Violet Sorrengail has been trained her whole life to be a scribe, buried in books and history alongside her father. In a world of dragon riders, she preferred to be buried in ink and parchment. But when her father dies soon after the death of her brother, Violet’s mother vows to never have a scribe for a child. Violet is thrown into the rider’s quadrant, where she’s forced to fight for her life and learn to ride – or die. 

Fourth Wing written by Rebecca Yarros is a gripping adventure that has fans lost in the pages. The book is in such high demand that it’s almost impossible to find in bookstores and online. I was lucky enough to borrow a copy from a family friend, and it was a decision I will never regret. 

Violet Sorrengail is told she’s too weak to make it to Threshing where a dragon will choose her as its rider. Determined to prove her peers wrong, she fights for her life every single day in the rider’s quadrant. She outsmarts her peers as she trains for dragon riding – using her brain while building her brawn. At Threshing, she bonds the strongest and largest dragon there, along with another dragon. A rider has never bonded two dragons before, making her stick out even more than before. 

Her relationship with her friends grows stronger along with the complicated relationship with Xaden. He’s the handsome third year who is dangerously tangled in her life, and who she’s not supposed to get close to. However, the circumstances aren’t in her favor (or are they?). The tension between the two grows, resulting in a steamy romance that blooms slowly as time goes on. 

The twisting storyline and rich writing style of Fourth Wing had me sucked in by the first chapter. I was nervous at first because fantasy books are usually dragged on in the first few chapters with loads of information and confusing names. Fourth Wing throws you right into the action and doesn’t leave you reeling trying to remember all the world building you learned. The information is slowly fed to readers as they go on and is explained perfectly within the story. I also really enjoyed that the characters had normal names. I didn’t have to just skim over a name because I couldn’t pronounce it if I tried. 

My favorite part of the book was the relationship Violet had with her friends. The dynamic was so realistic to how young people actually act and talk with each other and I would look forward to the little tidbits of conversation sprinkled throughout the story. It was so wonderfully done and I was invested in the smallest side characters. Each character no matter how small had a story and that was something I enjoyed a lot while reading. 

If you’re looking for your next intoxicating read, I recommend Fourth Wing. It will take you on a journey high above the clouds that leaves you desperately craving what happens next. Take the chance and fly – or die.