Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

i don’t even know where to start with this review, but I’m going to say this right away.  Rebecca Yarros jumped into the fantasy realm with two feet and absolutely blew me away.  I’ve read most of her contemporary books (which I have adored) but this has to be my favorite of anything she’s written.

Fourth Wing follows 1st-year cadet Violet Sorrengail as she’s forced to enter the rider’s quadrant at Basgiath War College.  She had spent the last five years training for a very different career path, but a last-minute switcharoo by her mother takes her to the last place she ever thought she would be.

Violet has a lot working against her.  She’s small, a bit frail and her only friend, Dain, is a squad leader a year older than her.  She doesn’t know who to trust or how she’s going to make it to graduation. She may seriously doubt what she’s doing most of the time, but she doesn’t give up.  Not on herself or by those that she slowly begins to befriend.  She uses what she’s learned during her time in the scribe quadrant to help her through classes and challenges.  She blossoms with her fellow riders and becomes a BADASS!

A lot happens in this book.  Pay attention.  Read the chapter headings.  Trust almost no one.  But as you’re doing that, enjoy the ride.  This is the best book I’ve read this year.  Maybe even last year too.  I was totally consumed by the story and loathed having to put the book down.  Violet is the perfect heroine because she’s imperfect.  She embraces her flaws, utilizes her knowledge, and shows us what a badass woman is.  She’s loyal, empathetic and tries to listen to all sides.

Xaden and Dain treat Violet very differently.  Xaden may not want her as a rider, but he will let her stand on her own two feet when she needs to and doesn’t sugarcoat anything when she needs a reality check.  But in all things, whether she sees it or not, he fully supports her.  Dain, her best friend since childhood, is the exact opposite with her.  He wants to wrap her in cotton and tuck her safely in a corner.  For someone who’s known her most of her life, he doesn’t see her at all.

If you’re ready to jump into this fantasy world, buckle up.  It’s an amazing journey with some twists you don’t see coming.  November 2023 cannot come soon enough.