I read this for my virtual book club and honestly, it was exactly what I expected. It was fun and exciting, full of familiar New Adult and Romantasy tropes! I get why people rave about it, I really do. The nonstop action is thrilling and keeps readers turning page after page, but I am not a romantasy reader at this point in my life, no matter how I have tried. We follow our main female character, Violet, as she begins her journey toward becoming a dragon rider at her mother’s instruction. Despite being small for her age and living with daily, debilitating chronic pain (which is actually well-represented in the book), she flies through each challenge - rising the ranks of the school’s elite. The odds are against her for a dragon bonding, but that doesn’t stop the most unlikely dragon candidates from choosing her as their bonded human.

The predictable but fast-paced story only escalates from there: her arch-nemesis, Xaden, quickly becomes a love interest after Violet’s bonded with the mate of Xaden’s bonded dragon; there’s the growing threat of war looming outside the kingdom’s borders; and she’ll learn the hard way that some people cannot be trusted. Alliances are forged, enemies come out of the woodwork, and Violet is simply trying to survive each day. The typical life of a dragon rider, I suppose.

It was hard to be completely neutral while reading this book. I was apprehensive about it when it first gained traction, but then I also saw a lot of videos and information pop up about the author’s misuse and incorrect pronunciation of the Gaelic language. And, most recently, her lack of a stance on the current Israel-Palestine conflict rubs me the wrong way (this is a Free Palestine household, here). In addition, I already struggle with stories that focus on glorifying war and bloodshed, and Fourth Wing featuring a literal War College was in direct opposition to that.

Why did I finish the book? The dragons. I liked their snark and internal commentary, and I thought they were the best part of the book. I won’t finish the series, but I’ll keep an eye on plot spoilers and whether Yarros changes her political tune.