I FINALLY READ FOURTH WING + HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS
Kicking off this year's reading challenge with a #booktok sensation: Fourth Wing. Sharing my likes, dislikes, and everything in between (contains spoilers).
In 2024, I set myself two goals for myself in the realm of books + reading:
Read 30 books.
Share my thoughts on the books I read online.
I’ve been afraid to share my thoughts online about the books I read because it feels weirdly vulnerable to me.
But one of my themes for 2024 is creative liberation, so let’s get into it.
If you prefer audio, I also shared this review on my podcast, Time Alone.
I started my Christmas holiday with one goal: find out what the Fourth Wing hype is all about.
This one has been sitting on my TBR for months, waiting for me to have a good chunk of time to sink my teeth in.
I never used to reach for a fantasy book, but in the past year or so it’s become one of my favorite genres.
Why?
I find a good fantasy storyline to be one of the most immersive reading experiences (provided I can follow it) which is great when I want a little break from reality.
The experience of immersing myself into a new fantasy world is almost child-like for me in a sense - I’m convinced it unlocks something otherwise dormant in my day-to-day life.
That said, I do find fantasy to be a commitment (hence wanting a relatively open calendar).
When I read the first Game of Thrones book, it took me about 300 pages and a lot of concentration to remotely grasp what was going on.
Learning the inner workings of a completely new universe takes focus!
Which makes me that much more grateful when the worldbuilding is easy to follow - one of the high points of Fourth Wing for me.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
Quick facts, a one-sentence summary, what I liked vs. didn’t like, and my overall rating.
Genre: fantasy
Themes: dragons, academia, female protagonist, enemies to lovers
Pages: 528
Goodreads Rating: 4.62
One Sentence Summary
The story follows Violet Sorrengial as she navigates a series of brutal tasks, trials, and mental and physical challenges to become one of Basgiath War College’s elite dragon riders.
Likes
Worldbuilding + Storyline
This feels like a somewhat divisive statement based on the discourse I’ve seen online about Fourth Wing, but I found the worldbuilding in Fourth Wing to be thoroughly enjoyable.
An article I read put it perfectly:
“Yarros’s worldbuilding is intricate without being overbearing.”
I was initially intimidated when I learned the book was about dragons since that’s not something I usually go for, but everything was thoughtfully introduced and explained in a way that helped me grasp the Fourth Wing universe without becoming overwhelmed.
The main character, Violet, occasionally recites history lessons during challenges as a way of calming herself down, which is an engaging way to learn about the universe.
As Violet crosses the Parapet in an early chapter of the book, she talks through the history of conflict between her home kingdom of Navarre and the neighboring kingdom Poromiel, which provides a lot of context for why Basgiath War College exists in the first place.
One thing I had a hard time with (though this isn’t uncommon for me) was visualizing certain things described in the story - specifically the layout of the college, the Parapet, and the Gauntlet.
Fan art was my best friend for helping with this one.
Addictive + Engaging
More generally, I found this story to be super addictive + I was engaged from the first sentence through to the end.
500+ pages is on the longer side of what I typically read, but with Fourth Wing I could have kept reading given how engaged I was.
One criticism I saw come up frequently was that the overall story was predictable and formulaic.
Here’s what one reviewer on Goodreads had to say:
The reviewer goes on to say that if you’ve ever read a dragon riding book, then you’ll be able to predict exactly what’s going to happen.
Maybe because this was my first, I didn’t find that to be the case, nor was I bothered by the aspects that seemed pretty formulaic.
Predictability honestly isn’t a major deterrent for me if I’m enjoying something.
Dislikes
Cringe-Worthy Romance
Okay, here’s another divisive statement, though I know based on reviews this opinion is shared by many: I was not a fan of the romance between Xaden and Violet.
I get it, it’s fantasy, and perhaps the suspension of disbelief should extend to all parts of the story, but I found myself rolling my eyes and borderline wanting to skip through almost every conversation between the two.
Listen, I can tolerate cringe, but this was..a lot.
“The scar that marks his eyebrow only makes him hotter. Flaming hot. Scorching hot. Gets-you-in-trouble-and-you-like-it-level-hot…”
Beyond the cringe factor, their dynamic just felt extremely immature and at times, toxic.
While their “fiery” connection may have been something I would have eaten up in my teens or even early 20s, I now see the flaws in idealizing this dynamic in too much of our media.
This is a personal thing, but I crave more examples of romance and intimacy that are gentle and communicative and don’t idealize all-consuming lust and desire as the standard for a “good” relationship.
Another observation is that it felt like the two went from 0-100, after which the story pivoted heavily to their romance.
My final comment on romance in Fourth Wing was that I didn’t feel satisfied by the abrupt fizzling of Dain and Violet’s connection.
There was a decent amount of build-up between the two in the early chapters, which then came to a screeching halt and never seemed to be discussed after that.
I think there was an opportunity to explore how affection in a friendship can be confused with intimacy and attraction, but the story seemed to move on pretty quickly after Violet realized she wasn’t interested in Dain on that level.
Final Thoughts + My Rating
All things considered, I really enjoyed Fourth Wing, and in my books, anything that keeps me engaged in the way this story did deserves some credit.
My Rating: 4/5
I’ll also be sharing my thoughts on the books I’m reading on TikTok and Instagram, so be sure to connect with me over there.
If you’ve read Fourth Wing, I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Otherwise, any ideas for future reads are much appreciated!
Next up: Iron Flame (the sequel to Fourth Wing)