Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is live, and it’s a 6-star fave for 2023!

Rebecca Yarros has burst into the world of fantasy romance with an exhilarating, exciting, and heartstopping read that I could not put down. I had seen the reviews and high praise for this book, and I’ve been eagerly waiting its release, and I’m happy to say that it was everything I was hoping for and more, and it’s an instant favourite!

 

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Blurb

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” 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’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll 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—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

 

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Review

6 huge, huge stars!

Holy wow. I’ve been a fan of Rebecca Yarros for a long time, and now she has burst into the world of fantasy romance with an exhilarating, exciting, and heartstopping read that I could not put down. I had seen the reviews and high praise for this book, and I’ve been eagerly waiting its release, and I’m happy to say that it was everything I was hoping for and more, and it’s an instant favourite!

A little bit Hunger Games, a little bit Divergent, a little bit How to Train Your Dragon, Yarros has created a well-developed world in which humans work side-by-side with dragons to protect the land of Navarre. And in the violent Basgiath War College, dragon riders are ruthlessly trained to be the front line in a centuries-long battle – if they survive to graduate.

Violet Sorrengail was never meant to be a rider. A quiet, scholarly type, she is small and her body is frail, and she trained and dreamed of a life as a Scribe, surrounded by books and responsible for recording her people’s history. But her ruthless mother is a General, and has determined Violet’s path for her, so with no other choice, she is pitted against hundreds of other potentials for the chance to become a rider. But she does so with a massive target on her back – not only because of who her mother is and the dark history that she was a part of – but because she’s physically weak. And if her fellow trainees don’t kill her, a dragon likely will. And the biggest threat of all comes from gifted and powerful wingleader, Xaden Rioroson, he has reason to hate Violet, and he has it out for her from the moment she arrives. Violet is about to face the hardest year of her life, and of course, it becomes her opportunity to shine.

“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”

Violet has instantly become one of my all-time favourite heroines. She is kind, smart, no-nonsense, and a bit of a smartass, and her determination and strength are fabulous to see in action. Yes, she has weaknesses, but she works hard, she overcomes, she fights, and her character growth throughout this book is sensational to watch.

“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.”

There’s so much going on in the story, which I won’t go into because you just need to dive in and experience it, and through it all we get to watch Violet grow in strength and carve out a place for herself, in her special own way. She makes a fantastic group of friends who all bring their own uniqueness, and who bring the feels and create some wonderfully fun and laugh-out-loud-funny moments. And the dragons! OMG, so not what I was expecting, but so, so awesome! They are independent characters of their own, who have distinct personalities and are able to communicate, and they bring so much to the story.

“You’re making us look bad. Stop it.”

And then there’s the romance, and holy hot damn! A slow burning, enemies-to-lovers, seemingly impossible romance that is bursting with chemistry and sexual tension. The development of the love story is beautifully done, so cleverly tied into the overall story, and written with so much emotion, and OMG, it’s hot, passionate and intense, and I freaking loved it! Xaden has this smooth, controlled badassery going on, but Violet unleashes a maelstrom of emotion in him, and it’s sensational to watch him come completely undone for her! Given their situation, there are understandably dramas, but Violet handles it brilliantly – putting herself out there but not putting up with any crap, and I loved every moment of the angsty longing, bickering, flirty banter and sexy intensity.

“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.”

In the middle of lessons, fight training, dragon riding, magical power wielding, forming friendships and falling in love, there is more happening in Navarre than people know, and Violet is right in the centre of it as everything unfolds. It’s a twisty, exciting and unexpected ride, and I was captivated from start to finish.

You know when you pick up a book and within a few chapters you just know it’s going to be an epic read? I had that with this book – the tingles, the excitement and anticipation, I felt it all! I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with this world, the lore and the vicious brutality that is such an accepted part of their lives. I absolutely adore the characters, the relationships and twisted dynamics, and the absolutely explosive, chemistry filled love story. Violet is in for a world of adventure, and it was an absolute joy to dive in and experience it with her.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and was listening at every available opportunity. It’s over 20 hours, and I spent two nights listening until the early hours of the morning, because I could not put it down. Narrated by Rebecca Soler, she does great voice work, and puts so much emotion into the high-adrenaline moments, this is a great book to listen to (though having said that, I’ve also ordered the hardcover, because it’s so freaking pretty!).

The ending is an epic rollercoaster of emotion, and the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s not too painful. And I’m looking forward to many re-listens before the next book releases in November, because I cannot get enough of these characters, or this world, and this book is going down as an all-time fave.

Such a fantastic read – 6 stars!

 

The Empyrean

 

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