Fourth Wing (Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
My review
5/5 stars
This book was pure curiosity for me; I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I had no expectations of getting truly involved in the story as this type of fantasy doesn't feature heavily in my reading list - how wrong was I?!
It was a slow starter. I found Violet's journey to becoming a rider and her family dynamics interesting, but I wasn't truly hooked until the dragons came into play.
The intelligence and creativity with which this story were written make it truly magical. The world that the author has created is immersive and engaging. The characters are intriguing and well-rounded.
I'm so glad I didn't have to wait months to find out what happens next like other readers did (because what a cliffhanger to end on) and I can't wait to get started on Iron Flame!
This book absolutely deserves all the hype it's getting. If you haven't already, I seriously recommend reading it!
Book blurb
Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last . . .
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.
Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies . . . or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
