Atlantic County Library System

unCovered review by Elizabeth Sausto, ACLS Galloway Branch

Rebecca Yarros’ FOURTH WING was unlike any novel I had ever read before. Taking place in the kingdom of Navarre at the brutal Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail, a frail and bookish young woman, has always wanted to be a scribe like her late father. But Violet’s mother, a tough and callous general, is forcing her to train to become a dragon rider. Knowing that death awaits if she doesn’t keep her wits about her, Violet must not only be wary of ferocious dragons but of other cadets who will take their hatred for her mother out on her- like Xaden Riorson, whose father was executed for taking part in a rebellion years earlier. 

FOURTH WING was a very interesting read. Besides the violence, there were several explicit sequences that involved intense sexual situations. However, these scenes were not simply for shock value. If anything, they strengthened the plot. Whenever the story moved in a truly mature direction, I found that I hungered for the excitement and drama. 

I also liked how diverse the characters were. They were of different skin colors and sexual orientations. One of the supporting characters was deaf and several of her acquaintances knew sign language in order to communicate properly with her. These different character designs also bolstered the plot. Honestly, I hardly ever encountered such a varied cast in the plethora of books I had already read.

FOURTH WING is the first in a series of what will be five novels, and I can’t wait the read the rest of the saga to see what happens to Violet next. If the first book is anything to go by, I’m in for some very satisfying reads