By Jay Grummel
If you have been anywhere on the internet this summer you’ve heard of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The first in the series of five was released in May of this year and it blew the internet and book communities away. Going into this book I was a bit sceptical as they reviews and hype around it sounded almost too good to be true. However, I soon found myself falling more in love with the universe and world being built around me.
We follow twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail who is about to enter Basgaith War College in the Scribe Quadrant, trying to follow in her father’s footsteps she has been studying for this since childhood. However, soon into the story the commanding general who also happens to be her mother has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates hoping to become another one of the legends of Navarre, as a dragon rider. The Riders Quadrant is the deadliest quadrant with less than half the candidates making it past the first year on average. On top of this Violet has been brittle from birth making her more susceptible to injury and pain. Her chances of making it past her first year in the Riders Quadrant are incredibly low not to mention the other cadets who would kill her in an instant due to her mother’s title and with less dragons than cadets willing to bond, many of the cadets are willing to kill t0 better their chances of survival.
The inner-struggles of the main character are heavily shown. Not only are we aware of her physical battles due to her body, but we get an insight on her internal battles, mostly having to do with trust and self confidence. Violet is a great representation of young adults as she is trying to balance herself, her future, relationships, and her family issues. In the beginning of the story we are made aware of her feelings towards her mother, a need to please, but also a disdain. A very common back and forth with people who struggle to connect with their maternal figures.
Due to the political aspects in this novel we are also met with her lack of trust in other people. Xaden Riorson is her wingleader and he also happens to be the son of the leader of the revolution who was killed by Violet’s mother prior to the events in the book. This causes a lack of trust on both sides, but it more seen on Violet’s end. Xaden tasks himself to help her with training leading them to get closer and eventually form a complicated romantic relationship. I enjoyed the subplot of romance as it helped the book not always feel so intense and dramatic. However, the lack of communication from both parties was exhausting, but that may just be due to their ages and positions in the political side of Navarre.
Something I thought the book was lacking was side-character personalities. We are introduced to a few names and supposed friends. However, these characters tend to lack depth and only have one real defining personality trait that is used over and over again making them feel more one-dimensional than our two main characters. It was hard to connect with these characters throughout the book making scenes that are supposed to be emotionally driven lack.
Rated a 4.66 on GoodReads, Fourth Wing continues to thrive with new readers. With the fast-paced and intensity the plot seems to take over making this book a quick read! I would recommend this book to anyone starting to get into fantasy as the worldbuilding is smooth and the rules of the universe are easily understood. Overall this book is a great read for those who want to replace the gap Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Divergent may have left you.
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