Fourth Wing

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4.25/5

Believe the hype. I love this story so much that I read it twice in less than two months! I connected with SO many characters. Plus, their arcs are well-developed and easy to follow. Is the story somewhat predictable? Yes. Still super exciting? Also yes! It closely follows the fantasy formula and has elements that are easily comparable to those in other fantasy novels. BUT, that familiarity creates another world we wish we could dive into. Also, I was still shocked by a few plot twists. And that ending! I seriously can't wait for the sequel!! 😄 If you like dragons, adventure, magic, and romance, this series is absolutely for you! Thank you, Rebecca Yarros, for creating a world that I haven't been able to stop thinking about ✨

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it wasn't entirely enjoyable 😬 I try not to say anything critical of narrators because I know they work really hard, but the narration for this audiobook was… distracting. The tone of her voice changes a lot, there are random, nonsensical pauses, and it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of which character is speaking. There are also moments when it sounds like the narrator might've been congested because her voice sounds nasal or you can hear her gulping 😓 I loved her voices for two of the main characters, but they’re the only ones that are distinguishable. If you don't mind minor things like this (I clearly didn't because I chose to listen to it a 2nd time), then the audiobook is fine. Otherwise, I recommend buying a physical copy (if you can find one haha) or borrowing one from your library!

Also, one of my author friends told me that narrators usually have a set timeframe to record, so maybe the narrator was sick and had to record because of her contract 🫤 I wonder how much better she’d be if she were given a chance to re-record, especially since there are many times when her enthusiastic or hilarious depiction of the story make it more enjoyable.

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.