FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
It is all the rage. Retailers can’t seem to keep it in stock and the internet is abuzz about it. Of course I am referencing Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing. It seems to be the biggest fantasy book of the past decade but is it worth the hype?
Set on a fictional continent where dragons rule the skies, a kingdom relies on the magic within the great beasts, and the riders who bond with them, to keep them safe from an outside world that is hostile and ravenous to overtake the land.
The story follows a young woman, destined to become a scribe, who is forced to enlist in the flight quadrant by her general mother. Tested at every turn to prove herself worthy (and not die in the process), Violet must navigate the treacherous world while also navigating her social life. In a world where more enemies exist than friends, Violet’s journey is forged by the relationships that she has fostered since childhood but also new found foes who just may turn out to be her greatest asset.
Some people hesitate to jump on the band wagon when a book becomes extremely popular out of fear that they will spend the money and be let down. In this case, it seems like most people didn’t feel that way. As evidenced when, in just a few short weeks, news broke that the book was sold out everywhere.
Digging into the meat of the story, it is not a difficult read but that was Yarros’ intention. She set out to write a story that had all of the elements of High Fantasy but for people who weren’t fans of all of the flowery language and overly exaggerated descriptions. She maintained the obscure names, for the most part, but simplified the fantasy elements to appeal to a large audience.
She nailed it. The story flows smoothly and Yarros wastes no time in boring her audience. She keeps the pace moving, sometimes at a breakneck speed that makes it almost impossible to put it down. Racing towards the final pages, readers will certainly find themselves approaching, what can only be described as a major cliffhanger.
Anywhere you look, you will find excitement for the sequel due out this November (2023) because of the way that Yarros has ended her novel. While this reader was able to predict a good chunk of the ending, midway through reading, the journey to arrive there was a fantastic and riveting one. Yarros doesn’t try to trick her reader, I can only imagine that she wants them to try to put the pieces together and enjoy the way that she has crafted her story.
Fourth Wing is a spectacular adventure that will appeal to anyone who has a slight interest in fantasy. It is funny, thrilling, scandalous, and a truly exciting novel. The hype is merited and if the countless glowing reviews are to be believed, Yarros’ books will dominate the fantasy genre for many years to come.
