Reviews

Book Review – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Book Review

Fourth Wing

by Rebecca Yarros

Publisher: Red Tower Books

664 Pages

Release Date: May 2, 2023

 

 

 

 

I was excited to finally get my hands on this beautiful book! It was an immediate best seller, reviews from other authors I follow were crazy over it and it was dominating Tik Tok, or #booktok – the readers were raving about it. It was sold out EVERYWHERE, and even on Amazon, it had a 3 week wait time. I received it early and was thrilled. I needed to find out if it was worth all the hype.

Two words: It. Was. Fourth Wing is an action packed, suspenseful, addictive fantasy story that will have you spellbound from page 1.

“Conscription Day is always the deadliest. Maybe that’s why the sunrise is especially beautiful this morning – because I know it might be my last.” – Violet Sorrengail

That is your opening sentence.

Our story takes place on the fictional continent Navarre. Navaree is surrounded by provinces, the Emerald Sea, the Arctile Ocean and the Barrens. The country is constantly at war and has been for centuries. Each child of Navaree is required to attend Basgiath War College. The college is made up of four quadrants: Riders, Scribes, Healers, and Infantry.

Violet Sorrengail thinks she is about to enter Basgiath War College in the Scribe Quadrant, as she has been preparing for her entire life. Her mother, the Commanding General Sorrengail, has other plans. Violet is ordered to enter the Riders Quadrant instead. “Riders” are the most elite and dangerous quadrant-they are trained warriors who ride dragons. Thousands of cadets die during the training period, and there is a death toll given daily. Those preparing to be Riders, are big, strong, agile, athletic and tough. Violet was preparing to work in a library her entire life-see the problem?

“I will not die today.” -Violet Sorrengail

Basgiath War College is not easy for any of the cadets, while they are training in their allocated quadrants, they are faced with tests, trials, and mock attacks. There is a risk to all the cadets, but the Riders quadrant is the deadliest. From walking across the parapet-a platform surrounded by slick stone, gusts of wind, and so high up that death is certain if you fall-to surviving sparing matches against your fellow squad mates. They are allowed to kill you in most situations. Why would they want to do that, you ask? Multiple reasons of course, but the most common is this: each rider needs to bond with a dragon to move forward. When a rider bonds with a dragon, they can speak to each other and a signet is formed-a magical power within the human that gives them special gifts-metal wielding, mind reading etc. The stronger the bond between rider and dragon, the stronger the magic. There are more cadets than dragons, so in order to even out the odds, the less cadets the better. Dragons choose whom they bond with, so not only do the cadets have to make it through training, they also have prove themselves worthy to a dragon-and hope they do not get incinerated.

Let’s throw something else into the story, shall we? There was a recent rebellion in Navaree, where many lives were lost. All of the traitors were executed, but their children were allowed to live and attempt to enter the Rider Quadrant and fight for Navaree. Violet, as the daughter of the acting general who carried out many of these deaths, now has an additional target on her back-Revenge. This is where we introduce you to Xaden Riorson. He was the son of “The Great Betrayer” who led the rebellion. He is a true warrior, bonded to a powerful dragon, and a Wingleader-one of the highest ranks you can be while in this war college. Xaden Riorson is powerful, lethal, gorgeous-and will kill Violet the first chance he gets.

Will Violet make it through multiple assassination attempts and get through training? Will a dragon pick her-even though she is the smallest and weakest link? Or will she be cast aside, to start again? Is her mother hoping she makes it through Rider training or…? Can she trust anyone-Family, old friends, new friends, teachers? -it’s debatable.

Dragons. Death. Friendships. Romance. Deceit. Magick. Death.

Fourth Wing, masterfully created by Yarros, throws the reader into a brand-new world, incomparable to any story out there, characters that the reader will love, hate, and bond with immediately, and the anticipation of an intense story to come.

About the Author:

Rebecca Yarros is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for twenty-one years. She’s the mother of six children, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, feisty chinchilla, and Maine Coon cat who rules them all. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.

Visit her website at www.RebeccaYarros.com for more!

 

 

Fourth Wing on Amazon

 

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About the Author:

Jade Perri is the owner and founder of Embrace Your Path. Jade is an eclectic Witch, who has been practicing for more than 10 years and offers guidance on an array of topics. She specializes in the art of divination. She is an enthusiastic teacher and offers classes and certification in many different areas. She also holds a special interest in animal communication and handmade custom poppets. She is an avid reader and her passion is the fantasy and British historical fiction genres. She is also the mother of two children, and likes to spend time with her husband.