Fourth Wing Review – Is It Worth the Hype?

Violet Sorrengail is a twenty-year-old who lives at Basgiath War College, where her mother is the commanding general. Until six months ago, Violet lived a quiet life sequestered in the Archives with the thought that she would join the Scribe Quadrant (they are in charge of preserving the history of the country). However, Violet’s mother decided that instead of joining the Scribe Quadrant, Violet would do what all Sorrengails do: train to become a dragon rider. Unfortunately, not only is Violet smaller than everyone else, but she bruises easily, dislocates joints, and breaks bones frequently - things that are less than ideal when riding a dragon. During training, Violet meets Xaden Riorson, the son of the rebel who killed her brother Brennan. Violet and Xaden have an instant attraction slash, loathing for each other despite Violet’s sister warning her to stay far away from Xaden. If figuring out her feelings for Xaden were difficult enough, the riders learn of a growing war outside the walls of Basgiath, and Violet suspects their leaders are also harboring secrets.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Easy five stars for me! This book is worth the hype! I loved the world-building, the enemies-to-lovers trope, the steamy scenes, and uh, THE DRAGONS!

“Going for blood today, are we, Violence?"

I would describe this book as a mix of Divergent, The Hunger Games, and House of the Dragon.

Read if you like:

-Dragons

-Fantasty/romantasy

-Enemies to lovers

-World building

-Academic settings

-Spice

2025/8/10 Edited to

... Read moreOkay, so you've heard all about Fourth Wing and the 'mommy daddy is the supreme dragonrider drama' buzz, right? I totally get it, that query perfectly encapsulates so much of what makes this book *addictive*! When I first picked it up, I was instantly drawn into Basgiath War College, just like that excited feeling you get when you finally hold 'the most brutally addictive fantasy' everyone's talking about. Let's talk about the 'supreme dragonrider' part first. It’s not just about flying cool dragons; it's about immense power, life-or-death stakes, and an almost sacred bond. The hierarchy, the challenges, and the sheer grit required to even bond with a dragon make these riders truly supreme. And with that power comes a lot of responsibility, and, of course, a whole lot of drama! Rebecca Yarros crafts a world where these riders aren't just soldiers; they're the pinnacle of their society, tasked with defending their kingdom, and their personal lives are just as intense. Now, for the 'mommy daddy' dynamic – if you know, you know! 😉 In *Fourth Wing*, this translates to the incredibly intense, protective, and sometimes deliciously fraught relationships that unfold. Without giving too much away, the enemies-to-lovers trope between Violet and Xaden is a masterclass in this. Xaden, with his brooding intensity and protective instincts, definitely embodies that powerful 'daddy' energy, especially as he guides (and challenges) Violet through her struggles. And Violet, despite her physical frailties, finds immense inner strength, sometimes even needing to be 'taken care of' or pushed by those stronger than her, which creates that compelling dynamic. It's not just a simple romance; it’s about power imbalances, hidden vulnerabilities, and two strong-willed individuals navigating a dangerous world while fighting their undeniable attraction. Their banter, the longing glances, and the way they challenge each other? Pure gold. It's the kind of push-and-pull that keeps you glued to the pages, wondering who will crack first. Beyond the central romance, there's also the broader 'drama' in the book. The political intrigue, the secrets held by the leadership, and the looming war outside Basgiath's walls add layers of tension. You're constantly questioning who to trust and what's truly at stake. The fight for survival, both against other cadets and external threats, creates a high-stakes environment where every decision has massive consequences. It's far from a quiet academic setting, even with its scholarly elements. The raw emotions, the betrayals, and the fierce loyalties are what make this fantasy truly brutal and utterly addictive. So, if you're looking for a fantasy read that delivers on all fronts – epic dragons, a complex world, and the kind of 'supreme dragonrider drama' (and all its romantic implications!) that keeps you up all night turning pages – then Fourth Wing is absolutely for you. Trust me, you'll be obsessed!

Related posts

Is fourth wing worth the hype?
Full Review coming soon but ...l was out of breath baby let me tell you!!!! I'm lost for words breath absolutely TAKEN. This is my first read of 2025 and we starting off right!! Now to IRON FLAME. #fyp #fourthwing #ironflame #onyxstorm
Ronni Lee

Ronni Lee

1921 likes

A fantasy image featuring a dark castle on a misty cliff with a dragon flying in the sky. The text overlay reads "Dragon Books That aren't Fourth Wing," with a Lemon8 watermark and username at the bottom.
An image showing two dragons flying in a forest, with the book cover for "Empire of Flame and Thorns" by Marion Blackwood. Text highlights tropes like "Enemies to lovers," "Dragon shifters," and "Rebellion," along with a Lemon8 watermark.
An image depicting two dragons flying in a forest, featuring the book cover for "Fireborne" by Rosaria Munda. Text lists tropes such as "Dragon riders," "Political intrigue," and "Slow burn YA romance," with a Lemon8 watermark.
Dragon Books That Aren’t Fourth Wing🐉✨
Dragon girlies, this one’s for you 🐉✨ I’ve got 3 more dragon fantasies that will steal your sleep and wreck your TBR 📚: 🔥Empire of Flame and Thorns – enemies-to-lovers, rebellion, and dragon shifters 🐉🔥 You will ship them immediately. 🐉Fireborne – rival riders, political drama, and secrets tha
Sage|INHC

Sage|INHC

1631 likes

A person holds an open copy of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' on a white bed, with an overlay stating '5 fantasy books that aren't fourth wing or ACOTAR'.
The book 'When the Moon Hatched' by Sarah A. Parker, featuring a dark cover with a mythical creature. Overlays describe it as having a 'grumpy sarcastic SPICY AF mmc' and 'slow burn'.
The book 'The Cruel Prince' by Holly Black, with a cover showing a crown and thorny branches. Overlays highlight 'enemies to lovers' and a 'bad@ss fmc' who 'tries to kill him'.
5 fantasy books that aren’t fourth wing or ACOTAR
for the bestie who are tired of seeing just fourth wing and ACOTAR recs lol #lemon8bookchallenge #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookworm #book #booktok #bookaesthetic #booksoflemon8 #bookrecommendations #bookrecs
Readers.archive

Readers.archive

2341 likes

An e-reader in a pink case displays page 64 of the book 'Fourth Wing', showing text about 'Tyrrendor' and 'Riders Quadrant'. Overlays read 'on my Thoughts' and 'Current Reads Fourth Wing'. The device rests on a blurry background with a blue and yellow knitted item.
Is fourth wing worth the hype?
My Current Read 📖 Name of the Book: Fourth Wing 📖 Genre: Adult Fantacy Romance 📄 Day: First Day Reading 💭 My Thoughts: I hope is as good as everyone says. ⭐ Star Rating: Coming Soon... #reading📖 #kindleunlimitedromancebooks #day1 #fantasybooks #lemon8books
Yessica🌱💕🐈‍⬛️🐕👧👧🧒

Yessica🌱💕🐈‍⬛️🐕👧👧🧒

28 likes

Three Korean edition books, 'Fourth Wing' and two 'Iron Flame' volumes, are displayed on a wooden shelf with a green plant. The image has a text overlay 'Korean Edition •Fourth Wing•'.
A Korean edition 'Fourth Wing' book with an illustrated cover featuring two characters with swords is displayed on a wooden shelf next to a silver mushroom decor and a plant.
A close-up of the Korean edition 'Fourth Wing' book, showcasing its illustrated cover with two characters holding swords, positioned on a wooden shelf.
Korean Fourth Wing 🌿
so excited to add these to my shelf collection 🙂‍↕️ #fourthwing #bookshelfdecor #books #specialeditionbooks #prettybooks
shelbyreads ᵕ̈

shelbyreads ᵕ̈

570 likes

Fourth Wing Special Edition🥹✨🐉
The best gift 💕 #fourthwing #specialeditions #fourthwingbyrebeccayarros #booktok #foryou
Lisa S. 💌

Lisa S. 💌

2681 likes

A book review image featuring the black and gold cover of 'Fourth Wing' by Rebecca Yarros, with a 'BOOK REVIEW' overlay. A small review card rates the book 5 stars and notes it's great for getting back into reading.
Is fourth wing worth the hype? 🧐
I absolutely loved this book! It’s a great first book to get back into reading or to start reading adult fantasy. I can’t wait to read Iron Flame next! What books should I read after this series? ⭐️Overall rating: 10/10 #fantasybookreview #fourthwing #bookrecommendations #books #boo
Rae Yoder

Rae Yoder

4 likes

A close-up of the book 'Fourth Wing' by Rebecca Yarros, featuring a gold cover with black text and a dragon illustration. The title 'FOURTH WING' is prominent, with 'FLY...OR DIE' above it. The book rests on a grey, fluffy blanket. A Lemon8 watermark is visible in the corner.
Fourth wing review (non spoiler)
Book Review Book name: Fourth Wing 🗡️ Author: Rebecca Yarros Genre: Romance / fantasy My rating: 4.8 ⭐️ My review: Going into Fourth wing I wasn’t sure what to expect, reading about dragons and war colleges was something I was at first kind of iffy, I thought okay this can either be really go
Samantha 🧚‍♀️

Samantha 🧚‍♀️

4 likes

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame Dust Jackets
i bought these dust jackets from artist bluelyboo 🤍 they are such pretty dust jackets! #fourthwing #rebeccayarros #xadenriorson #ironflame #prettybooks
eri ❤️‍🔥📚

eri ❤️‍🔥📚

557 likes

Is fourth wing worth the hype?
#fourthwing #books #book recommendations #currentread📚 #lemon8bookclub
Elsie Milagros

Elsie Milagros

12 likes

A large dragon with reddish wings flies over a fantasy castle and mountains. A banner across the center reads "AI Fourth Wing Characters," indicating the theme of the post.
A young woman, identified as Violet, with light brown braided hair and blue eyes, looks directly at the viewer. She wears a black leather jacket.
A young woman, identified as Rhiannon, with dark skin and braided hair, looks directly at the viewer. She wears a black, high-necked, textured top.
Making Fourth Wing Characters!
I like playing around with AI — especially when it comes to book characters so that I can visualize them better. I like how these ones turned out! #ai #fourthwing #ironflame #booktok #booksoflemon8 #lemon8bookclub
Keb and Kiana

Keb and Kiana

482 likes

A tablet displays the cover of the book "Fireborne" by Rosaria Munda, featuring red dragons and a fantasy cityscape. The screen also shows a quote from Rachel Hartman. Overlay text reads "Currently Reading," surrounded by black dragon silhouettes, on a white textured background.
Curing my Fourth Wing hangover
#booktok #fourthwing #fantasybooks #fireborne #readingaesthetic Updated review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is pretty much everything I could ever want in a YA fantasy book: dragons, dragon riders, a dragon riding academy, underlying political tension, etc. I took off one star just because when I
Ciara

Ciara

18 likes

A book cover for 'Fourth Wing' by Rebecca Yarros is displayed over a misty landscape featuring a dark castle and two flying dragons. Text states ChatGPT wrote a roast of the book.
Two dragon heads emerge from mist, accompanying text that humorously compares 'Fourth Wing' to other fantasy works, mentioning its blend of elements.
A dark castle on a misty mountain with a flying dragon. Text humorously describes the character Violet Sorrengail as a fragile bookworm in a dangerous dragon school.
ChatGPT roasts Fourth Wing
I hopped on the trend today and had ChatGPT write a Fourth Wing roast and let me tell you, it DID NOT disappoint!!! What do you think? #fourthwing #chatgpt #onyxstorm #readersoflemon8 #reading
BayleyR

BayleyR

575 likes

A title card featuring the text 'FOURTH WING CHARACTERS & THEIR BATH AND BODY WORKS SCENT' in black and blue, with two black dragon silhouettes on a white fabric background with a book.
An image showing Violet, a 'Fourth Wing' book, and a Bath & Body Works 'Moonlight Path' fragrance mist, with text suggesting Violet's scent is 'Moonlight Path'.
An image showing Xayden, a 'Fourth Wing' book, and a Bath & Body Works 'Leather Crafted' cologne, with text indicating Xayden's scent is leather.
💙 fourth wing characters and their bbw scents 💙
i will not be elaborating on any of these further… Xoxo #lemon8challenge #lemon8bookclub #fourthwing #embracevulnerability #Lemon8Diary #smelllikeheaven #fourthwingrebeccayarros #fourthwingseries #kingofwrath #bodytransformation @Lemon8 BookClub
Nichole Rhys

Nichole Rhys

689 likes

FOURTH WING IS WORTH THE HYPE ✨
YALL I was definitely one of the ones who believed this series was OVERHYPED! Until a day ago I just gave up believing booktok because it let me down with other recs! 😭 SOOO HAPPY I gave it the chance because gurlllll it’s everythinggg.I’m on the second book now and can’t stop. 🤍🤍 READ I
Kyky

Kyky

6 likes

Fourth wing review
#booktok #books #fourthwing #BookReview #fourthwingbookreview #WorthTheHype
Julia

Julia

7 likes

A book cover for 'Fourth Wing' by Rebecca Yarros, surrounded by handwritten annotations like 'Enemies to lovers,' 'Dragons,' 'Magic college,' 'Shadow Daddy,' 'Political intrigue,' 'Disability rep,' 'Femme, not frail,' and 'Social commentary.' Five gold stars are drawn below the title, and a 'SWIPE FOR SELECTED ANNOTATIONS!' prompt is at the bottom.
An open book showing a page from 'Fourth Wing' with highlighted text. The highlighted section reads: "Oh. Shit. He's choosing...me. 'Get on your back?' I repeat like a fucking parrot. 'Have you seen how huge you are?' 'Do you have any idea how huge you are?'"
An open book showing a page from 'Fourth Wing' with highlighted text. The highlighted sections include: "I'm no longer a cadet [I'm a rider]" and "She blinks. 'Maybe I was saving you.' Her voice is higher, sweeter, in my mind."
✨ Fourth Wing Review 🤌
So... I decided to start the new year off with a dragon-themed bang… And boy howdy did this one exceed expectations!! It is honestly already a contender for top of the year, even though it’s the first one! I cannot wait to see where Yarros goes with Iron Flame, which I will be starting ASA
Sarah’s Bookish Musings 📓✨

Sarah’s Bookish Musings 📓✨

33 likes

Are these books worth the hype?
I’ve read the “Seven Year Slip” and I absolutely loved it once I got into when reading the description of “In Five Years” I’m in between what books I want to read so I don’t lose the momentum of reading !!! #lemon8bookclub #lemon8bookchallenge #targetbooks #thingsweleftbehind
Alexys in bloom

Alexys in bloom

309 likes

Is Fourth Wing Worth it?
This is my first re-read and I’m curious to see how much I missed. Any Fourth Wing fans excited for Onyx Storm?? ⛈️🌩️ #fantasybookreview #fourthwing
Al

Al

11 likes

If you loved Fourth Wing, you might like this series!
⭐️ Rating: 4/5 🌶️ Spice: 2/5 🗺️ Plot: 4.5/5 The Aurelian Cycle series was written by Rosaria Munda, and Fireborne was actually published in 2019 (before Fourth Wing!). Think of Game of Thrones combined with Fourth Wing, and you have this wonderful series. The children of a brutal revolution
Alex

Alex

1 like

A Kindle e-reader displays the cover of Rebecca Yarros's 'Fourth Wing,' featuring the title, a dragon silhouette, and the tagline 'FLY...OR DIE.' The cover also includes a quote from #1 NYT Bestselling Author Tracy Wolff praising the book.
Is Fourth Wing worth the hype?
I just started (haven’t even read the first chapter) and I’ve been lead astray by booktok before so is it REALLY worth the hype?? **No Spoilers PLEASE
🧚🏻‍♀️NinjaKitten🧚🏻‍♀️

🧚🏻‍♀️NinjaKitten🧚🏻‍♀️

1 like

See more