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Reviewed by: Kathleen Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: Fourth Wing
Author: Rebecca Yarros Publisher: Red Tower Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 11-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Fantasy
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Explicit Sex
Recommended for a school library: Yikes...that's a tricky call! I think it would depend on your community and your students. Reason(s) for choosing the book: I am reading to weigh-in on whether or not it is an appropriate book for high school collections, and because it is extremely popular with my students, even though we do not own it. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
"Watch your back!"
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Review:
I need to start by saying that I am not typically a fan of fantasy fiction, and there are lots of other worlds and dragons here! But, having said that, I loved it! It quickly grabbed my attention; the characters are very well-developed and engaging and the story is fast-paced and exciting. I had a hard time putting it down.
Violet Sorrengail has grown up in the Kingdom of Navarre thinking she was destined to be a scribe, living a safe life among history and books...like her deceased father. Their kingdom is a perpetual state of war, her mother is the commanding general of their army, her sister a master dragon rider, and her dead brother, was also a dragon rider and a healer. Violet is small and frail- a perfect candidate for being a scribe. However, her mother orders Violet to join the hundreds of young people trying to become candidates competing to be elite dragon riders. This cutthroat, perilous journey starts on Constriction Day. Violet realizes that most candidates die trying to become dragon riders and her odds of survival are not good! Students of the Basgiath War College quickly realize, you will either "graduate or die." To succeed, these potential dragon riders need to not only stay alive, but they need to overcome a myriad of obstacles, and bond with a dragon. Violet continues to surprise everyone, and herself, as she finds the strength to survive and succeed at the college, and she bonds with not one dragon, but two. I have to say, her two dragons are two of my favorite characters in the book! Over and over, we witness Violet summon her wits to overcome trials, and improve her chances of survival, and ultimately, she earns the right to become a dragon rider, and to help save and protect their kingdom.
There are some strong overarching themes in this novel- the inner struggle to find one's self and to believe in yourself. Violet overcomes great odds to find the physical and mental strength, and confidence, to survive and thrive in her role as a dragon rider. I love the growth and inner strength Violet exhibits as she comes into herself. There is also the theme of how power can corrupt and how war can split a society. We see over and over again that there are no real winners in a war. Very powerful messages.
I also appreciate that author subtly introduces diverse characters as just characters. Her best friend is queer. It not a big issue, it just is. We need to see more of this in literature.
I noticed one of my students reading the book. I told him I too was reading it. He and his friend, who just finished the book, where interested in my take...they are 10th grade boys. I told them I was reading it to see if it was appropriate for a high school library. While I was further along than the one student, the second student was curious to know what I thought of chapter 30! At that point I wasn't at chapter 30 yet...his comment was, "Well, when you get there, be prepared! I don't think this book is appropriate for high school students." Ahem?! Chapter 30 has a very explicit sex scene (and there are a few more steamy parts further along the book). But I thought it was interesting that this boy did not think it was appropriate for our library but loved reading it himself. He did warn me that there was a twist at the end. No spoiler alerts here! But it sets up nicely for book 2 in the series. Which I will read. Not sure if I will buy it for my library.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Author's Website
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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: Fourth Wing
Author: Rebecca Yarros Series: Empyrean Book 1 of possibly 5 (2 for now)
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 11-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Fantasy, romance, action/adventure
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Explicit sex, violence, frank sex talk, swearing/language, death, use of drugs and alcohol
Recommended for a school library: Possibly, for a high school library. Not for middle school due to explicit sex scenes. Reason(s) for choosing the book: This book was showing up everywhere- people were posting reviews on TikTok, BookTok, Goodreads, Facebook, and it seemed like most people absolutely loved it (and were obsessed with it) and a few absolutely hated it, with little in between. Generally I do not read fantasy so I ignored the hoopla for as long as I could. Fantasy? Magic? Dragons? No thank you. Then one more person said that I absolutely had to read Fourth Wing. I picked up the 528 pages and began reading.. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Who is going to tell your story?
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Review:
Except for the explicit sex, this is a solid middle school fantasy book. The characters, while in college, act and talk like middle schoolers ("Oh my god. He's soooo hot.") so it makes it hard to determine who to recommend this book to. Middle school? High school? Adult? New Adult is probably the best place for this book. I wouldn't put it in my middle school library, and yet it seems hard to call this an adult novel. It reminds me a lot of Sarah Maas and also the Twilight and Hunger Games series. I wish certain scenes and language were toned down because I think my middle schoolers would really enjoy it! Overall, I liked this "instant New York Times Bestseller" more than I thought I would. If you like fantasy, I think most will really enjoy Fourth Wing. I will probably read the sequel that is coming out soon, Iron Flame, because of course I need to find out what happens next.
Fourth Wing is a enemies to lovers, dystopian fantasy. The main character, Violet, with her love of books and intellect, is supposed to be a scribe but her mom wants her to be a dragon rider. What makes this difficult is that Violet, due to a childhood illness, has medical issues (Ehlers Danlos, the same as the author, which affects the connective tissues in the body with no known cure, as per an interview with the author) making it extremely hard to stay on a large, flying dragon. Modifications need to be made. I liked that the characters show both their strengths and real-life challenges. For most of the book, I wished there was more character development instead of challenge after challenge but then I realized how many books are in the series and it seems like we've got some time for that yet.
In this book, the dragons pick their rider and can communicate with their rider telepathically. I enjoyed the parts with the dragons more than I thought I would. I was not surprised to read that the author really loves dragons! There are themes of "found family," friendship, loyalty, helping others in need, living bravely and following your heart. It is action-packed, with lots of magic and surprises. There's also a lot of swearing, objectifying bodies, students dying in challenges and battles, and romance, so there is something for everyone! I liked the imaginative powers that some of the characters had- powers like being able to bring your imagination to life, create lightening, bend metal, retrocognition, moving objects through space, and the interesting ways they found out they had these powers. I like the question of who gets to tell our story and our history because that is not out of a fantasy book but rather current events.
At the end of the book, there are still questions that need to be answered, and mysteries to be explored, so it isn't a surprise to find the sequel coming out in a week (November 7, 2023). I am prepared to see Iron Flame all over my social media!
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Author's Website