Umbra Ex Libris was founded by Roxy and Jonas. But we wouldn’t be able to run without the help of Marissa, our social media coordinator. Marissa is also an avid reader. With some coaxing and encouragement we are excited to introduce her very first book review, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Fantasy books have long been a popular genre for their inclusion of otherworldly excitement and creativity. Lands filled with wizards, witches, dragons, and elves. While they all follow a similar pattern, no two fantasy novels are the same. Back in middle and high school, I would consume fantasy stories like air as they had the ability to transport me out of my monotonous day-to-day school life full of homework, early mornings, and classes that I wished I could sleep through, and into a new world full of adventure and possibilities.
Then as I got older, I discovered thrillers, horror, and mystery. These genres became my new addiction because of my love suspense and psychological twists and turns. I fell away from fantasy as I found myself wanting to read about more real life worlds that were a bit more relatable to me. That is, until I reached back to my previous infatuation with fantasy through Fourth Wing. One of my best friends, Cassidy, read this book and said she was obsessed with it. I just HAD TO READ IT.
Synopsis
Violet Sorrengail, 20 years old, has grown up in her older siblings’ shadows in Navarre. Everyone must join a Quadrant at Basgaith War College when they become of age depending on their skills and often their family history. Violet found peace in the idea of joining the Scribe Quadrant like her late father. Recording Navarre’s history and walking among the books was her strength. Unlucky for her though, her “tough-as-talons” mother, Lilith Sorrengail, is the Commanding General of the Riders Quadrant. Her older sister Mira is a fearless Rider, and even her late older brother, Brennan, was a Rider.
Her mother has ordered Violet to join the Riders Quadrant, no exceptions. This all depends on if she can survive the process to even join the Quadrant to begin with. To make it as a Rider, you must make it to, and complete, Threshing. Threshing is a set of physical challenges designed to weed out the weak and unworthy. At the end, you must prove yourself to the dragons who will decide whether to bond with you… or not. If you are lucky enough to bond with one, you’ll not only be able to communicate with your dragon, but you develop the powers they contain.
The unique thing about Violet is that she is both physically smaller and weaker than the average Rider cadets. This is because of a chronic illness. While not officially stated in the book but explained by Yarros herself, Violet has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a chronic condition that affects the body’s connective tissue due to hypermobility. This condition results in exceptionally fragile joints, muscles, and bones.
The downside of this condition for Violet is that it’s a known fact that Dragons don’t bond to “fragile” Riders. Instead, they’ll incinerate them.
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Also working against Violet’s luck is the fact that her mother was responsible for deaths of many of the cadets families in a previous rebellion. This makes Violet target number one. Many of the cadets would like to both see her dead out of revenge, and to bond with any potential dragon she might take as there are less bonding dragons this year than any previous year. One particular such person is Xaden Riorson. He’s the most ruthless, lethal, Wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. To him, all Sorrengails are enemy number one in his books for killing his father. Mira has made it very clear: Stay. Away. From. Xaden. Riorson. He will try to kill you at any given opportunity.
With every day that passes, Violet must fight for her life while the Kingdom is simultaneously falling. The protective wardings are failing. Cadets are dying every day because of the challenges they must face before becoming Riders and proving their worth to the dragons. At Basgiath War College, there are only two ways out: Graduate, or Die.
Likes
I found this book very fast paced which made it enjoyable to read. For a fantasy novel, the names are not exceptionally difficult or crazy. One of my main fantasy pet peeves is when the names of characters and cities are so wild that you have no idea how to pronounce them. I find myself skipping over words and accidentally skim-reading stories. This was not the case here. While some of the names were unique, they are not difficult to read. Towards the end of this book, I could not put it down. It felt very much like some previous loves of mine had been combined. Picture Divergent, Hunger Games, and Harry Potter all in one.
In this book you have a “physically weaker” protagonist destined for a quieter lifestyle (much like Tris). She joins a ruthless school of peers (much like Dauntless) who are training to be lethal fighters and will stop at nothing to make sure they are one of the few at the end (just like the tributes in the Hunger Games). After they bond with their dragons, they attend classes to learn how to channel their magic powers, and learn to control their newfound abilities so they don’t accidentally unleash havoc in their day to day lives (as if living at Hogwarts). If you enjoyed any of these series, you’ll like Fourth Wing.
Another aspect I liked about this book is the focus on Violet’s medical condition. Someone in her shoes might see her position as a death sentence. One wrong punch thrown, one shoulder pushed too far, could leave her in a vulnerable state in the medical wing. However, since Violet has grown up in pain, the expectation of pain is something she has had every day of her life. This is not something she actually fears as a cadet in the Riders Quadrant. She knows she is physically more vulnerable but that is a minor hurdle to get through.
She learns to work with her strengths. For example, instead of fighting unequally against stronger cadets, she uses information against people. Allergies, poisonous plants, medications that might weaken her opponents is all the information she needs. Yarros does a fantastic job of showcasing a character who has so many odds stacked against her. Instead of backing down and trying to run away, she faces these challenges head on, with wit and sass. Violet wants to prove to others, like her enemies and her mother, but also herself, that she can do this.
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Dislikes
There were not too many aspects I did not like. One of the biggest issues I had was the transition between paragraphs. There were many paragraphs that meant to leave us suspended for an added flair of drama. However, the way I described it to my friend Cassidy was that it felt like when a TV show purposely plans for commercial breaks. The scene fades to black and then picks up in another place when they come back after the break. Many chapters would leave us with some important information right on the cliff edge, and then the chapter suddenly ends. Instead of picking up where we left off, we sometimes pick up days later. It sometimes feels very jarring and I found it very frustrating at times.
Other than this, my only other issue was with the semi-erasure of Violet’s friends: Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Sawyer. Once the main events start to pick up, we lose a significant amount of information on these characters as they take backseat positions towards the end. Without giving away too much information, I wonder where we pick up with them in the sequel.
Recommendations and Review
This book does feature some 18+ scenes towards the end. Remember this is a war college full of adults in their 20’s. The age of the characters is the target audicence for books in general. Therefore, some content is mature such as sex and violence. You can avoid some of the smutty scenes by skipping through chapters 30 and 32. There are mentions of killing other cadets, violent deaths from the challenges they face, fighting with weapons like daggers and swords, and hand-to-hand combat that can result in death. My personal suggestion is that this book might be best for ages 18+. Parental guidance is advised.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was not left disappointed. It also rekindled my love for fantasy novels! As mentioned before, if you loved series like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or Harry Potter, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. It is also scheduled to be a series of 5 books with the sequel set to be published November 7th, 2023 and I cannot wait for this book to be released! I will definitely be reading this in the future when I find myself wanting to return to fantasy and it will live on my shelves alongside my high school favorites.
8.5/10. Highly addictive
As always, happy reading!
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