Fourth Wing

Hello, everybody!

I’m back, briefly! I now work two part-time jobs in addition to balancing scholarship applications, studying, and schoolwork, and though I long to write, the time to do so has simply not been available to me. I only have tonight to get this post up before I lose my next free time window for several weeks! There have been a number of books that I have been dying to share with you all, but since I don’t have the ability to make each book review a standard-length post, I am going to try something new by posting brief summaries of each book instead. I will try to resist the urge to share funny stories and anecdotes for the time being, focusing primarily on the content of the books themselves and why I think you should read them. I hope you enjoy this new approach to my blog!

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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros:

Fourth Wing has been topping the bestseller lists for months, and for very good reasons. Violet Sorrengail has trained for years to become a scribe, but finds her life completely upended when her mother (the general) orders her to join the Rider quadrant of Basgiath War College and learn to ride a dragon to defend their kingdom. Being born frail already sets Violet at a disadvantage in an environment where weaklings are seen as threats to the unit. However, Xaden Riorson, the conscripted son of the leader of a failed rebellion, might just prove the greatest threat to her life: her mother is responsible for his father’s death, and Xaden will stop at nothing for revenge.

Is this an enemies-to-lovers romance? Absolutely. Will I tell you how Violet and Xaden end up as more than begrudging allies? You’ll have to read and find out, but you might not come up for air for a while. A review on my copy of Fourth Wing described it as the most addictive fantasy the reviewer had read in a decade, and I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. At the start, when Violet enters the War College for the first time, it feels impossible to look away because danger lurks around every corner. That tension remains constant throughout the rest of the book, making you question the integrity of people’s actions and wonder where the borderline between right and wrong really lies. While there are a few *intimate* scenes, I loved the twists and turns in Violet and Xaden’s relationship- it felt well-deserved and well-fought for, an element most romances I read lack.

I think Fourth Wing deserves a place on your booklist because:

• It’s an incredible book that will appeal to fantasy lovers and non-fantasy readers alike
• It got me out of a reading slump
• It has an appealing enemies-to-lovers romance
• It’s on the New York Times Bestseller list for the 48th consecutive week in a row (hey, look at that, an Ultimate Reading Challenge- read a book currently on a bestseller list– task accomplished!)
• It has dragons- what more needs to be said?

I am excitedly awaiting my chance to read the sequel to this book, Iron Flame, when my hold comes in at the library. In the meantime, I might just have to read Fourth Wing again by shelling over $30 to purchase a copy. Who’d have thought that a book with 528 pages would be my new comfort novel? Let me know what you think about Fourth Wing, dragons, and whether you think the Toronto Blue Jays stand a chance at doing well this season. (So far I’m cautiously optimistic, but the injuries and trades have me worried for our chances.) Thanks for stopping by, and see you next time!

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