Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Published: 2023
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated B for the breathtaking and beautiful brutality of dragon war college.
“A dragon with its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead.”
Violet Sorengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant where she’d be safe among books and history, but her mother, General Sorengail, had different ideas. Like her brother and sister, Violet enters into the Riders Quadrant, the deadliest path to walk at Basgiath War College. Every day that passes is a day Violet is lucky to be alive. She’s smaller than the usual conscript into the riders and so she must rely on her wits to get her to the Threshing where a dragon will choose her (hopefully) to be its rider.
Though a war stretches across her home, Navarre, there’s a war brewing within the college. Violet must take care where she places her trust. Not everyone wants to be friends with her. Some would love to see General Sorengail’s daughter die a most painful death.
Motherland: Fort Salem meets How to Train Your Dragon and I couldn’t be more excited! This was a splendid balance of intense action and reeling emotion. I did underestimate how brutal this would be and my heart skipped a beat out of dread and sorrow a few times, especially towards the end.
The premise that Violet is the daughter of a prestigious leader who falls for a traitor’s son is sublime. While it was obvious, the development and build-up to it was delicious. Every step of Violet’s journey wasn’t just about Xaden but about her inner strength and growth as a person. I loved that she came to love being a rider though she’d originally shown interest in being a scribe. It truly showcased that trying new (and dangerous) things can lead to something better than what you thought possible.
The special partnership between a dragon and its rider is described through excerpts and but it’s nothing compared to when Violet came face to face with it. The before and after of the Threshing—dragon bonding—was so definite. I wasn’t sure what to expect-like something silly—but instead, it was so pleasantly pleasing. I was nervous mostly because I thought the connection would feel too dramatic or fake. Not the case at all. The balance made both the rider and the dragon equal.
The dynamic between Violet and Xaden was hot. While I do mean that it was super steamy, it was also hot to the touch. Any time those two were within the vicinity of each other it was explosive! From bickering to bantering to taunts and smirks, they were entertaining. They had the enemies-to-lovers trope hollowed out to perfection. I had the breath knocked out of me a few times with some of the lines. However, Violet going into overdrive over Xaden did get too repetitive after a while. But I get it. My brain has lost sense over a guy before, too. And, Xaden is definitely worth losing sense over.
Something I appreciated about this was that the smut wasn’t throughout the whole thing nor was it what made this a page-turner. That doesn’t mean I hate smut. No, I love smut. But I do enjoy it when it’s not the main event of a book. Not the case here. Here, it came when it was sheer passion that couldn’t be denied and that’s just classic.
Pulling together all of this was quite a feat. The imagery moved as fast as the action but never blurred so much that I got dizzy from overload. Even the relationships were well-balanced. I admit, I think Yarros enjoys killing off characters, but she doesn’t forget them and makes sure they leave an impact. Hence, the death roll below, which don’t read if you haven’t read this book yet. Still, so much happened and there’s still so much more to come that I’m so giddy about and I’m so impressed by how rich the world Yarros built is and that it’s not overwhelming.
On the Death Roll
Dylan
Aurielle
Pryor
Luca
Tynan
Jack (he’s the literal worst.)
Amber
Oren (Also the worst.)
Soliel
Liam (I wasn’t prepared and cried really hard.)
Overall
This was such an exciting book to read. Beautiful inside and out, I look forward to seeing what comes next for Violet. I totally ordered the remaining books in the trilogy and can’t wait to devour them. I just hope the second book can keep up with this one. It’d be a bummer if it fell short. I totally recommend this if you love a fast-paced book loaded with content.
Quotables:
“Conscription Day is always the deadliest. Maybe that’s why the sunrise is especially beautiful this morning—because I know it might be my last.” (p. 1)
“You are not attracted to toxic men, I remind myself, and yet, here I am.” (Violet, p. 109)
Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aim it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs—on the probabilities.” (Violet, p. 163)
“I think I might die today.” (Violet, p. 483)
More to come soon…
-K.
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