I have read a lot of books this year, but this one is by far my favorite. You don’t need to read this review. Just go buy it. But a copy for you, a friend, an enemy of reading to convince them reading is fun, everyone you know!

The more blind you go into this, the more you’ll love it I think. But, if you need convincing, read on!

Our story starts with 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who has been trained for most of her life to be a scribe, preparing to instead try to become a dragon rider. Imagine this is fantasy college, and when you’re 20 you get to choose if you want to be a scribe/historian/nerd, join the infantry, [I swear there was one more choice], OR join the elite warriors trying to become dragon riders. Training to be a dragon rider is extremely deadly - I think they estimate only about 25% of those attempting to join end up graduating. The rest die, usually pretty violently.

Fourth Wing is a New Adult book in it’s truest form - it reads like YA but you’re allowed to have the language and romance of an Adult novel. If you are not a romance/romantasy reader, I think there’s enough action outside of the love story that you would still like it. I would consider the pacing similar to The Hunger Games or Divergent.

I really enjoyed the narrator - I just loved how she characterized Violet and had the perfect amount of sassiness. Not everyone I read the book with felt the same way, so I’m interested to hear what you think!

Thank you SO SO much to @redtowerbooks for my physical ARC and @recordedbooks for the audio copy. I will definitely be rereading and begging for the next book ASAP!!

Fantasy romance fans, meet your newest obsession. Fourth Wing is a must-read for fans of Sarah J Maas. The first in a new series, this action-packed, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance was everything I wanted and more. I could not stop reading this book and was absolutely crushed when I finished it knowing that I have to wait who knows how long for more.

Fourth Wing follows our main character Violet who suffers from chronic illness and has always found her peace training to become a scribe like her father. After his passing, her mother, the general of the dragon riders, decides that Violet isn’t going to become a scribe, instead, she will become a dragon rider or die trying. We meet Violet hours before she enters the war college where she will have to survive deadly trials and murderous classmates for the chance to bond with a dragon and become a rider.

The book does have a list of trigger warnings at the beginning and I do recommend that readers review that before deciding to dive in as we do have a lot of heavy topics right from the get-go. There are a few spicy sections of the story, so be aware of that as well. I’m personally not a spice fan, so I skipped those for the most part and didn’t feel like I missed out on any vital information.

The action and trials were well-paced throughout the book so that it always felt like something was happening and we received world-building “info-dumps” in a really clever way that I thoroughly enjoyed. While I was able to predict some of the twists, I still felt like they were really well executed and the book definitely still found ways to surprise me. I honestly already want to read it again and I know that I will in anticipation of the sequel.

I absolutely ate this book up. From the lore and history to the slow-burn romance, I loved basically everything about reading this story. It was Hunger Games careers meets Throne of Glass witches and wyverns. Our FMC reminded me of Elide from Throne of Glass, while our MMC reminded me of Rhysand from ACOTAR.

Fourth Wing will definitely be one of my favorite books of 2023 and I think I may have a new favorite fantasy romance series on my hands. If you are at all a fan of this genre, I highly recommend giving this book a try.

Fourth Wing was an experience, a rush, and a high I've been chasing since I fell in love with the likes of Divergent and The Hunger Games so many years ago. This is romantacy at its absolute finest and an early 2023 favorite.

I loved every single thing. Every. Single. Thing. There wasn't a moment that felt too slow, there wasn't a scene that I wanted to skim past. The world-building wasn't overly complicated or cluttered. It was easy to settle into and it hooked me almost immediately. Violet was this glorious combination of badass and servant leader. She was so insanely likable, it felt so good to cheer for her. And Xaden? Ungh. My heart can't even. I am obsessed. I am so crazy about the way he cared for Violet, the way he fought for her and pushed her, and bantered with her. I am all-in for this enemies-to-lovers chemistry.

And it's not even just the romance, I was completely captivated by everything Basgiath. The training, the friendships, the enemies, the conflict, the... y'all...

The dragons!

Holy bananas. I had no idea I loved dragons! I was actually a little concerned that this might not work for me because I wasn't sure if I would be down with dragons. But let me reassure you: I am down with dragons. They were so magnificent, so exciting, so thrilling! They added a whole unexpected layer to this story, and I am completely enchanted, all the way in love, and greedy for more.

Worth noting: the story is going to satisfy no matter how you ingest it. But the audiobook was a special treat. It was beautifully narrated and delivered the excitement of the story in a way that maybe hit just a little different. It had been a minute since I listened to an audiobook, but I am so glad I got my hands on this one! It was an absolute delight.

If you're here wondering if you should read this book, turn yourself around and get your hands on this book immediately.

This is a 2023 MUST READ.

I'm just a girl, sitting here desperate for book two and lamenting all the months I have to wait to get more of this unparalleled storytelling. As for you? Go! Go get it!!

All the frigging stars and more! My god what a ride! What a book! This book has rivalled my long-standing love with ACOTAR.
This book has it all in spades. An awesome set of characters, a brilliant story line, jaw dropping drama, a kick ass MFC, a brilliant MMC, delicious enemies to lovers slow burn with amazing chemistry, lies, betrayal, heartbreak and so much more. This is definitely going to be one of my fav reads of the year. Just do yourself a favour and read it.
The audio of this is mainly told from the FMC POV and the narrator did a brilliant job of hooking me in. She really sold Violets pov and I had a hard time stopping listening and will look out for more audios narrated by her. Teddy as always does a great job I find him very easy to listen to. A fantastic story and fantastic audio.

This book was one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! I actually alternated between the audiobook and the regular e- arc! The narrator was good, but the way it was recorded you can hear when she swallowed and stuff, and it kind of annoyed me a little Lol. That did not take away from this amazing storyline. This book was full of action, romanctic tension, amazing friendships, unexpected plot twists and so much more. There was not a single dull moment in this story, and it constantly had me on the edge of my seat! The world building was intricate and fascinating, I felt like I could picture every description clearly. These characters were so well written and some new all time favorites! Violet was strong willed, brilliant, fierce and yet sill kind hearted. Xaden started off tough, very guarded and hard to trust…But once you understand him, he’s a deeply caring person who would do whatever it takes to help his people. I loved Xaden and Violet’s slow burn romance. The story just kept building and building until it exploded into intense, life or death battles and shocking plot twists! After that amazing ending, I cannot wait for the sequel!

Basically every other book I read this year should be shaking in their boots because I think I found my FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!! This was absolutely incredible. I had SUCH high hopes based on how nice the book looks — Clearly the publisher had all the faith that it will be a hit (see sprayed and stenciled edges). I loved every moment of this book. It absolutely captured me and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were so great and bold. I loved that Violet had size/pain issues. There are so many people out there who will feel connected to her story of being underestimated. The DRAGONS omg I loved them. Tarin is such a grumpy old man and I laughed so much at his snarky nature. Also can we talk about Xaden? That man is pure book boyfriend material. If you are in the market for another one, check him out! If this book doesn’t become the next big thing, I don’t know what people are thinking (movie producers do you hear me?). Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy for my honest review.

First off, I am blown away that this is the author's fantasy debut. I absolutely loved everything about this book and am currently having a really bad book hangover haha! The idea of going to war school and learning to become a dragon rider is just so great and I'm happy to see a link between the dragons and the riders, I haven't seen anything of the like since Eragon and I just love it when the dragons are given a voice and such personality! This is a great enemies to lovers romantasy, I cannot suggest this book enough! I think I was 30% in when I ran to go pre-order it. No world building warm up necessary and let me tell you, the theories roaming around my head right now...I can't wait for the next one!

The audiobook narrator was enjoyable though there are some small spots where it seems someone else's voice was used to read a few words. In my case, this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.

Content warnings: Death, violence, murder, grief, sexual content, war, death of a parent, bullying, ableism.

A huge thanks to Red Tower, RB books and NetGalley for the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

This book was a WILD RIDE!! I loved the world building, personality of the dragons, and the love story. This is a uniquely told story and a hugely suspenseful read. There were many action packed scenes, but also tender and humorous moments. If you loved reading Hunger Games and Divergent as a kid, you will ADORE this book. It has similar elements plus add DRAGONS. 😍😍😍 An easy easy 5🌟!!

"I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite."

Thank you Rebecca Yarros, Red Tower Books, Entangled Publishing, Kaye Publicity, RB Media, and NetGalley for these #gifted ARCs in exchange for my honest review!

To say that I am obsessed with Fourth Wing would be an understatement! This book was phenomenal and is my favorite book of 2023 so far. I read this book in two sittings, only because I needed to sleep. Fourth Wing has everything you could ever want in a fantasy book: Dragons, epic battle scenes, badass main characters, and the most perfectly paced slow burn enemies to lovers romance. Not only was Violet an amazing FMC, but I loved the positive disability representation that her character gives readers. I’m a sucker for a morally grey character, and Xander might just be my new favorite book boyfriend.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as an arc and the narration is perfection. Both of the narrators did a fantastic job. I couldn’t imagine anyone else narrating Fourth Wing, because they were perfect.

I can’t wait to read the rest of The Empyrean series and see what happens next! If you liked Throne of Glass, Zodiac Academy, and Divergent, you will LOVE Fourth Wing!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 2.5

It has dragons, so I’m immediately interested. The dragon backstory and lore was really one of the finer points of the story. I believe this is being marketed as New Adult, but much of the dialogue and interactions read Young Adult. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of action, death, gore, and a few explicit scenes, but I had to keep reminding myself that the protagonist is 20.

This is definitely an enemies to lovers fantasy romance, and heavy on the romance. If that’s not your jam, this one may not be for you. Outside of that, the story does a good job depicting chronic illness and has some great characters. There is a ton of hype around this book right now, and I definitely liked it enough to continue the series.

The ARC I received was the audiobook version. While the narrator was great, there were a couple words and sentences towards the beginning of the story that seemed like they were injected after the initial recording, and the tone and cadence was noticeably different. Not sure what was going on there, but hope it gets corrected for the official audiobook release.

Overall 4⭐️
Release date: 2 May 2023.
Thank you to Rebecca Yarros, Red Tower Books, and NetGalley for the ARC

Dragons? Enemies to lovers? What else could you want?

This book is amazing! I didn’t want it to end. But oh my the dragon ride to the end was fantastic and I can’t wait for more in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

I actually have such conflicting opinions about this that they all shake out to something sort of neutral. I'm even vaguely interested in picking up book 2.

Let's start with the bad: the dialogue is clunky and often cringe-inducing, the pacing is poor (did anything even happen for 200 pages or so of the middle?), the characters are totally one-dimensional and their deaths have no impact. The world-building is shallow, the politics underwhelming, and the plot twists predictable. The FMC hits every not-like-other girls protagonist cliche egregiously (she gets the most special and awesome dragon!! the most special and cool magic powers!! Everyone underestimates her then regrets it because she ends up being the most special and cool girl ever, better than every other dragon rider even though they all trained for it their entire lives!) There is also not a single point in this book where the FMC or love interest actually behave logically and with reasonable motivations; they act and react only to further the plot, not the way that actual humans would, which is often VERY frustrating.

The romance didn't even land for me. Xaden is a walking cliche, a brooding, misunderstood tortured bad boy with a dark past and shadow magic. He's copied and pasted from at least a dozen other stories, and the relationship "development" is purely lust-induced. No work was done to make these characters actually compatible. (I do, however, appreciate that Yarros escapes the Commercial Romantasy curse of dubious consent and abuse-coding. God, what a low bar to offer praise for, but there it is.)

And yet I kept reading. For over five hundred pages. This book may not be well-crafted, but I can't deny it has plenty of merits. For me, personally, what actually set it apart and kept me reading was the inclusion of the main character's disability. Violet has an unnamed disease that affects her joints and ligaments, leaving her in chronic pain & prone to injury. She isn't the only fantasy FMC I can think of with a prominent disability, but she's in pretty meager company, and that's significant! The unique obstacles she needed to overcome in order to survive in an unforgiving world not built to accommodate her add dimension to the story, and I've seen several reviews from disabled readers loving the way that she is portrayed, which is fantastic.

It was a small touch, but I also liked that this is a queer-norm setting with multiple queer secondary characters. The ending of this book was also genuinely exciting and enjoyable.

Overall, I think that it's important to evaluate things on the basis of what they are and what they're trying to accomplish. Did I love Fourth Wing? Definitely not. But I do - somewhat reluctantly - respect it. I think that this book knows exactly what it's setting out to achieve, and it accomplishes it: a romance-forward fantasy story with a bit of action and excitement in a shallow world that won't distract from the slow-burn. Along the way, it subverts a few things in interesting ways, offers disability rep & queer rep, and sidesteps the morally objectionable content too often present in its contemporaries. Also there's a baby dragon. She's the best part. 🐉

So... it was fine?

I loved this so much. Dragons, war college, magic, ruthless competition, political schemes! There’s an enemies to lovers, betrayal, there’s savage elements, and just such a good mix of content. This feels like a mix between Fireborne and Divergent. This book was so much fun and I’m dying to know what happens and upset that I have no ideas when book two comes out.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the first book in The Empyrean Series.
 
I absolutely adore the authors romance novels and was beyond excited to read a fantasy and this book just blew me away. I listened to this book as an audio book and that added to the amazing reading experience I had. The book is mainly told from Violet‘s perspective and Rebecca Soler did a fabulous job to bring her alive. In the end you also get a Xaden chapter read by Teddy Hamilton and this man is one of my favorite narrators and I loved it. Hopefully we get more of this in the next book.
 
The book follows Violet Sorrengail who attends Basgiath War College. She was training to become a scribe, but instead must survive as a dragon rider. The world building was absolutely incredible, and I loved the college setting and especially the dragons. Violet is a person many underestimate and she must face a lot of odds. But she is so strong and focused, and I absolutely loved to follow her development and I already can’t wait to see how that will continue in the next books.
 
Her nemesis is Xaden Riorson who is a powerful wingleader. And he belongs to the rebels and his father is deemed as a traitor. Therefore, a lot of people in this world heavily dislike him while simultaneously appreciating his accomplishments in the war college. He is very all-encompassing, and he pushed Violet over her limits. The plot between Xaden and Violet was beyond intriguing and the sparks between them were sizzling. And at some point, the line between hate and love blurred more and more. The story also has some steamy scenes and that made this book one of the best romantasy stories ever.
 
Overall, I don’t even have the proper words to describe how much I love this book. It’s honestly an obsession at this point and a new all-time favorite book. Every fantasy lover needs this story in their life. 5+ stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

THIS. Was SO good. I had read a lot of hyped reviews, but often I start a new fantasy romance series and while it's fun, it doesn't quite scratch the right itch.

This one truly hit the mark. Violet is such a great main character to read from - she's chronically ill and was never meant to become a dragon rider , but when she's thrown into the training academy she takes on every challenge in such an inspiring way.

From the moment we meet the love interest, it's incredibly clear where the 'love triangle' is going to go, but in the most satisfying way - you just can't wait for it to happen and when it does it's SO satisfying.

Sentient talking dragons also ALWAYS do it for me, and the ones in this book are delightful.

The plot, the characters, the relationships, the cliffhanger ending....I am absolutely deceased

Sadly I’m DNFing at 30%
There’s no need to keep forcing myself to listen to this book.
I can’t get over how much this book gives me Divergent vibes, with a dash of House of the Dragon, and a pinch of Hunger Games. I’ve been there, read/watched that already. No need for repeat. And all the F bombs, just awful and unnecessary.

The time has come for Violet to choose a Quadrant. She always believed she would follow in her father's footsteps and live in the safety of books as a scribe. However, her mother, the commanding general of Basgiath War College, has other plans. No child of hers, even one with chronic illness and pain, is going to be a scribe. Forced into the Rider's Quadrant and surrounded by enemies, Violet has no choice but to find a way to survive.

This is going to be the biggest fantasy book of the summer. Trust me on this. Be prepared to see it everywhere. My friends are already obsessed. They won't stop talking about it or posting about it, and they are already stalking the author for book two. This book has become their entire personality.

Fourth Wing has it all: dragons, slow-burn romance, magic, political intrigue, great friendships, and an academic setting. Oh, and did I mention dragons? So, is it worth the hype? Yes, with some caveats that I explain below.

Fourth Wing was my first Rebecca Yarros book, and I enjoyed her writing. I was especially impressed by her action scenes. She had me on the edge of my seat during all of them. I will definitely be reading her backlist.

I found the plot intriguing, and was hooked from the start. It is a page-turner. It is hard to talk about the story too much without giving things away. My overall criticism would be that I didn't fully understand some of the actions and policies of the war college. They seemed counterproductive to the war efforts. Unfortunately, I cannot explain more without spoiling the book.

The characters shine in this book, especially Violet. Despite all the challenges put in front of her, she is unwilling to back down or give up. I rooted for her the entire time. I loved her interactions with the other characters, especially the friendships and the romance. If you love a slow burn, be prepared for fantastic tension. The spicy scenes did not disappoint. If I have any criticism of the characters, it is that I didn't fully understand the motivations of one of the villains.

My other criticism is this book reads a little younger than I expected. It is New Adult, but the character's voices read a little YA. I hope that as the series continues, this changes.

A few other criticisms I have seen are about the romance. If you have been following me for a bit, you know romance in fantasy is not something I usually enjoy. However, here, it worked. The romance, while present, doesn't ruin the story. Plus, the romance is supportive and well-balanced.

NOTES ABOUT THE AUDIO:
I wanted to point out that I read this via audio, and while I don't think it impacted my overall enjoyment of the story, it did have issues. Typically, I enjoy Rebecca Soler's narration, but I think she was sick when she first started the narration. I am familiar with her and know how great she can be. It gets better, but the first third was a struggle. I know others who had no issues with the narration. I will note that Soler's narration during the action scenes were fantastic. She had me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Red Tower Books, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Updated review

Thank you to the publisher for extending the archive date after all.

This is no doubt my favorite book this year so far. 5 stars is just not enough. I will be rereading this one once my hardback arrived but I had a great time listening to the audiobook. The narrator was great and did a great job telling the story.

The story itself was good to follow, was well-paced and had exceeded every expectation i had for this book.

I will be recommending this one to everyone. The dragons, the power system, XADEN! The last 5% had me SCREAMING! Gosh, the last scene was so well-written and that ending? I need the next book so badly!

A huge thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audiobook.

Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 5 stars

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟
Even with the cover's lovely gold colour, the simple illustration does little to reflect the brutal, spectacular story that blew me away! I do, however, like the depictions of dragons and clouds as these hint at a central part of the world.

Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Bringing the story to life is a lush, descriptive writing style that constantly details the setting and characters without impacting the story's pace. Equally impressive is the rich, unique world that is easy to grasp yet complex, with a delightful blend of magic, dragons and politics. Cliffhanger chapter endings are also skillfully used, making it difficult to put this book down.

“justice is not always merciful."

Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Once the prose has been swiftly introduced, the brutal storyline takes readers on a gripping journey filled with constant action and danger. This journey is enhanced by the underdog protagonist and well-thought-out storyline, which kept me fully invested in unfolding events. Besides this, the storyline is filled with many twists and turns, plus political intrigue, resulting in a compelling climax and ending that has me eager to get my hands on the next book!

Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Besides being an underdog, Violet is an easy protagonist to root for because she is shown to be nice and genuine. Her character is also clever and tenacious, making her easy to like and more complex than initially portrayed. Besides this, the internal growth she experiences as she gains self-confidence made me love her character even more.

“not all strength is physical"

Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
While there are many secondary characters, these are gradually introduced and infused with distinctive personalities that make them memorable. Even the dragons have so much personality and quickly earn a piece of my heart. There are characters to love and some to loathe, plus others who changed for me over the story, and these made the story more powerful.

Romance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
With the undeniable chemistry and attraction between Violet and the male lead, I could not get enough of the enemies-to-lovers romance that plays out. I especially loved that we slowly see a soft side to the male lead, and his feelings are shown through his actions. While there was a brief moment where the developing romance took over the storyline, the romance is clearly just as well-thought-out as the rest of the story.

Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Rebecca Soler's narration with Teddy Hamilton is flawless! The emotions and tension within the story are nicely conveyed through skilful changes in vocal pace and pitch, making my heart pound and enriching the story. Character voices are even done for some characters, making it easier to differentiate between them.

At the end of the day, 'Fourth Wing' is an incredible debut that I CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH! The story is bursting with magic, dragons, action and politics. There are also gripping twists and turns that make it hard to put this book down and make it one of my favourites of the year!

TLDR: If you (like me) were hoping the Zodiac Academy fandom would lead to us getting a college-age fantasy romance in a school that's not toxic and is actually well-written...I give you Fourth Wing!

Detailed Review:

A college-age magic school, a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance (with all the pent up desire), political twists, and dragons...truly what more could you ask for?! I've got to say, reading Fourth Wing is the most pure FUN I've had with a fantasy book in awhile.

This delivered all the tropey goodness I could want, while also being compulsively readable with an interesting world. And we get a disabled heroine which is cool! She has a ligament disorder and deals with chronic pain, and eventually we even get a fantasy-world disability aid for her that's pretty awesome. I had such a good time with this book and it is expertly executed.

Survive, or die. Violet Sorrengail has trained to be a scribe, but her mother is the general of the dragon riders and insists she become a rider as well. The catch? The mortality rates for cadets are incredibly high, plus Violet has a chronic disability that makes her even more vulnerable. But she's smart and determined to survive, regardless of how many people want her dead because of who her mom is....

I won't say too much about the plot, but it's fast-paced, twisty, and the stakes are high. Violet uses her brains to save her when her body can't, but she also finds ways to strengthen the body that she has, even if it's not like everyone else's. I love the way Violet claims her agency in this book and isn't content to let someone treat her as less capable. And the romance she ends up in is really well-balanced with a partner who supports her, but also respects her. This was excellent and with the cliffhanger ending I'm looking forward to book 2! The audio narration is also fantastic, easy to follow, and kept me listening. I received an audio review copy of this book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.