Prompts Filled: (23) A book that features dragons, (32) A book with an enemies-to-lovers plot, (46) A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours
Tags: Violet Sorrengail, Dain Aetos, Xaden Riorson, Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, Violet Sorrengail/Dain Aetos, Violet Sorrengail/Xaden Riorson, Fantasy, Romance, Love Triangle, Enemies to Lovers, Dragons, Magic, Chronic Pain, Military Fiction, Military Fantasy, Military College, War, Death Matches, Attempted Murder, Rebellions, School, Boarding School, Training, Young Adults, Siblings, Sibling Relationships, Monarchy, Monarchies, Kingdoms, Sex, Sex Scenes, Explicit Sex
Violet Sorrengail has been studying to become a scribe to follow in her father’s footsteps for her whole life. But six months before the first tests to enter Basgiath War College, Violet’s mother General Lilith Sorrengail decides that Violet must become a dragon rider. The Rider Quadrant of the college is deadly, and Violet was born frail, so it is sure to be a death sentence.
But Violet successfully passes the first test—walking across a stone balance beam over a ravine—and is determined to fight for her survival and bond with a dragon, despite the obstacles and deadly enemies in her path.
One such enemy is Xaden Riorson, the son of a rebellion leader who was executed by Violet’s mother, giving him a grudge against all Sorrengails. Violet, both attracted to and frustrated by Xaden, tries to avoid him, but this becomes a challenge when she successfully bonds to the dragon Tairn… who is mated with Xaden’s dragon Sgaeyl.
Now Violet and Xaden must work together to cheat death and fight for their lives in a school built to kill them, and Violet discovers a terrible secret that challenges everything she knows about her world.
Sparked Joy: I’m going to be judged so hard for this, but I’m rating this book 4/5. Apparently this book got a lot of hype, which I totally missed, and some reviewers are very harsh on it because it doesn’t live up to it.
But I thought this book was fun! It has magic and dragons and romance—what more could a girl ask for? It definitely had some issues—Violet’s mother’s motivation for sending her daughter to her death at a college she most likely will not survive is completely absent, and I don’t know why Violet chooses to stay despite ample opportunities to leave, and I’m a little iffy on Violet being a passive protagonist—but the dragons and intrigue make up for it, in my opinion.
I liked all the characters, even if Jack is an over the top villain. Rhiannon is a great best friend, and Andarna, Violet’s second dragon, is simply adorable. Dain, Violet’s childhood best friend, is insufferable and a good foil for Xaden.
The romance is a little saccharine, but it’s a young adult book, so that’s to be expected. People talk about how sexy this book is, and I was surprised to find that it’s really not? There are two sex scenes, and they are explicit, but they don’t come until nearly three quarters of the way in, so I’m not sure what people were talking about. I’ve read sexier books than this.
I had some reservations at first, because I got 300 pages into this 500-page book and was wondering when the hell there was going to be a conspiracy reveal. Because there had to be one. Surely this book would critique the flawed logic of this society, right? Surely Violet would come to realize that killing 50% of your cadets in training is not a sustainable way to build a military wing, right? Surely there’s a terrible secret behind all this, right?
Well, some of that came eventually. But being more than halfway through a book with no hints that Violet is going to eventually realize these things was a little frustrating. But, again, she is a passive protagonist. She makes choices, but most of the time, things just sort of happen to her and she goes along with it.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m looking forward to the next in the series!
Something I Learned:
Artist: Lake Fama. Retrieved from Tumblr.
So this book is pretty horny. People in the Rider Quadrant live like there is no tomorrow, because training is so deadly, so they have a lot of sex. Violet drools over shirtless men on the sparring mats pretty constantly. I actually had to ask my allosexual roommate if that’s a real thing, and she assured me that it is, so I had the reaction in the comic above.
Something I’m Inspired to Do: I want to read the next book in this series!
Fourth Wing was published in 2023. Here is Rebecca Yarros’s website. Support your local bookstore if you can, or visit your local library!
El's Reading Journal 