Fourth Wing- Rebecca Yarros

Gripping. Thrilling. Expect the unexpected.

I think the best way to describe this book is alive- I just could not put it down and I'm pretty sure it only took me two days to read the entire book because I was just so immersed in this world carefully crafted by Yarros. Both the setting and the characters felt so real and alive, I really felt like I was there experiencing everything alongside them.

Often in fantasy novels, the volume of lore and world building can become really heavy and either confusing or puts the reader off entirely because instead of adding to the atmosphere it becomes convoluted and boring. This is not the case at all in Yarros' writing as although there is still a lot of lore, it is incredibly well integrated into the vivid world building and cool geographical setting of the novel.

One of the biggest positives in this book is the FMC, Violet. I personally think that Yarros has created one of the best representations of hypermobility syndrome, a condition I personally live with, through Violet and for me the best part is that she doesn't have Violet 'overcome her disability' but instead learn to work with it to be able to achieve her goals and survive at Basgiath. I love a strong, powerful female lead and Violet is the perfect example of this through her absolute grit and determination to prove she has what it takes to become a dragon rider- because 'a dragon without its rider is a tragedy, but a rider without its dragon is dead'.

As for Xaden Riorson, I am fully on board with this slow-burn, enemies to lovers trope featuring a morally grey love interest! I am really interested to see where both his character development and his relationship with Violet are explored in the next book Iron Flame.

Finally, I did not see any of the twists coming in this novel and could not have predicted the shock cliff-hanger at the end! I loved the slow discovery and reveals of the dark and twisted political agendas of those in charge both at War College and beyond; I cannot wait to see how these play out throughout the rest of the series!

Overall, this book absolutely lived up to the romantasy hype and I cannot wait to see where this story goes next in Iron Flame!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐