All the frigging stars and more! My god what a ride! What a book! This book has rivalled my long-standing love with ACOTAR.
This book has it all in spades. An awesome set of characters, a brilliant story line, jaw dropping drama, a kick ass MFC, a brilliant MMC, delicious enemies to lovers slow burn with amazing chemistry, lies, betrayal, heartbreak and so much more. This is definitely going to be one of my fav reads of the year. Just do yourself a favour and read it.

Holy moly, what a ride! I haven't been that invested in a book for ages! Where do I even start?!!!

Violet has been training to be a Scribe her whole life but gets thrown into something different and a whole lot more dangerous by, of all people, her Mum.

There she meets an old friend, makes new friends, a whole lot of enemies and is pushed to her limits. She also meets Xaden Riorson who does not like Violet one bit. Oh and did I mention dragons? There are dragons and they are fiesty (and Tairn is so sarcastic, I loved him!)

I'm not going to say anymore about the plot but prepare yourselves for all the emotions, fantastic character growth, enemies to lovers done in the most delish way and an ending that will make your jaw drop!!

I honestly want to gush about this book more but I'll go on for hours so I'll save you!

Also (and I'm hope I'm right with this) but I think that this is the authors first foray into the fantasy world and she has NAILED IT. Perfection.

This book was one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! I actually alternated between the audiobook and the regular e- arc! The narrator was good, but the way it was recorded you can hear when she swallowed and stuff, and it kind of annoyed me a little Lol. That did not take away from this amazing storyline. This book was full of action, romanctic tension, amazing friendships, unexpected plot twists and so much more. There was not a single dull moment in this story, and it constantly had me on the edge of my seat! The world building was intricate and fascinating, I felt like I could picture every description clearly. These characters were so well written and some new all time favorites! Violet was strong willed, brilliant, fierce and yet sill kind hearted. Xaden started off tough, very guarded and hard to trust…But once you understand him, he’s a deeply caring person who would do whatever it takes to help his people. I loved Xaden and Violet’s slow burn romance. The story just kept building and building until it exploded into intense, life or death battles and shocking plot twists! After that amazing ending, I cannot wait for the sequel!

I'm obsessed. This book is going to become 50% of my personality for the next week.

May 2nd - lock the kids up, call in sick for work, turn your phone off and cancel any plans you have because you NEED to read this book.

Plot Synopsis:
◉ Violet Sorrengail, the daughter of the commanding general, wishes to pursue a life in the Scribe Quadrant surrounded by her books. However, her mother won't let her pursue anything that isn't the Riders Quadrant (lest she bring shame upon the family) and become one of the elite dragon riders. Problem is... the only way to leave the Rider's Quadrant is either by graduating or dying. With fewer dragons willing to bond with riders, the cadets are becoming more ruthless to take out the competition. Politics, magic, dragons, betrayals and a growing resistance outside the walls of Basgiath War College... Violet just needs to ensure that she doesn't die in her classes, which within the walls of Basgiath is a very real possibility.

Things I Loved:
◉ Dragons! I loved how unpredictable and cut throat the dragons are in this book. Dragons are the superior being in this world and they make it known. Unless you bond with a dragon, you're at risk of being incinerated on the spot if you look one in the eye. The bond between dragons and their riders was so well-written and I loved the distinct personalities they had. If you love dragons in your fantasy books, look no further!
◉Violet Sorrengail - our FMC, who has a chronic medical condition that makes her physically weaker than almost every single cadet at Basgiath War College. Violet has to use her cunning intelligence to take out the competition and stay alive. While Violet may be stubborn, she has a heart of gold. She was such a strong character that I found myself rooting for her from chapter 1.
◉ The Plot - the idea of a school for dragons riders is just brilliant to me. This book covers an entire school year and is paced brilliantly. This book doesn't drag and I found myself worrying for my favourite characters the whole time. The stakes are high and the author isn't afraid to get rid of the characters we love. There is some great foreshadowing (which my dumbass missed) that leads to some shocking plot twists.
◉Xaden Riorson - a powerful wingleader and Violet's nemesis. With his father being a traitor to the Kingdom, Xaden's father was executed by Commander Sorrengail - Violet's mother. He's such an interesting character and I felt we never knew what was truly going on in his head. I love unpredictable characters with a lot of sass and Xaden's has plenty of both. Plus... his dirty talk is *chef's kiss*.
◉Enemies-to-Lovers Romance - my absolute favourite trope. The hatred that Violet and Xaden had for each other was on sight, and whilst they didn't stay enemies for long in this book, we spend most of the book not trusting Xaden. Is he genuine or is he playing Violet for his own motives...
◉The World-Building - this world was extremely easy to understand and I never found myself confused. The book mainly focuses on the Rider Quadrant, which was so cutthroat and dangerous, that I couldn't relax. Everything with the war college, the dragons and the riders was honestly perfect. ◉The Ending - I'd let Rebecca Yarros punch me in the face if I could get my hands on book 2 today.

Things I Did Not Love:
◉ Insta-lust - a very small part of me became frustrated with how Violet only focuses on how hot and good-looking Xaden is, despite him wanting to kill her and being untrustworthy for a big chunk of this book. I think with the focus on the Dragon school and the plot, the romance was (ever so slightly) underdeveloped.

Important to Note:
◉ This book does have a little bit of spice but if you're looking for a smutty romantasy, this isn't the book. The romance in this book is an added extra because the dragon school itself is phenomenal enough to hold its own.

Contains the following tropes:
◉ Dragons
◉ Enemies-to-lovers
◉ Found Family
◉ Slow burn romance
◉ Chronic illness representation
◉ Magic
◉ War College Setting

I can honestly see this book becoming huge within the romantasy genre and I'm excited to see where the author goes with book 2.

Holy cow this was insanely brilliant!

If you were like any other human around my age circa 10/15 years ago, you were obsessed with dystopian / fantasy ya. It’s a fact. Think The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight (not vampires but the vibes). Combine all these elements we were (and still are tbh) obsessed with, oh and make it adult and spicy and tension filled and sob worthy and you have this incredible work of art.

So I didn’t read the blurb going in so had no fucking clue what was happening the first few chapters (that’s on me though lol) but I still managed to shed a tear in chapter one!!!?! The early crying incident as I’m naming it, I could felt that it was gonna happen but was just hoping with my entire soul that it wouldn’t and then oh, damn, why???

But the whole concept was so good! I’m still baffled by who made the decision for this college to be a thing? Like you’re all constantly complaining you don’t have enough riders, but to become one let’s have this gruelling 3 year college where most of you will die, including a lot of you just to actually enrol, but this is the best process for our shortage? Okay, the higher ups are obviously making good decisions!

Violet and Xaden. Omg. The fucking tension I wanted to die. I love slow burn, but I guess part of loving slow burn, is actually hating it! What I really loved was they actually communicated. Not completely and totally, but that’s on their characters learning how to open up, but they talked about things and that made me happy.

I don’t think I’ve shared anything actually useful in convincing you to read, but there’s dragons and horrible war games and funny bits and super unnecessary sad bits (why?!? I’m broken) and spicy scenes and a cliffhanger to make you so mad you don’t have book 2 in your hands! Read it please x

I can see why this book has such rave reviews and I’m very happy to say it is totally worth the hype.

This has all the elements of fantasy that I like (some of which I’m only recently realising!). I love dark fantasies so I always like a good military school storyline where the young people have to battle grim situations and each other to survive (think Blood Scion and The Blood trials). I love the enemies to lovers angle played out so deliciously between our MCs (fans herself from the steam in this book). Then finally to top it off, dragons! Seriously what’s not to love?

Character development is great - we see Violet go from this quiet retiring very breakable and fragile girl who just wanted to be a scribe, to being the biggest baddest rider there is. Watching Xaden open up to her is everything. The plot is amazing with the various twists and betrayals and wondering who will survive till the end will keep you gripped. I found myself fighting sleep at 4:30am because I wanted to finish the book.

The only cons I would say in this book is the lack of diversity and the similarity to some of the other books I mentioned but it is no less enjoyable and I cannot wait for the next book. 4.5 Stars

I read this book In three days! Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. If I could describe this book in one world it’s phenomenal! Since finishing I can’t stop think about this book. I expect this will be my favourite book of the year.

The world building was fantastic and so well written. I felt I could imagine everything that was being described to me. The characters were beautiful! I especially loved how you got to know the side characters and that they each had their own story.
I loved how reading this book could bring out so many emotions throughout.
The story follows Violet who is forced into becoming a Dragon Rider even though she has trained to be a scribe. Violet struggles to live up to the high expectations of her mother a leader. The challenges Violet and the rest of the first years face are hard as most will not make it. Xaden is a third year who hates Violet as her mother had his father killed for being a traitor. All the traitor’s children end up with relic marks which clearly mark them as the children of traitors. I especially loved seeing all the characters gain their powers.
This is an enemies to lovers with Violet and Xaden. I loved how it was a slow burn and enjoyed all of Xaden little nick names for Violet.
My favourite side character was Liam in this book and I especially loved all the loyalty. The Dragons were amazing too! I loved reading about the bonds and their snarky attitudes too!

I absolutely loved this book and I honestly can’t recommend it enough! It was full of so much heartfelt emotion throughout. I loved reading about the struggle and how the characters overcame them.
If I could give this book more than 5 Stars I would!

I really need book two now please!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Violet has trained her whole life to become a scribe and follow in her father’s footsteps but her mother, the commanding general, has other plans. She forces Violet to join the rider quadrant, the deadliest of all the quadrants at Basgiath war college. Not only is she smaller and weaker than all of the other first years, she has chronic pain and bones that sublux and break. There are deadly challenges, a whole host of characters who want her dead, a best friend who thinks she’s not capable and an enemy she can’t help but be drawn to..

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book. There were things I loved about it and things that could have been a little better to make it a 5 star read for me.

While this book is categorised as New Adult, it definitely read more like YA to me, which is totally fine but the characters did feel slightly younger than their ages. The ‘enemies to lovers’ didn’t feel very ‘enemies’ to be honest. There was one small scene in the beginning where I felt it but after that there was no indication at all that violet was his true enemy (or that he was hers) or that she was ever in any danger from him. My other (very slight) issue was the world building at the beginning, at one point I went back to check if I had missed a couple of chapters because people/places/things were being introduced as if the reader already knew about them with little to no explanation. That threw me a little bit but it was only the first few chapters.

Now for the things I loved!

The characters were great, I absolutely loved Violet and how strong she was despite everything she had going on, Xaden was perfect and I loved their chemistry. I really enjoyed seeing Violet’s relationship with the side characters blossom over the course of their first year. It was very much giving found family.

THE DRAGONS!! From the descriptions to their individual personalities and the fact they were actually present in the book! My favourite scene was probably the threshing, oh and any time we got to see sweet Andarna.

I really enjoyed the story and how it was set over the course of a full year. We got to see the real highs and lows of being in the rider quadrant, the hard training day in and day out and as I said before the relationships that evolved over that time.

I can’t wait for book two to see what happens next, especially after that little cliffhanger at the end!

Read if you like-
• chronic pain/disability rec
• found family
• dragons
• fantasy romance
• college setting
• magic
• combat

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this one nearly a week ago and I still cannot stop thinking about how much I loved it. ⁣⁣
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I loved this world and these characters that Rebecca Yarros has created and I immediately felt a sense of loss when I finished it. I need the next book right away! ⁣⁣
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It is very easy to like Violet, who is forced into becoming a dragon rider even though she's trained her whole life to be a scribe. Whilst she may be smaller than the rest, Violet doesn't give up and it's such an admirable quality! Honestly I loved her for being such a relatable character who proves mental strength can be just as powerful and dangerous. ⁣⁣
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I will say that I have a new book boyfriend in the form of Xaden. That man had me swooning. The enemies to lovers trope in this book was absolutely perfect and the spice in this one was off the charts. ⁣⁣
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I wont say anything about the dragon side of things but my god I loved everything about them and the whole idea of them all! ⁣⁣
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Honestly I can see this being huge and rightly so. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more and I cannot wait to read the next one! ⁣⁣
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Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a feeling I was going to love this book from the very first page, which is unnatural during my reading experience. But WOW was I blown away. This felt like a book written for me, with all the things I love: badass, flawed characters, enemies to lovers, sizzling chemistry, dragons, academia and so much action!

Fourth Wing follows 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail as she joins the rider quadrant at the prestigious Basgiath War College. Her mother is one of the leaders, and pushes her to initiation, when Violet would rather pour over books and facts as a scribe. Desperate to live up to the high expectations set out by her siblings before her, she soon gets used to the ins and outs of war and survival, all the while making strong friendships, and trying not to fall for her wingleader Xaden Riorson...

I adored the writing! It immediately drew me in, especially when it came to Violet's fears during all the dangerous trials. She has a chronic illness, and although she was initially wary of how she would reach the end of the trials, she never let her body stop her achieving her goals. It reminded me so much of the protagonist in Divergent, except more fierce when it came to standing up for her friends and what was inherently right. I loved being in her head, and her thoughts when connecting with those around her. Her strained relationship with her mother was sad to read about, and I hope to see more of it in the next book, and how Violet tackles it.

My FAVOURITE scene had to be during Threshing- an event where dragons choose their riders- which was so surreal and descriptive! I was smiling, and hoping like an idiot, and yet it exceeded my expectations. It was such a wholesome moment and everything that came after that was just perfect!

The chemistry between Violet and Xaden was SIZZLING. It literally had me begging them to kiss everytime they interacted. Xaden's cold exterior slowly melted, and those action scenes left me breathless. Both of these characters were real and flawed, and I was so glad they communicated so well. The plot itself was amazing. Slower paced, and yet this book delivered it all. I got dragons and training sessions, plus some mysteries around a revolutionary group, a scene where Violet beats up the bullies which was SUPER satisfying, plus the moment Violet was bonded to her dragon...

Also, the side characters were so much fun! Rhi, Liam, Sawyer and Ridoc were such great friends! They were super supportive of Violet and I enjoyed their witty banter a lot. And then there was the toxic man himself, Dain. The esteemed childhood friend who wanted to keep Violet in a protected bubble ever since they reunited. I hated him from the start, and he was no worse than Jack and his gang of bullies.

Overall, this is a new favourite and I can already see how popular it will be. This is definitely one that will make waves and leave you wanting more, especially after THAT ending...

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc! This comes out in MAY!!!

Thank you so so much to Rebecca and Little Brown UK for sending me an e-arc.

This book felt like home. It reached parts of my soul I didn’t think it was possible for a book to reach.

This is high stakes, exciting and heart-wrenching. You will never root for a character harder than you will for Violet. Set at a war college, it includes dragons, murderous classmates, magic, a knives-to-throat slow burn enemies to lovers romance, an absolute badass FMC and the most perfect found family unit.

As I said before, Violet is a character that will never leave you. She has chronic illness and is the most beautiful, strong and resilient character I have ever read about. The way she carries on going despite everything, despite all the hardship is just inspiring.
Xaden isn’t just the brooding, angry love interest. You peel back his layers as time goes on. You truly fall in love with him.
The side characters are PHENOMENAL. Liam, Rhiannon, the dragons - god I love them.

There is never not something going on in this book. Believe me you are on your TOES. Your heart rate is UP. I loved the plot twist and this book genuinely had me gasping and throwing my kindle down as well as crying and laughing.

I hate comparing books - because this is in a league above the rest - but I need to give you an idea of the feeling this book gives. The magical, mythical vibes of Harry Potter (and the dragons but if they could talk and give sarcastic one-liners). The brutal anxiety-inducing feeling you get from the Hunger Games. The feeling you get when the kids from Divergent fight (and kill) each other for a place to stay, watching Tris work her ass off to get there. The feeling you get from Four and Tris x1000. The feeling you get when you read A Deadly Education and El is battling to stay alive, the way you root for her because she’s not as stereotypically strong as the others. The feeling of screaming and praying that the underdog comes out on top.

I honestly don’t have enough words for my love for this book. It’s not even out and I need the sequel like, yesterday. I would die if this got made into a film. If you ever ever ever buy a book on my recommendation PLEASE let it be this one. Trust me.

*note to publisher, review will be posted to instagram on release day*

Get me a dragon. Stat.

This was an absolutely magnificent read. I was hooked from the very beginning and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

There are only 2 ways to leave Basgiath War College - graduate.. or die. Should be easy right?

Not when in order to graduate you have to pass a series of challenges designed to obliterate the weak & unworthy. Even if you pass to Threshing, you pray to your God's that the dragons don't incinerate you first.

Surviving is hard enough for those that have trained their entire lives to become riders, but when you're smaller, weaker and more fragile than the rest, you don't expect to live. Violet spent her life training to become a Scribe within the college but when her Mother, the general, orders her into the riders quadrant, Violet has no choice to go.

What happens next is the adventure of a lifetime. Between avoiding violent attacks, being turned to ash by dragons and pushing her body to its very limits, Violet finds herself becoming someone she never thought she could be. Strong. Capable. A force to be reckoned with.

"𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣.
𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚"

Fourth Wing tells the story of a girl who defies the odds, falls in love and discovers the secrets of those around her. Oh and the dragons.. don't get me started on the dragons 💚

If you enjoyed ACOTAR, Hunger Games & Divergent.. you will 100% love this book. I am infinitely jealous of everyone who gets to read it for the first time

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Right from the first page I was hooked and it has been a while since I’ve felt like that about a book! I have been recommending this to all of my friends because it was one of my most highly anticipated book of the year and it has levelled up way past my already high expectations!!! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Action packed new adult fantasy romance with magic school and dragons.

This book was binge-worthy, I didn't want to stop reading!
The themes, plot beats, general feel of the book and even the final reveal reminded me a lot of The Black Witch, except with dragons and sex. I would classify this as Young Adult for the writing, but the explicit sex content make this an adult book.
It was a fun ride with good character growth and interactions.
Overall the writing style is nothing special, the plot is not the most original, and neither are the characters. But the protagonist is sassy and there is an interesting disability representation, even though this gets a bit forgotten towards the end.
For a fantasy romance the fantasy plot and the worldbuilding were solid and the chemistry between the characters was very well written.

I will likely read the next, because I am curious to see where this is going!

Recommended for fans of dragons, fantasy romance readers and those who enjoy YA but like spicy books, too.

Throughout the day and a half it took me to devour this book if I wasn't actually reading it, i was thinking about reading it; and i'm still thinking about reading it even though I finished! This new adult fantasy is thoroughly engaging right from the start with high life or death stakes blended with compassion, friendship, and a heart racing enemies-to-lovers plot line. At Basgiath War College, Violet finds herself battling not only her body and her family's low expectations of her, but also her classmates while they train for the war that still rages along the borders of their kingdom. All this in hopes of being strong enough to bond with the dwindling supply of dragons and live till graduation. Fourth Wing is often being compared to Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J Mass novels and that's definitely a fair comparison. It's spicier than YA but definitely not as frequently spicy as a Mass. I would recommend it to anyone who looking to graduate (Pun intended) from YA into more adult romantic fantasy. I can not wait for where this story goes next!

Okay, let me start by saying this book is super commercial. It’s easy to read, very palatable, and is most likely going to be great for people who are coming from popular romance fiction. If you’re looking for an easy to read fantasy romance then look no further. It’s one for the masses, and I have no doubt it will do really well.

Here’s the gist: Our protagonist, Violet, daughter of a high-ranking lieutenant, is your classic underdog. Thrust into a brutal War College with only 6 months of prep—unlike the other entrees who have been training their whole lives—Violet must fight for her place amongst the ranks. But death is an ever looming threat in a place where over half the students are culled in order to find those worthy enough to become dragon riders.

I really did enjoy the beginning of this book. By default dragons make every story cool, this is a straight fact. You could put dragons in any setting and I would immediately be invested. However the world and politics of this Universe were so much interesting to me than any of the romance going on. I mean; dragons at war with lion cross eagle hybrids, an ongoing battle raging behind a continent divided by wards, an established military and monarchy that stretch back over 600 years? Yes, tell me more about this please and stop skimming over it!!

The main thing that took some of the enjoyment out of Fourth Wing for me was how predictable it was. Once you realised it was going to follow the same plot and structure of every other popular fantasy romance book to ever exist, everything became utterly foreseeable. I even guessed the major “twist” that happens at the end of the book in Chapter 5.

As a whole this is your standard YA-type fantasy. I would've just made this YA and taken out the spice scenes, I think it would suit more to that audience.

Many thanks for the ARC!

Fourth Wing- @rebeccayarros

"𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕒 𝕗𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕟𝕠 𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤, 𝕟𝕠 𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕤, 𝕟𝕠 𝕖𝕟𝕕. "

Everyone at Basgiath has an agenda, so sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

I have been waiting almost a YEAR to read this book and write this review and I am utterly overjoyed that it didn't dissapointed after the wait. Not one bit.
This book is what I would call PERFECTION.

Yarros' writing style is highly addictive and the book is unputdownable.
The main character, Violet is a great representation of a person with a disability who far exceeds the expectations of everyone, including her family. Her mother forces her to become something she never trained to be until six months prior: a dragon rider, like her mother, sister and her brother before her though she has trained to be a scribe like her father for her whole life. She wasn't strong because she was given her strength, she worked for it and earned it by training and building her strength with the help of her friends.

I also loved to hate Dain as a character. He annoyed me with his overwhelming need to protect Violet instead of letting her grow.
In the beginning the story could have gone one of two ways for love interests with Dain being one of the options, her oldest and best friend. This would make the book a friend's to lovers. Her second option is Xaden a ruthless wingleader who's father was killed by Violets mother and who wants her and her family dead. Full on enemies to lovers. And honestly I'm so happy with the direction Yarros went in especially with all of the betrayal from both men!

The dragons are snarky, sarcastic and full on asshats sometimes but they make the books feel even more magical and complete. Their bonds are beautifully written.

I cannot recommend this book enough and it's now one of my all time favorite reads!
This incredible book is one that EVERYONE needs on their bookshelves.
It's full of excitement, action, dragons and tension! Everything we love in a great fantasy book.
I am OBSESSED.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Graphic made by me
Thanks to @netgalley for the arc

I loved this! Yes, it's someone who seems weak battling through a war college where the weak die, there's a bit of a classic love triangle going on between the reliable best friend and the "but he hates me" bad boy star, and the lead character ends up with the special gifts. But it's very well done - the only unbelievable bit was when Violet suddenly realised Xaden was hot, the rest of us figured that out as soon as he was introduced. It's much better written than the slightly tropey outline makes it sound, with politics, history and myth coming together to make a world much more complex than simply a training college story. Violet is a great lead character, determined not to be held back ("I will not die today") but also forming friendships and alliances while she also just tries to survive. Many of the side characters are well-formed as well, and that's before we even get to the other main characters - the dragons!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and my only complaint is that it's not a standalone book and I don't know how long I have to wait before that cliffhanger is explained.

Wow - what a fantasy debut!! You can tell that this author is a veteran romance author as that part of the story was really strong (phew! many chilli peppers lol).
The DRAGONS though! If you put a dragon riding school in a book, what more do we need as a reader? So much fun. If that sounds like a YA then I understand that, but this really is an adult epic fantasy (and the main character is 23).
I laughed, I cried - what more could you ask for?!

Here be dragons!

Basgiath War College is not a place for the fainted hearted! Poor Violet just wanted to be a Scribe but Mother Dearest - AKA The General, has told her it's Rider or nothing. She's had 6 months to prepare for something others have worked for years at!

Now she has to graduate or die trying. She has enemies all around her due to her mother, her own frail health has her pegged as the weak link and she worries that her allies may not be all they seem. Then there is Xaden. Xaden is handsome and disciplined, cold and aloof, and her nemesis from the start. Their relationship is complicated due to their shared past but dragons cannot be rules so when they are forced together, they have to learn to adapt.

Then there is her childhood best friend. But he is also her biggest roadblock. He wants to keep her safe, coddle her. But to survive and thrive she actually needs the opposite. Their friendship really does undergo a metamorphosis.
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There is great representation throughout of the book, it's just effortless and without fanfare. The characters just are - no explanations, no excuses, no blaming. It was great to have a heroine who appears to be fragile compared to others but had the heart and determination of a dragon. He may not be the love interest but Liam made me smile so much.

There are layered politics and a complex world to navigate but it's very easy to understand and I never felt overwhelmed and didn't feel lost at anytime. There are several "WTF" moments but then the story takes another turn and another layer of the story is revealed.

Yay for the underdog and the anti-hero. Keep some tissues handy cos some of the characters quickly became your favourites but no one is safe! Be warned it ends on a cliffhanger!!!!
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One of my favourite lines:

"Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you?" (Xaden to Violet)