Hello everyone!
I've missed being able to type my thoughts out haha!
Tonight we take a look at internet sensation which has taken the book world by storm. Literally and pretty much also figuratively and everything in between.
I'll admit that I never would have picked it up ... but a really good friend of mine, one of my best friends even, just kept on and on about how good this was, so I thought to myself, you know what? If so many are saying this is good, then I'll read it too.
I haven't regretted it since, and have picked up an actual physical copy of the book.
Because this is what I do: I read e-books then decide whether or not I want the actual thing.
So without further ado, it's time to put on our flying leathers, pin our hair back, and get ready to kick some serious ass.
Basgiath college awaits in Fourth Wing.
I've never read any other book by Rebecca Yarros before so there won't be anything to link to down below, however! the sequel to this book is releasing very soon (within the month, I believe) and that means I'm going to be reading and reviewing Iron Flame just as soon as I get my grubby, greedy paws on it.
Until then, let's begin, shall we?
Basgiath is a place based on a caste system that includes warriors, scribes, medics, etc. And apparently there was a rebellion at a not-so-distant point in the past which rocked the foundations of everything, but we don't get to know much about it other than: Basgiath put the rebellion down, and the kids of the rebels were all forced into what's called the Riders' Quadrant of the war college of the place.
Considering the college is Hunger Games on steroids, it's basically a death sentence in a way, but moving on.
Our protagonist, Violet Sorrengail, was always meant to be safe and sound with the scribes, because she has a medical condition which makes her physically incredibly weak ... yet her mother, after the passing of her scribe husband, decides to push Violet to the Riders instead.
You know, as any loving parent would, I suppose.
This is where the fun begins, as Anakin Skywalker would point out, because not only does Violet meet every single challenge thrown at her, but she begins to actually thrive in ways she never has before - albeit with slight limitations considering her joints tend to pop out of order every now and then.
And the point of this particular quadrant?
To train the new generation of elite dragon riders who will fight on the front lines and keep Basgiath safe.
Oh yeah, we got dragons, bby!
Violet reconnects with her old best friend, Dain, who keeps pushing for her to be smuggled to the Scribes, which she lowkey starts to hate later in the book (and which I get annoyed with super early because, my guy, this is not being a supportive friend), and becomes Undesirable Number One for the rebellion kids because, SURPRISE, her mom happens to be a high ranking general.
Xaden, the rebel kids' leader and someone who's about to graduate college with probably one of the strongest dragons bonded to him, puts his mark on Violet too, while he's at it, because he'd like to get some payback.
Or so it would seem, though as the story turns out, things are much, much more complicated.
Top it all off with the fact that every rider eventually develops some sort of power that speaks to their deepest, strongest core and which draws power from their dragons, and you've got some drama of epic proportions at the ready.
Here's the thing, too: Violet and Xaden are wildly attracted to each other and kinda push it aside because, well, enemies first, right?
Plus Dain doesn't like it one bit, not that we care about his opinion in particular.
And then comes the fact that Violet's squad is assigned to Xaden's wing ... and then Threshing happens, which is when dragons choose their bonded riders, and not only does Violet bond the biggest, baddest and strongest dragon around, she also happens to bond TWO because she protects one of the smaller ones (who also happens to be the most powerful, honestly).
And her big badass dragon is mated to Xaden's dragon. As you do.
Things become even MORE complicated because Violet's nearly killed for her dragons, Xaden goes ballistic learning one of the wing leaders was in on it, and Dain tries to read Violet's mind for proof without asking her permission, making you, the reader, question everything, because HAS HE DONE THIS BEFORE EVERYTIME HE TOUCHED HER?
I have to read this again, I swear.
But just as things seem to settle and Violet and Xaden kind of find some sort of balance for themselves, and Violet comes to terms with the fact that the rebel kids seem to be trying to rebuild the place that the loyalists razed during the rebellion, the powers that be decide Xaden and his crew are too powerful and too problematic to have around, so they put out a test during the war games: leave a place to be overrun by their enemies (channelers called venin who channeled too much power and are now basically evil incarnate) and prove their loyalty, or fight for it, and basically die.
Violet feels betrayed at this point because she learns that Xaden has been more than trying to rebuild, but is actively helping the troops who they've been taught are the enemy, but ALSO there are BIGGER PROBLEMS, VIOLET: as in, if your enemy isn't actually your enemy, then who the hell is?
Oh right, the venin. DUH.
So, they fight. Also duh. And they survive, if barely, and Violet is poisoned, which calls for some expert healing that turns out to be - dun dun dun - her previously-declared-dead brother, who happens to be on the side of this budding rebellion, apparently.
Although now she's pissed at Xaden for keeping secrets when she was so open and ready to be with him, and there's layers upon layers of political scheming to unravel and key figures to place on the map, and they also have to go back to school AND figure out how to work the dragon bond thing.
You know, just your average day in the life of a twenty-something dragon rider who's about to turn the world upside down.
Whew!
I love the world building, the characters, the DRAGONS, the exposition in this book.
I really enjoyed the slow burn between Xaden and Violet.
Tairn is a hoot. He's the grouchiest sarcastic smart-ass dragon around, and I wish we got more from him because he makes every conversation better just by rolling his eyes or threatening to cook someone.
I was also definitely expecting something from Xaden by the end - not THAT cliffhanger however, because I'm trying to figure out how they flipped the story around for it to work out the way it has (was awesome, though).
Violet ... I can't figure her out. She gets bullied into the Riders quadrant and thinks schleping more than she weighs will somehow keep her alive (it won't); she then decides this is home and yet can't stand the thought of hurting anyone regardless that she acknowledges she was always meant to be a rider (not sure what she thought she was going to do, particularly after Tairn chose her); and she's all words and no actions behind them. She says she's willing to take Xaden with all his secrets and whatever is behind his walls doesn't matter - then backtracks when push comes to shove. It's no wonder he didn't fully trust her if this is her reward, given everything and how high the stakes are.
I do have a bone to pick, however, with the "weakest link" nonsense. While everyone's so hung up on what Violet can or can't do, Jack (another cadet) is over there murdering cadets all over the place, without even a slap on the wrist. Listen, he breaks the rules for killing flagrantly and doesn't get a whiff of punishment. There's weeding out and there's stupidity - the weakest link can be strengthened. Killing machines who act like loose cannons, however, get others killed way faster, and it's a huge let town in an otherwise tightly-written plot.
Heck the dragons can't stand a cadet COMPLAINING about a weak link, but somehow they think a mass murderer is A-okay.
Whatever they're smoking, I want some of it. Sounds GRAND.
Overall though, I'm keen on digging in further and seeing just what the heck happens now. I think it's going to be explosive, which is fine with me xD
I really enjoyed the slow burn between Xaden and Violet.
Tairn is a hoot. He's the grouchiest sarcastic smart-ass dragon around, and I wish we got more from him because he makes every conversation better just by rolling his eyes or threatening to cook someone.
I was also definitely expecting something from Xaden by the end - not THAT cliffhanger however, because I'm trying to figure out how they flipped the story around for it to work out the way it has (was awesome, though).
Violet ... I can't figure her out. She gets bullied into the Riders quadrant and thinks schleping more than she weighs will somehow keep her alive (it won't); she then decides this is home and yet can't stand the thought of hurting anyone regardless that she acknowledges she was always meant to be a rider (not sure what she thought she was going to do, particularly after Tairn chose her); and she's all words and no actions behind them. She says she's willing to take Xaden with all his secrets and whatever is behind his walls doesn't matter - then backtracks when push comes to shove. It's no wonder he didn't fully trust her if this is her reward, given everything and how high the stakes are.
I do have a bone to pick, however, with the "weakest link" nonsense. While everyone's so hung up on what Violet can or can't do, Jack (another cadet) is over there murdering cadets all over the place, without even a slap on the wrist. Listen, he breaks the rules for killing flagrantly and doesn't get a whiff of punishment. There's weeding out and there's stupidity - the weakest link can be strengthened. Killing machines who act like loose cannons, however, get others killed way faster, and it's a huge let town in an otherwise tightly-written plot.
Heck the dragons can't stand a cadet COMPLAINING about a weak link, but somehow they think a mass murderer is A-okay.
Whatever they're smoking, I want some of it. Sounds GRAND.
Overall though, I'm keen on digging in further and seeing just what the heck happens now. I think it's going to be explosive, which is fine with me xD
xx
*image not mine
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