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Anne's Reviews > Fourth Wing
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
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Anne's review
bookshelves: audio, drowning-in-cheese, magic-stuff, fantasy, libby-app, new-adult, read-in-2023
Oct 20, 2023
bookshelves: audio, drowning-in-cheese, magic-stuff, fantasy, libby-app, new-adult, read-in-2023
Everywhere I looked, I saw Fourth Wing.
It's a fantasy about a military school that trains young people to become dragon riders.
It's very dangerous.
Watch out! Because the other cadets are extremely cutthroat (as in, your classmates will cut your throat), the dragons will incinerate you if they think you're weak, and you have a 50/50 chance of falling off a cliff or somesuch during training.
Kind of like a mash-up of How to Train Your Dragon and Red Rising.
THAT SOUNDS FUCKING COOL AS HELL.
And it is.
But.
And here's the secret: this is a cringy romance.
Ahhhhhh. See, I didn't know that when I started reading. And I feel that it's pertinent information.
So after listening to it for a bit, I thought oh well, this must be young adult because the heroine (Violet) is a bit annoying. She's not strong, her body is fragile, and yet she's wah wah wah in her attitude towards people helping her. Plus, she's in life and death situations and she's still seemingly ruled by hormones.
That's fine. I was a youngster myself back in the day. I had the urges.
And I love cringy romance. I'm reading a bodice ripper right now.
But what I don't love is stepping into what I think will be a badass fantasy story and then hearing things like he's all sharp lines and barely leashed power or how he's always saying something "harshly" that sends a shiver down her spine. And make no mistake, there are lots of dark & growly things coming from Xaden Riorson (that name! as soon as I heard it I knew what I was in for) over the course of the story.
But probably if I hadn't read this same story a million times, I'd be just as enamored as a lot of the other reviewers.
Sadly, I've read too many books for this one to hold any surprises for me. Even the shocking twist at the end was something I expected to happen. That's not even something I fault the author for, I just didn't have my expectations lined up in the correct order.
And I guess that's what I'm trying to convey.
THIS IS A NEW ADULT ROMANCE.
Set against a fantasy-lite backdrop.
The whole book revolves around Violet and Xaden rolling around in angst while working their way toward each other's panties. It's not Young Adult because they drop the f-bomb and have the dirty sexy times. But New Adult is typically coated in as much relationship cheese as YA, and this one is no exception.
So.
Strap in for big declarations, reading every encounter with each other wrong, cravings for abs and bottom lips, ridiculous trust issues, and sexual attraction that must. be. fought. at. any. cost.
This kind of book really isn't my jam, but for the kind of book that it is, it does its job well.
I actually did really enjoy the underlying plot and world-building. Yarros has some excellent ideas and I would love to see what she could come up with in a setting where romance doesn't take center stage.
Audiobook review:
I listened to Rebecca Soler's reading of this and...no. I think she's supposed to have that generic young girl voice but it sounds like she's holding her nose when she talks or something. I tried listening to the book at all different speeds to see if maybe that would help, but I finally gave up and went back to my normal 1.5 speed.
I haven't seen any other complaints, so this may just be a me thing.
Recommended for fans of NA/YA fantasy romance.
It's a fantasy about a military school that trains young people to become dragon riders.
It's very dangerous.
Watch out! Because the other cadets are extremely cutthroat (as in, your classmates will cut your throat), the dragons will incinerate you if they think you're weak, and you have a 50/50 chance of falling off a cliff or somesuch during training.
Kind of like a mash-up of How to Train Your Dragon and Red Rising.
THAT SOUNDS FUCKING COOL AS HELL.
And it is.
But.
And here's the secret: this is a cringy romance.
Ahhhhhh. See, I didn't know that when I started reading. And I feel that it's pertinent information.
So after listening to it for a bit, I thought oh well, this must be young adult because the heroine (Violet) is a bit annoying. She's not strong, her body is fragile, and yet she's wah wah wah in her attitude towards people helping her. Plus, she's in life and death situations and she's still seemingly ruled by hormones.
That's fine. I was a youngster myself back in the day. I had the urges.
And I love cringy romance. I'm reading a bodice ripper right now.
But what I don't love is stepping into what I think will be a badass fantasy story and then hearing things like he's all sharp lines and barely leashed power or how he's always saying something "harshly" that sends a shiver down her spine. And make no mistake, there are lots of dark & growly things coming from Xaden Riorson (that name! as soon as I heard it I knew what I was in for) over the course of the story.
But probably if I hadn't read this same story a million times, I'd be just as enamored as a lot of the other reviewers.
Sadly, I've read too many books for this one to hold any surprises for me. Even the shocking twist at the end was something I expected to happen. That's not even something I fault the author for, I just didn't have my expectations lined up in the correct order.
And I guess that's what I'm trying to convey.
THIS IS A NEW ADULT ROMANCE.
Set against a fantasy-lite backdrop.
The whole book revolves around Violet and Xaden rolling around in angst while working their way toward each other's panties. It's not Young Adult because they drop the f-bomb and have the dirty sexy times. But New Adult is typically coated in as much relationship cheese as YA, and this one is no exception.
So.
Strap in for big declarations, reading every encounter with each other wrong, cravings for abs and bottom lips, ridiculous trust issues, and sexual attraction that must. be. fought. at. any. cost.
This kind of book really isn't my jam, but for the kind of book that it is, it does its job well.
I actually did really enjoy the underlying plot and world-building. Yarros has some excellent ideas and I would love to see what she could come up with in a setting where romance doesn't take center stage.
Audiobook review:
I listened to Rebecca Soler's reading of this and...no. I think she's supposed to have that generic young girl voice but it sounds like she's holding her nose when she talks or something. I tried listening to the book at all different speeds to see if maybe that would help, but I finally gave up and went back to my normal 1.5 speed.
I haven't seen any other complaints, so this may just be a me thing.
Recommended for fans of NA/YA fantasy romance.
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Reading Progress
August 24, 2023
– Shelved
October 8, 2023
–
Started Reading
October 17, 2023
–
46.0%
"I'm really enjoying the plot but DAMN there's a lot of that young adult silliness when it comes to love interests."
October 20, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 103 (103 new)
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christina
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Oct 20, 2023 08:42AM
great review! totally agree, if I had not read all those YA books in the 2010s that followed this exact plot, I too would probably have enjoyed this more, but alas I am old and cranky lol
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Great review Anne! This is kind of why I've not gotten to it yet.
this is a cringy romance
hahahaI'm still going to give this one a try one day but it's not on the fast track.
christina wrote: "great review! totally agree, if I had not read all those YA books in the 2010s that followed this exact plot, I too would probably have enjoyed this more, but alas I am old and cranky lol"Me too. It was all the same exact lines I've read a million times before.
Ginger wrote: "Great review Anne! This is kind of why I've not gotten to it yet. this is a cringy romance
hahaha
I'm still going to give this one a try one day but it's not on the fast track."
I didn't realize it was a romance. I thought it was fantasy. And most books have some romance in them!
His intense onyx eyes. getthefuckoutofhere
Anne wrote: "christina wrote: "great review! totally agree, if I had not read all those YA books in the 2010s that followed this exact plot, I too would probably have enjoyed this more, but alas I am old and cr..."If your still craving a good dragon rider book I would 110% recommend Fireborne, it gave me everything I wanted from Fourth Wing and more.
Ok cool! I just added to the tbr.
Fun review Anne....and Xaden must be a manly man to be able to wear panties lol !
Manliness drips from his skin in buckets. His panties are manly-man panties!
I’m not sure how I’ve missed seeing your reviews until recently but I love reading them! I thought about reading this for about half a second but now know it’s not for me. I couldn’t cope with that kind of romance lol.
Bottom lips 😂 I have been seeing this a lot lately in my update feed. I'm surprised there wasn't a Dread Love Triangle, too!
Rachel wrote: "I’m not sure how I’ve missed seeing your reviews until recently but I love reading them! I thought about reading this for about half a second but now know it’s not for me. I couldn’t cope with that..."Thank you! And I wish I'd known when I started this exactly what it was. I kept seeing Game of Thrones! Hunger Games! Etc, etc, etc..
This is not that.
Michelle wrote: "Bottom lips 😂 I have been seeing this a lot lately in my update feed. I'm surprised there wasn't a Dread Love Triangle, too!"There was for a minute. The best friend she'd always secretly loved vs the dark tortured sex machine.
Even I didn't blame her for jumping ship, though.
Yeeees, I tried listening to the audiobook but called it quits around 4%. No disrespect to the narrator but I knew if I wanted any chance to enjoy this book I had to nope outta there and put a hold on an ebook with my library. I’m ready for some early 2000s esq goodness and want to set it up for success 😁
Laura wrote: "Yeeees, I tried listening to the audiobook but called it quits around 4%. No disrespect to the narrator but I knew if I wanted any chance to enjoy this book I had to nope outta there and put a hold on an ebook with my library. I’m ready for some early 2000s esq goodness and want to set it up for success 😁"I think you're in for a treat if that's what you're looking for! This has all the markers of a winner for you, Laura. I used to devour YA back then, and this would have been perfect!
Good for you on skipping the audio - HATED her voice. The character is kind of whiny and she makes it 100xs worse. I'm so glad I'm not the only one!!!
I definitely agree with your Rebecca A A Soler point and I'm glad someone else said it
Chante _mightierthanthesword_ wrote: "I definitely agree with your Rebecca A A Soler point and I'm glad someone else said it"If she narrates all of them, it would be a dealbreaker for me. Maybe not if I were in love with the series, though.
Hilarious review. I agree. I enjoyed it for what it was…but had to keep in mind what it was a Romantasy for YA. Often cringey. But…riding dragons is one of my wheelhouses.
As I listened to the audiobook, I came to the conclusion that the narrator has been fighting the flu. I noticed that by the end of the book, her voice didn’t sound quite so… nasal. So maybe that’s it. But I didn’t enjoy it as much as other audiobooks.
Cringy in deed, the whole book is oversexed, not what I was expecting. Every situation and conversation between the main characters is full of that sexual tension.
Nicole wrote: "Hilarious review. I agree. I enjoyed it for what it was…but had to keep in mind what it was a Romantasy for YA. Often cringey. But…riding dragons is one of my wheelhouses."The dragons were excellent! I'm going to have to see if that's enough to tempt me back when the next book hits shelves.
I just wish I had realized it was primarily a romance when I grabbed it. I think it would have made a difference in my enjoyment level.
Malu wrote: "As I listened to the audiobook, I came to the conclusion that the narrator has been fighting the flu. I noticed that by the end of the book, her voice didn’t sound quite so… nasal. So maybe that’s ..."I can't imagine they would let her read for an audiobook until she was better.
BUT I COULD BE WRONG. It makes sense in a weird way.
Kat (Part time Psychopomp) wrote: "Cringy in deed, the whole book is oversexed, not what I was expecting. Every situation and conversation between the main characters is full of that sexual tension."Ha! That fussy thing she does? I'm so angry with him but I'm also so turned on or the dumb shit like him helping her over and over and over again and her STILL thinking his master plan is to kill her for revenge.
AHHHHHH! Dear Authors, please stop it.
Had I known I could have enjoyed it more. Like if I knew I was going to see a kid's show, I could have fun. But if I think I'm going to go see an adult stand-up routine and some bitch pops out on stage with puppets, I'm going to be pissed.
After I read it, I went back to see what else she had--all romance. So not bad for a first fantasy, but yeah, heavy on the romance. Will still read the series.
Thanks for that! It's on my list, so now I'm mentally placing it in romance category, set in a fantasy. Should help manage expectations! Cheers.
Cheryl wrote: "After I read it, I went back to see what else she had--all romance. So not bad for a first fantasy, but yeah, heavy on the romance. Will still read the series."Let me know how it goes! The story is very Twilightesque, and I mean that in the best possible way because I adored those books when they came out.
ForestGardenGal wrote: "Thanks for that! It's on my list, so now I'm mentally placing it in romance category, set in a fantasy. Should help manage expectations! Cheers."Awesome! That's the response I was hoping for. I think you'll really enjoy it.
Great review. I have been curious about this one.
Don’t think it’s just a you thing. Like you, was seeing Fourth Wing everywhere plus someone highly recommended it, so was excited that the audiobook was avail through my library which was pretty surprising for such a new book. Sadly, I could not finish listening to it cuz it was so bad. Decided to put the book on hold to read on my kindle but alas, it’s a weeks long wait as the popularity of the book skyrocketed. But now that I’ve read your review, I’m on the fence on whether or not I even wanna take the time to read.
Carmen wrote: "Great review. I have been curious about this one."Even my library app was pushing this one!
Madonna wrote: "Don’t think it’s just a you thing. Like you, was seeing Fourth Wing everywhere plus someone highly recommended it, so was excited that the audiobook was avail through my library which was pretty su..."You may like it if you go into it with lower expectations, Madonna. I think if I had known what I was getting into I would have been a lot happier with it.
But not the audio version. <--you made the right call
I had the same reservations about the audio narrator. I had to stop listening and pick up the book.
Taschima wrote: "I had the same reservations about the audio narrator. I had to stop listening and pick up the book."You did the right thing. It did. not. get better.
omg i’m literally reading this right now!
I got 30% into this and DNF so well don't to you
This really IS everywhere!! My daughter even tried to get me to read it, but nuh-uh.
I love your review, so much, but for the reasons you've listed, I can't read this book. Been there, done that, youths, etc etc... The older I get, the less I can handle the feeling of cringe, it seems.
Nikki wrote: "omg i’m literally reading this right now!"Seeeee!? Everyone is reading it! lol
Kylie wrote: "I got 30% into this and DNF so well don't to you"I get it, believe me.
Michelle wrote: "This really IS everywhere!! My daughter even tried to get me to read it, but nuh-uh."She didn't like it? I think I would have eaten it up when I was younger! Then again...?
Liis wrote: "I love your review, so much, but for the reasons you've listed, I can't read this book. Been there, done that, youths, etc etc... The older I get, the less I can handle the feeling of cringe, it se..."I don't feel like I saw enough stuff saying that THAT was what the main portion of the book would be, and I felt completely hoodwinked. Now, that's probably my fault for just reading a blurb and downloading the book from the library.
I was hoping to save an unsuspecting reader from the "sexy growl" jumpscare.
Anne wrote: "Michelle wrote: "This really IS everywhere!! My daughter even tried to get me to read it, but nuh-uh."She didn't like it? I think I would have eaten it up when I was younger! Then again...?"
No- she loved it, and she's in her early 30's. I was the one that said "nuh-uh"!
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p1/287915.jpg)
One of my new coworkers wore a shirt for the school in this to work yesterday...
[Name Redacted] wrote: "One of my new coworkers wore a shirt for the school in this to work yesterday..."Nooooooo. Really? What?! lol
Michelle wrote: "No- she loved it, and she's in her early 30's. I was the one that said "nuh-uh"!"Ooooh. See, in my early 30's I was EATING this YA/NA stuff for breakfast. Loveloveloved it. I swam around in all the angst and just marinated.
It's probably menopause that's making me flip the middle finger to all of these sorts of romances.
Agree with the audiobook narrator sounding like she was plugging her nose!
Deserae wrote: "Agree with the audiobook narrator sounding like she was plugging her nose!"How are you liking the second book?
It wasn't just a cringe romance. It was a cringe empowerment story. When you're flying a spaceship with excellent stabilizers and shiz, Joker can fly the Normandy and he can be the best damn character in Mass Effect. When you're routinely falling off a dragon and getting into fist fights with a similar impediment... maybe everyone is right to be more than a little concerned. Also, the compromise to her problem was giving her a saddle. A SADDLE. Everyone else just had thighs of steel apparently.
Apparantly the narrator had a bad cold and there is a newly recorded audiobook following complaints.Not that I'll listen, was quite disappointed it's yet another fantasy smut thing. Nothing against it, just not what I want from fantasy but it seems to be the thing currently. Shame, I do love dragon stuff.
Dan wrote: "It wasn't just a cringe romance. It was a cringe empowerment story. When you're flying a spaceship with excellent stabilizers and shiz, Joker can fly the Normandy and he can be the best damn character in Mass Effect. When you're routinely falling off a dragon and getting into fist fights with a similar impediment... maybe everyone is right to be more than a little concerned. Also, the compromise to her problem was giving her a saddle. A SADDLE. Everyone else just had thighs of steel apparently."Everything you said - 100%!
It kept pointing out how utterly terrible she is at doing the bare minimum of her "job" as a dragon rider. It's like saying if I have hand tremors they should let me be a surgeon because that's my dream! and fuck the fact that I'm not qualified to cut a wedding cake, much less a human body.
weateallthepies wrote: "Apparantly the narrator had a bad cold and there is a newly recorded audiobook following complaints.Not that I'll listen, was quite disappointed it's yet another fantasy smut thing. Nothing again..."
NO WAY! They let her record it with a cold? I call bullshit. I think she just did a terrible job and they're recording it again to try and smooth out her annoying fake voice.
Also agree that there's nothing wrong with fantasy romance, I just don't want to read it.
