But to really get to the bottom of this, the only thing to do is find and read something within the genre. Doing my best to meet it where it was, I did some research and sought out a book that would have grabbed my intention organically, even if it didn't have romantasy attached to its DNA. A military academy where people learn to ride dragons, paired with an enemies-to-lovers romance? Sign me up.
But does Fourth Wing soar to new heights, or fall to its death from the parapet? Read on and find out.
Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
This was part of my return to reading when I bought a new Kindle in August of 2024, and I can still vividly remember how this book hit the ground running and did not stop. I am a big fan of school settings--whether schools for kids and teens, or a college like we see here--and Basgiath War College had all the fun or interesting things I associate with a school... and dragons. Absurdly funny, at times ruthless, always badass, and totally majestic dragons.
Seriously, I would 100% risk becoming barbecue for a chance to ride Tairn. He's my favorite character in the book! (And we'll get to that, but...)
Violet is a fun and interesting main character to follow. She did not ask for the situation she finds herself in. And I appreciate that we see her struggle to find her way through the many challenges that she has to face. Far too often we see female characters aceing their way through stories with nothing in the road, and that crap is boring.
Violet has stuff coming at her from all angles, though. Some people hate her because of her mom. Some people just see her as a roadblock to their own success. Some people underestimate her. And then there are the very real consequences of her illness and what she is being pushed to do in spite of its dangers and limitations. Violet has brittle bones. When she gets injured the consequences are dire, and the book does not shy away from this.
And then there is her love interest / potential enemy, Xaden. I absolutely adored him. Rebecca Yarros has done a fine job in creating a character who is likeable but dangerous and capable. He has reasons for pretty much everything he does, and those reasons are not always given to the reader right away... But when they are, the reaction tends to be, "Oh!". He also has a tendency to be a character where anything bad that can happen in this world has either already happened, is happening, or will happen to him. You have been warned.
Then of course we have to talk about potentially the most amazing dragon I've ever seen in fiction: Tairn. He can be ruthless, he can be rambly, he can be protective, and he can be surprisingly understanding. As someone who has disabilities, I think one of the most moving parts of the book is Tairn encouraging Violet to use a special saddle so she can stay mounted. Instead of weakness, he views her use of this as ingenuity and adaptability. I'm 43, and had to start walking with a cane at 32. I know a thing or two about how it feels to rely on outside sources for part of my independence. There is always something special when part of a story reaches out and becomes personal. Through the bond forged between Violet and Tairn, Fourth Wing did that for me.
One of the things that romantasy books get shit on for is just being 'porn' for women. First up: porn is a video format that requires the participation--willingly or not--of living people. The correct term would be erotica. And even then, for the content found in Fourth Wing that's an overstretch and I would technically qualify this as having erotic romance. A lot of guys are pissed this stuff is taking up space in the wrong section of the bookstore, and some of them are either Christian conservatives who shouldn't be looking at a book like this to begin with, or incels who blame books like this for their inability to get a date.
In truth, I found the erotic / sex content in Fourth Wing boring. Take this with a massive grain of salt if you felt differently. I'm generally not a big fan of sexy times in books and often skip that content not out of some prudish disgust, but rather because I get bored and it's not what I picked a book up for. The book is good in spite of the sex, for me. The sex is not what makes the book good.
Purchase or Pass?
If you are at all intrigued by Fourth Wing's premise, run--don't walk--and pick up a copy now. This was an incredibly fun read with a cast I enjoyed reading about, a school with some fabulous challenges and political intrigue which kept me turning pages, a romance that kept me on my toes and had me rooting for the main duo at the same time, and possibly the best portrayal of a dragon that I've ever encountered. I'll repeat what I said at the beginning: I would risk being barbecued by dragon fire for a chance to ride Tairn.
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