Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Pages:512
Publish date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Piatkus
ISBN: 9780349437002
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Fourth Wing:

Thank you to Hachette Australia for a review copy. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. I did try and make this review as spoiler free as I could but a few things may have slipped. 

I finished this book over a month ago now, and it’s taken me a while to get all my thoughts together. And I was so excited and nervous going into Fourth Wing. If you didn’t know already, Rebecca Yarros is one of my all-time favourite authors. I have loved every single book of hers. So when I heard she was doing a fantasy, I was fricken excited but also nervous.

But I don’t know what I was thinking, because once again Rebecca Yarros has outdone herself, and my expectations, and Fourth Wing has jumped to my favourite of her books and my favourite book of the year. I know that you are probably seeing this book everywhere at the moment, and that makes me so damn happy because I think Rebecca Yarros deserves it. Don’t shy away from reading it because of the hype. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros follows Violet Sorrengail as she begins her journey to become a dragon rider. She wasn’t supposed to be a dragon rider but her mother has other plans for her. Now she is fighting with hundreds of other candidates to become part of the elite. But being a dragon rider isn’t easy and Violet will need to fight for her life, if her own body even allows it. It’s not just the elements trying to kill her but other dragon riders as well. *cough cough* Xaden Riorson. There are only two ways to finish at Basgiath War College; die or graduate. 

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Violet has to be one of my favourite female protagonists ever. I have always loved how Rebecca writes her female main characters and Violet really highlights that. Throughout Fourth Wing, the reader gets to see Violet not only grow strong and find her place in this violent world but understand herself more and more. I really understood her. I adored that she never gave up, even if she wanted to. And I already want to do a re-read and really take in Violet’s growth throughout the book. She really explores herself in Fourth Wing and the reader gets to see her believe in herself more. 

Violet is strong but knows her limits. She works around them. And when thrown into a situation that doesn’t seem possible to get out of, Violet works out a way. She is the type of protagonist that I am so happy reading about and I don’t think I will ever get bored of her. 

Xaden Riorson? What can I say about him? He is dark, dangerous and exactly what I love. He will kill you, but he also cares so deeply. From the start, I knew I was going to love Xaden. How couldn’t I? He really stands out in this book and boy there were times when I wanted to kill him. But as the story goes on and we find out all the things that Xaden has done to protect those around him. My little heart couldn’t. I also love that he breaks for Violet. We slowly start to see him want to help protect her. Not stop her from doing anything, but help her achieve what she wants. And he does that with a lot of the people around him. He wants everyone to do their best. But he is also a man and makes some dumb decisions, and we will need to wait until the next book before I might forgive him. 

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Now let’s get into the world. There are two ‘worlds’ in this Fourth Wing. The world of Basgiath War College and the outer ‘real’ world. For most of this book, we are exploring the world of the College. And I found that so fantastic. It’s such a layered world and if we had found out everything right at the start about the whole world it might have been overwhelming. What I loved so much about the world-building is that through Violet’s rambles and the little notes throughout the book we find out about things. We aren’t info dumped but when we need to know about the information it’s given to us nicely and slowly. 

I loved how damaged this world is. How hundreds of kids want to be dragon riders and so many die before they even step foot into the college. It’s fascinating and I can’t wait to find out even more. I don’t want to talk too much here about the world-building, because it’s a complex world and I don’t want to spoil anything. But there is magic, war and lots of betrayals coming your way. But this layered world of Fourth Wing is enticing us to know more and that makes everything so much more exciting. 

Now it’s time to talk about the dragons. I love them. I love that they are given human traits. It makes the emotional connection between the dragon and the rider mean so much more. We get to see so many types of dragons and the different ways that they interact with riders. I mean if a dragon just doesn’t like someone, they just torched them. This world is brutal. It’s not a nice world. They are in a war college. I just want to love I do love me a grumpy dragon. 

One of the things that I don’t see talked about enough and that makes me angry and sad at the same time, is the disability rep and honestly the representation in general. I adored the disability representation in Fourth Wing. There were times when I just felt it. While it isn’t explicit throughout the book, Violet shows signs of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. A genetic condition that Rebecca herself has. What I loved about how it was explored throughout the book was that it wasn’t forgotten, but it also wasn’t just who Violet is. It’s not her disability and that’s it. I loved she was able to adapt – with a little help, but it didn’t stop her. The general representation in the book was also fantastic. It’s just there, like you know, life. 

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

Now it’s the romance’s time to shine. This angsty, slower-burn romance is exactly what I need. It’s enemies to lovers and so much more. Violet and Xaden have so much tension between the two of them that I was waiting for the pin to drop. I loved that the reader could see the connection from the start and it just slowly built up. One of my favourite things about these two is how much Xaden advocated for Violet without even realising it. It made me so happy. He didn’t stop her. He helped her figure out ways she could accomplish what she wanted. This isn’t just about Violet and Xaden but I adored how sex-positive Fourth Wing was. It just happens. It wasn’t a big deal. They made jokes here and there but it wasn’t like this big thing. 

I don’t think I will ever stop thinking about this book. I am telling everyone at work about it, I’m trying to convince every customer to read it. And my family is getting sick of me talking to them about it. But if you love dragons, fantasy with a little bit of spice. And lots of death. Then pick please Fourth Wing up. This new adult fantasy romance is one to keep an eye on.  I know that this book won’t be for everyone. I wish it was. But I think a vast majority of you will love it.  

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Overall Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has so many elements that I have loved in a book. An angsty romance, a fantasy world that will not leave my mind and characters that took hold of my heart. Plus grumpy dragons just made my day. With a protagonist that has jumped to the top of my favourites list and a romance has me wanting more. And that ending has left me gasping and waiting for the next book. I tried to explain how much I love this book in this review and I do hope that it has come across. But I am so excited for the next one, and I cannot wait. 

Have you read Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it any time soon? What book has blown you away this year? Let’s Chat!