This book was amazing! I cannot explain how much I loved this it and how desperately I will need the next one for the sake of my sanity. It is easily one of the best fantasy books I've read and definitely the best book so far this year.
The plot was fast paced without feeling rushed and flows so well - I was gripped to the story throughout. There is slow burn enemies to lovers romance with plenty of yearning and there is a bit of spice (and the scenes we do get do not hold back!) but it comes in nearer to the end.

The story is in first person and follows Violet, who is the daughter of the general of the armies and suffers from fragile bones and chronic pain. She is about to attend the War College where she can choose enter one of the four quadrants:
- Riders: dragon riders who protect the kingdom and each have their own unique magical gift as a result of their bond with their dragon
-Scribes: historians and librarians who guard the knowledge of the kingdom
-Healers: doctors
-Infantry: ground soldiers
She wants to enter the scribe quadrant but her mother instead forces her to join the riders quadrant where the only option is to graduate or die. And this book is not kidding about that as most of the cadets die in training (or survive to be fireballed by a dragon) so Violet is literally fighting for her life. Also, not only is the quadrant training deadly, but because of who her mother is, many of the other cadets are out to kill her.

Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!!!

Today is the second anniversary of me joining bookstagram and what better way to celebrate than a review of a book I absolutely loved.

Description:

Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College . . .

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.

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.

🐉🐉🐉🐉

It’s not exaggerating to say this book completely blew me away. I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s got everything. A fantastic cast of characters, a main character with a chronic condition, DRAGONS, super hot enemies to lovers romance, sex positivity and well written, well judged spice.

I am going to be rereading this several times until we get the next book! Run, don’t walk, to preorder Fourth Wing!

Thanks to @netgalley and @rebeccayarros for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Fourth Wing is out on the 2nd of May!

Violet is the youngest child of the decorated General Sorrengail, but suffering from a chronic illness at birth means it seems much more sensible for her to become a Scribe, like her Father, than a Dragon Rider, like her mother and siblings. However, at the last moment the General changes her mind and pushes Violet into the deadly war academy designed to weed out the weak, where even if she survives training and murderous dragons, she still has to contend with the children of the rebellion leaders that her mother defeated.

WOW. I had heard a lot about this book before I picked it up, and although it seemed like the kind of fantasy I would love I worried that it may have been overhyped and not live up to expectation. However, I can confirm that this is NOT the case. If anything this book is underhyped, and deserves even more build up than it's been getting.

I was completely gripped right from the outset. The world building is detailed without being overwhelming and I loved how Violet's character changed and matured. I've always been a sucker for dragons which probably helps too!

The plot is fast paced, and although it is a long book I never felt as though the story was dragging. I worried that it would get predictable in places, but actually the author managed to leave enough surprises that even the bits I'd guessed had some twists to them!

Fourth Wing reminds me of a good Tamora Pierce or Trudi Canavan fantasy, and I suspect that like them Rebecca Yarros is going to become an enduringly adored author, at least for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Ohh I really enjoyed this! I love a book with dragon riders and this just ticked all the boxes. Really liked the characters and the character development in this and that ending though😩 excited to read the sequel.

It has been years since I read a book this size in 24 hours, and even longer since I've sacrificed hours of my precious sleeping time to stay up and find out what happens. This book kept me up past midnight and if that isn't a sign that it was brilliant, I don't know what is. I think this might be my favourite book of all time and I'm already quite tempted to buy a physical copy when it releases and then immediately reread it.

Honestly, this book had better become the next big thing. Imagine Hunger Games, tailored for adults, meets A Court of Thorns and Roses and Divergent, then mix them together with Taylor Swift's The Great War. That is the best summary of this book that I can think of. I've already been recommending this to my friends who have recently been part of the Hunger Games revival and I can't wait to talk about it with everyone.

While the plot was vaguely predictable for me, I think that's possibly a sign of how good it was as it combined every trope and plot line that I could possibly think of into one gripping, unputdownable story. I loved Violet and her ability to be badass and inspiring, showing her full potential and overcoming fears while living with chronic pain. Especially her ability with the daggers - incredible and always made me smile! Xaden is such a complex character and I loved how we really only get slight reveals about him as we go through, it really added to the atmosphere of the plot.

The world building is incredible and so vivid - if this isn't made into a movie, I'll be so upset because Yarros' description is so detailed that I can visualise the scenes right now. The idea of the Quadrants are detailed enough to provide real depth to the story but not so complex that I felt like I couldn't keep up with the story.

Overall, this book was absolutely amazing and I truly recommend it to anyone seeking out their teenage YA dystopian vibes again but with adult characters and so much more depth to the romance side of the story. I can't wait until I pick this up again and until I can get my hands on book two!

Thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for early access to this release - my review will be posted on my socials close to the release date!

"A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead."

I don't even know where to begin writing a review for a book that I enjoyed on such a profound level, but I'll give it a try.

Violet dreams of becoming a scribe, she excels at it and it's obviously what she is destined for. But then her whole life is shaken up and instead of heading into the Scribe Quadrant, she is forced to find her feet in the Riders Quadrant. Going from the safety of her books and scrolls to the harsh dangers of dragons and fellow classmates who want her dead might just be the end of her... unless she learns to fight back.

Following Violet's journey was an absolute thrill ride, never knowing what was going to happen next I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I haven't been able to stop talking about this book for days! It has everything you could possibly want - incredible romance, sarcastic dragons and magic all in one place. I haven't felt this way reading a book for a long time, and even though I've only just finished reading it I'm already fighting the urge to pick it back up and experience it all over again.

The side characters were so full of flavour and although I feel like I would have enjoyed getting to know them better, I still love them to death, especially Liam and Ridoc. I won't say much about the dragons to avoid any spoilers but my god they are glorious. Being a big fan of dragons, I was overjoyed with the inventive ways they were displayed in this book, so ruthless and powerful but also the best allies you could ever need. I'm obsessed with them and can't wait to meet them again in the next instalment.

The only negative thing I have to say about this one was that sometimes the tone felt ruined when Violet would look at someone and feel the need to be all "He's. So. Hot." every five minutes. It was really distracting and changed the vibe of some intense scenes, making the book feel like it was aimed at a more immature audience than it was. It was a bit jarring and dragged me away from the experience. However, it's not a big enough issue to drop my opinion of the book. Honestly, the love interest is pretty amazing so really, who could blame her?

Fourth Wing is a book I won't be getting over any time soon and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any sign that the sequel will be on the way!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a fan of fantasy romance I hope Fourth Wing is at the top of your tbr pile, if not, let me tell you why it should be. 

Fourth Wing is a slow-burn, enemies to lovers fantasy romance set at a brutal war college where every day could be the last. And there are dragons. Cool, funny, terrifying, murderous dragons. Have I got your attention? Let's dive in.

Violet Sorrengail spent her whole life expecting to enter the Scribe Quadrant, a place of peace surrounded by books and scrolls, but when her mother forces her to enter the (dragon) Riders Quadrant instead, she is sure she is going to die. Violet's development throughout this story is so satisfying. The brutality of the war college forces her to face not only her fears but her limitations, beliefs and who she really is, but it never felt cheesy or contrived. As a reader you notice it gradually and in subtle ways, from her attitude towards the trials  to the way she stands up for herself. I really enjoyed following her journey and felt genuine first-pumping joy when she told certain characters what she really thought. Her development felt very realistic and the writing just sucked me in. I can't wait to see what she does next.

This book pulls no punches: characters die, characters betray, characters surprise and characters fail. Not only are cadets set against each other, the dragons follow their own rules and are happy to scorch cadets to death if they are not deemed worthy. The peril felt very real and kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through, no one felt safe and some losses hit me particularly hard. However, that's not to say the overall tone is misery and fear, Violet's mindset keeps you going and the dragons lighten the mood - when they want to and on their terms of course, lest we forget that they do not answer to humans.

The romance is wonderfully spicy in Fourth Wing. While it's pretty obvious early on who the love interest is going to be, it is a slow burn and when they finally come together it is explosive. I'm a big fan of the relationship and character and I am keen to see him grow too. I don't want to say too much more as we all know the course of true love never did run smooth... 

In any great fantasy romance it can't just be about the two lovers and the supporting cast of Fourth Wing are also lovable. Liam, Ridoc, Rhi, Mira, just to name a few, are so fun to read and really have our girl's back. While they're not as fleshed out as they perhaps could have been, I don't think the book is worse for it as there is so much going on plot, world and development-wise that any further exploration of side characters would make the book huge. Everything is well balanced and after that ending, I cannot wait for the sequel.

AAAAAAAAAAAAH.

I am currently running on 3 hours sleep for my day at work because I simply COULD. NOT. STOP. READING. THIS.

This book is everything I have ever wanted and more. True enemies to lovers, the perfect amount of spice, dragons, betrayal and murder. I laughed out loud on several occasions at the witty and sarcastic dialog between characters, I wanted to scream at times and I completely and utterly adore the FMC and her struggle with chronic illness is written so perfectly I could cry.

I honestly don't even have the words for how incredible this book was. It is by far and away the best thing I've read this year, possibly ever (but I won't make that decision on 3 hours sleep 😜). Its not very often these days that a book has me reeling and desperate for more and this has most certainly achieved that.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review (and it changed my life).

I'm not going to lie, the only thing that brought me to this book was the fact that it was written by Rebecca Yarros. I am very familiar with her work and believe she could write a very convincing sales pitch that would sell snow to penguins therefore I had incredibly high expectations!

Our female main character, Violet, is set to attend a college, Basgiath War College, whose job it is to prepare her and it's other students to defend against an enemy. Magic powers manifest, dragons bond to their riders (if you survive that long) and relationships can be short lived as the death toll mounts.

I have seen Fourth Wing compared to The Hunger Games and I can't comment because I took the easy way out and watched the movies, but everyone knows the book is always better, BUT to me it seems almost like a grown up Harry Potter at Hogwarts. I have read those books AND they are definitely better than the movies!

To be compared to either of these highly successful novels and authors is in itself high praise and rightly so, she absolutely smashes this new genre out of the park!

Rebecca Yarros spreads her fantasy wings and brings us a whole other world of a military hero. A military whose personnel defends its people, their country... and just to say, we all know how well she writes military heroes!

Be prepared though. Her well known ability to write heroes who will die for the cause is unsurpassed and Fourth Wing is no different.

I can't wait to return to visit Violet, Xaden, their dragons and the other warriors of Basgiath War College.

Oh and those high expectations? Supremely surpassed!!

Review will be published from https://www.instagram.com/book.lover67 on release day (2.05.23)

Thank you to Little, Brown and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I could totally see this as the next Hunger Games! Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros revolves around 2o year-old Violet, who is entering the deadly Basgiath War College, where everyone battles to become a legendary dragon rider. But just one misstep could lead to death. It doesn't help that her mother is General Sorrengail, who is responsible for the deaths of many students' parents. The handsome Xaden's parents were also murdered by Violet's mother, making him her mortal enemy.. Will Violet make it to graduation or die trying?

Here is an exciting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"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.
I tighten the straps of my heavy canvas rucksack and trudge up the wide staircase of the stone fortress I call home. My chest heaves with exertion, my lungs burning by the time I reach the stone corridor leading to General Sorrengail's office. This is what six months of intense physical training has given me..."

Overall, Fourth Wing is an action-packed NA (New Adult) Fantasy that will appeal to fans of Tamora Pierce's Alanna series or the movie Top Gun. One highlight of this book is how it is dark academia, which is one of my favorite subgenres. Another highlight of this book is the cool, dragon-gifted powers like mind reading and breathing underwater.

One final highlight of this book is the nonstop action, leading to an amazing, action-packed climax. This book actually made me feel something and care for the main character, which is hard for a book to do, I did predict two of the three reveals, but one really surprised me. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of NA fantasy in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in May!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5
“Are you going to die a scribe? Or live as a rider?"

Thank-you to Little Brown Book Group for providing an physical proof arc in exchange for an honest review.

How to Train your Dragon meets the Hunger Games, Divergent, the Aurelian Cycle and Ember in the Ashes.

Violet Sorrengail was supposed to become a Scribe, but, of course, the commanding general - aka her cold-hearted mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But Violet is smaller than everyone else and her body is brittle. Not only must she fear assassination attempts by fellow cadets, but also death from dragons because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

This book incorporates so many twists and stories that it felt like a whole series in one book and the pages flew past! This does not mean the world-building or characters were shallow or boring - no. The world-building, politics, and camaraderie were all exquisitely expressed and developed naturally, teasing and testing you with information to keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you fully immersed in the world.

Yarros writes one of the healthiest relationships I’ve read in fiction. There are boundaries, independence, communication, acknowledgment of insecurities… I loved how Violet quickly matured and developed to know what was best for her, and who deserved to have a impacting role in her life. Normally, I’m not a big fan of romance as a major plot device in fantasy. I loved every moment of it. It was not over-powering, it did not detract from the story, Violet’s character or capability (in fact, it added to it).

There was humour, devastation, action, awesome fight sequences, and dragons…. Uhhhhh, perfection! Violet is such a strong heroine: she’s smart, brave, loyal, and doesn’t let anything (her perceived bodily “weakness”) or anyone stop her.

“You turned oranges into a weapon?”

There’s so many things I want to gush about but can’t as it would just spoil the reading experience, but trust me when I say - this needs to be on you

Overall it was reasonably entertaining. The characters have fully formed personalities and back stories. However I found little originality - found it very similar to another fantasy romance book where wings are involved…

I was not sure what I was expecting when I got hold of this book- I will admit the cover and the tag line hooked me straight away. I love dragon books so was willing to give this book a go and I am glad I did. I was not expecting to love this as much as I did, I felt myself wanting to root for Violet even though I knew that she was the main character I did at some moments thought that something bad was going to happen to her. This book does not shy away from the brutalness of training for a war, and what is expected especially if you do not fit the role that people believe you to. I got deep into this world, and I will admit I will die for the dragons because they are life especially one who I would protect with my life.
I also wasn’t expecting to get so emotional when a moment happened in the book quite late on and I felt my heart break and I will admit I almost cried- I think I must have read the page three times because I didn’t want to think it was happening. I was not sure why because I did not want it to happen but part of me knew it would.
I love every part of this book and I now cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel because this book had me in a chokehold in all the right ways and I cannot wait to discuss this book in more detail with more people once they have read this. Also, when I get my hands on a copy because I feel that this will be a series I will reread when I want to be transported into a world where riders are bound to their dragons sometimes inconveniently bit I this it was what made the book for me as it showed that that both humans and dragons were intrinsically linked but the true leaders were the dragons. I am looking forward to see how this is going especially with the ending with the ending because now I have more questions that need to know now, is this going to be an auto buy series most probably because it shows you don’t have to fit the mould to be the hero in a story and this resonated immensely with me.

please note: Rating is 4.5- the review will go up on my instagram @cecereads23 on either 28th or 29th April.

It’s no exaggeration when I say I’ve been OBSESSED with Fourth Wing for the last two days. I’ve been telling everyone I can about it, talking like it’s all real and there’s really riding leathers and a dragon waiting outside for me (oh how I wish that was true. I’ve always wanted a dragon!).

Rebecca Yarros has built a truly fantastic world, encompassing fantasy, war, dragons, magic, and an academic setting that can rival any other literary school. The worldbuilding is of the highest calibre, and I feel like there’s still so much more to be revealed. Each snippet of history and lore is offered only when needed, and there’s no overwhelming information packed too tightly to follow. That’s a worthwhile skill to have when it comes to writing adult fantasy novels and creating fictional worlds, and Yarros expertly nails it here.

The characters are all brilliant, even those only featured for a few pages. Violet is the main protagonist of Fourth Wing and, well, where to start with her?! Talk about a strong woman; she’s amazing in every way possible, even through the chronic pain she suffers. She’s headstrong, loyal, determined, and utterly loveable, and I loved spending two days in her head. Her growing relationship with Xaden, the man she should absolutely never like in any way, is ridiculously addictive from the very start. Their chemistry, banter, and overall aesthetic is honestly something special, and it’s utterly perfect.

There’s a little bit of in-world politics in Fourth Wing, along with a rich history that spans hundreds of years. Everything is so interesting, and I was never bored when reading about what led to present day situations. A number of twists and turns make this book even more compelling, and I don’t think I saw a single one of them coming. Especially not the cliffhanger; that got me good and proper, and if I had a copy of the second book, I’d start it straight away.

My favourite aspect of Fourth Wing, besides the characters and crazy hot romance, is the dragons and their own magic system. They’re huge, powerful beings that each have their own traits and voices, and I liked every single one of them. They’re incredible creatures, and the ones in Fourth Wing are by far my favourite I’ve encountered in the world of fantasy. I’m not going to mention any by name, as I don’t want to spoil anything about this book — the surprises should stay that way, and I hope everyone is as suitably excited as I was as each reveal makes its way onto the page.

I could honestly talk about Fourth Wing for days, which I fear is exactly what I’m going to do. It’s a 5/5, 10/10 read for me, and I have no doubt it’ll be my 2023 book of the year. Finished copies have been ordered, paragraphs have been highlighted on my Kindle, and I’m already tempted to flip back to the beginning and start it all again. I haven’t been this excited about a fantasy book since I first read The Name of the Wind in 2014, and that is high praise indeed, as it’s one of my all-time favourites. I absolutely can’t wait for more from Violet and the riders, and I hope the second instalment won’t be too far away. I don’t think my patience will last long!

I think I might have found a new favourite book of 2023!!!
On paper this is a very Sarah J Mass-ish romantic fantasy with almost all the usual tropes found in such book like underdogs, enemies to lovers, villain becomes hero and hero becomes villain and I had stopped enjoying these kinds of books a long way back but somehow.. somehow this one managed to keep me hooked till the end. I lived Violet’s character, her snark, the banter between her friends, with Xander and with the dragons. I loved how she used her brains to get out of situations and how the author never tried to make her physically strong with a convenient plot twist and just developed her as someone who is strong despite her obvious limitations. Another favourite was Andarna who was hust adorable and I hope we get more of her in future instalments. The plot as such was very very very predictive where I guessed every single one of the plot twists and the romance even more so, treading the same tried and tested formula followed in this genre but I was still thoroughly entertained, even getting goosebumps at certain scenes. The pacing was the only major complaint I have with the first half being a full 5 star read and the second half dragging a little. But I am willing to forgive that since I still managed to finish the book in record time craving for more. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of SJM’s acotar series and even if you don’t usually enjoy this particular genre, I would still recommend it for the great banter, main character and the dragons!!

The best book I have read in years. I can barely remember the last time I was excited about a book. Smart, strong and self aware, Violet is one of my favourite heroines.

Fourth Wing gave me Thre Poppy War vibes while Violet reminded me of an Ilona Andrews' heroine.

I loved the world building and Poppy journey from reluctant cadet to a bagasse rider. Poppy and Xanden's relationship was well paced and swoonworthy.

And the dragons!!! Loved them!!


While I am grateful to Piatkus and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I am slightly bitter about the agonising wait for book 2 I will be forced to endure.

Want a book you can't put down, then this is the book for you. Violet is the unlikely heroine, destined for the Archives but forced I to the life of a Dragon Rider.
Trials, war games, death, rebellion, think Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and Divergent but with Dragons and Magic. Throw in enemies too lovers, sister hood, a bit of spice and a world full of secrets and hope. Thanking
#netgalley for the ARC, and Rebecca for a brilliant World that I can not wait to delve more into. The ending sentence tho!!!