Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2024)

Fourth Wing centers around Violet, who is forced to become a dragon rider instead of the scribe that she had grown up learning to be. Her mom would not take her as anything else, especially because no one could stop her from forcing her 20-year-old daughter to become a dragon rider. Violet, who has a weak body as they mention in the book, is sent to a place where she could easily die at any time. It’s expected for a lot of would-be-riders to die before they even attempt to bond with a dragon. Who wants a mom like that? She honestly doesn’t seem to care about her youngest child at all. She only wants her daughter to keep her reputation up.

My favorite part about the book was the dragons, which was also the main reason why I wanted to read it. Even though the dragons did not play the biggest role in the book, they were still standout characters. I like the fact that the dragons are the ones to decide who they bond with and not the other way around. They choose who they think are stronger riders, and if they think they are weak they can always kill them off before they bond with a dragon. I love who Violet bonds with. Violet’s body may be weak, but her mind and courage are strong.

Violet was warned not to make friends, but to make alliances instead. She did not follow that, and I appreciate that. I feel that the story was made better by the friendships she made instead of the potential alliances she could have. The first friend she made on her way to become a dragon rider is one of the strongest bonds she has. She can trust this friend to help her when she needs it the most. It’s not the only friend she makes along the way.

She also keeps a friend that I would like her to push off a cliff. Sorry, not sorry. This friend is only there for her when they choose to be, but will not stretch the rules to help her. The rules are law to this friend of hers. She cannot bear to lose this friend, because they have been friends for as long as she can remember. This friend is in their second year with a bonded dragon, and has either always been this way or has made alliances that have formed them to abide by the rules and not to stretch them in any way. Unfortunately, they are not the first character I wanted to die. Luckily the other character is not someone that Violet likes either. If only she would start hating this one.

I kept forgetting the ages of the characters. I really thought they were all teenagers. They don’t mention it often. This felt so much more like a young adult book than a new adult book. I think it just has to do with the decisions the characters made and how they went about relationships. I’m just hoping that Iron Flame makes me feel like they are older.

The love/lust at first sight between Violet and Xaden was a bit much for me. They are supposed to be enemies, but instead they are physically attracted to each other. It was marketed as enemies-to-lovers. That is what I was expecting. They know nothing about each other besides them being on opposite sides. Xaden is the son of a rebel, and Violet is the daughter of a general. Rebecca Yarros does not even make it believable that they hate each other. They just try to resist getting together.

I buddy read Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros with one of my friends. It took us a few months to read, but we finally finished it. We both found it an enjoyable read, but neither of us found it to be a five-star read. I was excited to read this book as I have been looking for some good dragon books. I love dragons. This unfortunately will not be a favorite, but I did enjoy it enough to start the next one. I just hope I don’t end up hating it.