Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: Book Review

The Reading Experience

I was skeptical going into Fourth Wing, which is exactly why this Fourth Wing review starts with a confession.

At the time, the book was absolutely everywhere. Social media was drowning in glowing reviews, fan art and recommendations, and I’ve been let down by enough hyped books to keep my expectations firmly on the floor. Add the fact that romantasy usually isn’t my thing, and you can imagine my enthusiasm. In the end, curiosity won. I wanted to know whether the hype was deserved.

To my surprise, I enjoyed it far more than expected.

Rebecca Yarros doesn’t waste any time. Violet lands at Basgiath almost immediately, and once the training begins, the book rarely slows down. Everyone is trying to kill everyone, which keeps the tension pleasantly high. More than once I told myself “just one more chapter” and looked up several chapters later. That promise has never once been true.

Violet is easy to root for, too. Almost everyone expects her to fail before she has even started, so watching her win with brains, determination and adaptability instead of brute strength was a joy. The underdog energy is strong with this one.

The real stars, however, are the dragons. I should mention that I’m extremely biased here, because I will forgive a lot of things if there are dragons involved. These ones have actual personalities and bring a real sense of wonder to the world, which is more than I can say for most of the humans.

And then there is Andarna.

I fell in love with her almost immediately, and every scene with her was a highlight. While many readers will walk away talking about the romance or the action, I was simply happy whenever she showed up.

Speaking of romance: given how the book is marketed online, I fully expected it to take over the plot. It doesn’t. It matters, but survival, training and dragon riding stay firmly in the driver’s seat, which I appreciated.

Not everything worked for me, though. Some characters got on my nerves, mostly because certain personality traits and opinions were repeated so often that I started to feel like I’d missed a memo. Yes, I got it the first time. After a while, that earned a few eye rolls.

The bigger problem is that the book didn’t stick. I had a great time while reading and was always curious what would happen next, but once I finished, surprisingly little stayed with me. I remember enjoying the ride a lot more than I remember what actually happened on it.

Summary

Did the hype deliver? Mostly, yes. What I expected to be an overhyped romantasy turned out to be a fast, engaging fantasy with memorable dragons, exciting action and enough tension to keep me turning pages. The repetitive character moments and the lack of lasting impact held it back, and I’m still undecided about the sequel. But I don’t regret reading it, and Andarna alone almost justifies the entire book.

If you’re curious about the hype, give it a try. It probably won’t become your new all-time favorite, but it delivers exactly what it promises: a fun, fast-paced adventure with dragons, danger and a healthy dose of escapism.

Read it if: You enjoy dragon riders, fantasy academies, underdog protagonists, fast-paced storytelling and romance that supports the story instead of hijacking it.

Skip it if: You’re sick of popular romantasy trends, get annoyed by repetitive characterization, or want a fantasy novel with deep world-building and complexity.

“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead.”
― Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing

Did you end up on Team Hype or Team Skeptic with Fourth Wing? And did Andarna win you over as quickly as she won me over? Let me know in the comments.

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• Dungeon Crawler Carl – Another fast-paced adventure with plenty of personality.
• Fairy Tale – If you want more fantasy, this one comes from a very different corner of the shelf.