Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros completely took my breath away. From the very first page, I was drawn into the brutal world of Basgiath War College—a place where survival isn't promised and trust is a luxury. But what made this story unforgettable was how deeply I came to care about the characters, their relationships, and the raw humanity that pulses through every chapter.Violet Sorrengail is a protagonist you can root for—fierce, vulnerable, and determined despite the odds stacked against her. Watching her grow into her own power was incredibly satisfying, but what really kept me turning the pages was her dynamic with Xaden Riorson. Their relationship is a slow burn, layered with tension, distrust, longing, and ultimately, something stronger and deeply earned. Xaden is complex and guarded, but his loyalty and quiet protectiveness toward Violet make their evolving bond one of the best enemies-to-lovers arcs I’ve read in a long time.And then there’s Liam. Brave, kind, and endlessly loyal—his friendship with Violet is pure gold. He’s the kind of friend everyone wishes they had: supportive without overstepping, protective without being controlling. Their camaraderie brought a lightness and emotional anchor to the story that balanced the intensity of the college and the combat training. When that moment came—“It’s been my honor”—I was wrecked. It was heartfelt, tragic, and deeply beautiful. It encapsulated the cost of war and the strength of the bonds formed under fire.The friendships Violet forms throughout the story, from Rhiannon’s unwavering support to the shared respect and teamwork among her squadmates, are just as compelling as the romance. They’re a testament to how connection and trust can bloom even in the harshest environments.Yarros delivers high stakes, sharp dialogue, fierce dragons, and emotional depth in equal measure. Fourth Wing isn’t just a fantasy novel, it’s a story of resilience, of finding your people, and of learning to fight not just for survival, but for those you love.If you’re looking for a book that’ll make your heart race, swoon, and break all at once, this is it.It’s been my honor to read this story and I can’t wait for the next.

I used to read a lot growing up. Once I became an adult, college, work, marriage, divorce, and a child halted any extra reading time I once had. I struggled finishing books. Usually one per year is all I’d have time for.I must’ve been reading the wrong books because this one took me less than a week. I started reading it last Sunday at 11am and just finished it this morning (the next Sunday) at 10:40am. I found time to read while brushing my teeth, making dinner, waiting in the school pick-up line, at the gym on the treadmill, I’d even sneak a page or two in while on the toilet. I’m not ashamed to admit that this book had a literal grip on me that I could not stop thinking about it any time I wasn’t reading it. My boss and my best friend have already finished the series and hearing the excitement in their voices when they ask where I’m at in the book made me want to read more. The slow burn between Violet and Xaden, being inside Violet’s head throughout the entire book and Xaden’s at the end, the bond between a dragon and its rider, the crazy turn of events I was definitely not expecting, the literal drop of my jaw/audible gasp/full body CHILLS as I turned the last page ready to devour the next chapter that was nonexistent…. This book brought back my desire to read again, to make the time to read again and I wish I could re-read this book for the first time. To feel everything I felt all over again in its truest form. I can’t wait to experience the feeling of reading books 2 and 3 of this series. I’m certain I’ll be able to finish them just as quickly as I finished this one. Just in time for me to be able to actively participate in Fourth Wing trivia night with my best friend sometime in June.

"You turned oranges into a weapon, Violence?" - Xaden RiorsonHigh fantasy, dragons, and an enemies-to-lovers romance in a world wrought with war? YES PLEASE! Okay, let's start at the beginning, the part before I even start reading the book. Fourth Wing is everywhere: Bookstagram, BookTok, everyone and their mother AND brother have read Fourth Wing. I was interested. I had been putting it off for fear that it would disappoint. Well...when I started reading, I was thinking "Yeah, a nice new young adult fantasy with dragons. I hope it's as good as Eragon!" Yes, I know I know...I found out very quickly that this is an adult fantasy and definitely NOT young adult. I could tell by the type font and layout, as if the sexuaI innuendos weren't enough right from the get-go! And man...were some of then so cringy. What force on this planet made me even think it was young adult?! Some of the innuendos and just the bickering, bantering type of dialogue was so cringy and awful that I had to read parts aloud to my husband for a serious laugh. It was like twelve-year-olds who have heard about $ex but haven't experienced it trying to talk about it. It was awful. Cringy. So terrible that I was affronted that I was still enjoying the book! One of the lines I remember most was something like "I want to climb him like a tree." Okay. I get what she means...but if you picture that particular simile...what DOES that even mean? There were better choices out there than...a tree...🤦‍♀️Cringe aspect incoming: While I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, in fact one of my favorites, the way this was set up made the characters feel flatter than paper. We have our main character, Violet, whose small size is constantly emphasized for a good portion of the novel. Yes, thank you for telling us for the FORTIETH TIME that she is small and petite. Point taken. Cool. She is also warned early on about the traitor son, Xaden Riorson, who from the moment he sees her, emphasizes his need to kill her. Except...every time he has the chance, there's some dumb excuse as to why he didn't. And then all of a sudden, he's saving her from death MUTIPLE times, and then they are kissing. ⚔️ This is all well and good, or would be, IF there was more to the enemy aspect. There should have been more time taken to explore Xaden's own hatred of Violet, and vice-versa.At least it gets better. After about halfway through the book (roughly page 250), the cringe isn't there anymore. It's like the author became a better writer AS she was writing. The (human) characters finally started getting some dimension to them, and the cringe-worthy dialogue (with one exception about measuring size, though it's placement wasn't too bad) was no longer present. We finally get a little bit of Xaden's hatred-turned-passion toward Violet, but still not enough to see why he would want to kill Violet, as opposed to attempting to kill her mother, the main responsible party for his misery, instead. I know there will be more books to explore this later, but to make the true enemies-to-lovers feel, and for it to feel genuine, there should have been a bit more from the start. What truly makes this book shine is the dragons. Absolutely everything about the dragons. The series is named after their mysterious governing council (or what it is perceived as, though may be something else entirely), the Empyrean. The dragons are intriguing characters who all deserve more page time, especially Andarna and Sgaeyl, as well as the secondary characters dragons, which we don't get to see a whole lot of. With the dragons having their own governing system and being respected as the highest of beings, they certainly deserved more. The dragons also channel magic into their riders, and each rider manifests their own unique power based on their inner self. The magic system is enjoyable and works well for this world.There are two parts about the book that absolutely make it phenomenal: Threshing, and the last 50 pages of the novel.Threshing is the day when riders get to go out into the field and try to bond with a dragon. The dragon must pick the rider, of course, and not the other way around. No spoilers, but this scene comes somewhere between pages 120-180ish and is the part of the novel that truly had me hooked. I couldn't put it down! The last 50 pages of the novel are the exciting battle one waits for in this kind of book. Once again, no spoilers, but with references throughout and the multiple reveals during this stretch of reading make for an action-packed cliffhanger ending making the reader itch for more. I don't even know where this story will go from here. I know whatever happens, I'll be along for the ride and I know I'll have my wildest imaginings blown out of the water.Final consensus: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💎Why? Overall, the entertainment value of this novel has great sway in my final rating. Despite complaining about cringey aspects, they offered great laugh-out-loud moments. Despite the flat characters at first, they definitely fill out a bit more later, and the thing is, one can't hate on that. It's only the beginning of the story (my understanding at the time of this blog post is that it is planned as a five book series). That dragons truly make this book phenomenal, and everything about the last 50 pages really brought this novel to become something more, to put forward the promise to an exciting war story with its fair share of romance...and loss. Yes...I even teared up a bit at one part. No matter what anyone tells you about the book, its entertainment value makes for a FIVE STAR DIAMOND of a novel... i.e. a MUST READ for all fantasy lovers and seekers of a top-tier book with dragons.