Review: “Fourth Wing” is a romantic, high stakes fantasy novel that will quickly have your heart in its clutches. 

 

Though I had trouble picturing aspects of the world Yarros built, I really enjoyed its complexities. The idea of students of Basgiath War College being divided into four quadrants—Riders, Healers, Scribes, and Infantry—to complete their three year studies is very reminiscent of my favorite books from days of old like “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games.” Violet Sorrengail, the main protagonist, having ties to both the Scribe’s Quadrant, the quadrant her father joined, and the Riders’ Quadrant, the quadrant her mother forced her to join, allows the reader to become familiar with both areas of study and understand just how different they are. 

 

Being a rider, Violet has the opportunity to bond to a dragon—the defenders of Navarre. Yarros introduces many species of dragons living within proximity to Basgiath War College, which was exciting to read about and shares similarities with Cressida Cowell’s “How to Train Your Dragon” series and subsequent film adaptations. I appreciated Yarros taking the time to help the reader distinguish between each dragon and the abilities they are associated with by color and tail shape. 

 

I also thought that Yarros’ magic system was wonderfully crafted. Once a rider has bonded to a dragon, they are able to channel their dragon’s power to generate magic of their own. No two magical abilities are alike, so it was fun to see how Violet’s abilities manifested. 

 

Perhaps my favorite part of “Fourth Wing” is its strong female lead—Violet Sorrengail. Yarros draws from her own personal experiences as a woman with EDS and POTS to inform Violet’s rare disease, which leaves her bones brittle and her ligaments frail. I really appreciate Yarros for providing such great chronic illness representation and emphasizing that just because Violet’s body is built differently than others, that does not mean she does not deserve to be whomever she wants to be. 

 

Xaden Riorson, the most powerful wingleader in the Riders’ Quadrant recognizes this and becomes Violet’s biggest supporter, but not without setting aside his initial hatred for her. I really enjoyed following Xaden and Violet’s relationship development. When the two first meet, they view each other as enemies because of the history between their parents. Then circumstances change when their lives become irrevocably linked. Now forced to keep each other alive with war brewing on the horizon, romantic feelings begin to take root. While the pacing of their relationship moved a little too fast for my liking during the second half of the book, it was impossible not to form my own attachment to them.