I'm not going to spend a lot of time reviewing Fourth Wing; I think many besides myself have tackled the complexities of how i ~feel~ about a a society that thinks it is totally fine to send young adults to their almost certain death to train to become soldiers in a very militaristic society. will this author be successful in sustaining the velocity of this series? only time will tell.

that said, it was really propulsive and hooky; the world building felt naturally built into the story telling and I wasn't completely overwhelmed. I also very much enjoyed that the dragons are full fledged members of their own society, with rules and structures, and that they aren't just glorified horses. I also really was glad to see that Violet "violence" Sorrengail's disabilities were not magically fixed; her dragon and her team, and eventually her lover accepted her and she was able to have helping devices and aids to allow her to accomplish her goals.

Also, bestill my heart for some great non-slut shamey story too. Violet is just too busy trying to make sure she keeps alive to bone anyone, she isn't not sleeping with anyone because of purity culture reasons. if i were at an academy that i had only a small chance of suriving, i too would be enjoying my time amirite. Casually queer too.

Imperfect, but perfectly fun! It feels good to finally like one of the big popular books, definitely a watercooler moment of 2023