Fourth Wing (Special Edition) (The Empyrean, 1)

Wow! It has been a LONG time since I have actually felt tension while reading a book. I can read the biggest action scenes at the end of various books and the majority of the time they just don't affect me at all - because I don't care that much about the characters. But THIS - this was different. I felt the tension. And it was real. Plus the author is very willing to kill characters so there is some uncertainty there as well. And the battle at the end of this most excellent book - it was hot and raging. Plus the enemy leaked danger as well. True menace. Very rarely does some enemy in a book impress me at all but this one most certainly did.. Right from the description I just KNEW there was something different about these mages called venin. They seemed impressive too. And very memorable. I wanted to draw them based off of the description. Very rarely do I get that urge. But what a battle at the end! It was touch and go. What would happen? Would the heroes win or lose? I didn't know. And I felt concern. This book has made me feel things. Earlier it had made me cry - tears of joy. And the book has surprised me too. The plot twists! I guess I should have seen it coming but I didn't so I was quite surprised. But it certainly makes the story way more interesting! And I am certainly eager to read the sequel too! This is a massive book and worth reading every word! And rarely do I feel that way. But its exciting and the characters face so many challenges. And there is death too. In fact there is a lot of death in here. Its a very violent world, a tough world of dragons and griffins and things that are supposed to be only legends to scare kids to eat their vegetables... But what I love the most in here in the main character Violet. She has a connective tissue disorder. I have one too (its called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - EDS - and I am pretty confident that Violet actually has EDS). I have never run across a character in a book before that has EDS. And certainly not one that is bold enough to be in a fantasy world where she rides a dragon. How cool is that? So yes I certainly can relate to her very well! And so much of the stuff in here is quite accurate too. Exercise is the best way to protect the joints (and personally I find diet matters a ton too). And yes it certainly can make many things way harder. The joints are all wonky and they naturally hyper-extend so doing things - even just balancing - is way harder. But riding a dragon!!! I remember when I was much younger I used to read this other very popular fantasy series that included dragons and I used to try to imagine what it would be like to ride a dragon. Of course I never thought about the issues of staying ON said dragon... But since I ride horses these days I have a better idea of some of the issues. But wow this book is totally AMAZING! it totally captivated my attention. The first evening I started it I got 50% through. And I certainly would have powered through the second half yesterday but unfortunately I have packing to do as I am moving at the end of the month. If I could I would rate it 6 stars! The characters are just so real. And they go through character arcs too. They change. They face obstacles and have to find solutions. And there is certainly a bit of romance in here too. The story moved so smoothly. Never a dull moment at all. None. And I just loved the first person writing in here from Violet's viewpoint. But the story is about a young woman named Violet who has been forced by her very powerful mother to become a dragon rider. That is a warrior. But her body is weak and ill suited for it. So she was training to be a scribe (but all of that writing would be a huge strain on her too - in fact I cannot write very long at all by hand anymore without pain + numbness going down my arm and I get horrid shoulder pain) but that changed - she had to go be a dragon rider or die trying. But its not that easy in fact its very dangerous. Most people who try to become a rider end up dead. And you can be killed by your own classmates! Yes, its a very brutal school. And after all of these difficult obstacles - which Violet is ill suited to pass - she has to hope that a dragon will pick her. But what dragon will pick someone with a body that doesn't work right due to genetic mutations? And all of that is near the beginning of the book! For a huge mysterious and dangerous problem is brewing in the Kingdom! And poor Violet will run smack into it - err - fly into it. If she can stay on the dragon that is... You definitely should read this!

Fourth Wing completely lived up to the hype for me. From the moment I stepped into this world, I was pulled into a story filled with high stakes, emotional depth, and constant tension. Violet is a compelling main character — underestimated, resilient, and quietly fierce. Her growth feels earned, and the relationships she forms (romantic and otherwise) add depth without overshadowing the plot. The dragons are fully realized characters, not just background elements, which elevates the entire story. I read along while listening to the dynamic audiobook, and the experience was phenomenal. The full cast and sound design made the action more immersive and the emotional moments hit harder. This is fantasy romance that balances plot, character, and intensity beautifully. By the end, I was fully invested and immediately wanted more. •Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ •Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ •Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ •World Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ •Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ •Structure: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ •Resolution: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ •Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One-Word Summary Electrifying

"You turned oranges into a weapon, Violence?" - Xaden Riorson High fantasy, dragons, and an enemies-to-lovers romance in a world wrought with war? YES PLEASE! Okay, let's start at the beginning, the part before I even start reading the book. Fourth Wing is everywhere: Bookstagram, BookTok, everyone and their mother AND brother have read Fourth Wing. I was interested. I had been putting it off for fear that it would disappoint. Well...when I started reading, I was thinking "Yeah, a nice new young adult fantasy with dragons. I hope it's as good as Eragon!" Yes, I know I know...I found out very quickly that this is an adult fantasy and definitely NOT young adult. I could tell by the type font and layout, as if the sexuaI innuendos weren't enough right from the get-go! And man...were some of then so cringy. What force on this planet made me even think it was young adult?! Some of the innuendos and just the bickering, bantering type of dialogue was so cringy and awful that I had to read parts aloud to my husband for a serious laugh. It was like twelve-year-olds who have heard about $ex but haven't experienced it trying to talk about it. It was awful. Cringy. So terrible that I was affronted that I was still enjoying the book! One of the lines I remember most was something like "I want to climb him like a tree." Okay. I get what she means...but if you picture that particular simile...what DOES that even mean? There were better choices out there than...a tree...🤦‍♀️ Cringe aspect incoming: While I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, in fact one of my favorites, the way this was set up made the characters feel flatter than paper. We have our main character, Violet, whose small size is constantly emphasized for a good portion of the novel. Yes, thank you for telling us for the FORTIETH TIME that she is small and petite. Point taken. Cool. She is also warned early on about the traitor son, Xaden Riorson, who from the moment he sees her, emphasizes his need to kill her. Except...every time he has the chance, there's some dumb excuse as to why he didn't. And then all of a sudden, he's saving her from death MUTIPLE times, and then they are kissing. ⚔️ This is all well and good, or would be, IF there was more to the enemy aspect. There should have been more time taken to explore Xaden's own hatred of Violet, and vice-versa. At least it gets better. After about halfway through the book (roughly page 250), the cringe isn't there anymore. It's like the author became a better writer AS she was writing. The (human) characters finally started getting some dimension to them, and the cringe-worthy dialogue (with one exception about measuring size, though it's placement wasn't too bad) was no longer present. We finally get a little bit of Xaden's hatred-turned-passion toward Violet, but still not enough to see why he would want to kill Violet, as opposed to attempting to kill her mother, the main responsible party for his misery, instead. I know there will be more books to explore this later, but to make the true enemies-to-lovers feel, and for it to feel genuine, there should have been a bit more from the start. What truly makes this book shine is the dragons. Absolutely everything about the dragons. The series is named after their mysterious governing council (or what it is perceived as, though may be something else entirely), the Empyrean. The dragons are intriguing characters who all deserve more page time, especially Andarna and Sgaeyl, as well as the secondary characters dragons, which we don't get to see a whole lot of. With the dragons having their own governing system and being respected as the highest of beings, they certainly deserved more. The dragons also channel magic into their riders, and each rider manifests their own unique power based on their inner self. The magic system is enjoyable and works well for this world. There are two parts about the book that absolutely make it phenomenal: Threshing, and the last 50 pages of the novel. Threshing is the day when riders get to go out into the field and try to bond with a dragon. The dragon must pick the rider, of course, and not the other way around. No spoilers, but this scene comes somewhere between pages 120-180ish and is the part of the novel that truly had me hooked. I couldn't put it down! The last 50 pages of the novel are the exciting battle one waits for in this kind of book. Once again, no spoilers, but with references throughout and the multiple reveals during this stretch of reading make for an action-packed cliffhanger ending making the reader itch for more. I don't even know where this story will go from here. I know whatever happens, I'll be along for the ride and I know I'll have my wildest imaginings blown out of the water. Final consensus: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💎 Why? Overall, the entertainment value of this novel has great sway in my final rating. Despite complaining about cringey aspects, they offered great laugh-out-loud moments. Despite the flat characters at first, they definitely fill out a bit more later, and the thing is, one can't hate on that. It's only the beginning of the story (my understanding at the time of this blog post is that it is planned as a five book series). That dragons truly make this book phenomenal, and everything about the last 50 pages really brought this novel to become something more, to put forward the promise to an exciting war story with its fair share of romance...and loss. Yes...I even teared up a bit at one part. No matter what anyone tells you about the book, its entertainment value makes for a FIVE STAR DIAMOND of a novel... i.e. a MUST READ for all fantasy lovers and seekers of a top-tier book with dragons.

Plot or Character Driven: A mix Strong character development: Yes Loveable characters: Yes Diverse cast of characters: Yes Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated Fourth Wing has been on my TBR list for quite some time. I finally had the time to read, and I now know why so many people have been talking about this series. I quite enjoyed reading Fourth Wing. The story is engaging, with a plot that leaves you wanting to know more, and the characters are entertaining. This slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is definitely a page turner. Adding the dragons to the mix makes the read even more exciting. Violet always thought she was to be a scribe, writing the times and reviewing the history of the city and its future. She was not like her brother, a healer or a badass rider and fighter like her sister. She was a scribe like her father. Violet is also quite fragile; every week, something happens to her resulting in an injury. However, times have changed, and her mother, who is the General, demands that she become a rider. Violet has to go through the list of challenges, just like the others. The only rule is that one must stay alive. As Violet makes it through the challenges. She learns that not only is her fragile state something she has to work on, but also the other prospective riders who may view her as competition or even harbour hatred towards her because of her family name. Violet finds the courage and strength to overcome these challenges one by one. She is even chosen by one of the most powerful dragons to be his rider. Xaden, a third-year wingleader, has revenge on his mind towards Violet. After all, her mother killed his father in battle. He moves Violet and her squad to his section and lets her know that he intends to kill her. After watching her move through the challenges, he has started to develop respect for her and thinks less of killing her. Xaden's dragon and Violet's dragon are mates. This leads to them spending more time in each other's space. The attraction between them starts to sizzle. Xaden has now turned his focus toward keeping Violet safe. Reasons I enjoyed this book: Action-packed, Entertaining, Great world building, Page-turner, Romantic, Twisted, Wonderful characters

So imagine you get dressed up your finest clothing and you’re going to go out to one of the expensive restaurants in town. This restaurant is not cheap it cost more money than the average run of the mail place, but it’s supposed to have superior food. You get there you have an appetizer you have a meal you have a dessert and you leave feeling like it was average. That’s how I feel after I read this book. It was just average. Don’t get me wrong. There were some good parts to the story. The beginning was good. The end was good, but there was far too much predictability. I really felt like having I read this sort of similar dragon rider tale before or have I seen these plot points touched upon before. I could see where certain things were going well before they got there. Not that I predicted everything but too much of this was predictable. No I did not want to give the book 3 stars so I didn’t go that low, but it deserves about 3.5 stars to be honest. For the $14.99 I paid for this book digital on Kindle. It cost too much for the story I got. Here’s the funny thing. I actually want to read the next book in the series. It’s not that it’s a bad story but for $15 it should be a great story and so far it’s just average. There is room for improvement. the characters are nice. I can see this growing into something better but this first book Was not a Homerun. Message to the author Spoilers follow warning. Once again, spoilers be warned. I always write a message to the author when I read a book that is interesting to me. Now I am a fan of the dragon writer genre. I’m a fan of fantasy and LITRPG books so I can get down with any story and I look for the good ones. I saw the reviews I saw the price and I was willing to pull the trigger and pay $15 for this story. I believe authors should be paid properly for their work. I’m a little sad to say the $15 I paid for this digital book doesn’t quite live up to my expectations. The plot was easy to follow. The grammar was perfect and spot on no misspellings. Nothing like that instead I found the story just predictable. It was easy to see who the heroin would bond with. Wow there’s a big dragon she’s going to be with him. It was unexpected that she would get two dragons. There’s a mysterious rebel that wants her dead. I bet they’ll end up a couple. Guess what it happened. Now the end was not as predictable. I know some people who would’ve thought it was predictable to see him leading a rebellion with the griffins, but I didn’t see that coming perhaps because I wasn’t looking for it, but I didn’t know what would happen at the end truly. However, it was easy to see that her mind had been read as soon as I realized he touched her. I said Dain knows something he shouldn’t. It was easy to see he would be the one to break her trust and do something he shouldn’t. It was also clear someone would die and the only question was would it be Liam or her gf? The world was a nice world to be in. The characters were nice characters to read about, but they were just too predictable. One final note the love scenes were well written often I read authors who don’t know how to describe passion in a book, but this was very tasteful. What was repetitive were the feelings that kept being repeated over and over and over and over again. There’s only so many times I want to hear how attracted she is to him. Even when we were given a different mindset at the end of the story man I already knew how attracted he was to her. I didn’t need to hear it so many times it was just too much. I realized they are young teenagers who really want each other, but I don’t need to hear it every five minutes in the book. I’m a bit unsure if I will purchase the next book in the series, I definitely want to read it since that final scene in the book occurred but I’m a little scared to pay $15. I think the prices for this series needs to be adjusted.

✨ “A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.” This book is hyped for a reason. Fourth Wing is more than just dragons and romance. It is immersive and atmospheric, the kind of high fantasy that feels expansive and addictive without ever becoming overwhelming. What makes this story stand out to me isn’t just the concept, but the execution. The tension feels intentional. The stakes feel personal. Every element, from the war college setting to the dragon bonds, works together to create something cinematic without feeling forced. ──────────────────────── 📖 The Details ⭐ Rating: 5/5 🌶 Spice Level: 3/5 📚 Genre: High Fantasy Romance 🔮 Tropes: Rivalry to lovers, forced proximity, war college, found family, morally grey MMC, dragon riders ──────────────────────── 💭 My Reading Experience What sold me was how immediate everything felt. From the first chapter, survival is never guaranteed, which keeps the pacing sharp and personal. The worldbuilding unfolds naturally through Violet’s perspective. Because the story is written in first person, information expands as she learns and processes it, keeping the fantasy elements accessible rather than overwhelming. I was far more emotionally invested than I expected to be. There is a moment in this book that still makes me cry every time I think about it. The attachment to these characters builds steadily, and the found family dynamic adds weight to every challenge they face. This book balances high tension with emotional connection in a way that made it impossible for me to look away. The final twist completely caught me off guard and subtly reframed the direction of the series in a way I didn’t anticipate. ──────────────────────── 🖤 Characters Violet Her strength will always be her mind over her body. She is physically fragile and constantly forced to work harder to compensate for that. Watching her push through limitations instead of pretending they do not exist made her feel incredibly relatable. She can also be frustrating at times. For someone so intelligent, she occasionally makes decisions that feel naive. But because the story is entirely from her perspective, our understanding is limited to how she processes information in real time. That makes her feel human rather than flawless. — “But I will not run. I wouldn’t be standing here if I’d quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome. I will not die today.” Xaden Controlled. Intense. Morally grey. The tension between him and Violet builds through rivalry and reluctant respect rather than true hatred. It isn’t a classic enemies-to-lovers arc, but the slow progression makes their relationship feel earned. — “I would rather lose this entire war than live without you, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I’ll do it. You gave me your heart, and I’m keeping it.” The Dragons The dragons elevate the entire story. Their bonds feel layered and meaningful, and the subtle hints woven into those early interactions suggest larger forces at play. The mating bond dynamic also adds emotional and political complexity to the world, and their banter throughout the story had me laughing. — “I’m just… not as strong as other riders.” “I know exactly who and what you are, Violet Sorrengail.” “Should I get the wing leader?” ──────────────────────── 💖 What Worked For Me • The immersive academic war college atmosphere • Dragon bonding and lore • The steady build of emotional attachment • Morally grey romantic tension • High stakes that feel personal • The final twist that subtly reframed the direction of the series ──────────────────────── ⚡ What Didn’t Fully Work For Me • I would have loved a more intense true enemies-to-lovers arc • Violet’s occasional frustrating decision making ──────────────────────── ✨ Final Thoughts If you want high fantasy that balances deadly training and trials, dragon lore, tension-filled romance, and a heroine who earns her place through determination and strategy, this delivers. Violet and Xaden are one of my top book couples. — “It’s been my honor.”

For starters just the look of the book itself is gorgeous. This is hands-down the prettiest book I have on my bookshelf and I will be getting the rest of the series in the same design as they continue to come out. The actual story itself, is by far one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. And I am a huge snob for stories. If I read something and do not like it, I will simply put the book down and just throw it away or donate it. This one however I was not able to put down. I read the sample online before I ordered it, and read it all over again as soon as the book came in instead of skipping over what i already read because it was simply that good. From cover to cover is nothing but cliffhangers or jaw dropping moments that make you want to read chapter after chapter until it’s finished. The only critique I would give making the story a 4 out of 5 would simply be all the romance and intimate scenes between the main characters. This is where the book really drops the ball and almost seems like someone else wrote these scenes rather than the original author. ( with no spoilers ) there are only so many times that someone can call a person; beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, or “worship” a particular muscle or body part before everything starts to get a little old. And every… single… intimate scene plays out exactly like this saying the same things over and over again. They literally take what should be a five page “love scene” and draw it out for a whole chapter obsessing over hair, skin, eye color, etc. to the point where myself and others who have read the books actually started skipping these scenes entirely because they were pointless and annoying. Aside from that one little annoyance, the story is solid, the fantasy is believable, the dragons feel like real fire breathing dragons with personality and morals, not some cartoony how to train your Dragon or some demonized always evil monster. I would also definitely recommend even though this series started out for “ young adult “, this is not something that I would ever let an early teenager read between the sex and the violence that takes place throughout this story. Literally nothing gets held back. They actually threw in the sex scenes to try and get out of the young adult category as the series progresses. Coming from someone who is currently halfway through the second book already, I can say that it just gets more and more brutal as you go. Overall, this is an incredible story with amazing dragons, lovable/enraging characters, great action, well choreographed combat, believable fantasy when it comes to magic and lore, and I would definitely recommend this for anyone over the age of 17. Like I mentioned earlier, the only letdown was the annoyance of the romantic/intimate scenes with its repetition and over obsessive tendencies.

Fourth Wing completely destroyed my book rut. I was struggling to stay interested in anything, and then this book came along. The world-building is incredible. The descriptions are so vivid that I didn’t just read the story I was in it. I could see the dragons, feel the danger, and hold my breath during every single scene. The writing puts you right in the middle of everything in the best way possible. Honestly? I liked this more than Game of Thrones. And that’s saying something. The pacing is better, the emotions hit harder, and I was instantly attached to the characters. Every chapter made me say, “okay one more,” and suddenly it was 2 a.m. This book is exciting, emotional, intense, and impossible to put down. If you’re in a reading slump, consider this your sign Fourth Wing will absolutely pull you out of it and then refuse to let you go. Still thinking about it. Still not over it. I already need the next book.