The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is a great fantasy and the series, of which this is the first book, is also exceptional. Skip the review and go read it.
The story is about Violet Sorrengail, the 20 year old daughter of General Sorrengail, her mother. Violet had been planning to enter the Scribe Quadrant of the Basgiath War College, to help care for the library and do study and research. Violet doesn’t have a very tough constitution and become a scribe seems like a good fit. Her brother was a noted dragon rider but tragically died. Her older sister is a respected, badass rider. As it is time to become a candidate and begin training Violet’s mother tells her that she isn’t going to become a scribe but follow in her footsteps and being a dragon rider. And so, at the beginning of the story Violet is preparing for the first trial, a run across the top of a thin high wall. Rain, wind, and other wannabe cadets can knock you off the wall and a several die even before making it across. Only the smartest, toughest, and most capable graduate.
Yeah, but it is cool to become a dragon rider, right? Well, the problem is that dragons of late have not been pairing with cadets, so some have to repeat a year hoping that they hoping a dragon will chose them the next time. Violet grew up at Basgiath and has been friends since childhood with Dain Aetos, whose father is also an officer. He is a couple of years older than her and she kind of has a crush on him. Dain looks out for her and wants her affection. Meanwhile, Xaden Riorson, who is the son of a traitor who led a failed rebellion, is also a cadet. The children of the rebels are required to join as dragon riders to prove their loyalty. They are Violet’s natural enemies as her mother was instrumental in putting down the rebellion, yet there is something about Xaden that catches her attention. As the story progresses Violet learns that there are secrets and all is not as it seems. Did I mention the dragons? They are huge, fierce, and wild. Give them a wrong glance and they will roast you … which is just another way to die during training.
The Fourth Wing is well thought out, well paced, has great character development, and great world building. I appreciate creativity, and although there are themes from other YA stories, I found the book to be fresh and engaging. The readers did a great job. The best story of 2024 for me so far.