Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)

The characters are addictive to follow along even if I have a problem of guessing the plot twists. I don’t enjoy the “tell and not show” aspect of some of the writing style but that is easily brushed over by the number of refreshing characters and deviance from overdone tropes and some tropes that are just done well with new life breathed into them. Gonna pick up the next book as soon I finish this review because of that cursed cliffhanger.

I really love this book

It was really good, and the quality was amazing!

I'll admit it—I was skeptical. The hype around Fourth Wing felt overwhelming, and I've been burned by overhyped fantasy before. A friend sent me a copy to my Kindle, and I thought I was safe. Turns out, I just hadn't met Xaden Riorson yet. Yarros doesn't waste time easing you into this world. You're dropped onto the parapet with Violet Sorrengail, discovering everything as she fights to survive her first minutes at Basgiath War College. No lengthy exposition, no gentle world-building—just immediate stakes and the visceral understanding that people die here. The writing has this modern edge to it, cursing and all, that makes the brutality feel uncomfortably real rather than romantically distant. What hooked me was Violet herself. Her mother—a ruthless general—forces her to abandon her dreams of becoming a scribe and throws her into the Riders Quadrant, where most cadets don't survive their first year. Violet has a condition that makes her bones brittle, so even crossing the entrance parapet is nearly impossible. But she doesn't survive on luck. She survives through strategy, adaptability, and sheer stubborn will. Watching her navigate a system designed to kill her—outsmarting opponents who could easily overpower her physically—that's where the real tension lives. These aren't kids playing at being warriors. They're adults facing mortality, and Violet's realization that the academy's rules are rigged against her adds layers of institutional cruelty that make her victories feel earned. Then there's Xaden Riorson. His father led a rebellion and was executed by Violet's mother, leaving Xaden marked as a traitor's son. Their dynamic starts with genuine hatred—she literally hides knives to potentially kill him, and he calls her "Violence" with real venom. What I appreciated is how their relationship doesn't follow the typical enemies-to-lovers shortcut. The trust between them builds through training sessions and knife-sharpening lessons that are worth the price of admission alone. He believes in her capabilities when everyone else writes her off. When things turn physical, it matters because of everything they've been through together. Meanwhile, Dain—her childhood friend who seems safe and supportive—uses his signet to violate her memories without consent. That betrayal hit harder than any battle scene because it's manipulation disguised as protection. The dragons are everything. During the Threshing, cadets either bond with a dragon or get incinerated for being unworthy. Violet bonds with two—Tairn, this massive black dragon with zero patience for nonsense, and Andarna, a young golden dragon who shouldn't even be there. Their connection is unprecedented and makes Violet a target. The dragons aren't just mounts; they have distinct personalities, and their mental conversations with Violet add both humor and wisdom. The magic system gives each rider a unique signet, and when Violet discovers she can wield lightning while Andarna can manipulate time, it raises the stakes in ways that complicate her survival rather than making it easier. The story shifts from academy survival to something bigger when Violet goes beyond the kingdom's wards and sees what they've been hiding. Venin—humans corrupted by draining magic—and their wyvern creations are the real threat, not the neighboring kingdom they've been told to fear. The battle at Athebyne wrecked me. The battle scenes had me breathless, the betrayals gutted me, and Liam's death left me completely destroyed. He dies protecting Violet, and his loss feels like losing someone real. Then she discovers her supposedly dead brother is alive and part of a revolution, and suddenly everything she thought she knew unravels. Is it flawless? No. Some of the academy rules feel arbitrary, the world outside Basgiath remains underdeveloped, and certain tropes are familiar enough that you can see them coming. But the execution matters more than originality here. The pacing doesn't let you breathe, the emotional beats land because the relationships feel genuine, and Violet's physical limitations add weight to every choice she makes. Fourth Wing isn't trying to reinvent fantasy. It's taking familiar elements—dragons, magic schools, forbidden romance, political conspiracy—and executing them with enough character depth and emotional intensity that they feel fresh. Violet and Xaden's story got under my skin in a way I wasn't expecting. I finished it feeling emotionally wrung out, immediately started the sequel, and I'll be chasing that feeling until the next one. This book didn't just live up to the hype—it lit something in me I didn't realize I'd been missing. If you're still on the fence, clear your schedule and just read it.

The creative setting of the story and plot is good, but overly-intimate scenes put me off a little. The book is like an action movie - always intense and fast paced, and the language is simple and somewhat dirty - characters are swearing all the time and one night stands are common culture (very American?). But the author builds up characters relatively well, and keeps you hooked to the story-line. Violet is overall relatable and her developments as she becomes a rider is gripping.

It's good

Loved

I doubted the craze online but the story was actually really good. Good world concept, good writing!