Fourth Wing is a popular fantasy romance about twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who expected to join the Scribe Quadrant and spend her life among books and historical texts. Instead, her mother, Basgiath’s commanding general, orders her to enter the Riders Quadrant, where hundreds of candidates compete to become dragon riders. Violet’s physical fragility places her at a significant disadvantage, as dragons do not bond with “fragile” humans and are more likely to eliminate them on sight. This threat, combined with the limited number of dragons available and the resentment surrounding her family background, makes Violet’s chance of survival slim. We also meet Xaden Riorson, a powerful and feared wingleader, who presents himself immediately as an enemy to Violet due to their family history.
As the story progresses, the external conflict escalates alongside Violet’s internal challenges. Violet begins to realise that things are not always what they seem and that those in power may be concealing critical truths. The book makes effective use of shifting alliances, uncertain loyalties, and morally complex characters. This runs alongside the rider’s “graduate or die” fear that they are reminded of daily.
I really enjoyed the world-building of this book, as, despite being new to fantasy, I found the political structure, training systems and cultural briefs clear and engaging. The story reminded me of The Hunger Games, Squid Game, and Game of Thrones in their focus on survival, hierarchy, and the ambiguity of trust. I read this on my Kindle as I was glad that I had use of the search and dictionary feature to remind myself of any names or words to ensure I was always clear on what was going but for me, that didn’t disrupt the reading experience. In general, I took my time with the book to fully immerse myself and understand the setting and character relationships. That slower pace allowed me to appreciate the detail Yarros has built into the world.
Another thing I loved was the character development throughout the book. The enemies-to-lovers arc between Violet and Xaden is so strong. I’ve read this trope in more contemporary romance-coms, and so with this context and genre being new to me, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this, especially when we learn about how their dragons are entwined. I also found side characters such as Rhiannon and Liam to be really great additions, and I wish we saw more of them.
Something I learned whilst reading the book is that Yarros’ portrayal of Violet’s physical difficulties is a representation of characteristics of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which includes joint hypermobility, instability, and chronic pain, which Yarros and her sons also suffer with. This was woven meaningfully into Violet’s limitations and strengths and really enhanced the realism of her character, especially within this fantasy world, but without reducing her to her condition.
I was obsessed with the ending of this book and loved the dramatic chapters leading up to this, where we are left with the best cliffhanger. The extra chapter from Xaden’s point of view was a great addition to the book and made me want to read more from his perspective.
Overall, I really loved Fourth Wing, and I can tell the rest of the series will be amazing too. This is such a strong fantasy book that demonstrates strong world-building, well-paced character development and a compelling narrative. I’ve just started Iron Flame, and so I hope that will be 5 stars for me too!
5/5 stars
Soph's Library 
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