought she would only get Andarna and I was kinda disappointed bc the moment Tairn got mentioned in that lesson I JUMPED ON THE IDEA OF HIM SO FAST YOU DONT UNDERSTAND. But when he came to save her and Goldie AND THEN SPOKE TO HER IN HER MIND?? I BROKE DOWN AND HOWLED. SO. FUCKING. LOUD.
And then Andarna was like 鈥淭ELL HER MY NAME AS WELL鈥� and I鈥檓- *passes out from yelling so much*
I LOVE ANDARNA SFMMM SHES THE MOST ADORABLE CUTE LITTLE SUNSHINE IVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO READ ABOUT 馃ス馃珎馃挆馃槴馃挒馃Ц The light of my life I鈥檓 telling you. she must be protected at all costs. (But omg at the end Xaden was like Goldie鈥檚 gone huge and I鈥檓 here like oop- I NEED TO SEE HER RFN)
I love how Tairn is a dad adjacent to Violet 馃檹 he鈥檚 my grumpiest overprotective pookie 馃き馃挆with STRONG feelings for his mate skskdhjd (I鈥檓 kinda jelly of Sgaeyl ngl)
ALSO HOW FUCKING DARE YOU REBECCA!! You ripped my heart out of my chest, gave it a thousand paper cuts and flung it into a volcano for good measure. Liam's death BROKE me馃敧 I cried too many fat ugly tears 馃槶 it was unbearable *shaky breath* but when XADEN found out and cried the cry of all cries?!? Me: (;麓嗉庎憾俟嗉庎憾`) X 100
And the fact that her brother is alive made me do a lap around my garden from sheer satisfaction bc I WAS FUCKING RIGHT. 15% in I guessed that he would be alive but he鈥檒l be part of the 鈥渨rong鈥� side of the war and it鈥檚 been kept a secret bc of the shame/treason and AHHH *does cheerleader flip and cartwheel*
And Dain?? That pussy ass lil BITCHHHH- I wasn鈥檛 born with enough middle fingers to let you know hm I feel about him. He鈥檚 basically Adam from shatter me, and fml bc my reread is just gonna be me wanting to rip his spine out and strangling him w it whenever he speaks 馃槂馃敨
But when that inntinnsic called his every thought out to the crowd it was the most hilarious shit ever pls 馃拃 he鈥檚 so pathetic.
SPOILERS OVER
One thing I have to say is that this book is not perfect. The action aspect of the book gets a LOT better towards the end imo but the start was a little rusty and needed some finesse but idc idc I鈥檒l take it, faults and all. After all, I鈥檓 a character development lover so I can overlook it.
BUT THE WORLD BUILDING IS- 銉�(鈾♀€库櫋)銉�Oml the way this author writes leaves you ON THE EDGE WHITE KNUCKLING YOUR SEAT GASPING SHAKING SCREAMING bc you have no idea what will happen next.
IT'S THE BIGGEST FLEX TO NOT ONLY OUTDO THE OGS BUT TO EXCEL PHENOMENALLYYYYY AT IT AS WELL 馃拝鉁� REBECCA YAROS YOU ARE AN ICON BC I GOBBLED UP EVERY SCENE EVERY CHAPTER EVERY WORD.
饾棪饾椂饾棻饾棽 饾椈饾椉饾榿饾棽:
I think it鈥檚 become my favourite fantasy book ever. Maybe joint place with ZA and that鈥檚 a huge deal 馃檹
饾棪饾椉饾椈饾棿饾榾: 馃帶
饾棛饾棶饾槂 饾棨饾槀饾椉饾榿饾棽饾榾: I HAVE 324 HIGHLIGHTS IN TOTAL TF!
鈥淪tay the hell away from Xaden Riorson.鈥�
鈥淲hy would I waste my energy killing you when the parapet will do it for me?鈥� A wicked smile curves his lips.
~HES PERFECT 馃槶馃檹馃挆馃き馃馃挒鉁煠�
鈥淣ow, get back to bed before your wingleader realizes you鈥檙e out after curfew.鈥�
鈥淲hat?鈥� I gawk after him. 鈥�驰辞耻鈥檙别 my wingleader!鈥�
鈥淔ascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e really a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l need those?鈥� I ask, palming my own blades. His chest is massive, with wide shoulders and heavily muscled arms alongside. A target this big should be easy to hit.
鈥淣ope. Not when you brought enough for the both of us.鈥� A wicked smile curves his mouth as he stretches out his hand and curls his fingers in a come-hither motion. 鈥淟et鈥檚 go.鈥�
~the scream I scrumpt
鈥淕oing for blood today, are we, Violence?鈥� he whispers.
鈥淚 just need to know what my chances are here.鈥� My hands curl into fists.
The ass has the nerve to smile. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the oddest way I鈥檝e ever been hit on鈥斺€�
鈥淣ot my chances with you, you conceited prick!鈥�
~HAHAHHAHA I LOVE HIM SFMMMM
鈥淚 catch Jack Barlowe running a finger across his neck at me. So original. 鈥�
~Lmaooo i love Violet
鈥淐hest heaving, my lungs desperate for air, I chance a look over my shoulder to see why Tynan鈥檚 retreating.
And my heart lurches into my throat.鈥�
~ I LITERALLY JUST SCREAMED MY HEAD OFF IM ACTUALLY SHAKING SFM MY PHONE JUST FELL OUT OF MY HANDS HAHA IM IN FUCKING BLISS AAAHHHH IVE WANTED THIS SINCE IT WAS MENTIONED AKDGJEJDHEIRNDYRS YES YES YES I LOVE THIS FOR HER OMG SHES GOT THE BEST ONE QKSGJDUEE HE CHOSE HERRRRR GUENDUDNVD
鈥淪tep aside, Silver One,鈥� a deep, gruff, definitely male voice orders.
I blink. Wait. What? Did he just speak to me?
鈥淵es. You. Move.鈥�
~AHAAHHHHHHHHEEEEEHEHHHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHHEHEM OMGOMGOMGOMGOMV GUEGSUBEJDHRIR IM SCREAMING WITH THE BIGGEST FUCKING GRIN ON MY FACE OMFDSSSSBFUFHIFHFIRURKFHJFJTJR
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 making us look bad. Stop it.鈥�
I LOVE HIM HAHAH
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 freakishly calm for someone who just heard she鈥檚 about to be hunted.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a typical Wednesday for me.鈥�
~she really out here calling it fan behaviour 鉁煉咅煈�
鈥淵ou鈥檒l have to鈥斺€�
鈥淚 know how to handle a corset.鈥�
~Scream scream screammmmmm
鈥淗ave you always been this tall?鈥� I blurt the first thing that comes to mind.
鈥淣o. I was a child at some point.鈥�
~BAHAHAHHA I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT OMF 馃拃馃拃
鈥淔uck it.鈥�
~IM SAT IM SAT IM SAT
鈥淚nteresting. I didn鈥檛 take you for an exhibitionist.鈥�
鈥淜eep pushing, and I guess you鈥檒l find out.鈥� His gaze drops to my mouth.
~YOOOO IM HOWLINGGG THIS SCENE IS SCRUMPTIOUS
鈥淔uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥�
鈥淪o then why are you here, Xaden?鈥�
鈥淏ecause I can鈥檛 seem to stay away.鈥�
~STOP IT RFN
鈥淔uck, I鈥檓 never going to get enough of you, am I?鈥�
鈥淥nly within these walls,鈥� he says quietly, and I understand what he means.
~sobbing
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 going to be the death of me.鈥�
鈥淐ome on, let鈥檚 get you to bed.鈥� I lean in and kiss the scar on his eyebrow. 鈥淚t will be tomorrow when you wake up.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 deserve you.鈥� His arm curls around my hips and he tugs me closer. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 going to keep you all the same.鈥�
鈥淵ou have everything I have to give.鈥�
鈥淚 fucking love your hair. If you ever want to bring me to my knees or win an argument, just let it down. I鈥檒l get the point.鈥�
~just stab me in the chest already
Seconds later, his soundless, soul-rending scream fills my head with such force that my heart shatters like glass against a stone floor.
~I鈥檓 sobbing fat ugly tears rn 馃槶 DAIN WAS RIGHT FUCKING THERE?!!! WHYYYYYY 馃敧
鈥�(鈥�) just grins and opens his arms.鈥�
~I WAS RIGHT I FUCKING KNEW IT
饾棔饾椉饾椉饾椄饾榾 饾槃饾椂饾榿饾椀 饾榾饾椂饾椇饾椂饾椆饾棶饾椏 饾槂饾椂饾棷饾棽饾榾:
Divergent
Zodiac Academy
Harry Potter
ACOTAR
***
1 hr post losing a limb - how do I move on?? My heart my brain my soul wont let me even THINK about anything other than XadenViDiaries鈥� 馃槶鉂わ笍鈥嶐煩�
***
5/5/23 鈥� I鈥檓 halfway through the book and if you want a measurement of how obsessed I alr am鈥� I鈥檝e kept the map for this world as my home screen, Pinterest boards galore, made a Spotify playlist, 135 highlights and again- I鈥檓 only halfway through this book!
My obsession is just a Fetus atm and I'm scared of the monster this book is gonna give birth to once I鈥檝e finished 馃拃馃ぁ馃檹
September 18, 2024
5 stars 馃悏
This book is a rollercoaster of twists and had me so hooked from the start! Not once did it feel boring or like I should just skim something, and for once, I know the hype was so worth it! 馃槱
鈥� Spoilers ahead 鈥� and I seriously want y'all to enjoy this book without spoilers
This book is the perfect blend of Fantasy-Romance because it had the spiciest romance scenes with lots of sexual tension and enough twists that will keep you awake the whole night. *Dark circles forming, but anything for XadenVi.*
In the beginning, Karen aka General Sorrengail, forces Violet to join Rider's Quadrant, a place where people become riders and form bonds with dragons. This is in contrast to Violet's original plan of following her father's path and becoming a scribe, responsible for documenting history. This makes her feeling angry and fearful because the decision is up to her mother, and she has no choice but to agree. She wasn't mentally or physically prepared for this challenge and have to do anything to survive.
鈺扳攬鉃� VIOLET SORRENGAIL AKA VIOLENCE:
Despite dealing with a chronic illness (ehler's danlos syndrome) and having weak joints, she was incredibly awesome and strong! Her personality was so relatable that I felt connected right away. Her anxieties and fears during challenges in the rider's quadrant, and how she conquered them with her smarts, were truly inspiring. She showed that knowledge is real power! Her rollercoaster of emotions鈥攆ear, anger, desire, happiness鈥攌ept me amazed. Even when teased and called weak, she never let anyone walk all over her. And fr, I didn't even get that 'oh I'm so tiny and frail' or the 'pick me vibes' as mentioned somewhere because she actually had a illness.
I would've dashed for the hills (or the scribe quadrant in Violet's situation) when every single cadet was dead set on killing me! It was like half luck, and 25% thanks to the dragon scale corset, and another 25% to Violet's intelligence that kept her alive! And - wait XADEN PROTECTED HER WELL TOO! 馃き
鈺扳攬鉃� XADEN RIORSON:
Fantasy men are just FINE AF! From the beginning, he exudes a mysterious aura. Despite the stern lines on his face and a SCAR ON HIS LEFT BROW 馃サ, he exudes both danger and allure. His character captivates me so deeply that even if I hadn't known he was the mmc, I would have rooted for him.fuck Dain. Xaden comes across as grumpy and ruthless, concealing his emotions behind a stoic facade. However, his interactions with Violet reveal a thoughtful, kind, and trusting side that filled me with so many emotions. It's this side of him that I adore. 馃挒
He holds the position of the wing leader of FOURTH WING with great authority. His intelligence and power are remarkable, and don't even get me started on the way he walks, talks, and smirks 鈥� it leaves me utterly on my knees for him! 馃鈥嶁檧锔廐is character possesses incredible depth, and I would've loved to have his POV.
He's a shadow wielder, and just by imagining the shadows around him, his rebellion relic, and his scar 鈥� I feel something inside of me! 馃槷鈥嶐煉� REBECCA ADDED EVERY QUALITY TO MAKE HIM THE HOTTEST CHARACTER! 馃き
鈥� Ruthless who? He's such a softie....
馃敧 gave Violet training for sparring matches.
馃敧 made a saddle for her to be seated on her dragon.
馃敧 made a custom dagger for her.
馃敧 killed a room full of cadets who tried to kill Violet, just by using his shadows.
馃敧 took care of her when she was hurt.
馃敧 punished a wing leader who tried to kill Violet.
鈺扳攬鉃� DRAGONS:
鈥� So the most sarcasticperson creature award goes to TAIRN! 馃
God, how much I loved this grumpy broody dragon! He was one of the deadliest and strongest dragons, and he was bonded with none other than Violet! 馃き His remarks were so sarcastic and savage, and the way he always scoffed and knew about her feelings for Xaden. Hehehe, and he also adores Sgaeyl sm! If he were actually a human, he'd be so grumpy and possessive, I'M TELLING YA'LL! 馃槀馃挄
Andarna: This cutie goldie dragon鈥擮MF, she was such a cutie! I loved how optimistic and innocent she actually was and possessed great powers, but she was only 2 years old! And the fact that she's also bonded with Violet 馃ズ
Sgaeyl: We didn't get much about her, though hopefully in the next book, but I'm so glad she and Tairn are bonded mates! GOD SHE HAS A BRILLIANT TASTE IN MEN. 馃サ
鈥� ENEMIES TO LOVERS WHERE HE WANTS TO KILL HER? *Sign me up*
Xaden is the son of Fen Riorson, known as THE GREATEST TRAITOR due to his leadership in a rebellion group. Sadly, this resulted in the execution of all rebel group members in front of their children, who were then marked with a relic symbolizing the rebellion. These children were forcibly placed into the Rider's Quadrant, where they faced the challenge of survival. The overseeing figure during these executions was none other than General Sorrengail (Violet's mother), so they're enemies, and he's the one who's gonnakill handle her. 馃き
The enemies-to-lovers approach in this book was really well done. It felt very realistic and stayed true to the idea that 'children shouldn't be punished for their parents' mistakes.' The kids marked by the relic understood this, and Violet did too. What I especially liked was how Xaden and Violet's relationship grew naturally without being burdened by guilt from their pasts. Even though they weren't enemies for very long, the book didn't rush their journey to becoming lovers. Instead, it skillfully portrayed the gradual development of trust, as well as their decision to let go of their desires, leading them to eventually fall in love. 鈾ワ笍
Violet was super confused by Xaden's behavior. Rather than harming her, he encouraged her and saw her potential. He treated her as strong, not fragile, which both confused and intrigued her. 馃槈
After Threshing (where the cadets were bonded with dragons), Violet discovered that Tairn, her dragon, was actually the bonded mate of Sgaeyl, Xaden's dragon. This connection tied the four of them together, and if one of them died, they all would. This meant Xaden couldn't consider killing her anymore, (not that he had intended to in the first place.) 馃ス
THE SEXUAL TENSION WAS TENSIONING. 馃サ The sexual tension between them was incredibly strong! The heated lust-filled stares, locking eyes, proximity on mats, and more, yet neither wanted to act on it. Their first kiss was incredibly passionate and I was so giddy at that time. There were 3 graphic scenes but Damn they were HOT AF! 馃馃敟
NOT THEM SHATTERING WINDOWS, BREAKING ARMOIRES AND CHAIRS, BURNING CURTAINS AND FORESTS WHILE DOING 鉁↖T鉁�.
鈺扳攬鉃� SIDE CHARACTERS:
Rhiannon and Rodic: They were literal babies and I loved how both of them supported Violet! Idk when and how Rodic made his place in my heart but he was so cute. Always adopting humor for every situation and was so calm hehe! 馃ズ Am I the only one who wants them together?Like who Tara, Sawyer, or whatever his name is, just give Rhi and Rodic.
Sawyer, Imogen, Bodhi, Garrick, Emery, Heaton: I loved how they all became a squad and clearly I would love more of them!
Mira Sorrengail: This badass cutie, sexy hot, I love her! 馃サ She's so fierce and the best sister ever! 馃挒
Liam Mairi: WE WERE ROBBED OF HIM. I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET HIM, please he was so precious. 馃ズ馃槶 I literally cried so much when he died! I already had a feeling that he might die, but god it was so painful. I was so badly hurt when he died. It was so painful to see him dying and then Xaden calling him Brother. My heart broke! I'm never forgetting that piece of shit Dain.
Dain Aetos: This bitch, this traitor, this asshole, what the fuck! Why did he have to go and pull a full traitor-Adam-Kent behavior like bitch fuck off?? I actually reasoned with him in the start and ignored him because he was just there to discourage Violet and gaslight her again and again by using 'best friend' but he so skillfully and fucked-uply betrayed her. IF HE DIDN'T READ VIOLET'S MEMORIES (by touching her face) and then not telling his father, LIAM WOULD BE FUCKING ALIVE. FUCK OFF, DAINNN. I WISH YOU GET SCORCHED BY TAIRN! 馃あ
Jack Barlowe: He was a piece of shit just like Dain and I'm glad he was Violet's first kill, haha served him right! I don't want to give him more importance; he was shit AF! His death was so satisfying 馃槜馃馃徎
Long-haired Luca and Traitor Tynan getting scorched was the best thing.
General Sorrengail: I dislike her already and I know I'll loathe her in the next books, but the only good thing was she trusted that Violet is capable of becoming a rider.
Syrena (Flier): She's a gryphon rider and had only 2 scenes, but I wish we get to see her in the next books!
鈥� some other things:
1. I literally choked on my laugh when I read about how smartly Violet won all the sparring matches because she poisoned every player with different types of herbs during the match, and her choosing the breakfast duties to add the poisons in their lunch was such a badass move! It's truly proven by Violet that knowledge is power.
2. When Dylan died, my heart just stopped for a moment, and I was so horrified when Aurelie died! (Guess I'm just going to grieve for Liam baby now.)
3. All the challenges gave me Squid Game vibes, like all those tasks just to survive and so many deaths each day! Ugh, It was so fun yet horrifying to read. 馃ぇ
4. "Fuck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥� 鈥� these beautiful words!!?? 馃き
5. I seriously don't even understand how Violet blocked the pain out and got so many stitches every month! I'd already be on my deathbed 馃槀
6. Am I the only one who couldn't 鈥� even after reading 3 times 鈥� imagine the GAUNTLET scene???? like WTH WAS THAT 馃槶
7. MY TOXIC TRAIT IS THAT I THINK I WOULD'VE KILLED THE VENIN IF I WERE IN VIOLET'S PLACE (wth? 馃拃馃拃)
8. I had doubts about Venins and Wyvern from the start, and gosh, they were horrifying AF! If we want anything to be real, IT'S FICTIONAL MEN, not these ew!
9. GOD, THE END? I'm still shocked 馃ゲ
whjwhsha, I love this book! Ayyayayayaya 馃ズ TO MY READING SLUMP.... here I come!!!
猡� Ratings .饢 輥 藮
鈥� Fourth Wing 鈥� 5 stars
鈥� Iron Flame 鈥� 3.75 stars
鈥� Onyx Storm 鈥� tbr
This book is a rollercoaster of twists and had me so hooked from the start! Not once did it feel boring or like I should just skim something, and for once, I know the hype was so worth it! 馃槱
鈥� Spoilers ahead 鈥� and I seriously want y'all to enjoy this book without spoilers
This book is the perfect blend of Fantasy-Romance because it had the spiciest romance scenes with lots of sexual tension and enough twists that will keep you awake the whole night. *Dark circles forming, but anything for XadenVi.*
鉂漈he weak don鈥檛 survive here, especially not in the Riders Quadrant. The dragons make sure of that.鉂�
In the beginning, Karen aka General Sorrengail, forces Violet to join Rider's Quadrant, a place where people become riders and form bonds with dragons. This is in contrast to Violet's original plan of following her father's path and becoming a scribe, responsible for documenting history. This makes her feeling angry and fearful because the decision is up to her mother, and she has no choice but to agree. She wasn't mentally or physically prepared for this challenge and have to do anything to survive.
鈺扳攬鉃� VIOLET SORRENGAIL AKA VIOLENCE:
鉂漎ou look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e really a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鉂�
Despite dealing with a chronic illness (ehler's danlos syndrome) and having weak joints, she was incredibly awesome and strong! Her personality was so relatable that I felt connected right away. Her anxieties and fears during challenges in the rider's quadrant, and how she conquered them with her smarts, were truly inspiring. She showed that knowledge is real power! Her rollercoaster of emotions鈥攆ear, anger, desire, happiness鈥攌ept me amazed. Even when teased and called weak, she never let anyone walk all over her. And fr, I didn't even get that 'oh I'm so tiny and frail' or the 'pick me vibes' as mentioned somewhere because she actually had a illness.
I would've dashed for the hills (or the scribe quadrant in Violet's situation) when every single cadet was dead set on killing me! It was like half luck, and 25% thanks to the dragon scale corset, and another 25% to Violet's intelligence that kept her alive! And - wait XADEN PROTECTED HER WELL TOO! 馃き
鉂漌hat I lack in strength, I make up for in speed.鉂�鈥� She kept training and had a lot of improvement and her skills with the daggers were impeccable! landing straight on the target.
鈺扳攬鉃� XADEN RIORSON:
鉂漇tay the hell away from Xaden Riorson.鉂�
Fantasy men are just FINE AF! From the beginning, he exudes a mysterious aura. Despite the stern lines on his face and a SCAR ON HIS LEFT BROW 馃サ, he exudes both danger and allure. His character captivates me so deeply that even if I hadn't known he was the mmc, I would have rooted for him.
He holds the position of the wing leader of FOURTH WING with great authority. His intelligence and power are remarkable, and don't even get me started on the way he walks, talks, and smirks 鈥� it leaves me utterly on my knees for him! 馃鈥嶁檧锔廐is character possesses incredible depth, and I would've loved to have his POV.
He's a shadow wielder, and just by imagining the shadows around him, his rebellion relic, and his scar 鈥� I feel something inside of me! 馃槷鈥嶐煉� REBECCA ADDED EVERY QUALITY TO MAKE HIM THE HOTTEST CHARACTER! 馃き
鈥� Ruthless who? He's such a softie....
馃敧 gave Violet training for sparring matches.
馃敧 made a saddle for her to be seated on her dragon.
馃敧 made a custom dagger for her.
馃敧 killed a room full of cadets who tried to kill Violet, just by using his shadows.
馃敧 took care of her when she was hurt.
馃敧 punished a wing leader who tried to kill Violet.
鈺扳攬鉃� DRAGONS:
鈥� So the most sarcastic
God, how much I loved this grumpy broody dragon! He was one of the deadliest and strongest dragons, and he was bonded with none other than Violet! 馃き His remarks were so sarcastic and savage, and the way he always scoffed and knew about her feelings for Xaden. Hehehe, and he also adores Sgaeyl sm! If he were actually a human, he'd be so grumpy and possessive, I'M TELLING YA'LL! 馃槀馃挄
鉂滱nd to think, I鈥檇 almost forgotten just how loquacious humans are.鉂�
Andarna: This cutie goldie dragon鈥擮MF, she was such a cutie! I loved how optimistic and innocent she actually was and possessed great powers, but she was only 2 years old! And the fact that she's also bonded with Violet 馃ズ
Sgaeyl: We didn't get much about her, though hopefully in the next book, but I'm so glad she and Tairn are bonded mates! GOD SHE HAS A BRILLIANT TASTE IN MEN. 馃サ
鈥� ENEMIES TO LOVERS WHERE HE WANTS TO KILL HER? *Sign me up*
鉂滺e鈥檚 a third-year, and he will kill you the second he finds out who you are.鉂�
Xaden is the son of Fen Riorson, known as THE GREATEST TRAITOR due to his leadership in a rebellion group. Sadly, this resulted in the execution of all rebel group members in front of their children, who were then marked with a relic symbolizing the rebellion. These children were forcibly placed into the Rider's Quadrant, where they faced the challenge of survival. The overseeing figure during these executions was none other than General Sorrengail (Violet's mother), so they're enemies, and he's the one who's gonna
The enemies-to-lovers approach in this book was really well done. It felt very realistic and stayed true to the idea that 'children shouldn't be punished for their parents' mistakes.' The kids marked by the relic understood this, and Violet did too. What I especially liked was how Xaden and Violet's relationship grew naturally without being burdened by guilt from their pasts. Even though they weren't enemies for very long, the book didn't rush their journey to becoming lovers. Instead, it skillfully portrayed the gradual development of trust, as well as their decision to let go of their desires, leading them to eventually fall in love. 鈾ワ笍
Violet was super confused by Xaden's behavior. Rather than harming her, he encouraged her and saw her potential. He treated her as strong, not fragile, which both confused and intrigued her. 馃槈
鉂滸oing for blood today, are we, Violence?鉂�
After Threshing (where the cadets were bonded with dragons), Violet discovered that Tairn, her dragon, was actually the bonded mate of Sgaeyl, Xaden's dragon. This connection tied the four of them together, and if one of them died, they all would. This meant Xaden couldn't consider killing her anymore, (not that he had intended to in the first place.) 馃ス
THE SEXUAL TENSION WAS TENSIONING. 馃サ The sexual tension between them was incredibly strong! The heated lust-filled stares, locking eyes, proximity on mats, and more, yet neither wanted to act on it. Their first kiss was incredibly passionate and I was so giddy at that time. There were 3 graphic scenes but Damn they were HOT AF! 馃馃敟
鉂滻 am annoyingly aware of everything you do.鉂�
NOT THEM SHATTERING WINDOWS, BREAKING ARMOIRES AND CHAIRS, BURNING CURTAINS AND FORESTS WHILE DOING 鉁↖T鉁�.
鈺扳攬鉃� SIDE CHARACTERS:
Rhiannon and Rodic: They were literal babies and I loved how both of them supported Violet! Idk when and how Rodic made his place in my heart but he was so cute. Always adopting humor for every situation and was so calm hehe! 馃ズ Am I the only one who wants them together?
Sawyer, Imogen, Bodhi, Garrick, Emery, Heaton: I loved how they all became a squad and clearly I would love more of them!
Mira Sorrengail: This badass cutie, sexy hot, I love her! 馃サ She's so fierce and the best sister ever! 馃挒
Liam Mairi: WE WERE ROBBED OF HIM. I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET HIM, please he was so precious. 馃ズ馃槶 I literally cried so much when he died! I already had a feeling that he might die, but god it was so painful. I was so badly hurt when he died. It was so painful to see him dying and then Xaden calling him Brother. My heart broke! I'm never forgetting that piece of shit Dain.
Dain Aetos: This bitch, this traitor, this asshole, what the fuck! Why did he have to go and pull a full traitor-Adam-Kent behavior like bitch fuck off?? I actually reasoned with him in the start and ignored him because he was just there to discourage Violet and gaslight her again and again by using 'best friend' but he so skillfully and fucked-uply betrayed her. IF HE DIDN'T READ VIOLET'S MEMORIES (by touching her face) and then not telling his father, LIAM WOULD BE FUCKING ALIVE. FUCK OFF, DAINNN. I WISH YOU GET SCORCHED BY TAIRN! 馃あ
鉂漇top. Fucking. Coddling. Her.鉂�鈥� yeah, bitch, get that!
Jack Barlowe: He was a piece of shit just like Dain and I'm glad he was Violet's first kill, haha served him right! I don't want to give him more importance; he was shit AF! His death was so satisfying 馃槜馃馃徎
Long-haired Luca and Traitor Tynan getting scorched was the best thing.
General Sorrengail: I dislike her already and I know I'll loathe her in the next books, but the only good thing was she trusted that Violet is capable of becoming a rider.
Syrena (Flier): She's a gryphon rider and had only 2 scenes, but I wish we get to see her in the next books!
鈥� some other things:
1. I literally choked on my laugh when I read about how smartly Violet won all the sparring matches because she poisoned every player with different types of herbs during the match, and her choosing the breakfast duties to add the poisons in their lunch was such a badass move! It's truly proven by Violet that knowledge is power.
2. When Dylan died, my heart just stopped for a moment, and I was so horrified when Aurelie died! (Guess I'm just going to grieve for Liam baby now.)
3. All the challenges gave me Squid Game vibes, like all those tasks just to survive and so many deaths each day! Ugh, It was so fun yet horrifying to read. 馃ぇ
4. "Fuck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥� 鈥� these beautiful words!!?? 馃き
5. I seriously don't even understand how Violet blocked the pain out and got so many stitches every month! I'd already be on my deathbed 馃槀
6. Am I the only one who couldn't 鈥� even after reading 3 times 鈥� imagine the GAUNTLET scene???? like WTH WAS THAT 馃槶
7. MY TOXIC TRAIT IS THAT I THINK I WOULD'VE KILLED THE VENIN IF I WERE IN VIOLET'S PLACE (wth? 馃拃馃拃)
8. I had doubts about Venins and Wyvern from the start, and gosh, they were horrifying AF! If we want anything to be real, IT'S FICTIONAL MEN, not these ew!
9. GOD, THE END? I'm still shocked 馃ゲ
whjwhsha, I love this book! Ayyayayayaya 馃ズ TO MY READING SLUMP.... here I come!!!
猡� Ratings .饢 輥 藮
鈥� Fourth Wing 鈥� 5 stars
鈥� Iron Flame 鈥� 3.75 stars
鈥� Onyx Storm 鈥� tbr
February 9, 2025
Edit: for those who do not read the whole review but still feel they are entitled to leave a comment. This is a long review
1- it dissects a lot in the book, if this is not a clue for you that there are spoilers then maybe check your IQ.
2- For those who are saying "make it short" you know you could scrol by and not read right? just take your own advice especially if you love this book and move along to the millions of 5 star reviews
3- STOP SAYING NOTHING IS ORIGINAL..I can slap you with at least 20 books written in 2923/2024 that has more originality than this book! We are not asking for a Tolkein level of originality, but if you cannot even come up with your own character description and had to take the literal description from other books (among others) then why are you even called an author?
4- in a world that is coming soon to be drowned with AI movies and clips and pictures, I do not want to read an AI book. and I do not mean that the author used AI (Although at this point no one knows), I mean the copy, paste, and stitch from other books
other than that, knock yourself out
The sad reality is this book will probably be GR best fantasy of 2023 though it has NOTHING of the fantasy elements
If I wanted to read cheap immitation of every other fantasy book then this book it is 馃槨馃槨馃槨馃槨
every time I have an atom of hope that there is something 0.0000001% original, someone casually points out that it's not!
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR READERS AT THE END
Is this the future of books? writers shamelessly taking others' work without even bringing their own to the table and the unknowing masses cheering them on!
by now, this has become a game of "SPOT THE COMMON, AND FIND THE DIFFERENCE"
this book does not deserve an ounce of respect and this came after confirming that even the main characters' descriptions are literally taken
PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT NOTHING IS ORIGINAL ANYMORE! YEAH? PROVE IT
AND EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, IF A WRITER FAILS TO BRING AT LEAST 20% ORGININALITY ONTO THEIR BOOK, DO THEY DESERVE TO BE CALLED WRITERS???
It is one thing to sample an idea or concept from "a book", it is another to take the whole storyline and plot from "a book" or in this case "books" and make it your own.
This book is a memory quilt
Made from old stuff to look new
It takes everything that we know as familiar, comfort and nostalgic and weave it together to present it as something new giving you a FAKE sense of enjoyment
Let's imagine that I am a new reader or someone who never reads fantasy or someone who hasn't
read and loved the other books mentioned down 馃憞馃徎 I would have absolutely adored this book and considered it one of the best Adult fantasy this year because I knew nothing of them.
And surprise surprise! This is what is happening
but ignorance is not an excuse! Just because you haven't read it does not mean it is OK for this book to copy everything!
starting this book, I liked that the characters were older than 18. As much as I enjoy YA, sometimes the age just throws me off! However, they still acted like a bunch of 16 and 17 yr. the lingo itself was so cringe
image:
I read many YA characters more mature than the main characters in this book
read Ageless and Warda's one 1 star review of this book to understand where these characters went wrong
This book attempted to give us a badass female lead that understands that she is flawed, and recognizes her physical incompetence, but does not give a shit. She knows her worth and trusts her intelligence to be her biggest asset so she uses it to get what she wants. She is unapologetic. She knows that if she can鈥檛 be cunning, it's her life on the line. 鈥�I鈥檒l never get over how quickly people move on around here, how callously death is swept under a rug and trampled on minutes later鈥�
but, personally, this failed. Because Violet was the typical "I am weak in the body but somehow I can wip all your asses and accomplish anything". She is supposed to have a sort of chronic pain that renders her in the disabled category. This is not said out loud in the book. You have to guess it yourself if you are not familiar with the symptoms or learn it from social media. So, it was a role-eye for me seeing her winning every challenge by cheating (which I accepted at first because she was disadvantaged) but then we get no information on how she trained and made herself stronger!. so what was the point of giving her a disability if we cannot see how she overcame it? Also, It was annoying at times seeing Violet practically throwing herself at Xaden like 鈥淧ick me, choose me, love me, fuck me鈥�. Girl! Have some dignity. But who can blame her, X is hot and has "Shadow hands, iykyk.... looking at you ACOTAR and ToG fans"
and let鈥檚 not forget the dragons! I mean who doesn鈥檛 love dragons? Throw in dragons with personalities who can hold a conversation and you get yourself a winner
But these bastards decided with their ever Holly wisdom that a person with a mental disorder (look up Aboulomania) or with a bit of a bitchy attitude is weak and should be scorched to death
I am not going to touch on the characters more than that. Others have explained in detailed reviews the problems with the main leads.
And the world building? Excuse me! What world building! If you can answer one question that's been nagging me (from the book, not theories) then I'll shut up about it
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.听A rider without their dragon is dead.
Why? Why is it this way?
However, there is a big issue that is nagging at me and making feel like I am sitting on the most comfortable sofa in the world but someone has put a cushion full of needles at my back. Every time I get a little bit relaxed, a needle pricks my spine or neck or back arm.
THIS BOOK HAS NOTHING ORIGINAL AND I DARE ANYONE TO PROVE OTHERWISE
What this book did is take several old famous ideas from other books and movies, weave it together, and the author simply tailored them with spray edges and a catching cover for bait to come up with a supposedly new book that would please young readers mostly. to quote my friend: "This book scratches an itch
and boy! did this strategy work!
This did not sit well with me because :
One: the author did not just take from one or two books, she took from several.
Two: these ideas were not just inspiration or sampling, in many parts were almost literal
Three: copying and sampling are OK as long as the book brings it's own added plot or storyline which in this case, Fourth Wing did not
When I was annotating this book, I marked each time I found an almost literal resemblance to other books. (yellow marks the number)
So lets begin (and I am keeping the best or worst to last)
Let me begin with the main characters description
No, this is not Violet Sorringale. This is Mare Barrow from Red Queen series. Brown and silver hair and lightning power
And the whole "assumed dead brother who is resurrected and turns out he joined the rebellion"
Yeah
It's like FW has this weird fixation on this series
but Violet braids her hair you say! you know who else has silver braided hair and dragons?
and how about this one?
no this is not Xaden Riorson
this is either the tall dark and all powerful Rhysand and his Shadow power (and Rhys sacrificed himself for his people, Xaden did as well)
or the tall dark and handsome Dorian and his shadow hands
But Xaden has a scar on his face, near his eye more precisely! You know who else tall dark and handsome with an eye scar and rhymes with Xaden!
Meadows baby! Our last name is Meadows
No!? OK, here's another tall dark and handsome with scars and is always surrounded by showdows and his name starts with Az and ends with "are you for real?!"
Now, here's a trivia for you
Let's count the number of books where if the guy has Shadow powers the girl gets a control over lightening
Just off the top of my head
Red Queen
Shadow and Bones
The Shadow of Lightening .. etc.
Now the plotline
1- Harry Potter: not talking about magic systems and dragons because many books have those, but 鈥�the cadets are thrown into 鈥渇our wings鈥� upon their arrival, they have to study and compete by gaining 鈥減oints鈥� and showing skills both physically and mentally. . The literal taking was from p 313 when there is a 鈥渢辞耻谤苍补尘别苍迟鈥� where they had to 鈥渞etrieve a stolen treasure鈥� to 鈥渆arn 60 points鈥�
2- Divergent: I knew that this book was marketed as a combination of Divergent meets Game of Thrones I think, but it took the inspiration too far. I don鈥檛 want to read a cheap imitation of Divergent which this book had. The cadets are distributed into quadrants (factions). Violet ends up in the Riders (Dauntless) quadrant where if you show any sign of weakness you are either killed by a fellow cadet or scorched by a dragon!
And the Tris/Four moment between Violet and Xaden is also hard to miss. She has a parent/sibling issue, he has a daddy issue. She fantasizes about him all the time (which is nauseating and untasteful at times). Him beating her ass and showing her that he hates her and maybe wants to kill her then ending up saving her life and training her. Even the knife-throwing scene was taken. And it goes on and on
3- The Hunger Games: this whole book was the Hunger Games 鈥� Dragon Edition. The cadets are literally allowed to kill each other even under the watchful eyes of their superiors. But that is not surprising when the professors so simply snap a cadet鈥檚 neck infront of others. I guess 鈥�the odds are always stacked against them鈥� yep! This was in the book!
And since they are at war and need soldiers, what better way to show how desperate they are than killing off their cadets, instead of sending them off to the other houses 馃檮馃檮
4- Shatter me/ACOTAR: What are these two series famous for? You guessed it. The predictable love triangle where the first love interest turns out to be a douche and the heroine ends up falling for the dark morally grey character. This is really starting to sound repetitive and obvious.
5- Throne of Glass (Empire of Storms): Dorian Havilliard has Phantom hands and Xaden has Shadow hands! Both can lift and hold anything with these 鈥渉ands鈥� and use them during intimate moments. In the beach scene, Aelin and Rowan鈥檚 passion fuses their power together and lose control. Same with Vi and X
6- Mulan: (yep! The animation) Mulan shows her strength and proves herself to her camp by using her wit to climb the pole using the weights instead of carrying them to retrieve the arrow and later they use their belts to climb the columns of the palace. The same move Violet uses by planting the rope around the shaft to climb it.
7- How to train your dragon: from the description of the dragons, to the lowering of the eyes when meeting one, to the Hiccup and Toothless moment, and the big scarry dragon and the small golden cute one, you cant help noticing these similarities when reading this book
BUT HERE ARE THE MOST OBVIOUS COPY CAT ISSUES
8- The plot conflict of the book is the same as Game of Thrones
So instead of the seven kingdoms, Navarre is divided into six but with the province in the east makes it seven! To protect itself, Navarre has built a WARD (wall) around its borders to stop an enemy that we later learn about. This enemy is ruled by a Sage (night king) who creates these venin, monsters that are destroyed only by a special material (valerian steel) which the cadets are forging into blades!
people inside the kingdom think that those creatures are just folklore. Venins have the ability to make dragon-like creatures, wyverns, that can breathe BLUE FIRE and dies immediately if their creator dies
image:
And the h that has the baddest dragon has silver hair which is always in a braid馃檮and thought at first to be fragile and weak!
9- Dragon Riders of Pern and Eragon (edited,) I originally related it to Eragon but many friends pointed out that the whole concept of dragon riders bonding with the chosen dragon and that such a dragon can mentally communicate with its rider through witty conversations and big personality is from the mother of all Dragon stories - the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery
Even the scene where V and X feel horney bec of the Dragon lust is definitely not original to The Fourth Wing
10- Dragon School: Just when you think that having Voilet be a Female main lead with a disability is something original of this book, you find out it is not! Dragon School is an acclaimed YA book series by K.L Wilson published in 2017 about sixteen-year-old Amel who joins the Dominion Dragon Riders. But Amel has not only a crippled leg but also chronic disease and Dragon School training is grueling. Before she can even become an initiate, she must complete her First Flight on a dragon. Everyone around Amel thinks she will die before her first ride because of her fragile state and disability. SOUNDS FAMILIAR?
Bonus courtesy of @Soyas.Readingpalace
This is the map of the Fourth Wing
This is the map of the Witcher books
notice anything?
This piece of jem has been gracely sent to me through messages by Filip with the keen eye
Here is exactly what Filip said
""I know I am late to the party, but just started Iron Flame and couldn't not notice one more similarity. If you look at the map of Hogwarts from the films and take away The library with Bell towers, Astronomy tower, and Viaduct entrance, rotate The Great Hall by 30掳 you get... Basgiath. The castle stands on two cliffs which are home to the two parts of the castle. Between them, a gorge, above which 2 bridges are spanning - the one on the right being the more solid one, the one on the left more thin one. Southern part of the castle has a Castel type, with four palaces arranged into square, surrounded by four towers. The tower on the bottom right is a home to Gen. Sorrengail - being the same spot where Albus Dumbledore's office is. .....""
So I'll put the two maps and all you have to do is rotate Hogwarts map and viola= Basgiath
Hogwarts
Basgiath
so, there is nothing original about this book
You want to take the characters' descriptions? fine
oh, you want to take also the plot conflict? fine
what? you want also all the famous plotlines?
BUT
What are you bringing to the table then?????
I think that this book would be enjoyed by a person who hasn鈥檛 read the above-mentioned books or doesn鈥檛 want to read them so you get to read a mash-up of them. If you are this person, then this book is perfect for you
However, I am a reader who values authenticity not imitation done blatantly. There was no originality in either the story or the plotline
These are some TT posting similarities with pages and story馃憞馃徎
important note
I was one of the first who read this book upon release. if you check the tiktoks I've put, you'll see that the first one was made May 15 2023, same week.
Since then, I've answered so many questions in my TT account and here, and a lot of them are so repeated
So, please, if you read this review, and find yourself wanting to comment with:
1- nothing is original
2- read for fun
3- do your research
4- it's not that serious
5- why are you taking the joy out of others
I urge you to read the comments first because I won't be repeating myself for your lack of effort.
What I am willing and happy to do, is have a respectful discussion. I am not trying to persuade anyone. If you feel you want to disagree with me and do it in a logical, respectful way, I am always open to that.
If your response is in any way disrespectful, know that I have a spiteful bitch in me that would come out to play
and as always, happy reading
1- it dissects a lot in the book, if this is not a clue for you that there are spoilers then maybe check your IQ.
2- For those who are saying "make it short" you know you could scrol by and not read right? just take your own advice especially if you love this book and move along to the millions of 5 star reviews
3- STOP SAYING NOTHING IS ORIGINAL..I can slap you with at least 20 books written in 2923/2024 that has more originality than this book! We are not asking for a Tolkein level of originality, but if you cannot even come up with your own character description and had to take the literal description from other books (among others) then why are you even called an author?
4- in a world that is coming soon to be drowned with AI movies and clips and pictures, I do not want to read an AI book. and I do not mean that the author used AI (Although at this point no one knows), I mean the copy, paste, and stitch from other books
other than that, knock yourself out
The sad reality is this book will probably be GR best fantasy of 2023 though it has NOTHING of the fantasy elements
If I wanted to read cheap immitation of every other fantasy book then this book it is 馃槨馃槨馃槨馃槨
every time I have an atom of hope that there is something 0.0000001% original, someone casually points out that it's not!
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR READERS AT THE END
Is this the future of books? writers shamelessly taking others' work without even bringing their own to the table and the unknowing masses cheering them on!
by now, this has become a game of "SPOT THE COMMON, AND FIND THE DIFFERENCE"
this book does not deserve an ounce of respect and this came after confirming that even the main characters' descriptions are literally taken
PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT NOTHING IS ORIGINAL ANYMORE! YEAH? PROVE IT
AND EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, IF A WRITER FAILS TO BRING AT LEAST 20% ORGININALITY ONTO THEIR BOOK, DO THEY DESERVE TO BE CALLED WRITERS???
It is one thing to sample an idea or concept from "a book", it is another to take the whole storyline and plot from "a book" or in this case "books" and make it your own.
This book is a memory quilt
Made from old stuff to look new
It takes everything that we know as familiar, comfort and nostalgic and weave it together to present it as something new giving you a FAKE sense of enjoyment
Let's imagine that I am a new reader or someone who never reads fantasy or someone who hasn't
read and loved the other books mentioned down 馃憞馃徎 I would have absolutely adored this book and considered it one of the best Adult fantasy this year because I knew nothing of them.
And surprise surprise! This is what is happening
but ignorance is not an excuse! Just because you haven't read it does not mean it is OK for this book to copy everything!
starting this book, I liked that the characters were older than 18. As much as I enjoy YA, sometimes the age just throws me off! However, they still acted like a bunch of 16 and 17 yr. the lingo itself was so cringe
image:
I read many YA characters more mature than the main characters in this book
read Ageless and Warda's one 1 star review of this book to understand where these characters went wrong
This book attempted to give us a badass female lead that understands that she is flawed, and recognizes her physical incompetence, but does not give a shit. She knows her worth and trusts her intelligence to be her biggest asset so she uses it to get what she wants. She is unapologetic. She knows that if she can鈥檛 be cunning, it's her life on the line. 鈥�I鈥檒l never get over how quickly people move on around here, how callously death is swept under a rug and trampled on minutes later鈥�
but, personally, this failed. Because Violet was the typical "I am weak in the body but somehow I can wip all your asses and accomplish anything". She is supposed to have a sort of chronic pain that renders her in the disabled category. This is not said out loud in the book. You have to guess it yourself if you are not familiar with the symptoms or learn it from social media. So, it was a role-eye for me seeing her winning every challenge by cheating (which I accepted at first because she was disadvantaged) but then we get no information on how she trained and made herself stronger!. so what was the point of giving her a disability if we cannot see how she overcame it? Also, It was annoying at times seeing Violet practically throwing herself at Xaden like 鈥淧ick me, choose me, love me, fuck me鈥�. Girl! Have some dignity. But who can blame her, X is hot and has "Shadow hands, iykyk.... looking at you ACOTAR and ToG fans"
and let鈥檚 not forget the dragons! I mean who doesn鈥檛 love dragons? Throw in dragons with personalities who can hold a conversation and you get yourself a winner
But these bastards decided with their ever Holly wisdom that a person with a mental disorder (look up Aboulomania) or with a bit of a bitchy attitude is weak and should be scorched to death
I am not going to touch on the characters more than that. Others have explained in detailed reviews the problems with the main leads.
And the world building? Excuse me! What world building! If you can answer one question that's been nagging me (from the book, not theories) then I'll shut up about it
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.听A rider without their dragon is dead.
Why? Why is it this way?
However, there is a big issue that is nagging at me and making feel like I am sitting on the most comfortable sofa in the world but someone has put a cushion full of needles at my back. Every time I get a little bit relaxed, a needle pricks my spine or neck or back arm.
THIS BOOK HAS NOTHING ORIGINAL AND I DARE ANYONE TO PROVE OTHERWISE
What this book did is take several old famous ideas from other books and movies, weave it together, and the author simply tailored them with spray edges and a catching cover for bait to come up with a supposedly new book that would please young readers mostly. to quote my friend: "This book scratches an itch
and boy! did this strategy work!
This did not sit well with me because :
One: the author did not just take from one or two books, she took from several.
Two: these ideas were not just inspiration or sampling, in many parts were almost literal
Three: copying and sampling are OK as long as the book brings it's own added plot or storyline which in this case, Fourth Wing did not
When I was annotating this book, I marked each time I found an almost literal resemblance to other books. (yellow marks the number)
So lets begin (and I am keeping the best or worst to last)
Let me begin with the main characters description
No, this is not Violet Sorringale. This is Mare Barrow from Red Queen series. Brown and silver hair and lightning power
And the whole "assumed dead brother who is resurrected and turns out he joined the rebellion"
Yeah
It's like FW has this weird fixation on this series
but Violet braids her hair you say! you know who else has silver braided hair and dragons?
and how about this one?
no this is not Xaden Riorson
this is either the tall dark and all powerful Rhysand and his Shadow power (and Rhys sacrificed himself for his people, Xaden did as well)
or the tall dark and handsome Dorian and his shadow hands
But Xaden has a scar on his face, near his eye more precisely! You know who else tall dark and handsome with an eye scar and rhymes with Xaden!
Meadows baby! Our last name is Meadows
No!? OK, here's another tall dark and handsome with scars and is always surrounded by showdows and his name starts with Az and ends with "are you for real?!"
Now, here's a trivia for you
Let's count the number of books where if the guy has Shadow powers the girl gets a control over lightening
Just off the top of my head
Red Queen
Shadow and Bones
The Shadow of Lightening .. etc.
Now the plotline
1- Harry Potter: not talking about magic systems and dragons because many books have those, but 鈥�the cadets are thrown into 鈥渇our wings鈥� upon their arrival, they have to study and compete by gaining 鈥減oints鈥� and showing skills both physically and mentally. . The literal taking was from p 313 when there is a 鈥渢辞耻谤苍补尘别苍迟鈥� where they had to 鈥渞etrieve a stolen treasure鈥� to 鈥渆arn 60 points鈥�
2- Divergent: I knew that this book was marketed as a combination of Divergent meets Game of Thrones I think, but it took the inspiration too far. I don鈥檛 want to read a cheap imitation of Divergent which this book had. The cadets are distributed into quadrants (factions). Violet ends up in the Riders (Dauntless) quadrant where if you show any sign of weakness you are either killed by a fellow cadet or scorched by a dragon!
And the Tris/Four moment between Violet and Xaden is also hard to miss. She has a parent/sibling issue, he has a daddy issue. She fantasizes about him all the time (which is nauseating and untasteful at times). Him beating her ass and showing her that he hates her and maybe wants to kill her then ending up saving her life and training her. Even the knife-throwing scene was taken. And it goes on and on
3- The Hunger Games: this whole book was the Hunger Games 鈥� Dragon Edition. The cadets are literally allowed to kill each other even under the watchful eyes of their superiors. But that is not surprising when the professors so simply snap a cadet鈥檚 neck infront of others. I guess 鈥�the odds are always stacked against them鈥� yep! This was in the book!
And since they are at war and need soldiers, what better way to show how desperate they are than killing off their cadets, instead of sending them off to the other houses 馃檮馃檮
4- Shatter me/ACOTAR: What are these two series famous for? You guessed it. The predictable love triangle where the first love interest turns out to be a douche and the heroine ends up falling for the dark morally grey character. This is really starting to sound repetitive and obvious.
5- Throne of Glass (Empire of Storms): Dorian Havilliard has Phantom hands and Xaden has Shadow hands! Both can lift and hold anything with these 鈥渉ands鈥� and use them during intimate moments. In the beach scene, Aelin and Rowan鈥檚 passion fuses their power together and lose control. Same with Vi and X
6- Mulan: (yep! The animation) Mulan shows her strength and proves herself to her camp by using her wit to climb the pole using the weights instead of carrying them to retrieve the arrow and later they use their belts to climb the columns of the palace. The same move Violet uses by planting the rope around the shaft to climb it.
7- How to train your dragon: from the description of the dragons, to the lowering of the eyes when meeting one, to the Hiccup and Toothless moment, and the big scarry dragon and the small golden cute one, you cant help noticing these similarities when reading this book
BUT HERE ARE THE MOST OBVIOUS COPY CAT ISSUES
8- The plot conflict of the book is the same as Game of Thrones
So instead of the seven kingdoms, Navarre is divided into six but with the province in the east makes it seven! To protect itself, Navarre has built a WARD (wall) around its borders to stop an enemy that we later learn about. This enemy is ruled by a Sage (night king) who creates these venin, monsters that are destroyed only by a special material (valerian steel) which the cadets are forging into blades!
people inside the kingdom think that those creatures are just folklore. Venins have the ability to make dragon-like creatures, wyverns, that can breathe BLUE FIRE and dies immediately if their creator dies
image:
And the h that has the baddest dragon has silver hair which is always in a braid馃檮and thought at first to be fragile and weak!
9- Dragon Riders of Pern and Eragon (edited,) I originally related it to Eragon but many friends pointed out that the whole concept of dragon riders bonding with the chosen dragon and that such a dragon can mentally communicate with its rider through witty conversations and big personality is from the mother of all Dragon stories - the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery
Even the scene where V and X feel horney bec of the Dragon lust is definitely not original to The Fourth Wing
10- Dragon School: Just when you think that having Voilet be a Female main lead with a disability is something original of this book, you find out it is not! Dragon School is an acclaimed YA book series by K.L Wilson published in 2017 about sixteen-year-old Amel who joins the Dominion Dragon Riders. But Amel has not only a crippled leg but also chronic disease and Dragon School training is grueling. Before she can even become an initiate, she must complete her First Flight on a dragon. Everyone around Amel thinks she will die before her first ride because of her fragile state and disability. SOUNDS FAMILIAR?
Bonus courtesy of @Soyas.Readingpalace
This is the map of the Fourth Wing
This is the map of the Witcher books
notice anything?
This piece of jem has been gracely sent to me through messages by Filip with the keen eye
Here is exactly what Filip said
""I know I am late to the party, but just started Iron Flame and couldn't not notice one more similarity. If you look at the map of Hogwarts from the films and take away The library with Bell towers, Astronomy tower, and Viaduct entrance, rotate The Great Hall by 30掳 you get... Basgiath. The castle stands on two cliffs which are home to the two parts of the castle. Between them, a gorge, above which 2 bridges are spanning - the one on the right being the more solid one, the one on the left more thin one. Southern part of the castle has a Castel type, with four palaces arranged into square, surrounded by four towers. The tower on the bottom right is a home to Gen. Sorrengail - being the same spot where Albus Dumbledore's office is. .....""
So I'll put the two maps and all you have to do is rotate Hogwarts map and viola= Basgiath
Hogwarts
Basgiath
so, there is nothing original about this book
You want to take the characters' descriptions? fine
oh, you want to take also the plot conflict? fine
what? you want also all the famous plotlines?
BUT
What are you bringing to the table then?????
I think that this book would be enjoyed by a person who hasn鈥檛 read the above-mentioned books or doesn鈥檛 want to read them so you get to read a mash-up of them. If you are this person, then this book is perfect for you
However, I am a reader who values authenticity not imitation done blatantly. There was no originality in either the story or the plotline
These are some TT posting similarities with pages and story馃憞馃徎
important note
I was one of the first who read this book upon release. if you check the tiktoks I've put, you'll see that the first one was made May 15 2023, same week.
Since then, I've answered so many questions in my TT account and here, and a lot of them are so repeated
So, please, if you read this review, and find yourself wanting to comment with:
1- nothing is original
2- read for fun
3- do your research
4- it's not that serious
5- why are you taking the joy out of others
I urge you to read the comments first because I won't be repeating myself for your lack of effort.
What I am willing and happy to do, is have a respectful discussion. I am not trying to persuade anyone. If you feel you want to disagree with me and do it in a logical, respectful way, I am always open to that.
If your response is in any way disrespectful, know that I have a spiteful bitch in me that would come out to play
and as always, happy reading
September 18, 2024
鈭�/5 鈽呪€檚
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漚 dragon without its rider is a tragedy. a rider without their dragon is dead.鉂�
welcome to the fourth wing 馃悏
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
what is more than infinity stars? i鈥檒l tell you what. it鈥檚 this book. besties let me just start with saying鈥 am a romance/dark romance girly through and through. the only other fantasy books i鈥檝e ever read were the acotar books and that series was so good. easily one of my favorite series ever, but fourth wing? it was even better鈥iteral chefs kiss馃i was hooked from the very first sentence to the very last. i鈥檝e read one of rebecca鈥檚 romance books and i loved it, but her writing fantasy?! she ate that up and left zero crumbs. this is easily one of my top reads of 2023. fourth wing was action packed and the romance was amazing.
鉂� 饾搲饾搰饾憸饾搮饾憭饾搱:
猡� found family
猡� enemies to lovers
猡� slow burn
猡� touch her and you die
猡� morally grey mmc
猡� forced proximity
鉂� 饾挾饾憭饾搱饾搲饾捊饾憭饾搲饾捑饾捀:
猡� dragons
猡� academic setting
猡� divergent vibes
猡� dystopian fantasy
鉂� 饾搮饾搧饾憸饾搲 饾搱饾搳饾搨饾搨饾挾饾搰饾搸:
this book is about violet sorrengail, the daughter of a high ranked general. most of her life she was practicing/training to be apart of the scribe quadrant because of her love for books and her intelligence, but her mother told her that she must follow in her siblings footsteps and become a dragon rider. violet is in no way prepared for that, but she ends up going to basgiath war college to do exactly what her mother asked of her. to become a dragon rider, you must pass all these very deadly challenges that are designed to kill off the weak. while violet is trying her very best to become a dragon rider鈥he鈥榮 constantly fighting her attraction for xaden riorson (her enemy that she was told to stay away from). xaden is a well respected wingleader of the fourth wing and his one goal was to kill violet because of the family she belongs to, but what happens when her life suddenly becomes tethered to his?
鉂� 饾搨饾搸 饾搲饾捊饾憸饾搳饾憯饾捊饾搲饾搱:
this book was so easy to follow and it was so fast paced. i was a little intimidated because the font was small and the chapters were longer than i usually prefer, but there was not a single page in this book that was boring. i鈥檓 usually the type to see how many pages are left in a chapter, but i simply did not care. i was fully consumed by this book and got totally lost in it. the action鈥t caused me a LOT of anxiety, but i ate that shit up. this book had my heart RACING. there were so many parts in this book that literally took my breath away鈥ad me forgetting how to breathe. the romance!?! 鈾撅笍/10. the angst, the spice, the banter鈥iterally everything you want for a romance plot. the writing was absolutely amazing. the descriptive writing omg鈥�10/10. it was so easy to picture all of the different settings and picture everything that was happening. i felt like i was sitting in the front row watching this entire book unfold. this book has so much potential to be turned into a movie omg please馃槶cast theo james as xaden IMMEDIATELY and then cast me as violet馃きand then let鈥檚 just erase dain completely. i adored most of the characters in this book. i love when i fall in love with side characters just as much as main characters.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
鉂� 饾搵饾捑饾憸饾搧饾憭饾搲 饾搱饾憸饾搰饾搰饾憭饾搩饾憯饾挾饾捑饾搧 (饾搵饾捑饾憸饾搧饾憭饾搩饾捀饾憭):
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. i am infinite.鉂�
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 will not die today.鉂�
this woman. one of my all time favorite fmc鈥檚 who i admire so much. her character development was phenomenal. i swear it was the most satisfying thing about this book. as soon as she was painted to be this tiny, weak, helpless woman鈥 was impatiently waiting for my girl to prove everyone wrong and she DID that. i love how well she knew her own mind and was not afraid to come forward and speak it. a place like the riders quadrant is where people go and get stripped of their humanity, but i love how violet kept all her morals intact. she knows who she is and y鈥檃ll she is THAT bitch. the way she had so many people wanting/trying to kill her, but she never lost sight of who she was so when it came to her having a perfect chance to end the lives of those who wanted to end hers鈥he didn鈥檛 want to do it. it鈥檚 not her. ahhh i just love her so much.
鉂� 饾搷饾挾饾捁饾憭饾搩 饾搰饾捑饾憸饾搰饾搱饾憸饾搩 (饾捊饾搳饾搱饾挿饾挾饾搩饾捁):
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漟ascinating. you look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鉂�
immediately theo james. that is who he reminds me of. but then THE FANART!?! was not prepared馃槱xaden is a man you steer clear from and because he鈥檚 that kinda man鈥ign me and violet the fuck up cuz we鈥檙e THERE鈥n our knees. he鈥檚 the type of man that raises your pulse because of fear or lust鈥here鈥檚 no in between. xaden has so many walls up and throughout the book, violet tears those down鈥ne by one. i loved xaden鈥檚 character from the start which is crazy to say because he made it very clear that he wanted to kill violet. but just know this鈥� behind every villain is me falling in love with them.
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 might be a villain to some, but not you.鉂�
this man could literally run me over with his dragon and i鈥檇 still chase after him. i love his leadership and it meant so much more to me after finding out about his past. this man deserves the world. i love how protective he is and how he always challenged violet to do better and get stronger. AND HE鈥橲 FUNNY!? he had me giggling, swooning, kicking my feet, BLUSHING. this man may not be real but he gave me real butterflies in my tummy every time he spoke.
鉂� 饾搰饾憸饾搨饾挾饾搩饾捀饾憭:
first things first. the spicy scenes鈥鈥檓 blushing just thinking about them. they definitely live in my mind rent free. the sexual tension was REAL. the things xaden did for violet throughout this entire fucking book.
猡� he had an entire arsenal of daggers crafted specifically for her.
猡� he designed a saddle for tairn so that she could ride without falling to her death.
猡� he taught her how to defend herself.
猡� he protected her when she needed it.
猡� he had a harness made for andarna that attaches to tairn so she could keep up with them.
猡� he picked violets for her鈥︷煒�
this man is the definition of perfect. idc. i will stand by this man forever. he was one of the very few people who saw violet鈥檚 potential. he allowed her to handle herself because he knew that she could. he respected her and he showed it in more ways than one. the way he nicknamed her violence馃槶馃き
鈦赌鉃� she exists, and i get turned on.
鈦赌鉃� i can鈥檛 help it. i smile. this brilliant fucking woman is mine.
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漬ot all strength is physical, violet.鉂�
this man seriously owns me. like i am SAT. i just love the way violet was told to stay away from xaden because he鈥檚 dangerous, but she found the most comfort with him. her trying to resist him and his attractiveness is me af鈥�
鈦赌鉃� beautiful. fucking. asshole.
鈦赌鉃� you are not attracted to toxic men, i remind myself, and yet, here i am, getting all attracted.
鈦赌鉃� toxic. dangerous. wants to kill you. nope, doesn鈥檛 matter. my pulse still skitters like a teenager.
one of my all time favorite enemies to lovers romance i swear it was so good and written perfectly to me. i love these two endlessly馃ス馃き
鉂� 饾捇饾憸饾搳饾搩饾捁 饾捇饾挾饾搨饾捑饾搧饾搸:
i will be talking more about the side characters, but talking about them in depth means spoilers. so let me just say this鈥hiannon, aurelie, liam, heaton, sawyer, ridoc, and mira. the love i have for these characters馃き馃きthen we have the dragons deigh, andarna, sgaeyl, and tairn. there is nothing i can say about them without completely spoiling a bunch of stuff so just know that the dragons are literally my favorites. they are in charge of everything that has to do with dragons and they鈥檙e all different! the excitement i have for the next books to see all these relationships grow. i wanna know more and i鈥檓 wondering if rebecca will have some of the books in this series be in some of their povs鈥ut please i seriously wouldn鈥檛 mind having three or more books about xaden and violet, kinda like the acotar series!! but just know that there are so many characters in this book to fall in love with hehe.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
鉂� 饾捇饾挾饾搵饾憸饾搰饾捑饾搲饾憭 饾搱饾捀饾憭饾搩饾憭饾搱:
鈥渘ow, get back to bed before your wingleader realizes you鈥檙e out after curfew.鈥�
鈥渨hat?鈥� i gawk after him. 鈥測ou鈥檙e my wingleader!鈥�
~this had me giggling馃き
鈥済oing for blood today, are we, violence?鈥� he whispers. metal hits the mat again and he kicks it past my head and out of my reach. he鈥檚 not taking my daggers to use against me; he鈥檚 disarming me just to prove he can. my blood boils.
鈥渕y name is violet.鈥� i seethe.
鈥渋 think my version fits you better.鈥� he releases my wrist and stands offering me a hand. 鈥渨e鈥檙e not done yet.鈥�
~them on the sparring mat for the first time馃珷the way he taught her lessons without hurting her.
then he guides our hands back to my ribs and slides the ruby-hilted blade back into its sheath. the move is unnervingly鈥ot.
鈥測ou鈥檙e not going to disarm me?鈥� i challenge as he releases his grip and pushes up more, removing his weight from my body. my ribs expand as i take my full first breath.
鈥渘ope. defenseless women have never been my type.鈥�
~BYEBYEBYEnsync vibes LMAO
鈥渄id you know that the first time i climbed these steps with dain, i was horrified that there wasn鈥檛 a handrail?鈥�
鈥渄id you know i can鈥檛 stand to hear his name on your lips while you鈥檙e leading the way to my room.鈥�
~the jealousy is hot.
鈥測ou should end the enemy at your feet.鈥�
鈥渋 can鈥檛 kill an unconscious man.鈥�
鈥渉e could kill you given the same chance.鈥�
鈥渨ell, that鈥檚 a statement on his character. not mine.鈥�
~I LOVE VIOLET鈥橲 CHARACTER SO MUCH.
鈥渉ave you always been this tall?鈥� i blurt the first thing that comes to mind.
鈥渘o, i was a child at some point.鈥�
~xaden is effortlessly funny.
鈥測ou鈥檒l have to鈥斺€�
鈥渋 know how to handle a corset.鈥�
~okay so, run me over.
鈥渋 should have killed him slower.鈥�
鈥渋鈥檓 fine.鈥� i鈥檓 not.
鈥渘ever lie to me.鈥�
~馃珷pls be mine.
鈥渋 just need to know what my chances are here.鈥� my hands curl into fists. the ass has the nerve to smile.
鈥渢hat鈥檚 the oddest way i鈥檝e ever been hit on鈥斺€�
鈥渘ot my chances with you, you conceited prick!鈥�
~THIS HAD ME ROLLING馃槶馃槀
psa:
dain, jack, and all the other loathed characters that i don鈥檛 wanna waste time listing鈥E DON鈥橳 SPEAK OF THEM HERE鈥nless you鈥檙e talking negatively about them. dain is literally tamlin and a redemption arc for him will not be accepted.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
鉂� 饾搲饾挾饾捑饾搰饾搩 & 饾挾饾搩饾捁饾挾饾搰饾搩饾挾:
i was SCREAMING when tairn landed because i just knew he was going to bond with violet, but at the same time i was sad because violet had been protecting andarna so i was rooting for andarna to bond with her and then THEY BOTH BONDED WITH VIOLET. violet is her. when tairn spoke directly into violet鈥檚 mind omg i was so excited 馃槱
猡� 鈥渋 know exactly who and what you are, violet sorrengail.鈥�
i just love that one of the strongest dragons chose to bond with violet because of the person that she is omg.
猡� 鈥測ou will not fall. i will not allow it.鈥�
the way most dragons let their newly bonded riders fall to their death if they can鈥檛 stay on鈥ut tairn put in extra work to keep violet on his back omg馃スtell me that tairn isn鈥檛 like violet鈥檚 second dad鈥nd overprotective too. their bond is so precious.
猡� 鈥渋鈥檓 proud you鈥檙e mine.鈥�
andarna is the most precious dragon i swear. finding out that she鈥檚 only two years old馃ズ馃ズi love her so fucking much. the power she gave violet to freeze time, but if you use so much of that power, andarna could die. ugh the the way andarna trusted violet with that power. it just really goes to show how well violet carried herself throughout this book. at the end of the book, xaden said got big!! i cannot wait for for the next book.
also can we just quick talk about how funny tairn actually was鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e bleeding, stop it.鈥�
猡� 鈥渁nd to think, i鈥檇 almost forgotten just how loquacious humans are.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e making us look bad, stop it.鈥�
猡� 鈥渘ow get in the seat and actually hold on this time, or no one is going to believe that i鈥檝e actually chosen you.鈥�
猡� 鈥漷here鈥檚 no need to shout. i can hear you just fine. the entire mountain can probably hear you.鈥�
猡� 鈥減ronunciation could use some work.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e worthy. at least i think you are, but you apparently don鈥檛 pay attention in class.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢he closest translation for humans is probably 鈥榝or fuck鈥檚 sake.鈥� now. are you going to stay in your seat this time?鈥�
猡� 鈥渟tubborn silver human.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou only fell about a dozen times that trip.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢his grumpy ass just caught you a dozen times, silver one.鈥�
猡� 鈥渁nd i could call you violence like the wingleader.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢ell him if he harms you, i鈥檒l scorch the ground where he stands. tell him, or i鈥檒l take it up with cath. word for word, silver one.鈥�
猡� 鈥渋 hear it鈥檚 all the fashion.鈥�
猡� 鈥渟hould i get the wingleader?鈥�
猡� 鈥渋f they try anything, they鈥檒l be a snack.鈥�
imagine having a dragon like tairn鈥︷煒�
鉂� 饾搱饾憯饾挾饾憭饾搸饾搧:
猡� 鈥渢hey鈥檙e a mated pair, tairn and sgaeyl. the strongest bonded pair in centuries.鈥�
SCREAMINGGGG! oh xaden鈥ow your plans have changed.
猡� 鈥渋 belong to tairn and andarna鈥nd, in some really fucked up way鈥aden.鈥�
yes violet, yes you do. i love the way sgaeyl can talk directly into violet鈥檚 mind too. usually dragons can only do that to their own riders, but tairn and sgaeyl have such a strong bond馃きso now they鈥檙e all a lil family馃ス
guys xaden and violet being able to speak directly into each others minds. i SCREAMEDDDD. also xaden鈥檚 pov for the very last chapter馃槶i hope the next book has more of his pov!!
鉂� 饾搲饾捊饾捑饾搱 饾搨饾憸饾搨饾憭饾搩饾搲:
鈥渨hat changed?鈥� frustration tightens my grip on the mug. 鈥渨hen exactly did you decide not to ruin me?鈥�
鈥渕aybe it was when i saw oren holding a knife to your throat,鈥� he says. 鈥渙r maybe it was when i realized the bruises on your neck were fingerprints and wanted to kill them all over again just so i could do it slowly. maybe it was the first time i recklessly kissed you or when i realized i鈥檓 fucked because i can鈥檛 stop thinking about doing more than just kissing you.鈥�
can anyone hear me screaming?
鉂� 饾搰饾挾饾搩饾捁饾憸饾搨 饾搲饾捊饾憸饾搳饾憯饾捊饾搲饾搱
violet being able to wield lighting and xaden wields shadows鈥 love their signets so much!
THE BETRAYALS aaaaa i鈥檓 so glad rebecca patched things up for the most part between xaden and violet because idk what i would鈥檝e done if THAT was the cliffhanger. now i know i said we don鈥檛 speak of dain here but i鈥檓 about to drag this bitch through the fucking mud really quick. he was literally supposed to be violet鈥檚 best friend. i despise this man, IT SHOULD鈥橵E BEEN HIM AND NOT LIAM. he consistently put violet down and made her feel like she wasn鈥檛 good enough to become a dragon rider and then he has the audacity to kiss her and shit and claim that he has feelings for her!? bro what. he鈥檚 actually the shittiest person. and then he stole violet鈥檚 memory. without her consent. she full on trusted this guy.
猡� 鈥渋鈥檝e unknowingly betrayed xaden鈥etrayed them all.鈥�
THIS HURT ME OK. violet finding out about xaden鈥檚 betrayal, and then dain鈥檚 betrayal, and then her feeling as if she betrayed all of them. it was too much.
rebecca鈥isten to me馃槶the AUDACITY you had to make me fall in love with liam and then brutally rip him away from me. i could not stop crying. i want to cry right now thinking about it. he was such a fun character. he was literally violet鈥檚 protector ugh he was so sweet and flirty. i鈥檓 so pissed because i thought maybe rebecca was hinting at a little romance between liam and jesinia or am i the only one who thought that??? this is how y鈥檃ll know i鈥檓 such a slut for romance. i just be pairing characters together after one little interaction lmao. but :( ugh it鈥檚 gonna take me a little bit to forgive you, rebecca. that death hurt me like no other and then when xaden found out, i cried HARDER.
violet鈥檚 brother being alive鈥 cannot stop thinking about the next book. i seriously need it right now. i need to know everything. i鈥檓 honestly glad this was the cliffhanger tho because it鈥檚 not a devastating one hehe.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
this fantasy book makes me crave more fantasy! i really stepped outside of my comfort zone with this one and i鈥檓 so glad that i did! not everyone is going to love it, but give it a try because if could be your newest favorite, like it is mine馃き
鉂� 饾捇饾挾饾搵饾憸饾搰饾捑饾搲饾憭 饾搯饾搳饾憸饾搲饾憭饾搱:
鉃� 鉂漷here鈥檚 no where in existence you could go that i wouldn鈥檛 find you, violence.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漬one of this is worth it without you.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漣 am annoyingly aware of everything you do.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漵top. fucking. coddling. her.鉂� period.
鉃� 鉂漺e can love as cowards or die as riders.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漟uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鉂� screaming
鉃� 鉂漣 fucking love your hair. if you ever want to bring me to my knees or win an argument, just let it down. i鈥檒l get the point.鉂� STOP IT RN. i鈥檓 obsessed with his obsession with her.
鉃� 鉂漞verything between us is real, violence.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漼ou get to feel however you want within these walls.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漼ou鈥檙e going to be the death of me.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漺elcome to the revolution, violet.鉂�
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漚 dragon without its rider is a tragedy. a rider without their dragon is dead.鉂�
welcome to the fourth wing 馃悏
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
饾摷饾摴饾摳饾摬饾摰饾摦饾摶 饾摨饾摶饾摦饾摦 饾摴饾摳饾摶饾摻饾摬饾摳饾摲
what is more than infinity stars? i鈥檒l tell you what. it鈥檚 this book. besties let me just start with saying鈥 am a romance/dark romance girly through and through. the only other fantasy books i鈥檝e ever read were the acotar books and that series was so good. easily one of my favorite series ever, but fourth wing? it was even better鈥iteral chefs kiss馃i was hooked from the very first sentence to the very last. i鈥檝e read one of rebecca鈥檚 romance books and i loved it, but her writing fantasy?! she ate that up and left zero crumbs. this is easily one of my top reads of 2023. fourth wing was action packed and the romance was amazing.
鉂� 饾搲饾搰饾憸饾搮饾憭饾搱:
猡� found family
猡� enemies to lovers
猡� slow burn
猡� touch her and you die
猡� morally grey mmc
猡� forced proximity
鉂� 饾挾饾憭饾搱饾搲饾捊饾憭饾搲饾捑饾捀:
猡� dragons
猡� academic setting
猡� divergent vibes
猡� dystopian fantasy
鉂� 饾搮饾搧饾憸饾搲 饾搱饾搳饾搨饾搨饾挾饾搰饾搸:
this book is about violet sorrengail, the daughter of a high ranked general. most of her life she was practicing/training to be apart of the scribe quadrant because of her love for books and her intelligence, but her mother told her that she must follow in her siblings footsteps and become a dragon rider. violet is in no way prepared for that, but she ends up going to basgiath war college to do exactly what her mother asked of her. to become a dragon rider, you must pass all these very deadly challenges that are designed to kill off the weak. while violet is trying her very best to become a dragon rider鈥he鈥榮 constantly fighting her attraction for xaden riorson (her enemy that she was told to stay away from). xaden is a well respected wingleader of the fourth wing and his one goal was to kill violet because of the family she belongs to, but what happens when her life suddenly becomes tethered to his?
鉂� 饾搨饾搸 饾搲饾捊饾憸饾搳饾憯饾捊饾搲饾搱:
this book was so easy to follow and it was so fast paced. i was a little intimidated because the font was small and the chapters were longer than i usually prefer, but there was not a single page in this book that was boring. i鈥檓 usually the type to see how many pages are left in a chapter, but i simply did not care. i was fully consumed by this book and got totally lost in it. the action鈥t caused me a LOT of anxiety, but i ate that shit up. this book had my heart RACING. there were so many parts in this book that literally took my breath away鈥ad me forgetting how to breathe. the romance!?! 鈾撅笍/10. the angst, the spice, the banter鈥iterally everything you want for a romance plot. the writing was absolutely amazing. the descriptive writing omg鈥�10/10. it was so easy to picture all of the different settings and picture everything that was happening. i felt like i was sitting in the front row watching this entire book unfold. this book has so much potential to be turned into a movie omg please馃槶cast theo james as xaden IMMEDIATELY and then cast me as violet馃きand then let鈥檚 just erase dain completely. i adored most of the characters in this book. i love when i fall in love with side characters just as much as main characters.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
鉂� 饾搵饾捑饾憸饾搧饾憭饾搲 饾搱饾憸饾搰饾搰饾憭饾搩饾憯饾挾饾捑饾搧 (饾搵饾捑饾憸饾搧饾憭饾搩饾捀饾憭):
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. i am infinite.鉂�
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 will not die today.鉂�
this woman. one of my all time favorite fmc鈥檚 who i admire so much. her character development was phenomenal. i swear it was the most satisfying thing about this book. as soon as she was painted to be this tiny, weak, helpless woman鈥 was impatiently waiting for my girl to prove everyone wrong and she DID that. i love how well she knew her own mind and was not afraid to come forward and speak it. a place like the riders quadrant is where people go and get stripped of their humanity, but i love how violet kept all her morals intact. she knows who she is and y鈥檃ll she is THAT bitch. the way she had so many people wanting/trying to kill her, but she never lost sight of who she was so when it came to her having a perfect chance to end the lives of those who wanted to end hers鈥he didn鈥檛 want to do it. it鈥檚 not her. ahhh i just love her so much.
鉂� 饾搷饾挾饾捁饾憭饾搩 饾搰饾捑饾憸饾搰饾搱饾憸饾搩 (饾捊饾搳饾搱饾挿饾挾饾搩饾捁):
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漟ascinating. you look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鉂�
immediately theo james. that is who he reminds me of. but then THE FANART!?! was not prepared馃槱xaden is a man you steer clear from and because he鈥檚 that kinda man鈥ign me and violet the fuck up cuz we鈥檙e THERE鈥n our knees. he鈥檚 the type of man that raises your pulse because of fear or lust鈥here鈥檚 no in between. xaden has so many walls up and throughout the book, violet tears those down鈥ne by one. i loved xaden鈥檚 character from the start which is crazy to say because he made it very clear that he wanted to kill violet. but just know this鈥� behind every villain is me falling in love with them.
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漣 might be a villain to some, but not you.鉂�
this man could literally run me over with his dragon and i鈥檇 still chase after him. i love his leadership and it meant so much more to me after finding out about his past. this man deserves the world. i love how protective he is and how he always challenged violet to do better and get stronger. AND HE鈥橲 FUNNY!? he had me giggling, swooning, kicking my feet, BLUSHING. this man may not be real but he gave me real butterflies in my tummy every time he spoke.
鉂� 饾搰饾憸饾搨饾挾饾搩饾捀饾憭:
first things first. the spicy scenes鈥鈥檓 blushing just thinking about them. they definitely live in my mind rent free. the sexual tension was REAL. the things xaden did for violet throughout this entire fucking book.
猡� he had an entire arsenal of daggers crafted specifically for her.
猡� he designed a saddle for tairn so that she could ride without falling to her death.
猡� he taught her how to defend herself.
猡� he protected her when she needed it.
猡� he had a harness made for andarna that attaches to tairn so she could keep up with them.
猡� he picked violets for her鈥︷煒�
this man is the definition of perfect. idc. i will stand by this man forever. he was one of the very few people who saw violet鈥檚 potential. he allowed her to handle herself because he knew that she could. he respected her and he showed it in more ways than one. the way he nicknamed her violence馃槶馃き
鈦赌鉃� she exists, and i get turned on.
鈦赌鉃� i can鈥檛 help it. i smile. this brilliant fucking woman is mine.
鈦赌鉃� 鉂漬ot all strength is physical, violet.鉂�
this man seriously owns me. like i am SAT. i just love the way violet was told to stay away from xaden because he鈥檚 dangerous, but she found the most comfort with him. her trying to resist him and his attractiveness is me af鈥�
鈦赌鉃� beautiful. fucking. asshole.
鈦赌鉃� you are not attracted to toxic men, i remind myself, and yet, here i am, getting all attracted.
鈦赌鉃� toxic. dangerous. wants to kill you. nope, doesn鈥檛 matter. my pulse still skitters like a teenager.
one of my all time favorite enemies to lovers romance i swear it was so good and written perfectly to me. i love these two endlessly馃ス馃き
鉂� 饾捇饾憸饾搳饾搩饾捁 饾捇饾挾饾搨饾捑饾搧饾搸:
i will be talking more about the side characters, but talking about them in depth means spoilers. so let me just say this鈥hiannon, aurelie, liam, heaton, sawyer, ridoc, and mira. the love i have for these characters馃き馃きthen we have the dragons deigh, andarna, sgaeyl, and tairn. there is nothing i can say about them without completely spoiling a bunch of stuff so just know that the dragons are literally my favorites. they are in charge of everything that has to do with dragons and they鈥檙e all different! the excitement i have for the next books to see all these relationships grow. i wanna know more and i鈥檓 wondering if rebecca will have some of the books in this series be in some of their povs鈥ut please i seriously wouldn鈥檛 mind having three or more books about xaden and violet, kinda like the acotar series!! but just know that there are so many characters in this book to fall in love with hehe.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
鉂� 饾捇饾挾饾搵饾憸饾搰饾捑饾搲饾憭 饾搱饾捀饾憭饾搩饾憭饾搱:
鈥渘ow, get back to bed before your wingleader realizes you鈥檙e out after curfew.鈥�
鈥渨hat?鈥� i gawk after him. 鈥測ou鈥檙e my wingleader!鈥�
~this had me giggling馃き
鈥済oing for blood today, are we, violence?鈥� he whispers. metal hits the mat again and he kicks it past my head and out of my reach. he鈥檚 not taking my daggers to use against me; he鈥檚 disarming me just to prove he can. my blood boils.
鈥渕y name is violet.鈥� i seethe.
鈥渋 think my version fits you better.鈥� he releases my wrist and stands offering me a hand. 鈥渨e鈥檙e not done yet.鈥�
~them on the sparring mat for the first time馃珷the way he taught her lessons without hurting her.
then he guides our hands back to my ribs and slides the ruby-hilted blade back into its sheath. the move is unnervingly鈥ot.
鈥測ou鈥檙e not going to disarm me?鈥� i challenge as he releases his grip and pushes up more, removing his weight from my body. my ribs expand as i take my full first breath.
鈥渘ope. defenseless women have never been my type.鈥�
~BYEBYEBYE
鈥渄id you know that the first time i climbed these steps with dain, i was horrified that there wasn鈥檛 a handrail?鈥�
鈥渄id you know i can鈥檛 stand to hear his name on your lips while you鈥檙e leading the way to my room.鈥�
~the jealousy is hot.
鈥測ou should end the enemy at your feet.鈥�
鈥渋 can鈥檛 kill an unconscious man.鈥�
鈥渉e could kill you given the same chance.鈥�
鈥渨ell, that鈥檚 a statement on his character. not mine.鈥�
~I LOVE VIOLET鈥橲 CHARACTER SO MUCH.
鈥渉ave you always been this tall?鈥� i blurt the first thing that comes to mind.
鈥渘o, i was a child at some point.鈥�
~xaden is effortlessly funny.
鈥測ou鈥檒l have to鈥斺€�
鈥渋 know how to handle a corset.鈥�
~okay so, run me over.
鈥渋 should have killed him slower.鈥�
鈥渋鈥檓 fine.鈥� i鈥檓 not.
鈥渘ever lie to me.鈥�
~馃珷pls be mine.
鈥渋 just need to know what my chances are here.鈥� my hands curl into fists. the ass has the nerve to smile.
鈥渢hat鈥檚 the oddest way i鈥檝e ever been hit on鈥斺€�
鈥渘ot my chances with you, you conceited prick!鈥�
~THIS HAD ME ROLLING馃槶馃槀
psa:
dain, jack, and all the other loathed characters that i don鈥檛 wanna waste time listing鈥E DON鈥橳 SPEAK OF THEM HERE鈥nless you鈥檙e talking negatively about them. dain is literally tamlin and a redemption arc for him will not be accepted.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
饾摷饾摴饾摳饾摬饾摰饾摦饾摶 饾摴饾摳饾摶饾摻饾摬饾摳饾摲
鉂� 饾搲饾挾饾捑饾搰饾搩 & 饾挾饾搩饾捁饾挾饾搰饾搩饾挾:
i was SCREAMING when tairn landed because i just knew he was going to bond with violet, but at the same time i was sad because violet had been protecting andarna so i was rooting for andarna to bond with her and then THEY BOTH BONDED WITH VIOLET. violet is her. when tairn spoke directly into violet鈥檚 mind omg i was so excited 馃槱
猡� 鈥渋 know exactly who and what you are, violet sorrengail.鈥�
i just love that one of the strongest dragons chose to bond with violet because of the person that she is omg.
猡� 鈥測ou will not fall. i will not allow it.鈥�
the way most dragons let their newly bonded riders fall to their death if they can鈥檛 stay on鈥ut tairn put in extra work to keep violet on his back omg馃スtell me that tairn isn鈥檛 like violet鈥檚 second dad鈥nd overprotective too. their bond is so precious.
猡� 鈥渋鈥檓 proud you鈥檙e mine.鈥�
andarna is the most precious dragon i swear. finding out that she鈥檚 only two years old馃ズ馃ズi love her so fucking much. the power she gave violet to freeze time, but if you use so much of that power, andarna could die. ugh the the way andarna trusted violet with that power. it just really goes to show how well violet carried herself throughout this book. at the end of the book, xaden said got big!! i cannot wait for for the next book.
also can we just quick talk about how funny tairn actually was鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e bleeding, stop it.鈥�
猡� 鈥渁nd to think, i鈥檇 almost forgotten just how loquacious humans are.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e making us look bad, stop it.鈥�
猡� 鈥渘ow get in the seat and actually hold on this time, or no one is going to believe that i鈥檝e actually chosen you.鈥�
猡� 鈥漷here鈥檚 no need to shout. i can hear you just fine. the entire mountain can probably hear you.鈥�
猡� 鈥減ronunciation could use some work.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou鈥檙e worthy. at least i think you are, but you apparently don鈥檛 pay attention in class.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢he closest translation for humans is probably 鈥榝or fuck鈥檚 sake.鈥� now. are you going to stay in your seat this time?鈥�
猡� 鈥渟tubborn silver human.鈥�
猡� 鈥測ou only fell about a dozen times that trip.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢his grumpy ass just caught you a dozen times, silver one.鈥�
猡� 鈥渁nd i could call you violence like the wingleader.鈥�
猡� 鈥渢ell him if he harms you, i鈥檒l scorch the ground where he stands. tell him, or i鈥檒l take it up with cath. word for word, silver one.鈥�
猡� 鈥渋 hear it鈥檚 all the fashion.鈥�
猡� 鈥渟hould i get the wingleader?鈥�
猡� 鈥渋f they try anything, they鈥檒l be a snack.鈥�
imagine having a dragon like tairn鈥︷煒�
鉂� 饾搱饾憯饾挾饾憭饾搸饾搧:
猡� 鈥渢hey鈥檙e a mated pair, tairn and sgaeyl. the strongest bonded pair in centuries.鈥�
SCREAMINGGGG! oh xaden鈥ow your plans have changed.
猡� 鈥渋 belong to tairn and andarna鈥nd, in some really fucked up way鈥aden.鈥�
yes violet, yes you do. i love the way sgaeyl can talk directly into violet鈥檚 mind too. usually dragons can only do that to their own riders, but tairn and sgaeyl have such a strong bond馃きso now they鈥檙e all a lil family馃ス
guys xaden and violet being able to speak directly into each others minds. i SCREAMEDDDD. also xaden鈥檚 pov for the very last chapter馃槶i hope the next book has more of his pov!!
鉂� 饾搲饾捊饾捑饾搱 饾搨饾憸饾搨饾憭饾搩饾搲:
鈥渨hat changed?鈥� frustration tightens my grip on the mug. 鈥渨hen exactly did you decide not to ruin me?鈥�
鈥渕aybe it was when i saw oren holding a knife to your throat,鈥� he says. 鈥渙r maybe it was when i realized the bruises on your neck were fingerprints and wanted to kill them all over again just so i could do it slowly. maybe it was the first time i recklessly kissed you or when i realized i鈥檓 fucked because i can鈥檛 stop thinking about doing more than just kissing you.鈥�
can anyone hear me screaming?
鉂� 饾搰饾挾饾搩饾捁饾憸饾搨 饾搲饾捊饾憸饾搳饾憯饾捊饾搲饾搱
violet being able to wield lighting and xaden wields shadows鈥 love their signets so much!
THE BETRAYALS aaaaa i鈥檓 so glad rebecca patched things up for the most part between xaden and violet because idk what i would鈥檝e done if THAT was the cliffhanger. now i know i said we don鈥檛 speak of dain here but i鈥檓 about to drag this bitch through the fucking mud really quick. he was literally supposed to be violet鈥檚 best friend. i despise this man, IT SHOULD鈥橵E BEEN HIM AND NOT LIAM. he consistently put violet down and made her feel like she wasn鈥檛 good enough to become a dragon rider and then he has the audacity to kiss her and shit and claim that he has feelings for her!? bro what. he鈥檚 actually the shittiest person. and then he stole violet鈥檚 memory. without her consent. she full on trusted this guy.
猡� 鈥渋鈥檝e unknowingly betrayed xaden鈥etrayed them all.鈥�
THIS HURT ME OK. violet finding out about xaden鈥檚 betrayal, and then dain鈥檚 betrayal, and then her feeling as if she betrayed all of them. it was too much.
rebecca鈥isten to me馃槶the AUDACITY you had to make me fall in love with liam and then brutally rip him away from me. i could not stop crying. i want to cry right now thinking about it. he was such a fun character. he was literally violet鈥檚 protector ugh he was so sweet and flirty. i鈥檓 so pissed because i thought maybe rebecca was hinting at a little romance between liam and jesinia or am i the only one who thought that??? this is how y鈥檃ll know i鈥檓 such a slut for romance. i just be pairing characters together after one little interaction lmao. but :( ugh it鈥檚 gonna take me a little bit to forgive you, rebecca. that death hurt me like no other and then when xaden found out, i cried HARDER.
violet鈥檚 brother being alive鈥 cannot stop thinking about the next book. i seriously need it right now. i need to know everything. i鈥檓 honestly glad this was the cliffhanger tho because it鈥檚 not a devastating one hehe.
掳鉂赌鈰�.喑冟繑*:锝ワ渐:*.喑冟繑鈰嗏潃掳
饾摷饾摴饾摳饾摬饾摰饾摦饾摶饾摷 饾摳饾摽饾摦饾摶
this fantasy book makes me crave more fantasy! i really stepped outside of my comfort zone with this one and i鈥檓 so glad that i did! not everyone is going to love it, but give it a try because if could be your newest favorite, like it is mine馃き
鉂� 饾捇饾挾饾搵饾憸饾搰饾捑饾搲饾憭 饾搯饾搳饾憸饾搲饾憭饾搱:
鉃� 鉂漷here鈥檚 no where in existence you could go that i wouldn鈥檛 find you, violence.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漬one of this is worth it without you.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漣 am annoyingly aware of everything you do.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漵top. fucking. coddling. her.鉂� period.
鉃� 鉂漺e can love as cowards or die as riders.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漟uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鉂� screaming
鉃� 鉂漣 fucking love your hair. if you ever want to bring me to my knees or win an argument, just let it down. i鈥檒l get the point.鉂� STOP IT RN. i鈥檓 obsessed with his obsession with her.
鉃� 鉂漞verything between us is real, violence.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漼ou get to feel however you want within these walls.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漼ou鈥檙e going to be the death of me.鉂�
鉃� 鉂漺elcome to the revolution, violet.鉂�
January 29, 2025
5 猸愶笍 If Throne of Glass, Divergent, Eragon, and Zodiac Academy had a baby. . . but this is better!!!
*PS: I don't really even like ZA, but it's similar because of the academic setting, the heroine's journey to understanding her strength, and the enemies-to-lovers aspect (it's not quite a bully romance though).
You know when you finish a book, and it leaves an ache in your chest because it was so good, and now it鈥檚 over? Yeah, that鈥檚 exactly how I feel after finishing Fourth Wing.
Summary:
There are only two ways to leave Basgiath War College: graduate or die. 鈦�
鈦�
Violet was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant and live a quiet life among books. However, when her mother, the commanding general, forces her to join the Riders Quadrants to become a dragon rider, she must push herself past all limitations in order to survive. 鈦�
鈦�
Staying alive would be a lot easier if Violet didn't have a target on her back for not only being 'small and frail' but the daughter of the woman responsible for the deaths of many cadet's traitorous parents, including Xaden Riorson's - the most powerful and ruthless wingleader. She should stay away from him, but a fire burns between these two that is bound to consume them both. 鈦�
鈦�
With stakes this high, every day could be her last. So Violet must learn to do the one thing she was never trained to do: fight. 鈦�
"I will not die today." -Violet Sorrengail
鈦�
WHAT TO EXPECT:
鉁� adult romantasy
鉁� true enemies to lovers
鉁� war college setting
鉁� dragon riders
鉁� magic
鉁� underdog fmc / chronic illness rep
鉁� scarred anti-hero mmc
鉁� unique world building
鉁� complex politics
鉁� found family
鉁� high stakes
鉁� insta-lust with slow burn
鉁� 2/5 馃尪锔� (2 explicit spicy scenes)
鉁� cliffhanger ending
My Thoughts:
I am utterly obsessed! Mark my words, this is the next big romantasy series!
The writing is easy to digest, the world-building is fascinating, the heroine is an underdog and total badass, and the romance develops at a believable pace and is scorching! I laughed. I cried. And I fell in love. This book will forever live in my head rent-free! 鈦�
Violet Sorrengail is a secret badass! I LOVE her!!!!! She鈥檚 a twenty-year-old bookworm who鈥檚 expected to live a life as a scribe but now must survive and become a dragon rider. Physically, she鈥檚 smaller and frailer than the other cadets in the quadrant, but that doesn鈥檛 make her weak. Her mind is her strength and what she needs to survive. I love how Violet handles her situation with courage and grace and how she creates meaningful relationships at the risk of her own heart. She鈥檚 extremely relatable, and I can鈥檛 wait to see how she grows.
Xaden Riorson...this man has easily become one of my top book boyfriends of all time! The son of a traitor, he鈥檚 out for revenge against Violet, whose mother led to his father's death. From a distance, he鈥檚 a scary, scarred, intense anti-hero, but deep down, he鈥檚 a man who is loyal, caring, and wise. And the way this man obsesses with Violet鈥�.damn. You truly don鈥檛 know if he wants to kill or f*ck her, probably both, but yeah, it鈥檚 hot! The things I would let this man do to me. 馃サ
The enemies-to-lovers romance was perfect, with an intense slow burn and eventually spice! I appreciated the time it took for these two to finally get together. And when they finally do, it鈥檚 explosive! Thank goodness this is new adult fantasy because the things Xaden says and did go straight to my core, lol.
The dragons stole my heart. I don鈥檛 want to say too much because it would spoil some of the books, but they are terrifying and amazing!!! They have their own hierarchy and politics, which we don鈥檛 see much of since they鈥檙e very secretive, but it鈥檚 fascinating how they decide to bond with humans to create a symbiotic relationship that ultimately helps protect the land. Can't wait to learn more about them in the next book!
The found family aspect was done so well! As a dragon rider, you're encouraged not to form strong attachments since most people in your school will either die before becoming riders or later on during battle. But Violet goes against this and finds her ride or dies - specifically Rhiannon and Liam! 馃挄
The world building so easy to understand yet very interesting. I鈥檝e never actually read a series focused on dragons and dragon riders, so this was new and exciting for me! It was so interesting learning about the different quadrants - scribe, rider, healer, and infantry - and the schooling required for each. Obviously, this story focuses more on the Riders Quadrant, which honestly is the most exciting because it's so intense, challenging, and cutthroat. I personally don鈥檛 know if I鈥檇 survive, but maybe if I had a friend like Violet, it would be possible!
PS: For all you Manon and Abraxos fans out there, you鈥檙e going to fall in love with this world!!!
For the most part, the story was a bit predictable, but it鈥檚 all done in a way that I was entertained and excited to keep reading! I mean, we've seen similar stories where the seemingly weak heroine finds herself in a kill-or-be-killed situation and has to learn to fight and ultimately ends up thriving. So in that regard, you can guess where the story is heading.
HOWEVER . . .
That ENDING was everything I was not expecting! Those last 50 pages were absolutely epic and blew my fucking mind!!!!!! I DID NOT see that ending coming! I cried and then was left stunned by that last sentence. It's a cliffhanger, but it'll leave you more in shock instead of in pain, so don't be afraid of it! It's brutal and will make you want to immediately pick up the next book. Luckily we don't have to wait for long since the release date is November 7, 2023!
But with everything I love, there are a few things I didn't like . . .
Sometimes, the wording Violet used to concerning Xaden was a bit repetitive and immature. She kept describing him as beautiful and hot anytime he crossed her mind or showed up. I wish she would have used other words from time to time.
The reader has to essentially piece together why Xaden falls for Violet. It鈥檚 quickly explained later in the story, but by then, it felt like we were being told more than shown. I would have liked for him to verbalize it more during the story. At least, more than him just saying things like 鈥淚 can鈥檛 stay away from you鈥漮r 鈥測ou鈥檒l be the f*cking death of me鈥�. Every time he's say those things, I was like, tell me why, though!
Overall, Fourth Wing is an epic story that you will devour! I wouldn鈥檛 say this is a perfect 5-star read, maybe it鈥檚 closer to 4.5 since it wasn鈥檛 鈥榩erfect鈥�, but honestly, I don't care. I haven鈥檛 read a fantasy I felt this way about in a long time, so I'm giving it all the stars.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing, for sending me an arc copy in exchange for a review. As always, all opinions are my own.
-
The Empyrean Series:
1. Fourth Wing: 5 猸愶笍
2. Iron Flame: 3 猸愶笍
3. Onyx Storm: 3 猸愶笍
4. Book 4
5. Book 5
-
Favorite Quotes:
"Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?"
_______
鈥淎re you going to die a scribe? Or live as a rider?鈥�
_______
"You want to know why you're still alive? Every day I let you live, I get to convince myself that there's still a part of me that's a decent person."
_______
"Not all strength is physical."
_______
"She should have killed you in the field, but she's merciful. That's not a flaw I possess."
_______
"He cares for you. That鈥檚 already hard enough for him."
"He cares about keeping me alive. There's a difference."
"Not for him there isn't."
_______
"I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite."
_______
"There's nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn't find you, Violence.鈥�
_______
"Oh, gods."
"Which one are you calling out for? Because it's just you and me in this room, Vi, and I don't share."
_______
"I'm going to keep you. You're mine, Violet."
_______
"I would rather lose this entire war than live without, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart, and I'm keeping it."
_______
"None of this is worth it without you."
_______
*PS: I don't really even like ZA, but it's similar because of the academic setting, the heroine's journey to understanding her strength, and the enemies-to-lovers aspect (it's not quite a bully romance though).
You know when you finish a book, and it leaves an ache in your chest because it was so good, and now it鈥檚 over? Yeah, that鈥檚 exactly how I feel after finishing Fourth Wing.
Summary:
There are only two ways to leave Basgiath War College: graduate or die. 鈦�
鈦�
Violet was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant and live a quiet life among books. However, when her mother, the commanding general, forces her to join the Riders Quadrants to become a dragon rider, she must push herself past all limitations in order to survive. 鈦�
鈦�
Staying alive would be a lot easier if Violet didn't have a target on her back for not only being 'small and frail' but the daughter of the woman responsible for the deaths of many cadet's traitorous parents, including Xaden Riorson's - the most powerful and ruthless wingleader. She should stay away from him, but a fire burns between these two that is bound to consume them both. 鈦�
鈦�
With stakes this high, every day could be her last. So Violet must learn to do the one thing she was never trained to do: fight. 鈦�
"I will not die today." -Violet Sorrengail
鈦�
WHAT TO EXPECT:
鉁� adult romantasy
鉁� true enemies to lovers
鉁� war college setting
鉁� dragon riders
鉁� magic
鉁� underdog fmc / chronic illness rep
鉁� scarred anti-hero mmc
鉁� unique world building
鉁� complex politics
鉁� found family
鉁� high stakes
鉁� insta-lust with slow burn
鉁� 2/5 馃尪锔� (2 explicit spicy scenes)
鉁� cliffhanger ending
My Thoughts:
I am utterly obsessed! Mark my words, this is the next big romantasy series!
The writing is easy to digest, the world-building is fascinating, the heroine is an underdog and total badass, and the romance develops at a believable pace and is scorching! I laughed. I cried. And I fell in love. This book will forever live in my head rent-free! 鈦�
Violet Sorrengail is a secret badass! I LOVE her!!!!! She鈥檚 a twenty-year-old bookworm who鈥檚 expected to live a life as a scribe but now must survive and become a dragon rider. Physically, she鈥檚 smaller and frailer than the other cadets in the quadrant, but that doesn鈥檛 make her weak. Her mind is her strength and what she needs to survive. I love how Violet handles her situation with courage and grace and how she creates meaningful relationships at the risk of her own heart. She鈥檚 extremely relatable, and I can鈥檛 wait to see how she grows.
Xaden Riorson...this man has easily become one of my top book boyfriends of all time! The son of a traitor, he鈥檚 out for revenge against Violet, whose mother led to his father's death. From a distance, he鈥檚 a scary, scarred, intense anti-hero, but deep down, he鈥檚 a man who is loyal, caring, and wise. And the way this man obsesses with Violet鈥�.damn. You truly don鈥檛 know if he wants to kill or f*ck her, probably both, but yeah, it鈥檚 hot! The things I would let this man do to me. 馃サ
The enemies-to-lovers romance was perfect, with an intense slow burn and eventually spice! I appreciated the time it took for these two to finally get together. And when they finally do, it鈥檚 explosive! Thank goodness this is new adult fantasy because the things Xaden says and did go straight to my core, lol.
The dragons stole my heart. I don鈥檛 want to say too much because it would spoil some of the books, but they are terrifying and amazing!!! They have their own hierarchy and politics, which we don鈥檛 see much of since they鈥檙e very secretive, but it鈥檚 fascinating how they decide to bond with humans to create a symbiotic relationship that ultimately helps protect the land. Can't wait to learn more about them in the next book!
The found family aspect was done so well! As a dragon rider, you're encouraged not to form strong attachments since most people in your school will either die before becoming riders or later on during battle. But Violet goes against this and finds her ride or dies - specifically Rhiannon and Liam! 馃挄
The world building so easy to understand yet very interesting. I鈥檝e never actually read a series focused on dragons and dragon riders, so this was new and exciting for me! It was so interesting learning about the different quadrants - scribe, rider, healer, and infantry - and the schooling required for each. Obviously, this story focuses more on the Riders Quadrant, which honestly is the most exciting because it's so intense, challenging, and cutthroat. I personally don鈥檛 know if I鈥檇 survive, but maybe if I had a friend like Violet, it would be possible!
PS: For all you Manon and Abraxos fans out there, you鈥檙e going to fall in love with this world!!!
For the most part, the story was a bit predictable, but it鈥檚 all done in a way that I was entertained and excited to keep reading! I mean, we've seen similar stories where the seemingly weak heroine finds herself in a kill-or-be-killed situation and has to learn to fight and ultimately ends up thriving. So in that regard, you can guess where the story is heading.
HOWEVER . . .
That ENDING was everything I was not expecting! Those last 50 pages were absolutely epic and blew my fucking mind!!!!!! I DID NOT see that ending coming! I cried and then was left stunned by that last sentence. It's a cliffhanger, but it'll leave you more in shock instead of in pain, so don't be afraid of it! It's brutal and will make you want to immediately pick up the next book. Luckily we don't have to wait for long since the release date is November 7, 2023!
But with everything I love, there are a few things I didn't like . . .
Sometimes, the wording Violet used to concerning Xaden was a bit repetitive and immature. She kept describing him as beautiful and hot anytime he crossed her mind or showed up. I wish she would have used other words from time to time.
The reader has to essentially piece together why Xaden falls for Violet. It鈥檚 quickly explained later in the story, but by then, it felt like we were being told more than shown. I would have liked for him to verbalize it more during the story. At least, more than him just saying things like 鈥淚 can鈥檛 stay away from you鈥漮r 鈥測ou鈥檒l be the f*cking death of me鈥�. Every time he's say those things, I was like, tell me why, though!
Overall, Fourth Wing is an epic story that you will devour! I wouldn鈥檛 say this is a perfect 5-star read, maybe it鈥檚 closer to 4.5 since it wasn鈥檛 鈥榩erfect鈥�, but honestly, I don't care. I haven鈥檛 read a fantasy I felt this way about in a long time, so I'm giving it all the stars.
Thank you, Entangled Publishing, for sending me an arc copy in exchange for a review. As always, all opinions are my own.
-
The Empyrean Series:
1. Fourth Wing: 5 猸愶笍
2. Iron Flame: 3 猸愶笍
3. Onyx Storm: 3 猸愶笍
4. Book 4
5. Book 5
-
Favorite Quotes:
"Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?"
_______
鈥淎re you going to die a scribe? Or live as a rider?鈥�
_______
"You want to know why you're still alive? Every day I let you live, I get to convince myself that there's still a part of me that's a decent person."
_______
"Not all strength is physical."
_______
"She should have killed you in the field, but she's merciful. That's not a flaw I possess."
_______
"He cares for you. That鈥檚 already hard enough for him."
"He cares about keeping me alive. There's a difference."
"Not for him there isn't."
_______
"I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite."
_______
"There's nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn't find you, Violence.鈥�
_______
"Oh, gods."
"Which one are you calling out for? Because it's just you and me in this room, Vi, and I don't share."
_______
"I'm going to keep you. You're mine, Violet."
_______
"I would rather lose this entire war than live without, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart, and I'm keeping it."
_______
"None of this is worth it without you."
_______
October 4, 2023
this review will contain spoilers
Do you remember when you were 10 and you were left alone playing in your backyard, talking to yourself, and in the little roleplay in your mind you were the coolest, hottest, bravest and everyone around you thought you were impressive, badass , with a "mind sexy as hell" (quote from this book)and you blew everyone's minds because you can be as cool as you want to inside your own head?
Yeah, this is what this book reads like. I can't humanely comprehend how this has a higher rating than Six of Crows. I just can't. Here are the things I agree with that everyone has been saying:
Good idea, fucking awful, god awful execution. And a little bit of a Shadow and Bone rip off if you ask me.
She is supposed to be a scribe. She is forced to become a rider, she gets there, her childhood best friends who has always had feelings for her is mad that she is there, and worried that she won't survive. But don't worry, because the SHADOW WIELDER bad boy who hates her is there to train her and teach her all about that world. Oh and by the end she ends up being a LIGHTENING WIELDER. There hasn't been one in centuries.
May the sun summoner bless you Fourth Wing, you're about to get roasted.
Let's get the disability rep talk out of the way, many people told me there was some. And even if there is, the author approached the subject so so so subtlely I honestly couldn't even tell it was there. Because the only thing that was actually written was: I am so tiny, I am so weak, I am so fragile, frail, I will crumble. Please, don't send me to the dragon riding academy, because I am ramen noodle and I will break and die. Have I also mentioned I am white, pale, and very very very very thin? By the way, I am tiny. I am so smoll. I can't even jump on the dragon's back I am so small.
How will she ever survive?
I feel like for people who don鈥檛 know that specific disability, she doesn鈥檛 give you any insight? Like what does it mean? How does it happen? What is it called? As someone who had never heard of it before it was hard to even notice when she was talking about the disability. It didn鈥檛 bring any kind of awareness (which I鈥檇 think would be the whole point) Also someone who is this breakable can鈥檛 be having wild fucking sex but apparently we forgot about her disability during the sex scenes lmao. But it doesn鈥檛 matter because no matter what, everyone wanted to kill her and THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WOULD EVER SURVIVE
In this place where apparently people die daily, like flies. So much danger, so much death, so much struggle. That you don't see. You just hear about it because the author got too lazy to actually do any world building. So for the first half of the book there is just a bunch of telling and no showing.
But don't worry, this frail, little pale, white girl, with white hair will bond not ONE BUT TWO of the rarest most powerful dragons alive. Even if she's not even tall enough to jump on their back.
Also, enemies to lovers? Where? Where the fuck was that? These two have less chemistry than a priest with a hooker. Her mom is responsible for the death of someone in his family, so he blames her, he wants to kill her, he hates her from the momen the sees her (it lasts about two pages). But every time SHE SEES him, all she can think of is: "He's a shark and everyone next to him is a fish", Dammit I don't want to find this asshole hot, but he's so hot", " "omg, he calls me violence intead of violet, I am not attracted to toxic men but why do I want to bounce on his dick sooooooooooo bad..."
So she basically sounds like a 14 year old valley girl for the entire book.
They barely have any significant encounters, all of their interactions are so cringe that it makes me think this book should have been published in 2001. He smells like citrus, he has 107 scars on his back. And he tells her she's going to be the death of him every time he gets a chance.
"He's a very dangerous addiction. Something women will kill for. "
If you catch me killing for men, please, end me first.
Anyways, of course we have the most recycled sex dialogue on the plannet.
OH GODS - WHICH GOD ARE YOU CALLING OUT FOR ITS JUST ME HERE AND I DONT SHARE
They fall deeply in love with each other, even though they barely interacted throughout the book, barely created a connection and didn't even hate each other at all for longer than a couple of pages. She bonds with the most powerful dragons alive, one of her dragons is mated to HIS DRAGON, and every time the dragons get horny SO DO THEY. So they have to learn how to control the hornyness coming from the dragons wanting to fuck. I wish I was joking.
The book ends with a very predictable cliffhanger (which is a rip off from Red Queen and Divergent) and now this is one of the best selling books in the world.
Watchu gonna do.
I guess there is something out there for everyone. Part of me thinks that most people got paid really well to love this book so much. But that would be disingenuous of me to say, because I know people who didn't get paid who enjoyed it. So I guess I can see that this book might feel nostalgic.
It gives you all the 2001 writing cringe fest, so if you missed reading something like Twilight, you'll definitely have fun. The characters are as childish as Zodiac Academy characters, so if you enjoy that, you might have a good time. She steals elements from Harry Potter, Shadow and Bone (most of the plot actually) ACOTAR, and used the writing style and sex scene lines most booktok people love, so BOOM! Best-Seller.
Anyways, I am finally fucking free. I think I have learned my lesson and I willl chill on the booktok recommendations for a LONG LONG LONG TIME.
She just "borrowed" SO FREAKING MUCH from many other popular series that this feels so unoriginal. It almost feels like she threw this book into an AI and said: write me a YA novel and the AI grabbed all the most popular series and put it in there. The sex scenes are all repetitive and recycled. It reads like YA, but it has none of the good aspects from YA, there鈥檚 too much sexual content that adds nothing to the plot (and this is supposed to be a fantasy series) So yeah, it's a no from me. Too bad as well because the dragons were cool.
UPDATE: I was literally going through my old Throne of Glass highlights and found ANOTHER series this author ripped off. Aelin says she wakes up everyday and tells herself she will not be afraid. Guess who does that too in this series? 馃ぃ
November 3, 2023
EDIT November 2023: idk who I thought I was kidding with that 3 star rating. 2.5 at best. 馃槓
Original Review:
I think I can give this book a low 3 stars, if I鈥檓 being very nice. The only reason I didn't DNF this book in the first half is because I was using it to actively procrastinate packing.
I鈥檒l start by saying I don鈥檛 buy into the hype when books blow up like this and I don鈥檛 think 鈥渂ooktok lied to me.鈥� I pre-ordered this well before it came out and well before people were talking about it on every other post on your feeds - which is to say that I went into it based on what the book presents itself as rather than reader reactions - and when I know I鈥檓 going to read a book I don鈥檛 read/watch reviews because I don鈥檛 want to go in with any preconceived notions I garner from other readers; so, while I don鈥檛 think booktok lied to me, I do think the book itself 鈥渓ies鈥� about what it is.
The synopsis, the excerpt on the back of the book, and the cover all communicate that this is a high fantasy, war college, dragon-riding book. What it actually is, is a From Blood and Ash style New Adult fantasy romance that utilizes those elements. That becomes apparent very early in the book just from the style of the writing, but it was jarring to reorient myself to what I was going to get rather than what I was sold. And this isn鈥檛 to say that there鈥檚 anything wrong with NA romantasy books, but I wonder why the publisher felt the need to bury the lede here when NA romantasy is such a popular genre right now. But I digress. On to the book itself.
The writing is a hard 2 out of 5. It鈥檚 not good. Never in my life have I seen clunkier or more lazily delivered exposition in a book. My note on page 14 says 鈥淚鈥檓 sure we鈥檙e going to get past this soon but the expositional dialogue is physically painful.鈥� The author spends the first hundred pages of this book (at least) beating you over the head with expositional dialogue delivered in such a way that I鈥檓 reading it thinking 鈥渢here鈥檚 no reason for these two people to be saying these words to each other in this order, except that the author doesn鈥檛 know how else to get that information to me as the reader.鈥� This is exasperated by the main character just straight up reciting lore to herself. Out loud. Like a history book. For no goddamn reason except that, again, the author seemingly just couldn't figure out how else to get that information across.
Truly just some of the worst attempts at world building I鈥檝e ever read. Beyond that, the style is entirely too modern for my personal tastes (if I wanted a book with dialogue like 鈥渇or the win鈥� 鈥済otcha鈥� and 鈥渟hit鈥檚 about to get real鈥� I would not be reading high fantasy) and the main character鈥檚 internal dialogue is constantly about how hot the male lead is and how much her scalp is tingling when he looks at her. The prose is blunt and dry and boring.
The book is also predictable to a fault, well beyond the idea of a book just adhering to genre conventions. From the very beginning you can pretty much lay out how the entire story is going to play out and guess all the important beats it鈥檚 going to hit and when they鈥檙e going to happen. If you鈥檝e ever read a fantasy romance book and if you鈥檝e ever read a dragon riding book, you鈥檝e read this book exactly. It鈥檚 cookie cutter. It鈥檚 nothing new. There were so few instances of me not knowing exactly what was coming that I can tell you how many times it happened. Twice. Two times in this entire book did something happen that I didn鈥檛 already know was coming.
The ending ends up being pretty funny because of this. It鈥檚 delivered as this massive reveal that has absolutely no gravitas because I distinctly remember the exact moment I knew it was going to happen. Rather than this shocking 鈥渙h my god鈥� moment that it鈥檚 clearly intended to be, it hits more with a 鈥渙h cool congratulations on catching up to what I knew two hundred pages ago. Is that it?鈥�
So, with all of that said, why am I able to give it three stars???
Look, all I really needed from this book was to have fun. I mentioned above that I don鈥檛 buy into the hype, but I am aware of it and with this book I adjusted my expectations accordingly. I know what kinds of books often tend to get popular in the way that this one did and my previous experiences with them (some good, some not so good), and so I readjusted my needs to 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need it to be bloody shakespeare, but let鈥檚 have fun with it.鈥� And eventually it did get kind of fun.
This dragon book took 200 pages to give me dragons, but once it finally did there was a noticeable improvement in my enjoyment of the book. I鈥檓 not difficult to please, you give me dragons and flying and training and a bare minimum of readable writing and I鈥檓 going to have some fun. It just took way too long to get there and I don鈥檛 know that I think fighting through the first half of the book was worth finally being entertained by the second half. And I really didn鈥檛 need the multi-page obstacle course that was just the author dictating an episode of Ninja Warrior.
The romance is鈥ine. Again, it鈥檚 nothing special. I made the From Blood and Ash comparison earlier and this couple (Violet and Xaden鈥hat a name) are just Poppy and Casteel in a different font. You cannot tell me Xaden鈥檚 鈥渧icious little thing鈥� line wasn鈥檛 at least inspired by how obsessed everyone is with Casteel鈥檚 鈥渟tunningly murderous little creature鈥� line. Like I said above, if you鈥檝e read a fantasy romance before you鈥檝e read this book.
Character-wise I think the main character is fine and the disability rep was interesting and gave her a refreshing change from the 鈥渟hort training montage and MC is suddenly better than everyone at everything鈥� archetype. She鈥檚 not magically healed by anything, she has to find ways to work around the limitations of her body. I think I did enjoy Xaden as a love interest (despite and/or because of the cookie cutter enemies-to-lovers shadow magic template, who鈥檚 to say) and there were a couple side characters I liked.
All said and done, I *might* give this series another shot with book 2. I could have a better time with a second book now that I (hopefully) don鈥檛 have to sit through 100+ pages of concussive force exposition and I can go in knowing what I鈥檓 getting despite what the book sells itself as.
However, I just found out it鈥檚 apparently supposed to be FIVE books and the next one comes out in November (7 months after this one, yikes), and not to bring FBAA up for a third time here but for the love of god we all saw what happened with that series. Far too many books, all far too long, and all coming out way too quickly without anything close to adequate time for editing or revisions. I guess we鈥檒l see how this goes.
Original Review:
I think I can give this book a low 3 stars, if I鈥檓 being very nice. The only reason I didn't DNF this book in the first half is because I was using it to actively procrastinate packing.
I鈥檒l start by saying I don鈥檛 buy into the hype when books blow up like this and I don鈥檛 think 鈥渂ooktok lied to me.鈥� I pre-ordered this well before it came out and well before people were talking about it on every other post on your feeds - which is to say that I went into it based on what the book presents itself as rather than reader reactions - and when I know I鈥檓 going to read a book I don鈥檛 read/watch reviews because I don鈥檛 want to go in with any preconceived notions I garner from other readers; so, while I don鈥檛 think booktok lied to me, I do think the book itself 鈥渓ies鈥� about what it is.
The synopsis, the excerpt on the back of the book, and the cover all communicate that this is a high fantasy, war college, dragon-riding book. What it actually is, is a From Blood and Ash style New Adult fantasy romance that utilizes those elements. That becomes apparent very early in the book just from the style of the writing, but it was jarring to reorient myself to what I was going to get rather than what I was sold. And this isn鈥檛 to say that there鈥檚 anything wrong with NA romantasy books, but I wonder why the publisher felt the need to bury the lede here when NA romantasy is such a popular genre right now. But I digress. On to the book itself.
The writing is a hard 2 out of 5. It鈥檚 not good. Never in my life have I seen clunkier or more lazily delivered exposition in a book. My note on page 14 says 鈥淚鈥檓 sure we鈥檙e going to get past this soon but the expositional dialogue is physically painful.鈥� The author spends the first hundred pages of this book (at least) beating you over the head with expositional dialogue delivered in such a way that I鈥檓 reading it thinking 鈥渢here鈥檚 no reason for these two people to be saying these words to each other in this order, except that the author doesn鈥檛 know how else to get that information to me as the reader.鈥� This is exasperated by the main character just straight up reciting lore to herself. Out loud. Like a history book. For no goddamn reason except that, again, the author seemingly just couldn't figure out how else to get that information across.
Truly just some of the worst attempts at world building I鈥檝e ever read. Beyond that, the style is entirely too modern for my personal tastes (if I wanted a book with dialogue like 鈥渇or the win鈥� 鈥済otcha鈥� and 鈥渟hit鈥檚 about to get real鈥� I would not be reading high fantasy) and the main character鈥檚 internal dialogue is constantly about how hot the male lead is and how much her scalp is tingling when he looks at her. The prose is blunt and dry and boring.
The book is also predictable to a fault, well beyond the idea of a book just adhering to genre conventions. From the very beginning you can pretty much lay out how the entire story is going to play out and guess all the important beats it鈥檚 going to hit and when they鈥檙e going to happen. If you鈥檝e ever read a fantasy romance book and if you鈥檝e ever read a dragon riding book, you鈥檝e read this book exactly. It鈥檚 cookie cutter. It鈥檚 nothing new. There were so few instances of me not knowing exactly what was coming that I can tell you how many times it happened. Twice. Two times in this entire book did something happen that I didn鈥檛 already know was coming.
The ending ends up being pretty funny because of this. It鈥檚 delivered as this massive reveal that has absolutely no gravitas because I distinctly remember the exact moment I knew it was going to happen. Rather than this shocking 鈥渙h my god鈥� moment that it鈥檚 clearly intended to be, it hits more with a 鈥渙h cool congratulations on catching up to what I knew two hundred pages ago. Is that it?鈥�
So, with all of that said, why am I able to give it three stars???
Look, all I really needed from this book was to have fun. I mentioned above that I don鈥檛 buy into the hype, but I am aware of it and with this book I adjusted my expectations accordingly. I know what kinds of books often tend to get popular in the way that this one did and my previous experiences with them (some good, some not so good), and so I readjusted my needs to 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need it to be bloody shakespeare, but let鈥檚 have fun with it.鈥� And eventually it did get kind of fun.
This dragon book took 200 pages to give me dragons, but once it finally did there was a noticeable improvement in my enjoyment of the book. I鈥檓 not difficult to please, you give me dragons and flying and training and a bare minimum of readable writing and I鈥檓 going to have some fun. It just took way too long to get there and I don鈥檛 know that I think fighting through the first half of the book was worth finally being entertained by the second half. And I really didn鈥檛 need the multi-page obstacle course that was just the author dictating an episode of Ninja Warrior.
The romance is鈥ine. Again, it鈥檚 nothing special. I made the From Blood and Ash comparison earlier and this couple (Violet and Xaden鈥hat a name) are just Poppy and Casteel in a different font. You cannot tell me Xaden鈥檚 鈥渧icious little thing鈥� line wasn鈥檛 at least inspired by how obsessed everyone is with Casteel鈥檚 鈥渟tunningly murderous little creature鈥� line. Like I said above, if you鈥檝e read a fantasy romance before you鈥檝e read this book.
Character-wise I think the main character is fine and the disability rep was interesting and gave her a refreshing change from the 鈥渟hort training montage and MC is suddenly better than everyone at everything鈥� archetype. She鈥檚 not magically healed by anything, she has to find ways to work around the limitations of her body. I think I did enjoy Xaden as a love interest (despite and/or because of the cookie cutter enemies-to-lovers shadow magic template, who鈥檚 to say) and there were a couple side characters I liked.
All said and done, I *might* give this series another shot with book 2. I could have a better time with a second book now that I (hopefully) don鈥檛 have to sit through 100+ pages of concussive force exposition and I can go in knowing what I鈥檓 getting despite what the book sells itself as.
However, I just found out it鈥檚 apparently supposed to be FIVE books and the next one comes out in November (7 months after this one, yikes), and not to bring FBAA up for a third time here but for the love of god we all saw what happened with that series. Far too many books, all far too long, and all coming out way too quickly without anything close to adequate time for editing or revisions. I guess we鈥檒l see how this goes.
March 1, 2024
鈥漷here is no me without you.鈥�
I. NEED. THE. NEXT. BOOK. NOW. 馃栈锔�
鈥� i cannot gather my thoughts and get my points out coherently rn 鈥� like how can i even write this review and explain how much i loved this book - i swear this book had me in the biggest fkn chokehold 2 chapters in!! I. AM. OBSESSED. WITH. THIS. BOOK. fourth wing had a great mixture between romance and high stakes, this story was giving me major divergent and the hunger games vibes like when i tell you the vibes where there, THEY WERE THERE. it had everything i loved (and dragons) - i haven鈥檛 felt this excited about a fantasy book in MONTHS but this was captivating and now i feel a reading slump coming bc of it lmao rip to me. this is a book that is really easy to get into, it鈥檚 very fast paced and was engaging right from the beginning to the very end, I WAS HOOKED!! this lives up to the massive hype it鈥檚 getting, i get it now.. i could have read this in a day, but i needed to slow it down and savour this book.
鉃� i found the fantasy and world building easy to understand (there are no dumb info dumps) - so this book is perfect for those who are new to reading fantasy; yarros takes what most other books only manage to allude to and truly brings depth to her story which brings it to life. i got hooked with the whole fantasy war school, quadrants and politics setting. this is a book i want to live in, i want to jump into the pages and never leave!!
鉃� i understand now when people say it was very predictable bc i guessed that ending from page 1 - however, i would much rather have a predictable book than one that makes no sense bc it is trying to confuse the reader w so much unnecessary shit added into it. this was done in a perfect way.
鈥漼ou look all frail and breakable, but you鈥檙e really a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鈥�
鈫� violet is probably one of the most incredible FMCs i have read about in a while. i loved her tight bond w her sister, her dragons and the love she has for books. she鈥檚 tough, very strong willed, quick witted and not afraid to go the extra mile to succeed. she works through each challenge that is thrown at her by using her strengths and knowledge, and proves she belongs just like everyone else. i loved reading about her journey, seeing her exceed all expectations and break down every barrier she succumbed.
鈥� there is an disability representation with the fmc (she has a chronic illness) and the author done an amazing job at showing how her chronic illness doesn鈥檛 define her. i love how she shows everyone she is not some frail weakling that constantly needs to be protected.
鈫� xaden is first introduced as the most powerful wing leader violet is warned to STAY AWAY from. violet had this superstition that he is out to kill her bc her mother had his father executed. but from the get go, we all know as an audience he doesn鈥檛 want to kill her, he was so smitten for violet right from the start. that man had weapons custom made for violet that would fit her body type, built a harness for andarna that clips onto tairn just so she could ride along with them and also literally made a saddle for violet to use on tairn so she doesn鈥檛 fall off while riding!! i can鈥檛 explain how much i love this man and his grumpy exterior but deep down he鈥檚 a big softy for those he loves. I JUST LOVE MEN WHO SHOW THEIR LOVE THROUGH ACTIONS!!
鈥� i will take no slander on him EVER. he is that typical broody, morally grey love interest ppl roll their eyes over, but he has DEPTH. this man fr had me kicking my feet in the air, giggling and screaming into my pillow whenever he would call violet 鈥渧iolence鈥� 馃き he is exactly what vi needed!! i just love how he always believed in her and only wants to see her at her full potential and succeed.
the romance: oh my goddd, the romance was perfect!! 馃槷鈥嶐煉煠岎煆� the slow burn? was burning, absolutely delicious. enemies to lovers? SPLENDID, BEAUTIFUL, EXECUTED PERFECTLY. i was itching for xaden and vi sm. the spice? DELECTABLE. TOE CURLING. the enemies aspect of this book was so satisfying, istg it had me going feral !! the tension was EVERYTHING. it's the perfect build up and the pay off is amazing once it happens.
鈫� dain is another adam kent loser side hoe. he acts like vi is some fragile little girl that needs constant protection, tells her to leave bc he wanted her to be a scribe like she was intended to be not a dragon rider and hides her away. he was constantly holding her back and questions her ability at every turn,, PLS HE IS ADAM KENT CODED. and the sort of love triangle was very juliette, adam and warner literally cut the mf cameras. his death arc when?? next book im praying.
鈫� tairn and andarna - they were the best addition to this book!! yarros done an incredible job with providing so much details about the dragons, their history and their personalities - i absolutely loved the interactions between the dragons and their riders - i fkn love tairn my grump, i adored his protectiveness over violet and would not even think twice about burning you alive if you hurt or touch her, yes xaden included lmaoo. he was so snarky it had me giggling w how sassy and unbothered he was. and i love how tairn and sgaeyl were a mated pair bc it ended up making violet and xaden tethered heh 馃き
鈥渢here鈥檚 no where in existence you
could go that i wouldn鈥檛 find you, violence鈥�
鈥� okay but i could enthuse ab every little detail of this book, but this is one of those stories that you NEED to read. you don't just read a book like this, you live in it and never want to return, specially bc in this world xaden exists and you get to ride dragons.
this isn鈥檛 a perfect book there are some flaws, but this was perfect to me! like yes it is super predictable, yes it鈥檚 tropey, but am i obsessed? YES, YES I AM. it had everything i wanted in a fantasy book and so many dragons. this story will be something different to everyone, you鈥檙e either going to love or hate it, but you need to read this at least once in your life. but ahh i can鈥檛 wait to get my greedy little hands on iron flame, i needed that book in my hands yesterday.
thank you amelie & hannah for br w me!! 馃┓鉁�
October 22, 2024
1.5/5
New half-year resolution鈥擨 need to stop taking recommendations from Booktok.
I鈥檓 not gonna to lie here, if this series hadn't been raved about everywhere I looked online, I probably wouldn't have read it. I鈥檓 trying to stop reading TikTok popular books, but the rating in this book made me picked it up. Fourth Wing was my first book by Rebecca Yarros, so I didn't know what exactly to expect, but at least now I know that it will be my first and last story by this author, because it turned out not to be for me.
This review probably won't cover all the things I didn't like about it, as I started skipping pages after about sixty percent of the book. But without further ado, let's finally get to the point of my review鈥�what exactly didn't work out for me in this story.
The story didn鈥檛 hooked me up from the beginning at all. The main reason for this is probably because the writing style didn't speak out to me. I actually dnfed it the day before, because of that reason, but decided to give it another chance because I thought it might not be my day for it or maybe I wasn't in the right mood after a whole week. At one point I was even glad about this decision, but my enthusiasm didn鈥檛 last long. I have to be honest and say that around forty percent of the book I was pretty invested in the story when the dragons finally showed up. Unfortunately, it turned out I was only interested when the dragons were involved. The rest was just boring for me.
The second thing is that I felt no connection to the characters. Literally nothing. I must admit that Violet had some great moments, but most of the time I was just embarrassed by her actions. The example.
That line sounded like a horny frat boy.
Also, if you didn鈥檛 get it that she was short and tiny, the author kept reminding you of that, because that information was indeed very important.
鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
That's only from twenty-six percent of the book. I did not include the rest, because I would not have enough space for the rest of my review.
Moving to Xaden鈥攁ka, your typical fantasy hero. Seriously. He was your usual tall, black haired, with strong sharp jaw, muscled body, but this time he was riding dragons. I almost forgot, he was
you get the picture. He was also tall. I've written about it before, but we've also been reminded of it a lot. I had to mention that sentence he said here, because I was laughing my ass off at that moment.
Touchable skin? What does it mean buddy?
Honestly, the dragons were more interesting than the main characters here. If the book was about Tairn, I'd probably be more eager to read it. This dragon had better personality than both of them. At least for me. Tairn was literally my favorite character here. That says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book.
The last thing is the romance between Xaden and Violet. This series is supposed to have five books and they already done the deed, are in love鈥攑robably because I didn't make it to this part, and have a strong connection鈥攁gain, probably because I didn't make it to this part. I thought that at least their first meeting, which is usually quite important, will be more spectacular. But, no. They met in the fourth percent of the book and I was like "Well, that鈥檚 it? Already?". They were supposed to be enemies to lovers, the reasoning behind it made even sense, but they delivered nothing. I felt no chemistry between them, no tension, especially the sexual one, and no hatred that they should feel towards each other as enemies. Almost every time Violet saw Xaden it went like that.
鈥� 鈥� 鈥庘€� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
Not even their first kiss and the cute nickname the hero usually gives the heroine saved them. The first kiss happened after Violet found out that they could feel when their dragons banged. Yes, they could feel their dragons banging. This information made me feel quite uncomfortable. Extremely even. I know they could get rid of that with some magic or whatever, but just why? The nickname "Violence" that Xaden called Violet was tacky and the book could easily have survived without it. Not to mention this line.
My only thought was. It sounds damn similar. Even though I only read the first book from this series.
Moving forward to the things I liked.
The dragons.
Ending my review, all I will say is that I am pretty sad and disappointed that I didn鈥檛 end up liking this book. I wanted to start a new fantasy series that I would be obsessed with, but I guess we can't have everything we want. I鈥檓 happy for people who loved it though. Good for you guys.
New half-year resolution鈥擨 need to stop taking recommendations from Booktok.
I鈥檓 not gonna to lie here, if this series hadn't been raved about everywhere I looked online, I probably wouldn't have read it. I鈥檓 trying to stop reading TikTok popular books, but the rating in this book made me picked it up. Fourth Wing was my first book by Rebecca Yarros, so I didn't know what exactly to expect, but at least now I know that it will be my first and last story by this author, because it turned out not to be for me.
This review probably won't cover all the things I didn't like about it, as I started skipping pages after about sixty percent of the book. But without further ado, let's finally get to the point of my review鈥�what exactly didn't work out for me in this story.
The story didn鈥檛 hooked me up from the beginning at all. The main reason for this is probably because the writing style didn't speak out to me. I actually dnfed it the day before, because of that reason, but decided to give it another chance because I thought it might not be my day for it or maybe I wasn't in the right mood after a whole week. At one point I was even glad about this decision, but my enthusiasm didn鈥檛 last long. I have to be honest and say that around forty percent of the book I was pretty invested in the story when the dragons finally showed up. Unfortunately, it turned out I was only interested when the dragons were involved. The rest was just boring for me.
The second thing is that I felt no connection to the characters. Literally nothing. I must admit that Violet had some great moments, but most of the time I was just embarrassed by her actions. The example.
鈥淕lad to see our year apart hasn鈥檛 dulled your tongue, Vi.鈥�
鈥淥h,鈥� I toss over my shoulder as we walk into the hallway, 鈥淚 can do quite a few things with my tongue. You鈥檇 be impressed.鈥�
That line sounded like a horny frat boy.
Also, if you didn鈥檛 get it that she was short and tiny, the author kept reminding you of that, because that information was indeed very important.
"I鈥檓 too short."
鈥淪o she鈥檚 small.鈥� Mom scans me up and down"
"Good gods, I don鈥檛 even reach his collarbone."
"I鈥檓 shorter than most."
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 pretty small for a rider, but it looks like you made it.鈥�
"I鈥檓 at a disadvantage, that I鈥檓 too small to climb its foreleg and mount,"
鈥湷鄞浅茆€檙别 tiny.鈥� He says it like an insult"
"I鈥檓 the smallest of our squad"
鈥淚鈥檓 too short for the ramp,鈥� I whisper to Rhi."
鈥淚鈥檓 too short to span the distance!鈥� I hiss, uncaring that anyone could hear us."
鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
That's only from twenty-six percent of the book. I did not include the rest, because I would not have enough space for the rest of my review.
Moving to Xaden鈥攁ka, your typical fantasy hero. Seriously. He was your usual tall, black haired, with strong sharp jaw, muscled body, but this time he was riding dragons. I almost forgot, he was
"Flaming hot. Scorching hot. Gets-you-into-trouble-and-you-like-it level of hot."
you get the picture. He was also tall. I've written about it before, but we've also been reminded of it a lot. I had to mention that sentence he said here, because I was laughing my ass off at that moment.
"You have incredibly touchable skin.鈥�
Touchable skin? What does it mean buddy?
Honestly, the dragons were more interesting than the main characters here. If the book was about Tairn, I'd probably be more eager to read it. This dragon had better personality than both of them. At least for me. Tairn was literally my favorite character here. That says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book.
The last thing is the romance between Xaden and Violet. This series is supposed to have five books and they already done the deed, are in love鈥攑robably because I didn't make it to this part, and have a strong connection鈥攁gain, probably because I didn't make it to this part. I thought that at least their first meeting, which is usually quite important, will be more spectacular. But, no. They met in the fourth percent of the book and I was like "Well, that鈥檚 it? Already?". They were supposed to be enemies to lovers, the reasoning behind it made even sense, but they delivered nothing. I felt no chemistry between them, no tension, especially the sexual one, and no hatred that they should feel towards each other as enemies. Almost every time Violet saw Xaden it went like that.
"I hate him so much"
鈥� 鈥� 鈥庘€� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
"But he is so sexy and beautiful and sexy. And tall."
Not even their first kiss and the cute nickname the hero usually gives the heroine saved them. The first kiss happened after Violet found out that they could feel when their dragons banged. Yes, they could feel their dragons banging. This information made me feel quite uncomfortable. Extremely even. I know they could get rid of that with some magic or whatever, but just why? The nickname "Violence" that Xaden called Violet was tacky and the book could easily have survived without it. Not to mention this line.
"you鈥檙e really a violent little thing, aren鈥檛 you?鈥�
My only thought was. It sounds damn similar. Even though I only read the first book from this series.
Moving forward to the things I liked.
The dragons.
Ending my review, all I will say is that I am pretty sad and disappointed that I didn鈥檛 end up liking this book. I wanted to start a new fantasy series that I would be obsessed with, but I guess we can't have everything we want. I鈥檓 happy for people who loved it though. Good for you guys.
May 7, 2023
If I had a million dollars for every cliche in this book, of which there are a multitude, I'd still regret spending $20 on all 498 pages of this mess.
Spoilers to follow :)
Let's start with the worldbuilding!
Now, this book had two things I love dearly: dragons, and an academic setting. Yarros, however, explains almost every element of her world so poorly and sporadically that the entire story feels as though it were concocted page by page. The hierarchy of squadrons and sections and wings is so unnecessarily confusing. The whole "war" going on along the border is so vague, it was obvious from the start that some twist was going to reveal the good guys were actually the bad guys all along. The author's primary method of exposition is dropping pieces of information into conversations that feel forced and completely unnatural. No one talks like that. No one shares information like that.
Now, the writing!
The sentence constructions alone were enough to give me a headache. I can't tell you how many times I had to reread entire paragraphs because of poorly written and run-on sentences. As for the dialogue, let's discuss the fact that everyone talks like it's 2023, despite the medieval setting. I'm not kidding, the female character asks herself at least twice, using these exact words, "Is it toxic that I like this guy even though he can kill me?" Yes. Yes it is. And so is all this internal monologuing. Please, end my suffering. Apart from the sentences and dialogue, the descriptions were severely lacking. Every location felt like a vague impression rather than an actual place. I don't think I've ever encountered a book suffering from white room syndrome quite like this one.
Now for the characters. Oh, the characters.
Starting with the main event, we have frail young Violet who is SO relatable because she's SO clumsy and SO bad at things! Simultaneously, she is SO smart (like smarter than everyone) and SO unique that she gets not one, but TWO dragons to bond with her! And of course, they're both the rarest kind of dragons that exist!!! And naturally, everyone wants her dead for... reasons. But does her life being in danger give her any sense of self control? Absolutely not! She argues with everyone and throws her sass around to both peers and superior officers with little to no consequence. This woman has the survival skills of a fruit fly!! Additionally, her moods go back and forth quicker than an Olympic ping-pong match. First she hates Xaden because he's a traitor. Then she loves Xaden because she decides to trust him. Then she hates Xaden because he's a traitor. I'm expecting the cycle will continue in Book 2. Also, she starts off wanting to be a scribe and gets pissed when she's thrown into the Rider's Quadrant, then she decides she desperately wants to be a Rider because... because? The decision is given hardly any explanation or emotional weight.
And then there's discount Rhsysand. Oh wow, the moody black-haired rebel with tattoos is actually the good guy. Shocking. He's hard on the outside, but a softie on the inside. Groundbreaking. Also, the way that Yarros writes his character from Violet's perspective is downright sickening at times. From the very first scene with him, Violet's internal thoughts about Xaden are grossly objectifying. Everything is about his body, and how hot he is, and how badly she wants to sleep with him. There's an entire scene spanning two pages where Violet and another woman are straight-up ogling shirtless Xaden while he's sparring with another guy. It's disgusting. If the roles were reversed, if a male author wrote about a male character viewing a woman in the same way, heads would be rolling. It's gross, and frankly one of the most disappointing things about this book.
Honestly, none of the other characters were interesting enough to write about. The dragons were fine, and probably the most likeable. Sawyer was the only human I found tolerable. Dain was just annoying, as he was clearly meant to be.
Now, the plot.
The majority of this book was consumed by Violet being horny and a random series of challenges. There was no explanation anywhere of what the academic year would look like, which makes me think the author was just making up more challenges and battles and war games as she went along. All of this, of course, leading up to a real challenge where we find out information that was abundantly obvious from the start. Oh no, the good guys are the bad guys. The bad guys are the good guys. The dead brother is actually alive. I wish I cared about any of this, but I don't because it's been so blatantly obvious since the first chapter. The pacing of this book was tedious in a lot of places because there wasn't really any kind of looming threat beyond the vague allusions to bigger attacks along the border. Nothing in this book surprised me. Nothing came even remotely close. Everything was so over-ridden with cliches and ideas from other books (mainly Divergent, and a little bit of Red Queen with the not-dead-brother ending) that nothing felt original or creative at all.
I have searched earnestly, to the farthest hills on the horizon, for something good in this book. Alas, I return to my homeland empty-handed.
And here's the thing: I so desperately wanted to enjoy this book, which makes it all the more disappointing. If you've made it this far, I want you to know I did not approach this book with the intention of feeling this way. If you enjoyed this book, kudos to you. Feel free to keep on enjoying it. These are just my thoughts and opinions, and I'll content myself to be the cranky grandma of 欧宝娱乐 if need be. But good heavens, am I glad this is over with.
Spoilers to follow :)
Let's start with the worldbuilding!
Now, this book had two things I love dearly: dragons, and an academic setting. Yarros, however, explains almost every element of her world so poorly and sporadically that the entire story feels as though it were concocted page by page. The hierarchy of squadrons and sections and wings is so unnecessarily confusing. The whole "war" going on along the border is so vague, it was obvious from the start that some twist was going to reveal the good guys were actually the bad guys all along. The author's primary method of exposition is dropping pieces of information into conversations that feel forced and completely unnatural. No one talks like that. No one shares information like that.
Now, the writing!
The sentence constructions alone were enough to give me a headache. I can't tell you how many times I had to reread entire paragraphs because of poorly written and run-on sentences. As for the dialogue, let's discuss the fact that everyone talks like it's 2023, despite the medieval setting. I'm not kidding, the female character asks herself at least twice, using these exact words, "Is it toxic that I like this guy even though he can kill me?" Yes. Yes it is. And so is all this internal monologuing. Please, end my suffering. Apart from the sentences and dialogue, the descriptions were severely lacking. Every location felt like a vague impression rather than an actual place. I don't think I've ever encountered a book suffering from white room syndrome quite like this one.
Now for the characters. Oh, the characters.
Starting with the main event, we have frail young Violet who is SO relatable because she's SO clumsy and SO bad at things! Simultaneously, she is SO smart (like smarter than everyone) and SO unique that she gets not one, but TWO dragons to bond with her! And of course, they're both the rarest kind of dragons that exist!!! And naturally, everyone wants her dead for... reasons. But does her life being in danger give her any sense of self control? Absolutely not! She argues with everyone and throws her sass around to both peers and superior officers with little to no consequence. This woman has the survival skills of a fruit fly!! Additionally, her moods go back and forth quicker than an Olympic ping-pong match. First she hates Xaden because he's a traitor. Then she loves Xaden because she decides to trust him. Then she hates Xaden because he's a traitor. I'm expecting the cycle will continue in Book 2. Also, she starts off wanting to be a scribe and gets pissed when she's thrown into the Rider's Quadrant, then she decides she desperately wants to be a Rider because... because? The decision is given hardly any explanation or emotional weight.
And then there's discount Rhsysand. Oh wow, the moody black-haired rebel with tattoos is actually the good guy. Shocking. He's hard on the outside, but a softie on the inside. Groundbreaking. Also, the way that Yarros writes his character from Violet's perspective is downright sickening at times. From the very first scene with him, Violet's internal thoughts about Xaden are grossly objectifying. Everything is about his body, and how hot he is, and how badly she wants to sleep with him. There's an entire scene spanning two pages where Violet and another woman are straight-up ogling shirtless Xaden while he's sparring with another guy. It's disgusting. If the roles were reversed, if a male author wrote about a male character viewing a woman in the same way, heads would be rolling. It's gross, and frankly one of the most disappointing things about this book.
Honestly, none of the other characters were interesting enough to write about. The dragons were fine, and probably the most likeable. Sawyer was the only human I found tolerable. Dain was just annoying, as he was clearly meant to be.
Now, the plot.
The majority of this book was consumed by Violet being horny and a random series of challenges. There was no explanation anywhere of what the academic year would look like, which makes me think the author was just making up more challenges and battles and war games as she went along. All of this, of course, leading up to a real challenge where we find out information that was abundantly obvious from the start. Oh no, the good guys are the bad guys. The bad guys are the good guys. The dead brother is actually alive. I wish I cared about any of this, but I don't because it's been so blatantly obvious since the first chapter. The pacing of this book was tedious in a lot of places because there wasn't really any kind of looming threat beyond the vague allusions to bigger attacks along the border. Nothing in this book surprised me. Nothing came even remotely close. Everything was so over-ridden with cliches and ideas from other books (mainly Divergent, and a little bit of Red Queen with the not-dead-brother ending) that nothing felt original or creative at all.
I have searched earnestly, to the farthest hills on the horizon, for something good in this book. Alas, I return to my homeland empty-handed.
And here's the thing: I so desperately wanted to enjoy this book, which makes it all the more disappointing. If you've made it this far, I want you to know I did not approach this book with the intention of feeling this way. If you enjoyed this book, kudos to you. Feel free to keep on enjoying it. These are just my thoughts and opinions, and I'll content myself to be the cranky grandma of 欧宝娱乐 if need be. But good heavens, am I glad this is over with.
October 31, 2023
UPDATE- STFU IT'S BEING DEVELOPED INTO A TV SERIES 馃く馃槺
"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead."
鉁� Reread done right (Aug 2023)
I loved it as much as I did it the first time I read it, in fact I loved it more. Picked up on a lot of foreshadowing. Rebecca Yarros is a truly talented writer, the emotions I felt reading it were so genuine, I was fully immersed. The characters and the story are fire.
I loved Xaden and Violet even more, hated Dain with passion, Tairn and Adarana continue to be badasses and Liam...I got no words, I love that guy.
词鈥鈥
ORIGINAL REVIEW 馃憞 (May 2023)
THIS BOOK馃馃 Y'all believe me it's worth the money. I am in loveeeeee, easily the best book I read this year and one of the best romantasy I've read in a while. Books like this are the reason I fell in love with reading.
Let's just jump right in, cause am excited to write this review.
Read if you like-
鉁旓笍 Zodiac Academy
鉁旓笍 Divergent
鉁旓笍 Throne of Glass
鉁旓笍 Dragons馃悏
鉁旓笍 Academia setting (war college)
鉁旓笍 High fantasy
鉁旓笍 Chronic illness rep
鉁旓笍 Enemies to lovers
鉁旓笍 Slow burn
鉁旓笍 Spice (3.5/5) 馃尪锔�
"... There's nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn't find you, Violence."
Trained to be in the Scribe Quadrant, the FMC- Violet, found herself in the Riders Quadrant- the most elite of Navarre, where survival is of the fittest and the strongest. All she needs to do is not get killed and bond with a dragon, but it's not as easy. Not only she has to escape the clutches of the students who want her dead, with few dragons willing to bond; she also has to keep away from Xaden, MMC who wants her dead.
From page 1 till page 633 I was hooked. The world building is detailed and well thought out. The plot is consistent and true to itself. The pacing, fluctuates a bit in the second half but mostly stays fast paced for the majority of the book.
"Tell me what you're thinking?"
"I was thinking you are exactly as I predicted the first time you took me in my room."
"Oh yeah? And what was that?"
"A very dangerous addiction."
Coming to the characters-
鈿颈辞濒别迟- I loved her. She's brave, compassionate, goes to lengths to protect others and knows how to stand up for herself and others. Having had chronic illness, people always underestimate her (all but one) but that's what makes her an underdog. I liked how balanced her character and personality was, never over the top. Loved following her journey through the war school and boy how she developed and grew in those pages.
馃枻齿补诲别苍- Idk if anyone else is saying this but I will- Xaden has the same vibe that Warwick from Savage Lands does, but Xaden does it better. There's just something about their personality that's so similar. Give the Savage Lands series a go if you liked Xaden. Anyway, I loved him so much. He's a badass. Once her started opening up, and we got to see the softer side of him- I was swooning. He's powerful, sexy, and knows when to pick his battles, certainly not a push over.
Dain- What an ass. Radiates the same energy as Tamlin in ACOMAF.
The other supporting characters are good as well, they grow on ya- especially the dragons and Liam. Tairn and Adarana have my heart. I loved them since the first time they spoke. They have a sense of humour, are badass and protect so fiercely. Saegyl was okay-ish, not much of her tbh. Now I want a dragon 馃槶
"I'm going to keep you. You're mine, Violet."
"Only if you're mine."
"I've been yours for longer than you could ever imagine." 鉂わ笍鈥嶐煍モ潳锔忊€嶐煍�
The romance is an angsty slow burn, enemies to lovers with spice and oh how brilliantly it was executed 馃グ I was all in my feels, swooning and melting and basically loved it. And if you like the characters being jealous, you'll enjoy that trope here too. I do think there was a pinch of "who did this to you" but wasn't that impactful. Xaden and Violet's chemistry is off the charts. They compliment each other so well and I like how open and honest they are with each other, and that both of them don't hold each other back and give the other room to make mistakes, learn and grow. It is a mature relationship yeah. Also, the smut was hot.. no seriously, things did get hot and broken down 馃き
The ending was an emotional rollercoaster. I was crying so much at one point, had to take deep breaths to resume reading. I cannot wait for the sequel 馃ぉ
It's such a masterpiece in my opinion. I haven't felt this in love and so strongly about a book in a while and am so genuinely happy I read this 馃槶馃槶鉂わ笍
It's a binge worthy action packed romantasy with never a dull moment. You are missing out if you haven't read this. Idk what are you all doing, GO READ IT! I promise it won't disappoint.
Y'all think Amazon will have a dragon? 馃
词鈥鈥
I have no words. I'm gonna take some time to collect my thoughts. But WOW.
词鈥鈥
Y'all I know I just started reading this but am already in love. I predict 4-5 star rating, hopefully that will be the case.
"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead."
鉁� Reread done right (Aug 2023)
I loved it as much as I did it the first time I read it, in fact I loved it more. Picked up on a lot of foreshadowing. Rebecca Yarros is a truly talented writer, the emotions I felt reading it were so genuine, I was fully immersed. The characters and the story are fire.
I loved Xaden and Violet even more, hated Dain with passion, Tairn and Adarana continue to be badasses and Liam...I got no words, I love that guy.
词鈥鈥
ORIGINAL REVIEW 馃憞 (May 2023)
THIS BOOK馃馃 Y'all believe me it's worth the money. I am in loveeeeee, easily the best book I read this year and one of the best romantasy I've read in a while. Books like this are the reason I fell in love with reading.
Let's just jump right in, cause am excited to write this review.
Read if you like-
鉁旓笍 Zodiac Academy
鉁旓笍 Divergent
鉁旓笍 Throne of Glass
鉁旓笍 Dragons馃悏
鉁旓笍 Academia setting (war college)
鉁旓笍 High fantasy
鉁旓笍 Chronic illness rep
鉁旓笍 Enemies to lovers
鉁旓笍 Slow burn
鉁旓笍 Spice (3.5/5) 馃尪锔�
"... There's nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn't find you, Violence."
Trained to be in the Scribe Quadrant, the FMC- Violet, found herself in the Riders Quadrant- the most elite of Navarre, where survival is of the fittest and the strongest. All she needs to do is not get killed and bond with a dragon, but it's not as easy. Not only she has to escape the clutches of the students who want her dead, with few dragons willing to bond; she also has to keep away from Xaden, MMC who wants her dead.
From page 1 till page 633 I was hooked. The world building is detailed and well thought out. The plot is consistent and true to itself. The pacing, fluctuates a bit in the second half but mostly stays fast paced for the majority of the book.
"Tell me what you're thinking?"
"I was thinking you are exactly as I predicted the first time you took me in my room."
"Oh yeah? And what was that?"
"A very dangerous addiction."
Coming to the characters-
鈿颈辞濒别迟- I loved her. She's brave, compassionate, goes to lengths to protect others and knows how to stand up for herself and others. Having had chronic illness, people always underestimate her (all but one) but that's what makes her an underdog. I liked how balanced her character and personality was, never over the top. Loved following her journey through the war school and boy how she developed and grew in those pages.
馃枻齿补诲别苍- Idk if anyone else is saying this but I will- Xaden has the same vibe that Warwick from Savage Lands does, but Xaden does it better. There's just something about their personality that's so similar. Give the Savage Lands series a go if you liked Xaden. Anyway, I loved him so much. He's a badass. Once her started opening up, and we got to see the softer side of him- I was swooning. He's powerful, sexy, and knows when to pick his battles, certainly not a push over.
Dain- What an ass. Radiates the same energy as Tamlin in ACOMAF.
The other supporting characters are good as well, they grow on ya- especially the dragons and Liam. Tairn and Adarana have my heart. I loved them since the first time they spoke. They have a sense of humour, are badass and protect so fiercely. Saegyl was okay-ish, not much of her tbh. Now I want a dragon 馃槶
"I'm going to keep you. You're mine, Violet."
"Only if you're mine."
"I've been yours for longer than you could ever imagine." 鉂わ笍鈥嶐煍モ潳锔忊€嶐煍�
The romance is an angsty slow burn, enemies to lovers with spice and oh how brilliantly it was executed 馃グ I was all in my feels, swooning and melting and basically loved it. And if you like the characters being jealous, you'll enjoy that trope here too. I do think there was a pinch of "who did this to you" but wasn't that impactful. Xaden and Violet's chemistry is off the charts. They compliment each other so well and I like how open and honest they are with each other, and that both of them don't hold each other back and give the other room to make mistakes, learn and grow. It is a mature relationship yeah. Also, the smut was hot.. no seriously, things did get hot and broken down 馃き
The ending was an emotional rollercoaster. I was crying so much at one point, had to take deep breaths to resume reading. I cannot wait for the sequel 馃ぉ
It's such a masterpiece in my opinion. I haven't felt this in love and so strongly about a book in a while and am so genuinely happy I read this 馃槶馃槶鉂わ笍
It's a binge worthy action packed romantasy with never a dull moment. You are missing out if you haven't read this. Idk what are you all doing, GO READ IT! I promise it won't disappoint.
Y'all think Amazon will have a dragon? 馃
词鈥鈥
I have no words. I'm gonna take some time to collect my thoughts. But WOW.
词鈥鈥
Y'all I know I just started reading this but am already in love. I predict 4-5 star rating, hopefully that will be the case.
December 4, 2023
my review got taken down. z*on*sm at its finest.
November 1, 2023
Re-read bc we are so close to Iron Flame!!
Update on my re-read! Loved it as much as the first 3 times I read it! AND WE ARE ONLY DAYS AWAY FROM IRON FLAME!!!
"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without its dragon is dead."-Article One, Section One. The Dragon Rider's Codex 馃悏
Well, you guys all know how excited I have been for this book release since I haven't been exactly subtle about it, so the big question is, did it meet my unreasonably high expectations? The answer is NO......... because this book exceeded my expectations. WOW!!! What an absolute wild ride! Obsessed is the only word I have to describe how I feel about this book. Every page, every word had me on the edge of my seat, and this book elicits every emotion from you. The absolute unflinching brutality the characters face is both addictive and shocking, but there are also so many triumphs and heart squeezing moments. I am not exaggerating when I say this is my favorite fantasy read this year if not in many years! I can't wait for the next installment to come out bc that ENDING!!!
"It seems.... cruel, but the first rule of living at Basgaith is never question a dragon. They tend to cremate anyone they find rude." -Violet
20-year-old, Violet Sorrengail, was never supposed to be facing risking her life in the most brutal and deadly program at Basgiath War College. She has trained her whole life to be scribe but when her mother, a General and the head commander at Basgiath orders her to sign up as a Dragon Rider cadet her odds of survival aren't looking too good. All the odds are stacked against her, from a condition that affects her bones and ligaments that leaves her in chronic pain to the brutal and unforgiving dragons that kill without mercy to her fellow cadets who are just as blood thirsty and willing to kill her to even the odds. Certain death seems to be around every corner. Violet is not going down without a fight though, and she will do everything she can to defy the odds to earn her spot and above all a DRAGON!
"But I will not run. I wouldn't be standing here if I'd quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome. I will not die today."-Violet
"I'm used to functioning in pain asshole. Are you?" -Violet
Violet- I don't say this lightly, but Violet Sorrengail is among my all-time favorite fmc's ever. She is the embodiment of determination, grit and bravery. Her willingness to bet on herself time and again when so many around her keep telling her she will never be good enough is so inspiring. You can't help but root for her as the quintessential underdog bc she never lets herself be a victim despite her physical limitations. She feels like the blueprint for my favorite kind of fmc.
"Killing you wouldn't be any trouble Violence. It's leaving you alive that seems to cause the majority of my trouble." -Xaden
"Now earn your nickname and try your best to kill me"-Xaden
Xaden- Xaden is the most powerful and brutal Wing leader at the academy and also the main person likely to kill Violet while she is in the Riders Quadrant seeing as how her mother had his father executed for treason. I love Xaden, he only gets more interesting as the story goes on and the heat between Violet and him is hotter than the dragon fire!!! And his signet power is always on my checklist!! (can't say what it is but it's GOOD really, really GOOD) And his nickname for Violet! 馃珷馃珷
Presentation Day is unlike any other. The air is ripe with possibilities, and possibly the stench of sulfur from a dragon who has been offended. Never look a red in the eye. Never back down from a green. If you show trepidation to a brown......well, just don't." -Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind.
The Dragons They are AMAZING. Lethal, terrifying, and spectacular. They blew my mind, and that's all I can really say bc I refuse to spoil anything. 馃悏馃悏馃悏
"People die, it's going to happen over and over again. It's the nature of what happens here. What makes you a rider is what you do after people die." -Xaden
" This place can warp almost everything about a person Vi. It cuts away the bullshit and the niceties, revealing whoever you are at your core." - Dain
Friends- There are so many great supporting characters that I completely fell in love with and the camaraderie and rivalry between the riders is such a significant part of the story bc you can feel the tension and the anxiety of their circumstances throughout the entire book.
Rebecca Yarros has expertly written such a thrilling and compelling introduction book to this wonderful world of dragons and their riders, and I can't wait to see where the story continues!! Is it too early to start the countdown clock for the next book?!!
Please check TW besties as this book deals with themes of Violence and War.
Update on my re-read! Loved it as much as the first 3 times I read it! AND WE ARE ONLY DAYS AWAY FROM IRON FLAME!!!
"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without its dragon is dead."-Article One, Section One. The Dragon Rider's Codex 馃悏
Well, you guys all know how excited I have been for this book release since I haven't been exactly subtle about it, so the big question is, did it meet my unreasonably high expectations? The answer is NO......... because this book exceeded my expectations. WOW!!! What an absolute wild ride! Obsessed is the only word I have to describe how I feel about this book. Every page, every word had me on the edge of my seat, and this book elicits every emotion from you. The absolute unflinching brutality the characters face is both addictive and shocking, but there are also so many triumphs and heart squeezing moments. I am not exaggerating when I say this is my favorite fantasy read this year if not in many years! I can't wait for the next installment to come out bc that ENDING!!!
"It seems.... cruel, but the first rule of living at Basgaith is never question a dragon. They tend to cremate anyone they find rude." -Violet
20-year-old, Violet Sorrengail, was never supposed to be facing risking her life in the most brutal and deadly program at Basgiath War College. She has trained her whole life to be scribe but when her mother, a General and the head commander at Basgiath orders her to sign up as a Dragon Rider cadet her odds of survival aren't looking too good. All the odds are stacked against her, from a condition that affects her bones and ligaments that leaves her in chronic pain to the brutal and unforgiving dragons that kill without mercy to her fellow cadets who are just as blood thirsty and willing to kill her to even the odds. Certain death seems to be around every corner. Violet is not going down without a fight though, and she will do everything she can to defy the odds to earn her spot and above all a DRAGON!
"But I will not run. I wouldn't be standing here if I'd quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome. I will not die today."-Violet
"I'm used to functioning in pain asshole. Are you?" -Violet
Violet- I don't say this lightly, but Violet Sorrengail is among my all-time favorite fmc's ever. She is the embodiment of determination, grit and bravery. Her willingness to bet on herself time and again when so many around her keep telling her she will never be good enough is so inspiring. You can't help but root for her as the quintessential underdog bc she never lets herself be a victim despite her physical limitations. She feels like the blueprint for my favorite kind of fmc.
"Killing you wouldn't be any trouble Violence. It's leaving you alive that seems to cause the majority of my trouble." -Xaden
"Now earn your nickname and try your best to kill me"-Xaden
Xaden- Xaden is the most powerful and brutal Wing leader at the academy and also the main person likely to kill Violet while she is in the Riders Quadrant seeing as how her mother had his father executed for treason. I love Xaden, he only gets more interesting as the story goes on and the heat between Violet and him is hotter than the dragon fire!!! And his signet power is always on my checklist!! (can't say what it is but it's GOOD really, really GOOD) And his nickname for Violet! 馃珷馃珷
Presentation Day is unlike any other. The air is ripe with possibilities, and possibly the stench of sulfur from a dragon who has been offended. Never look a red in the eye. Never back down from a green. If you show trepidation to a brown......well, just don't." -Colonel Kaori's Field Guide to Dragonkind.
The Dragons They are AMAZING. Lethal, terrifying, and spectacular. They blew my mind, and that's all I can really say bc I refuse to spoil anything. 馃悏馃悏馃悏
"People die, it's going to happen over and over again. It's the nature of what happens here. What makes you a rider is what you do after people die." -Xaden
" This place can warp almost everything about a person Vi. It cuts away the bullshit and the niceties, revealing whoever you are at your core." - Dain
Friends- There are so many great supporting characters that I completely fell in love with and the camaraderie and rivalry between the riders is such a significant part of the story bc you can feel the tension and the anxiety of their circumstances throughout the entire book.
Rebecca Yarros has expertly written such a thrilling and compelling introduction book to this wonderful world of dragons and their riders, and I can't wait to see where the story continues!! Is it too early to start the countdown clock for the next book?!!
Please check TW besties as this book deals with themes of Violence and War.
July 4, 2023
I鈥檓 sorry, but it鈥檚 a no from me.
It鈥檚 always a case of you questioning yourself when a hyped book doesn鈥檛 work for you.
But I have reasons and regrets and I want a refund. Of my time and money.
I can鈥檛 decide whether to rate this 2 or 1 猸愶笍.
It鈥檚 a 1 猸愶笍 rating. 馃う馃従鈥嶁檧锔�
I鈥檓 about to drop some truth bombs, so if this is the type of book for you in where you don鈥檛 want to hear any form of slander, then look away.
I鈥檓 going to be honest about my reading experience, which wasn鈥檛 all that great.馃槗
It seems that fantasy romances, whether they鈥檙e adult or YA, have been using the same formula these past few years in where the focus solely lies on the plot and the action scenes and the same attention isn鈥檛 given to the characters and their world. And I do not understand why that is the case. The balance between them all is off.
The characters (all of them, not a single one was interesting) lacked substance, background and history. So by nature, I鈥檓 not even remotely interested in rooting for them and seeing them overcome the challenges they鈥檙e facing, because they are so poorly developed to begin with.
The foundation of this world felt unbelievably flimsy and read messy to me. It was supposed to feel dangerous, the stakes were supposed to be high. Characters were being killed left, right and centre and the only thing I felt was nothing.
There was no order to the way it was being built upon. Just chaos, convenience and stupidity all round.
Violet鈥檚 character could鈥檝e been made more interesting (to me) if:
鈻笍We had we seen her time as a scribe before she was forced to become a rider.
鈻笍See her actually train and get stronger.
鈻笍See how she generally fought through her chronic pain.
鈻笍See her deal with the grief of her brother.
鈻笍Explore the weird dynamic she has with her mother.
鈻笍See the friendships forming and the romance truly developing.
鈻笍See her fuckin鈥� bonding with those dragons.
All of these things would鈥檝e added nuance and depth to her characterisation, to the actual story itself. Are we privy to any of that? No. Those aspects are mentioned and that鈥檚 supposed to be good enough whereas I would鈥檝e liked layers.
Characters shouldn鈥檛 read so one-dimensional.
And enemies-to-lovers where? Please. 馃檮 This trope was used in the most juvenile way. You could argue that the romance itself was juvenile.
We could鈥檝e honed in on the hate since both these characters suffered losses, come from different and opposing backgrounds, have some real animosity and tension built between them but the love interest was hardly ever present.
Next thing you know, the trope was flung out the window instead of it being morphed into something real.
So, I fail to understand why this was sold as a fantasy romance. I can鈥檛 tell you why these two liked each other, let alone love. There was no development of genuine, romantic feelings. There was a buildup of attraction and supposed sexual tension. But that鈥檚 it.
Another thing that bugged me is that we only got Violet鈥檚 perspective. I mean, this occasionally works, but ideally, no fantasy book should have a singular POV. I can鈥檛 begin to tell you how boring that narrative is. It gives such a limiting and subjective view of the world and the characters, and this especially gets more limiting when there are other characters present that also play a significant role in the story.
Yet they weren鈥檛 utilised.
Is it that hard to give different perspectives?
The dragons were the ONLY interesting parts about this whole book. But they didn鈥檛 even get as much page time as they should鈥檝e. They deserved more page time. I mean, if you鈥檙e going to have them talking, give them a POV as least. They could鈥檝e told us about their own history.
There were also some language choices that were made that felt odd in a fantasy setting.
鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檓 not arguing with their logic, just enjoying the view鈥espectfully, of course鈥︹€�
鈥淪o. Freaking. Beautiful.鈥�
鈥淗oly. Fuckin. Hot.鈥�
No one talks like that in a fantasy world. 馃槖
You know damn well some of this lingo doesn鈥檛 belong here. It鈥檚 so embarrassing and a testament to bad writing and bad editing.
To top it all off, I still don鈥檛 know whether this was adult, new adult or YA fantasy. I couldn鈥檛 tell you. 欧宝娱乐 has them all listed. Clearly, everyone is confused.
In conclusion, all of this to say that this brand of poorly written, poorly developed fantasy story is just not for me. This book was not for me. I had a really difficult time immersing myself into the story.
The ending was somewhat interesting, but by that point I was skim-reading. And I don鈥檛 care about this book enough to continue on with the series. I want to forget I ever read it.
I鈥檓 avoiding all hyped books for the foreseeable future. 馃槳馃挃
It鈥檚 always a case of you questioning yourself when a hyped book doesn鈥檛 work for you.
But I have reasons and regrets and I want a refund. Of my time and money.
It鈥檚 a 1 猸愶笍 rating. 馃う馃従鈥嶁檧锔�
I鈥檓 about to drop some truth bombs, so if this is the type of book for you in where you don鈥檛 want to hear any form of slander, then look away.
I鈥檓 going to be honest about my reading experience, which wasn鈥檛 all that great.馃槗
It seems that fantasy romances, whether they鈥檙e adult or YA, have been using the same formula these past few years in where the focus solely lies on the plot and the action scenes and the same attention isn鈥檛 given to the characters and their world. And I do not understand why that is the case. The balance between them all is off.
The characters (all of them, not a single one was interesting) lacked substance, background and history. So by nature, I鈥檓 not even remotely interested in rooting for them and seeing them overcome the challenges they鈥檙e facing, because they are so poorly developed to begin with.
The foundation of this world felt unbelievably flimsy and read messy to me. It was supposed to feel dangerous, the stakes were supposed to be high. Characters were being killed left, right and centre and the only thing I felt was nothing.
There was no order to the way it was being built upon. Just chaos, convenience and stupidity all round.
Violet鈥檚 character could鈥檝e been made more interesting (to me) if:
鈻笍We had we seen her time as a scribe before she was forced to become a rider.
鈻笍See her actually train and get stronger.
鈻笍See how she generally fought through her chronic pain.
鈻笍See her deal with the grief of her brother.
鈻笍Explore the weird dynamic she has with her mother.
鈻笍See the friendships forming and the romance truly developing.
鈻笍See her fuckin鈥� bonding with those dragons.
All of these things would鈥檝e added nuance and depth to her characterisation, to the actual story itself. Are we privy to any of that? No. Those aspects are mentioned and that鈥檚 supposed to be good enough whereas I would鈥檝e liked layers.
Characters shouldn鈥檛 read so one-dimensional.
And enemies-to-lovers where? Please. 馃檮 This trope was used in the most juvenile way. You could argue that the romance itself was juvenile.
We could鈥檝e honed in on the hate since both these characters suffered losses, come from different and opposing backgrounds, have some real animosity and tension built between them but the love interest was hardly ever present.
Next thing you know, the trope was flung out the window instead of it being morphed into something real.
So, I fail to understand why this was sold as a fantasy romance. I can鈥檛 tell you why these two liked each other, let alone love. There was no development of genuine, romantic feelings. There was a buildup of attraction and supposed sexual tension. But that鈥檚 it.
Another thing that bugged me is that we only got Violet鈥檚 perspective. I mean, this occasionally works, but ideally, no fantasy book should have a singular POV. I can鈥檛 begin to tell you how boring that narrative is. It gives such a limiting and subjective view of the world and the characters, and this especially gets more limiting when there are other characters present that also play a significant role in the story.
Yet they weren鈥檛 utilised.
Is it that hard to give different perspectives?
The dragons were the ONLY interesting parts about this whole book. But they didn鈥檛 even get as much page time as they should鈥檝e. They deserved more page time. I mean, if you鈥檙e going to have them talking, give them a POV as least. They could鈥檝e told us about their own history.
There were also some language choices that were made that felt odd in a fantasy setting.
鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檓 not arguing with their logic, just enjoying the view鈥espectfully, of course鈥︹€�
鈥淪o. Freaking. Beautiful.鈥�
鈥淗oly. Fuckin. Hot.鈥�
No one talks like that in a fantasy world. 馃槖
You know damn well some of this lingo doesn鈥檛 belong here. It鈥檚 so embarrassing and a testament to bad writing and bad editing.
To top it all off, I still don鈥檛 know whether this was adult, new adult or YA fantasy. I couldn鈥檛 tell you. 欧宝娱乐 has them all listed. Clearly, everyone is confused.
In conclusion, all of this to say that this brand of poorly written, poorly developed fantasy story is just not for me. This book was not for me. I had a really difficult time immersing myself into the story.
The ending was somewhat interesting, but by that point I was skim-reading. And I don鈥檛 care about this book enough to continue on with the series. I want to forget I ever read it.
I鈥檓 avoiding all hyped books for the foreseeable future. 馃槳馃挃
December 2, 2023
0/5猸愶笍馃槏 OMG THIS IS THE (second) WORST BOOK IVE EVER READ IN MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE!!!馃グ
I鈥檝e posted my iron flame review!! You can go read it if you liked this one :)
Violet Sorrengail. Get it? SOARING-GALE BECAUSE DRAGONS SOAR ON GALES 馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔� THATS SO CLEVER.
She鈥檚 like so badass because she鈥檚 like so dainty and like so small and has insert name chronic illness which makes her so badass and a really good candidate for a WAR SCHOOL. She is totally not a self-insert of the author because unlike the author she doesn鈥檛 have blonde hair, she has ultra special brown hair that turns a really rare silver as she gets older. (Because hair pigment works like that馃き)
She鈥檚 also so super really fast because she鈥檚 SOO petite and small and little and fragile.
And also the love interest is SOO much bigger than her and he鈥檚 the most powerful darkness-wielding highlord鈥攐h sorry I mean dragon rider at the academy.
because Violet being the daughter of the literal leader of the school wasn鈥檛 enough, she also gets a super mega rare giant black dragon AND a never-before-seen golden useless ass feathertailed baby dragon that has the ability to manipulate time. And don鈥檛 worry, Violet can summon lightning just in case you were concerned that Mare Barrow was the most obnoxious lightning wielder.
Rebecca Yarrows is such a good writer 馃槏 all of her world building and info dumps are so unbearable to read!! Plus her writing is entirely YA and juvenile except for the horrific car crash level sex scenes that happen 80% into the book. What a slay!!
All of her characters make me want to rip my eyeballs out馃グ but especially Xaden because he鈥檚 so tortured and scary and so much bigger than our poor baby fragile pathetic paper-boned protagonist Violet soaring-gale.
The enemies to lovers is also so well done!! They were literally never even enemies馃槏 and I didn鈥檛 once believe they felt anything other than the most surface level lust for the other馃き
Also why the fuck did Yarrows decide that when the dragons fuck that their riders also get really horny? That was information I did not ever need.
The world building was so amazingly perfect!! I loved how she info dumped entire paragraphs of exposition and random facts onto us, but still never managed to outline how the actual school worked or why the fuck the gryphons couldn鈥檛 just be incinerated by the giant ass dragons with literal magic!!!!馃槏
Oh, I also really enjoyed how the single black character with any personality was not only bisexual but hyper sexual and slept around with everyone!!! It was really great how Rhiannon was sidelined the entire novel so that Violet could also be useless!
I also love how we don鈥檛 get to know anything about any of the side characters because Violet is too concerned with fucking Xaden!! 馃サ
The nickname of 鈥淰iolence鈥� for Violet, the character that literally did not kill a single person until the 75% mark also made a lot of sense!! I鈥檓 so glad she was at a war school and wasn鈥檛 required to kill a single person or even ever actually train without cheating her way through by poisoning her opponents!! She will totally not die in actual combat when she can鈥檛 sneak random ass made-up poisons into her opponents鈥� meals!! 馃槤
I think it鈥檚 also so inspiring how Violet鈥檚 tiny 90 pound frame literally could not support swinging an 11 pound sword, but the dragons did not murder her for being weak (her words not mine) because she was so strong mentally because she complained about being in pain (despite claiming to be used to pain?) and so delicate and fragile all the time!! 馃ぉ
Also let鈥檚 just not talk about how Violet totally plays into the 鈥渢oxic perseverance鈥� trope by actively ignoring the symptoms and effects her disability has on her body and powers through everything because she鈥檚 鈥渦sed to pain鈥�!! That鈥檚 so good and such a good example to set <3
It could have been interesting if Violet actually found ways to accommodate for her weaknesses/disadvantages that made sense, but clearly Yarros doesn鈥檛 actually give a fuck so she didn鈥檛 bother. The only example we have of this is a saddle which I鈥檓 sorry is stupid as fuck because why was everyone not already using saddles?? Did Miss Rebecca ever look into how fucking uncomfortable it can be not use a saddle or padding while riding horses much less consider how painful it might be to ride a giant, roughly scaled DRAGON that is FLYING THROUGH THE SKY?? 馃檲
This book was so incredible馃槏 I can鈥檛 believe booktok didn鈥檛 force this down everyone鈥檚 throats sooner!! It was so great to read this horrendous amalgamation of shitty world building, horrifically atrocious writing, and one dimensional characters with a nonsensical plot and a underdeveloped romance!!
Legitimately the worst book I鈥檝e ever read. I would unkindly ask Rebecca Yarros to never write another word in her life.
I鈥檝e posted my iron flame review!! You can go read it if you liked this one :)
Violet Sorrengail. Get it? SOARING-GALE BECAUSE DRAGONS SOAR ON GALES 馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔� THATS SO CLEVER.
She鈥檚 like so badass because she鈥檚 like so dainty and like so small and has insert name chronic illness which makes her so badass and a really good candidate for a WAR SCHOOL. She is totally not a self-insert of the author because unlike the author she doesn鈥檛 have blonde hair, she has ultra special brown hair that turns a really rare silver as she gets older. (Because hair pigment works like that馃き)
She鈥檚 also so super really fast because she鈥檚 SOO petite and small and little and fragile.
And also the love interest is SOO much bigger than her and he鈥檚 the most powerful darkness-wielding highlord鈥攐h sorry I mean dragon rider at the academy.
because Violet being the daughter of the literal leader of the school wasn鈥檛 enough, she also gets a super mega rare giant black dragon AND a never-before-seen golden useless ass feathertailed baby dragon that has the ability to manipulate time. And don鈥檛 worry, Violet can summon lightning just in case you were concerned that Mare Barrow was the most obnoxious lightning wielder.
Rebecca Yarrows is such a good writer 馃槏 all of her world building and info dumps are so unbearable to read!! Plus her writing is entirely YA and juvenile except for the horrific car crash level sex scenes that happen 80% into the book. What a slay!!
All of her characters make me want to rip my eyeballs out馃グ but especially Xaden because he鈥檚 so tortured and scary and so much bigger than our poor baby fragile pathetic paper-boned protagonist Violet soaring-gale.
The enemies to lovers is also so well done!! They were literally never even enemies馃槏 and I didn鈥檛 once believe they felt anything other than the most surface level lust for the other馃き
Also why the fuck did Yarrows decide that when the dragons fuck that their riders also get really horny? That was information I did not ever need.
The world building was so amazingly perfect!! I loved how she info dumped entire paragraphs of exposition and random facts onto us, but still never managed to outline how the actual school worked or why the fuck the gryphons couldn鈥檛 just be incinerated by the giant ass dragons with literal magic!!!!馃槏
Oh, I also really enjoyed how the single black character with any personality was not only bisexual but hyper sexual and slept around with everyone!!! It was really great how Rhiannon was sidelined the entire novel so that Violet could also be useless!
I also love how we don鈥檛 get to know anything about any of the side characters because Violet is too concerned with fucking Xaden!! 馃サ
The nickname of 鈥淰iolence鈥� for Violet, the character that literally did not kill a single person until the 75% mark also made a lot of sense!! I鈥檓 so glad she was at a war school and wasn鈥檛 required to kill a single person or even ever actually train without cheating her way through by poisoning her opponents!! She will totally not die in actual combat when she can鈥檛 sneak random ass made-up poisons into her opponents鈥� meals!! 馃槤
I think it鈥檚 also so inspiring how Violet鈥檚 tiny 90 pound frame literally could not support swinging an 11 pound sword, but the dragons did not murder her for being weak (her words not mine) because she was so strong mentally because she complained about being in pain (despite claiming to be used to pain?) and so delicate and fragile all the time!! 馃ぉ
Also let鈥檚 just not talk about how Violet totally plays into the 鈥渢oxic perseverance鈥� trope by actively ignoring the symptoms and effects her disability has on her body and powers through everything because she鈥檚 鈥渦sed to pain鈥�!! That鈥檚 so good and such a good example to set <3
It could have been interesting if Violet actually found ways to accommodate for her weaknesses/disadvantages that made sense, but clearly Yarros doesn鈥檛 actually give a fuck so she didn鈥檛 bother. The only example we have of this is a saddle which I鈥檓 sorry is stupid as fuck because why was everyone not already using saddles?? Did Miss Rebecca ever look into how fucking uncomfortable it can be not use a saddle or padding while riding horses much less consider how painful it might be to ride a giant, roughly scaled DRAGON that is FLYING THROUGH THE SKY?? 馃檲
This book was so incredible馃槏 I can鈥檛 believe booktok didn鈥檛 force this down everyone鈥檚 throats sooner!! It was so great to read this horrendous amalgamation of shitty world building, horrifically atrocious writing, and one dimensional characters with a nonsensical plot and a underdeveloped romance!!
Legitimately the worst book I鈥檝e ever read. I would unkindly ask Rebecca Yarros to never write another word in her life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2023
鈥� 5 stars 鉁�
I LOVE YOU REBECCA YARROS
鈥漼ou gave me your heart, and i鈥檓 keeping it.
i knew i was going to love this book. the amount of five star reviews & the talk about fourth wing on social media had me intrigued since the beginning & i鈥檓 happy to confirm that this book is indeed worth the hype. like, mind-blowing-amazing 馃
dragon, dragon-school, competition, tension, enemies to lovers, you get thrown right into the plot, you have amazing antagonists. this book was purely perfection. everything your heart desires, you鈥檒l get it. nothing better than a fantasy novel with a subplot of romance, a good plot twist and am amazing cliffhanger. yes, you heard correctly. a cliffhanger. i might die right here right then because how am i supposed to wait that long for the sequel to come out?
PLS GIVE ME THE SEQUEL NOW!! 馃珷馃珷
鈥� xaden riorsen. the man of the hour. the moment he appeared, i fell in love with him. i might be exaggerating but who cares, right? it鈥檚 the way violet describes him, i mean, how could you not fall in love with a brooding dragon rider who has a cut through his eyebrow. what makes him even hotter is the fact that he is the leader of the forth wing and oh my god, his 鈥渨elcoming鈥� speech.. i don鈥檛 know how yarros managed to make him this hot in a few sentences only. it鈥檚 his confidence. yes, that must be it. totally not his broad shoulders. or his rank. or his dark hair.
鈥渋 had it made for you.鈥� his lips curve slightly.
his love language has to be acts of service. this man might have taken a while to admit his feelings but the things he did for violet? unbelievable. he was so ruined for her & i was so ready for it.
鈥� violet, my beloved. i just loved how everyone underestimated her and then she showed them what鈥檚 beneath that 鈥渇ragile鈥� body everyone seems to think she has. what i enjoyed most about her was that we saw her development, saw her fight for the place in the school and proving everyone wrong. she has a good sense of humor and wit, making me giggle 鈥� especially when she was flirting with a certain someone.
鈥渢here鈥檚 a fucking smirk on
xaden鈥檚 arrogant, handsome face.鈥�
there were so many chapters i enjoyed that were purely about violet without any mention of xaden & that means so much to me. there have been so many fantasy books were i was just so bored out of my mind when the love interest wasn鈥檛 there bc not everyone knows how to write a badass fmc with a great personality. rebecca yarros absolutely nailed it tho. the plot is just so gripping, you get sucked into their story and just want to read more about their world.
as i am a big fan of game of thrones & house of the dragons, this book was a total hit for me. i loved reading about the dragons, the different breeds, their history, their shape and color and abilities.
鈥� xaden and violet. violet and xaden. you know who they reminded of? tris and four. the young new girl everyone scoffs at, the intimidating older guy everyone fears. also let鈥檚 not forget that xaden was the only person mira told violet to stay away from 馃き their first interactions were so full of tension already, i was giggling and blushing and they鈥檝e only changed a few words by then.
鈥漡oing for blood today, are we, violence?鈥�
did i mention that we get a training scene? but like a really hot, full of tension, angsty, fighting scene. she attacks him, he catches her fist, she tries again, he pulls her back against his chest, she jumps him, he pins her down. i could go on and on and on, believe me, it was really freaking hot.
we even get a 鈥渓et-me-see-your-injuries鈥� scene and if you thought the fighting scene was impeccable, then you have to read about this one. jaw? on the floor 馃挆馃挒馃┓馃挄馃挊
鈥漷here is no me without you.鈥�
鈥� dain, what a hypocrite. you know who this ass reminds me of? adam kent and freaking gale hawthorne. i get that he wants to protect violet but he鈥檚 holding her back unlike xaden who wants her to unravel and become stronger. speaking of that, they remind me so much of warnette in that matter. i鈥檓 not done, they鈥檙e even torydarius coded. i loved seeing their relationship develop in a long time span. days pass, weeks pass, months pass. it鈥檚 not like they were enemies and then suddenly a week later they decided to like each other, nope, it definitely took them weeks to even admit their connection. they might be enemies to the core but who doesn鈥檛 love a good old enemies to lovers?
also jack reminded me so much of cato hadley from the hunger games. i know he鈥檚 evil and all that but every books needs a cato. and he got we deserved sooo
PLS I NEED THE NEXT BOOK AS OF NOW 馃挜馃挜
I LOVE YOU REBECCA YARROS
鈥漼ou gave me your heart, and i鈥檓 keeping it.
i knew i was going to love this book. the amount of five star reviews & the talk about fourth wing on social media had me intrigued since the beginning & i鈥檓 happy to confirm that this book is indeed worth the hype. like, mind-blowing-amazing 馃
dragon, dragon-school, competition, tension, enemies to lovers, you get thrown right into the plot, you have amazing antagonists. this book was purely perfection. everything your heart desires, you鈥檒l get it. nothing better than a fantasy novel with a subplot of romance, a good plot twist and am amazing cliffhanger. yes, you heard correctly. a cliffhanger. i might die right here right then because how am i supposed to wait that long for the sequel to come out?
PLS GIVE ME THE SEQUEL NOW!! 馃珷馃珷
鈥� xaden riorsen. the man of the hour. the moment he appeared, i fell in love with him. i might be exaggerating but who cares, right? it鈥檚 the way violet describes him, i mean, how could you not fall in love with a brooding dragon rider who has a cut through his eyebrow. what makes him even hotter is the fact that he is the leader of the forth wing and oh my god, his 鈥渨elcoming鈥� speech.. i don鈥檛 know how yarros managed to make him this hot in a few sentences only. it鈥檚 his confidence. yes, that must be it. totally not his broad shoulders. or his rank. or his dark hair.
鈥渋 had it made for you.鈥� his lips curve slightly.
his love language has to be acts of service. this man might have taken a while to admit his feelings but the things he did for violet? unbelievable. he was so ruined for her & i was so ready for it.
鈥� violet, my beloved. i just loved how everyone underestimated her and then she showed them what鈥檚 beneath that 鈥渇ragile鈥� body everyone seems to think she has. what i enjoyed most about her was that we saw her development, saw her fight for the place in the school and proving everyone wrong. she has a good sense of humor and wit, making me giggle 鈥� especially when she was flirting with a certain someone.
鈥渢here鈥檚 a fucking smirk on
xaden鈥檚 arrogant, handsome face.鈥�
there were so many chapters i enjoyed that were purely about violet without any mention of xaden & that means so much to me. there have been so many fantasy books were i was just so bored out of my mind when the love interest wasn鈥檛 there bc not everyone knows how to write a badass fmc with a great personality. rebecca yarros absolutely nailed it tho. the plot is just so gripping, you get sucked into their story and just want to read more about their world.
as i am a big fan of game of thrones & house of the dragons, this book was a total hit for me. i loved reading about the dragons, the different breeds, their history, their shape and color and abilities.
鈥� xaden and violet. violet and xaden. you know who they reminded of? tris and four. the young new girl everyone scoffs at, the intimidating older guy everyone fears. also let鈥檚 not forget that xaden was the only person mira told violet to stay away from 馃き their first interactions were so full of tension already, i was giggling and blushing and they鈥檝e only changed a few words by then.
鈥漡oing for blood today, are we, violence?鈥�
did i mention that we get a training scene? but like a really hot, full of tension, angsty, fighting scene. she attacks him, he catches her fist, she tries again, he pulls her back against his chest, she jumps him, he pins her down. i could go on and on and on, believe me, it was really freaking hot.
we even get a 鈥渓et-me-see-your-injuries鈥� scene and if you thought the fighting scene was impeccable, then you have to read about this one. jaw? on the floor 馃挆馃挒馃┓馃挄馃挊
鈥漷here is no me without you.鈥�
鈥� dain, what a hypocrite. you know who this ass reminds me of? adam kent and freaking gale hawthorne. i get that he wants to protect violet but he鈥檚 holding her back unlike xaden who wants her to unravel and become stronger. speaking of that, they remind me so much of warnette in that matter. i鈥檓 not done, they鈥檙e even torydarius coded. i loved seeing their relationship develop in a long time span. days pass, weeks pass, months pass. it鈥檚 not like they were enemies and then suddenly a week later they decided to like each other, nope, it definitely took them weeks to even admit their connection. they might be enemies to the core but who doesn鈥檛 love a good old enemies to lovers?
also jack reminded me so much of cato hadley from the hunger games. i know he鈥檚 evil and all that but every books needs a cato. and he got we deserved sooo
PLS I NEED THE NEXT BOOK AS OF NOW 馃挜馃挜
July 2, 2023
3.5 馃専
OK SO I GOT PLAYED A LITTLE!!!!
THE GOOD
This was a HIGHLY enjoyable book. I had so much uni work to do, but I still flew through it. The author wasted no time 鈥� she made a fast-paced, action-packed, well established fantasy world. I love how we got introduced to bits and aspects of this world slowly, she really KNEW how to world build, how to ease us into this complicated setting. AT EVERY POINT OF THIS BOOK I knew what was going on, who I was rooting for, what are the aims of the particular scene. And you, my fellow fantasy readers, know how that doesn鈥檛 always happen. Like I said in the updates, EVERY SINGLE PAGE WAS A PLOT POINT and no fill-ins. I hate it when writers drag the story, you can really tell when they do that, and fantasy authors are for some reason prone to doing that. This wasn鈥檛 such a book. It鈥檚 not that long (around 400 pages) and I wasn鈥檛 bored in any scene. I love how the story intensified towards the end, but the stakes were high throughout the WHOLE THING.
THAT Xaden CHAPTER ATEATEATEATE, I LOVED IT SO MUCH!
AND THAT PLOT TWIST IT ENDED ON, I COULD NEVER EVEN IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING! UGH, I can鈥檛 wait for the next book.
THE BAD
I said it before, WILL SAY IT AGAIN, this is the most formulaic book I鈥檝e read in my life. You know when popular musicians make songs SPECIFICALLY so they can become popular on TikTok and you SOMEHOW ALWAYS KNOW. Yes, this was that, but for books. You can really tell the author used EVERY SINGLE TROPE she knows people love and will eat up and put it in her book (enemies to lovers, mated pairs, the whole rebellion trope, I鈥檓 the chosen one but I don鈥檛 want to be that blablabla), I just couldn鈥檛 get past that fact. Before reading this book I saw a few posts saying how this book is similar to ACOTAR. When I just started it, I didn鈥檛 really see the resemblance, but THEN I GOT IT. Dain is SOOOO Tamlin coded, Xaden is basically Rhysand, again the rebellion thing, THE MATES THING (god I hate that so much). I wouldn鈥檛 call this a carbon copy of ACOTAR, but you can鈥檛 tell me it wasn鈥檛 loosely inspired by it (for the sole purpose of satisfying booktok).
This was in no way original, and that鈥檚 the number one thing I didn鈥檛 like about this book. There wasn鈥檛 a single thing happening, a plot point, a scene, a character trait, that I haven鈥檛 seen before. This plays into this being EXTREMELY FORMULAIC.
For those who read it, is it just me? (I know it isn鈥檛)
THE DRAGONS WERE SO FUNNY. I鈥檓 sorry, I didn鈥檛 like the dragons. I liked them individually (as almost characters) BUT they WERE IN NO WAY WELL WRITTEN. They鈥檙e supposed to be these mysterious, dangerous, sacred creatures, but Violet鈥檚 dragon says the word FUCK at one point. I LAUGHED SO MUCH, HAD ME ON THE FLOOR.
THE CHARACTERS
Ugh, they鈥檙e supposed to be adults, but they鈥檙e SO YA CODED. You can鈥檛 tell me Violet is 20.
Surprisingly, I liked the protagonists, but individually. They鈥檙e both flawed, but also with a sense of moral, a great combination of characteristics. However, them as a couple, not really. The banter was there in the beginning but then it just evaporated. They went from being enemies to LOVERS THE PLANET HASN鈥橳 SEEN so quickly. They were enemies for a good chunk of pages, I must admit that, but the change was in no way gradual (pls go to the Mariana Zapata slow burn school k thanks).
(And also, Violet was so desperate with the L word, GIRLIE STAND UP!!!)
The spice was good ngl (had me kicking my feet lol)
I LOVED THE SIDE CHARACTERS. RHIANNON AND LIAM (sorrows sorrows prayers) HAVE MY HEART.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a fast-paced, highly enjoyable first book in the series I will for sure continue reading when the next installment is out. It wasn鈥檛 very memorable and won鈥檛 make the FAVORITES list, but I still had fun reading. I鈥檓 leaving room for improvement.
Is it overhyped, tell me in the comments??? (let鈥檚 have a respectful discussion)
馃挄馃挄
OK SO I GOT PLAYED A LITTLE!!!!
THE GOOD
This was a HIGHLY enjoyable book. I had so much uni work to do, but I still flew through it. The author wasted no time 鈥� she made a fast-paced, action-packed, well established fantasy world. I love how we got introduced to bits and aspects of this world slowly, she really KNEW how to world build, how to ease us into this complicated setting. AT EVERY POINT OF THIS BOOK I knew what was going on, who I was rooting for, what are the aims of the particular scene. And you, my fellow fantasy readers, know how that doesn鈥檛 always happen. Like I said in the updates, EVERY SINGLE PAGE WAS A PLOT POINT and no fill-ins. I hate it when writers drag the story, you can really tell when they do that, and fantasy authors are for some reason prone to doing that. This wasn鈥檛 such a book. It鈥檚 not that long (around 400 pages) and I wasn鈥檛 bored in any scene. I love how the story intensified towards the end, but the stakes were high throughout the WHOLE THING.
THAT Xaden CHAPTER ATEATEATEATE, I LOVED IT SO MUCH!
AND THAT PLOT TWIST IT ENDED ON, I COULD NEVER EVEN IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING! UGH, I can鈥檛 wait for the next book.
THE BAD
I said it before, WILL SAY IT AGAIN, this is the most formulaic book I鈥檝e read in my life. You know when popular musicians make songs SPECIFICALLY so they can become popular on TikTok and you SOMEHOW ALWAYS KNOW. Yes, this was that, but for books. You can really tell the author used EVERY SINGLE TROPE she knows people love and will eat up and put it in her book (enemies to lovers, mated pairs, the whole rebellion trope, I鈥檓 the chosen one but I don鈥檛 want to be that blablabla), I just couldn鈥檛 get past that fact. Before reading this book I saw a few posts saying how this book is similar to ACOTAR. When I just started it, I didn鈥檛 really see the resemblance, but THEN I GOT IT. Dain is SOOOO Tamlin coded, Xaden is basically Rhysand, again the rebellion thing, THE MATES THING (god I hate that so much). I wouldn鈥檛 call this a carbon copy of ACOTAR, but you can鈥檛 tell me it wasn鈥檛 loosely inspired by it (for the sole purpose of satisfying booktok).
This was in no way original, and that鈥檚 the number one thing I didn鈥檛 like about this book. There wasn鈥檛 a single thing happening, a plot point, a scene, a character trait, that I haven鈥檛 seen before. This plays into this being EXTREMELY FORMULAIC.
For those who read it, is it just me? (I know it isn鈥檛)
THE DRAGONS WERE SO FUNNY. I鈥檓 sorry, I didn鈥檛 like the dragons. I liked them individually (as almost characters) BUT they WERE IN NO WAY WELL WRITTEN. They鈥檙e supposed to be these mysterious, dangerous, sacred creatures, but Violet鈥檚 dragon says the word FUCK at one point. I LAUGHED SO MUCH, HAD ME ON THE FLOOR.
THE CHARACTERS
Ugh, they鈥檙e supposed to be adults, but they鈥檙e SO YA CODED. You can鈥檛 tell me Violet is 20.
Surprisingly, I liked the protagonists, but individually. They鈥檙e both flawed, but also with a sense of moral, a great combination of characteristics. However, them as a couple, not really. The banter was there in the beginning but then it just evaporated. They went from being enemies to LOVERS THE PLANET HASN鈥橳 SEEN so quickly. They were enemies for a good chunk of pages, I must admit that, but the change was in no way gradual (pls go to the Mariana Zapata slow burn school k thanks).
(And also, Violet was so desperate with the L word, GIRLIE STAND UP!!!)
The spice was good ngl (had me kicking my feet lol)
I LOVED THE SIDE CHARACTERS. RHIANNON AND LIAM (sorrows sorrows prayers) HAVE MY HEART.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a fast-paced, highly enjoyable first book in the series I will for sure continue reading when the next installment is out. It wasn鈥檛 very memorable and won鈥檛 make the FAVORITES list, but I still had fun reading. I鈥檓 leaving room for improvement.
Is it overhyped, tell me in the comments??? (let鈥檚 have a respectful discussion)
馃挄馃挄
May 8, 2023
if y鈥檃ll see me on the news tomorrow it鈥檚 because i broke into this author鈥檚 house and tried to steal the manuscript for the sequel鈥�
i can鈥檛 even begin to describe the attachment and love i have for this book and its characters. it鈥檚 one of my favorite books of all time now. the author really wrote the most heart wrenching, emotionally loaded, appetite terminating sentences and said 鈥渄eal with it.鈥�
to put into few words: this new adult fantasy romance book is set at a war college, there鈥檚 dragons, and there鈥檚 2 main opposing sides that hate one another. our fmc belonging to one and our mmc belonging to the other. i think you can see where this is going鈥RONG because you could have 30 guns pointing at my head and i still wouldn鈥檛 have predicted THAT last sentence. all my brain matter would cover the wall behind me.
Violet aka Violence (iykyk) is my favorite character all around. she鈥檚 just like me for real. the way she thinks and talks. she鈥檚 really a girls girl. i usually prefer dual pov but not in this case. being in her head made me realize i鈥檝e never had an original thought. she鈥檚 a fmc written by a woman to its core. she strong, resilient, a fucking genius, badass, witty af, compassionate, and so damn attractive鈥od idk if i wanna be her or be with her鈥� everything she goes through and overcomes made me shed a tear or 7. she鈥檚 unpredictable and that鈥檚 what i love about her.
Xaden鈥鈥檝e never read a man described so damn sexy. i was in heat and prepared to do a line off this man鈥檚 stomach鈥is middle name is basically 鈥渟elf control鈥� and the way that crumbles from just the mere existence of Violet. he says it best when 鈥渋鈥檓 annoyingly aware of everything you do鈥︹€�
i appreciated how he has a personality outside of the slow (and i mean slow) burn romance. he鈥檚 protective but not overbearing. he鈥檚 idealistic and charming without even trying. he 鈥渉ates鈥� her but literally had daggers made for her specific body shape and fit. he had a saddle made for her body type so she doesn鈥檛 fall off her dragon. he鈥檚 so thoughtful and attentive, it comes natural to him like breathing. the longing that鈥檚 in his eyes when he simply glances at violet (you鈥檇 think he鈥檇 be plotting her death from an outsider looking in) was written like poetry. Violet has him so tightly wrapped around her finger and they can鈥檛 even begin to understand the depths of it鈥�
one would think the romance would be my hyper fixation for this book but it鈥檚 not even that (not only that.) it鈥檚 the fucking dragons! the way they are described, have personalities of their own, the way they always check and roast Violet had me LOLing and giddy. the bonds they have with their riders felt as real as oxygen in the air! 馃槷鈥嶐煉�
some quotes that aren鈥檛 spoilery but still had me barking like a dog in heat:馃懝
鈥渉eat rushes through every vein, wakes every nerve ending. I hate the reaction of my body to the site of him, but I can鈥檛 deny it. His appeal is so fucking inconvenient.鈥� she is so me coded
鈥渋 know how to handle a corset鈥� and he does
鈥淭here鈥檚 a palpable energy in every room, he enters, and brushes over my skin, like a caress each time our eyes meet. Even now, I鈥檓 aware of every breath he takes, as he sits next to me midway down the table.鈥�
鈥渇uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥� god he鈥檚 so miserable 馃槱
the MCs and dragons dynamic is so uniquely and well written like nothing else i鈥檝e read. it鈥檚 so ying and yang coded. this book, in short, is a limb to me. cut it off, i bleed out and die! it is diverse, rich, deep, magnificently written, and every fiber of me loves it (i say all of this referring to a piece of media that ruined my life馃ゲ)
i can鈥檛 even begin to describe the attachment and love i have for this book and its characters. it鈥檚 one of my favorite books of all time now. the author really wrote the most heart wrenching, emotionally loaded, appetite terminating sentences and said 鈥渄eal with it.鈥�
to put into few words: this new adult fantasy romance book is set at a war college, there鈥檚 dragons, and there鈥檚 2 main opposing sides that hate one another. our fmc belonging to one and our mmc belonging to the other. i think you can see where this is going鈥RONG because you could have 30 guns pointing at my head and i still wouldn鈥檛 have predicted THAT last sentence. all my brain matter would cover the wall behind me.
Violet aka Violence (iykyk) is my favorite character all around. she鈥檚 just like me for real. the way she thinks and talks. she鈥檚 really a girls girl. i usually prefer dual pov but not in this case. being in her head made me realize i鈥檝e never had an original thought. she鈥檚 a fmc written by a woman to its core. she strong, resilient, a fucking genius, badass, witty af, compassionate, and so damn attractive鈥od idk if i wanna be her or be with her鈥� everything she goes through and overcomes made me shed a tear or 7. she鈥檚 unpredictable and that鈥檚 what i love about her.
Xaden鈥鈥檝e never read a man described so damn sexy. i was in heat and prepared to do a line off this man鈥檚 stomach鈥is middle name is basically 鈥渟elf control鈥� and the way that crumbles from just the mere existence of Violet. he says it best when 鈥渋鈥檓 annoyingly aware of everything you do鈥︹€�
i appreciated how he has a personality outside of the slow (and i mean slow) burn romance. he鈥檚 protective but not overbearing. he鈥檚 idealistic and charming without even trying. he 鈥渉ates鈥� her but literally had daggers made for her specific body shape and fit. he had a saddle made for her body type so she doesn鈥檛 fall off her dragon. he鈥檚 so thoughtful and attentive, it comes natural to him like breathing. the longing that鈥檚 in his eyes when he simply glances at violet (you鈥檇 think he鈥檇 be plotting her death from an outsider looking in) was written like poetry. Violet has him so tightly wrapped around her finger and they can鈥檛 even begin to understand the depths of it鈥�
one would think the romance would be my hyper fixation for this book but it鈥檚 not even that (not only that.) it鈥檚 the fucking dragons! the way they are described, have personalities of their own, the way they always check and roast Violet had me LOLing and giddy. the bonds they have with their riders felt as real as oxygen in the air! 馃槷鈥嶐煉�
some quotes that aren鈥檛 spoilery but still had me barking like a dog in heat:馃懝
鈥渉eat rushes through every vein, wakes every nerve ending. I hate the reaction of my body to the site of him, but I can鈥檛 deny it. His appeal is so fucking inconvenient.鈥� she is so me coded
鈥渋 know how to handle a corset鈥� and he does
鈥淭here鈥檚 a palpable energy in every room, he enters, and brushes over my skin, like a caress each time our eyes meet. Even now, I鈥檓 aware of every breath he takes, as he sits next to me midway down the table.鈥�
鈥渇uck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.鈥� god he鈥檚 so miserable 馃槱
the MCs and dragons dynamic is so uniquely and well written like nothing else i鈥檝e read. it鈥檚 so ying and yang coded. this book, in short, is a limb to me. cut it off, i bleed out and die! it is diverse, rich, deep, magnificently written, and every fiber of me loves it (i say all of this referring to a piece of media that ruined my life馃ゲ)
September 25, 2023
This is kinda harsh but my honest opinion after reading the ARC ~
** May 2023 edit: I'm a bookseller and read a variety of genres including children's and YA. My issues are not with these genres. My issues are with books that read as clumsy, horny (and not in a fun camp way), and unpolished. Which in my Personal Opinion(tm)!!!!!!!!!! this book is.
It's pretty stock standard commercial horny hetero fiction. That's fine. Can't please everyone. I'll be totally honest: if you don't care that much about quality of writing and want an easy het romance-fantasy novel 脿 la Cassandra Clare et al. (nothing wrong with that!), you may enjoy this. It's not my thing, though, and I can't recommend it if you want a decent wholemeal fantasy novel to sink your teeth into. **
I found this disappointing and I鈥檓 frankly shocked it has such glowing early reviews.
To be fair, my disappointment is partly caused by the misleading blurb and ARC marketing. The blurb implies a high stakes military fantasy set at a war college for dragon riders; this put me in mind of Temeraire, The Poppy War, or even elements of The Hunger Games. Romance is mentioned - 鈥渢raitors will become allies鈥� or lovers鈥� - but it鈥檚 certainly not implied to be wholly a romance novel.
I saw on the author鈥檚 instagram that this is being marketed as a 鈥渘ew adult fantasy鈥� - if 'new adult' just means 鈥榣acking the sophistication of genre fiction but can鈥檛 be marketed as YA romance because of sex scenes鈥欌€� then, sure, call it 'new adult'.
All the characters - even supposed high-ranking military figures - speak like millennials from the year 2023. Why was the word 鈥榲ibe鈥� used so many times? As in, 鈥榟is vibe is weird鈥�. But in other ways the setting recalls medieval Europe? Who edited this???
I would not have picked this up if the marketing more accurately reflected the content. It鈥檚 100% a romance novel in the vein of Cassandra Claire, Sarah J. Maas, the Divergent series; any genuine stakes are basically subplot to the central romance. The oh-so-important ~tension~ could be resolved by just鈥� talking to one another? Most other world building elements are underdeveloped & confusing, full of plot holes, and everyone鈥檚 dialogue is set up to give the protagonist & ~dark~ love interest perfect Marvel-esque quips and one-liners. I get that this is a popular thing but to me it lacks sophistication and polish of contemporary fantasy :-)
Also, my certified transgender opinion (tm) is that the inclusion of a random nonbinary side character was disingenuous and definitely tokenism, lol.
The reason for two stars instead of one is because I found the representation of the protagonist's disability - and how it was navigated in such physically demanding settings - genuinely interesting.
All in all, this, to me, read like a semi-edited fanfic. If that鈥檚 your thing, go buckwild. Otherwise, I can鈥檛 really recommend it. The blurb is pretty misleading, imo. Expect a YA romance novel.
** May 2023 edit: I'm a bookseller and read a variety of genres including children's and YA. My issues are not with these genres. My issues are with books that read as clumsy, horny (and not in a fun camp way), and unpolished. Which in my Personal Opinion(tm)!!!!!!!!!! this book is.
It's pretty stock standard commercial horny hetero fiction. That's fine. Can't please everyone. I'll be totally honest: if you don't care that much about quality of writing and want an easy het romance-fantasy novel 脿 la Cassandra Clare et al. (nothing wrong with that!), you may enjoy this. It's not my thing, though, and I can't recommend it if you want a decent wholemeal fantasy novel to sink your teeth into. **
I found this disappointing and I鈥檓 frankly shocked it has such glowing early reviews.
To be fair, my disappointment is partly caused by the misleading blurb and ARC marketing. The blurb implies a high stakes military fantasy set at a war college for dragon riders; this put me in mind of Temeraire, The Poppy War, or even elements of The Hunger Games. Romance is mentioned - 鈥渢raitors will become allies鈥� or lovers鈥� - but it鈥檚 certainly not implied to be wholly a romance novel.
I saw on the author鈥檚 instagram that this is being marketed as a 鈥渘ew adult fantasy鈥� - if 'new adult' just means 鈥榣acking the sophistication of genre fiction but can鈥檛 be marketed as YA romance because of sex scenes鈥欌€� then, sure, call it 'new adult'.
All the characters - even supposed high-ranking military figures - speak like millennials from the year 2023. Why was the word 鈥榲ibe鈥� used so many times? As in, 鈥榟is vibe is weird鈥�. But in other ways the setting recalls medieval Europe? Who edited this???
I would not have picked this up if the marketing more accurately reflected the content. It鈥檚 100% a romance novel in the vein of Cassandra Claire, Sarah J. Maas, the Divergent series; any genuine stakes are basically subplot to the central romance. The oh-so-important ~tension~ could be resolved by just鈥� talking to one another? Most other world building elements are underdeveloped & confusing, full of plot holes, and everyone鈥檚 dialogue is set up to give the protagonist & ~dark~ love interest perfect Marvel-esque quips and one-liners. I get that this is a popular thing but to me it lacks sophistication and polish of contemporary fantasy :-)
Also, my certified transgender opinion (tm) is that the inclusion of a random nonbinary side character was disingenuous and definitely tokenism, lol.
The reason for two stars instead of one is because I found the representation of the protagonist's disability - and how it was navigated in such physically demanding settings - genuinely interesting.
All in all, this, to me, read like a semi-edited fanfic. If that鈥檚 your thing, go buckwild. Otherwise, I can鈥檛 really recommend it. The blurb is pretty misleading, imo. Expect a YA romance novel.
February 2, 2025
"Decide, Violet. Are you going to die a scribe? Or live as a rider?"
Oh, this is good. I see now why y'all love it so much.
If Fourth Wing were a drug, I'd be an addict. It grabbed me so thoroughly from the very first moment and refused to let go. I was fully immersed, I didn't want to sleep, didn't want to eat. I just wanted to inhale it as fast as I could. And honestly, isn't this why we read, for this exact feeling?
The action begins right on the first page and never lets up. There was no onerous worldbuilding, no endless backgrounds or introductions. We just seamlessly slip into the world of Navarre and Violet Sorrengail. Every time I get the itch to read fantasy, the one thing that holds me back is how much worldbuilding I would have to endure just to get to the good parts. But no such issues here. The good part starts right at the beginning.
Is this the most original story? No. Is this the most well written? Also no. (Don't kill me for saying that, you rabid fans.) In fact, the dialogue has me cringing at times, with its penchant for f-bombs as emphasis and its often basic but slightly pompous back and forth that only teenagers can pull off. I guess in that way, it is true to its characters since they're all not much older than teenagers.
But slight criticisms aside, this story is executed to perfection. It takes several well-trodden tropes and not only cohesively blends them together, but also manages to squeeze every ounce of entertainment out of them along the way. And I'm not above being entertained.
This is my first real foray into the romantasy genre that's got everyone aflutter. And I can see the appeal. Fantasy is a bit of an adrenaline rush and so is romance, so blending the two together is really the perfect symbiosis. Of course you'd want your hero to fight hard in a war between good and evil. And it totally makes sense that they would love hard too if they could die any day. And if the object of desire is one's enemy instead of one's friend? Even better.
I'm a little late to the Fourth Wing party, and there's good reason. I was certain this was a duology (don't ask me why I thought this), so I figured if I just held off a little bit, I could bam my way through both books without having to stop and deal with the inevitable anguish of waiting for the next book. Well, the joke's on me because this is actually a five-parter. So lots of waiting will be had by me. As a consolation, at least I can dive straight into Iron Flame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
#2. Iron Flame
#3. Onyx Storm
~~~~~~~~~~~~
鉁� Connect with me 鉁� 鉁�
May 5, 2023
Did not finish.
I鈥檇 like to know if I鈥檓 actually reading the same book as everyone else. This is the worst piece of literature I鈥檝e read in a long while. I got to chapter 8. Couldn鈥檛 go any further.
First off, the endless use of the F bomb is tacky and lazy if you ask me. So many great descriptive words and all this author can do is spout curse words. Curse words do not a personality make. Neither is being a horny 13 year old. Violet is supposed to be 20 years old, but it seems more like she is 12. I mean鈥�
鈥渢he scar that marks his eye brow only makes him hotter. Flaming hot. Scorching hot. Gets-you-in-trouble-and-you-like-it-level-hot鈥︹€�
Who talks like that? I鈥檒l tell you. Tweens.
I think I鈥檓 rooting for the other side of this conflict too. What kind of battle strategy is it to encourage the deaths of dozens of people as an entrance exam? Then to be okay with it when your cadets at killing each other. Let鈥檚 just kill off a huge percentage of our able bodied young men and woman every year. Yup. Sound strategy. The big bad school is so scary! It鈥檚 incredibly cliche, predictable, and trite in all the worst ways.
Violets only personality trait is that she鈥檚 SuPeR FaSt aNd SmArT. And the reason her mother tossed her into the school in the first place is super unbelievable. It鈥檚 just a weak book with weak and convenient reasons to push the plot forward.
I鈥檇 like to know if I鈥檓 actually reading the same book as everyone else. This is the worst piece of literature I鈥檝e read in a long while. I got to chapter 8. Couldn鈥檛 go any further.
First off, the endless use of the F bomb is tacky and lazy if you ask me. So many great descriptive words and all this author can do is spout curse words. Curse words do not a personality make. Neither is being a horny 13 year old. Violet is supposed to be 20 years old, but it seems more like she is 12. I mean鈥�
鈥渢he scar that marks his eye brow only makes him hotter. Flaming hot. Scorching hot. Gets-you-in-trouble-and-you-like-it-level-hot鈥︹€�
Who talks like that? I鈥檒l tell you. Tweens.
I think I鈥檓 rooting for the other side of this conflict too. What kind of battle strategy is it to encourage the deaths of dozens of people as an entrance exam? Then to be okay with it when your cadets at killing each other. Let鈥檚 just kill off a huge percentage of our able bodied young men and woman every year. Yup. Sound strategy. The big bad school is so scary! It鈥檚 incredibly cliche, predictable, and trite in all the worst ways.
Violets only personality trait is that she鈥檚 SuPeR FaSt aNd SmArT. And the reason her mother tossed her into the school in the first place is super unbelievable. It鈥檚 just a weak book with weak and convenient reasons to push the plot forward.
March 21, 2025
鉁栵笍This book is NOT FOR YOU if you do not like
1. 鈥渇rail鈥�, 鈥渟mall鈥�, 鈥渟hort鈥� heroine lead who鈥檚 obsessed with huge/big/broad male lead and who just can鈥檛 shut up about it
2. Characters not acting their age and bickering like kids
3. Everyone just automatically loves, protects, prioritise the female lead
4. Egoistic strong male romantic interests who are trying to act strong like they almost become the unknown side characters
5. No world building in a fantasy setting
6. No character depths
7. No chemistry between the main leads
8. Expecting dragons to be of a more significant role of the plot but you just have to keep waiting and waiting
9. Too much babying of one main character
10. Eye rolling the entire time
11. Hyped books
12. Your favourite book bloggers/booktubers read it just for the sake of the hype
13. Writing which seems like prepping you for the most craziest battle story ever told but it never happens till the end
.
.
.
And if this romance is the kind we are swooning over, I better shift our human species to another universe.
You know the kind of bad taste in your mouth when you read that part in Breaking Dawn, believe me you will get the worst kind of bitter taste when you read the sx scnes. (Don鈥檛 worry about the missing Es!)
The only consolation now is that I didn鈥檛 waste my precious money on the sparkling hardcover.
1. 鈥渇rail鈥�, 鈥渟mall鈥�, 鈥渟hort鈥� heroine lead who鈥檚 obsessed with huge/big/broad male lead and who just can鈥檛 shut up about it
2. Characters not acting their age and bickering like kids
3. Everyone just automatically loves, protects, prioritise the female lead
4. Egoistic strong male romantic interests who are trying to act strong like they almost become the unknown side characters
5. No world building in a fantasy setting
6. No character depths
7. No chemistry between the main leads
8. Expecting dragons to be of a more significant role of the plot but you just have to keep waiting and waiting
9. Too much babying of one main character
10. Eye rolling the entire time
11. Hyped books
12. Your favourite book bloggers/booktubers read it just for the sake of the hype
13. Writing which seems like prepping you for the most craziest battle story ever told but it never happens till the end
.
.
.
And if this romance is the kind we are swooning over, I better shift our human species to another universe.
You know the kind of bad taste in your mouth when you read that part in Breaking Dawn, believe me you will get the worst kind of bitter taste when you read the sx scnes. (Don鈥檛 worry about the missing Es!)
The only consolation now is that I didn鈥檛 waste my precious money on the sparkling hardcover.
January 14, 2025
Reread was somehow even BETTER?!!!! 6 stars 10000000 stars!!! My god I am absolutely FERAL!!! God tier. This series owns me. Xaden is number 1 book boyfriend, I can鈥檛 get him out of my head. It鈥檚 a disease. I鈥檓 sick. I don鈥檛 care.
I still stand by Violet and xaden being soulmates. Whoever says otherwise needs to pick up another book. God reading this knowing everything we know at the end of iron flame made me realize just how much I MISSED!!! Solidified that I鈥檓 a vibes reader to my core. Also the ending of iron flame made this so immensely painful I cried like 5 times bye.
I literally cannot think about anything else. Nothing compares and it makes me depressed.
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Can I somehow give this 11 stars?!!! Because holy hell I can confidently say this book is now my favorite book of all time. I鈥檓 so invested in these characters and truly never felt so immersed in a book. I genuinely am in pain not knowing what鈥檚 going to happen to Xaden and Violet because we have 4 more books coming and they are SOULMATES! I just know my heart is going to be ripped out even more than it already is. How do I read another book after this?????
I still stand by Violet and xaden being soulmates. Whoever says otherwise needs to pick up another book. God reading this knowing everything we know at the end of iron flame made me realize just how much I MISSED!!! Solidified that I鈥檓 a vibes reader to my core. Also the ending of iron flame made this so immensely painful I cried like 5 times bye.
I literally cannot think about anything else. Nothing compares and it makes me depressed.
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Can I somehow give this 11 stars?!!! Because holy hell I can confidently say this book is now my favorite book of all time. I鈥檓 so invested in these characters and truly never felt so immersed in a book. I genuinely am in pain not knowing what鈥檚 going to happen to Xaden and Violet because we have 4 more books coming and they are SOULMATES! I just know my heart is going to be ripped out even more than it already is. How do I read another book after this?????
June 14, 2023
i hate to admit it, but the hype is real. i wasnt sure i could trust all of the praise this book is getting because i didnt like the last RY book that was widely loved. but this one is enjoyable!
it has all of your typical fantasy tropes - a girl who doesnt know her powerful potential, found families, a magical enemy threatening the kingdom, and enemies to lovers. so nothing about this is super unique. but everything is done really well and is very engaging.
this is just one of those books that is a lot of fun to read. so you dont really care about how well its written or the bigger points reviewers usually critique. its just about pure enjoyment.
so if you like dragons and youre looking for a new fantasy read with a decent amount of romance, this is the one for you!
鈫� 4.5 stars
it has all of your typical fantasy tropes - a girl who doesnt know her powerful potential, found families, a magical enemy threatening the kingdom, and enemies to lovers. so nothing about this is super unique. but everything is done really well and is very engaging.
this is just one of those books that is a lot of fun to read. so you dont really care about how well its written or the bigger points reviewers usually critique. its just about pure enjoyment.
so if you like dragons and youre looking for a new fantasy read with a decent amount of romance, this is the one for you!
鈫� 4.5 stars
August 12, 2023
Omg this book. this book. this book. As soon as I finished the book I immediately started rereading all of my favorite scenes/chapters which is how I know I'm obsessed. First of all, the setting and concept is so cool. The book takes place at a war college for dragon riders. It gives slight Hogwarts/Harry Potter vibes but 100x more brutal and deadly. I also loved the politics and backstory of the outside world as well.
And then we have the romance!!! Rebecca Yarros, I bow down to you for writing Xadan Riorson. That man 馃サ馃サ The way you never know if he wants to kiss Violet or kill her. The way he's so mysterious and guarded but also has these surprising and small moments of kindness and loyalty. Instantly one of my top book boyfriends.
November can't come soon enough. I need book 2 asap
And then we have the romance!!! Rebecca Yarros, I bow down to you for writing Xadan Riorson. That man 馃サ馃サ The way you never know if he wants to kiss Violet or kill her. The way he's so mysterious and guarded but also has these surprising and small moments of kindness and loyalty. Instantly one of my top book boyfriends.
November can't come soon enough. I need book 2 asap
August 6, 2023
(2.5) While my rating will probably surprise some of you, my overall opinion is "it wasn't that bad." (the reading vlog: )
Don't get me wrong, the writing is not the best, the romance is definitely cringy and too many very convenient moments... but it's very readable and the magic system/dragons were cool.
I get why it's getting so popular as it reminds me a bit of Throne of Glass. Heck, I personally enjoyed this one more.
Am I in a rush to pick up book 2 when it's out? No. But it also won't make it to my "worst books of 2023". Murakami will though lol
Don't get me wrong, the writing is not the best, the romance is definitely cringy and too many very convenient moments... but it's very readable and the magic system/dragons were cool.
I get why it's getting so popular as it reminds me a bit of Throne of Glass. Heck, I personally enjoyed this one more.
Am I in a rush to pick up book 2 when it's out? No. But it also won't make it to my "worst books of 2023". Murakami will though lol
May 14, 2023
there's a valuable lesson to be learned here and it's that when you see the entire goodreads community read and five star the same book you run as fast as you can in the other direction
i especially enjoyed the mediocre writing, boring love story, and the "this might as well happen" plot where an allegedly frail and weak character is at the same time overpowered as fuck and gets everything handed to her on a silver platter. 0 stars.
chrysa, please don't abandon me, i can find a good book to buddy read, i am sure i still have it in me
i especially enjoyed the mediocre writing, boring love story, and the "this might as well happen" plot where an allegedly frail and weak character is at the same time overpowered as fuck and gets everything handed to her on a silver platter. 0 stars.
chrysa, please don't abandon me, i can find a good book to buddy read, i am sure i still have it in me
September 30, 2023
Some of y鈥檃ll bouta be real mad at me, but this is awful. Also if this is enemies to lovers, then oh, how mighty have fallen. The amount of time I cringe was insane I鈥檇 rather stick molten hot needles in my eyes than read sequel.
Side note: ratings for this book give me Sound of Freedom vibes. How does first time fantasy author get from May to August so many reviews and almost all are 5 stars. Too much sus.
Side note: ratings for this book give me Sound of Freedom vibes. How does first time fantasy author get from May to August so many reviews and almost all are 5 stars. Too much sus.
October 20, 2023
the second hand embarrassment.... girl GET UP! set back women rights by a century
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rebecca yarros signed with isra*li publishers, bothsidesing the oppression going on right now and her books are military propaganda, with the latest one being set in Afghanistan, about two tone deaf white mcs.
if you care, think before putting your money and time on her
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rebecca yarros signed with isra*li publishers, bothsidesing the oppression going on right now and her books are military propaganda, with the latest one being set in Afghanistan, about two tone deaf white mcs.
if you care, think before putting your money and time on her
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