TEXAS, USA — Rebecca Yarros did not understand or even plan to break the minds of fantasy readers everywhere with “Fourth Wing.”
The New York Times Bestseller has become a crazy, sensational, phenomenon that has generated colossal amounts of buzz among fantasy readers across the nation.
And if you’re a part of ‘Book Tok’ the sub-group on the growing social media platform TikTok you’ve probably seen several videos. Hashtags related to the book and author have been viewed more than a billion times on the platform.
‘Fourth Wing,” has become the new standard for adult fantasy, flying past other fantastical stories after only six months since its release.
From the first turn of the page Yarros captivates the audience with a non-stop thrilling adventure.
It begins with twenty-year-old Violet who has always been the involuntary ‘black sheep’ in her family. She’s weaker, smaller and her bones are fragile but while her physicality could be her downfall her cunning mind is her strength.
Violet, like all her family members before her, attends Basgiath War College and was destined for the Scribe Quadrant which promises a quiet life wrapped up in books and history, but her mother-the commanding general has other plans. By the sixth page of the book Violet is forced to join and survive the most dangerous and elite group in her kingdom, the dragon riders.
But, being thrust into the Riders Quadrant comes with massive complications. First, dragons don’t usually bond with brittle weak humans, they kill them. Secondly, there’s far less dragons than there are candidates which means most cadets will try and kill Violet to better their own chances. And third, Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wing leader in the Riders Quadrant apparently wants to kill Violet himself.
Violet’s life is quickly derailed before the reader gets halfway through the book but she must fight to survive because apparently there’s only two ways you can leave the college: graduate or die.
The new adult fantasy book has everything a fantasy enthusiast wants including an enemies to lover’s trope, a looming war between two kingdoms, telepathic dragons with unique and hilarious personalities, magic powers and much needed and appreciated spice.
The danger is exhilarating, the dragons are breath-taking, and the romance burns until there’s nothing left but embers.
And more importantly, the character arcs are beautifully crafted and plotted out.
Violet’s tenacity is inspiring but it’s not just her physical strength that comes to the surface it’s that inner bravery and courage that deafens all the negative comments that have ever been thrown her way. And despite her small stature and visual meekness Violet realizes she is dangerous, scary and sometimes cutthroat – exactly what a dragon rider needs to be.
Xaden, on the other hand is immediately introduced as the mysterious and dangerous bad boy who loves to keep secrets but like most of us – there’s more to his story and more to his character than becoming the newest book boyfriend for millions of readers. Xaden’s character runs deep and he has justifiable reasons for being the harsh character we come to know and like most morally grey characters he tries to hide it and wants people to believe he truly is heartless and uncaring.
Yarros somehow keeps readers entertained the entire time in this nearly 500-page book and still readers find themselves begging for more after they read the last sentence.
“Fourth Wing,” is the kind of book that will make you question whether your favorite fantasy book is still your favorite because there’s a good chance it could be dethroned by the jaw dropping story of Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson.
Readers will not stop talking about “Fourth Wing,” and it’s earned the right to be in the forefront of every fantasy reader’s mind. So, it’s honestly unsurprising that almost all copies at the San Antonio Public Library including physical copies, audiobooks and eBooks are all in use and have been checked out on a consistent basis for the last few months.
The New York Times said that since its release in May “Fourth Wing” has sold more than 2 million copies globally.
Several famous authors have also left rave reviews about the book - some are even featured on the books jacket cover.
“The most brutally addictive fantasy I’ve read in a decade!” Tracy Wolff author of the Crave series said.
“Buckle up, because with nonstop action, sizzling romance, and the BEST DRAGONS EVER, you will not be able to put down Fourth Wing until the last page is turned,” Mary E. Pearson author of the Remnant Chronicles said.
Yarrors’ editor Rebekah West announced her pure excitement for “Fourth Wing” months before its release date.
“Monumentally excited to be publishing Fourth Wing and cannot wait for everyone to meet Violet, their new book boyfriend and of course… the DRAGONS,” West wrote on X-, formally called Twitter in January.
According to the New York Times Yarros drew on her experience with chronic illness and life in a military family to write “Fourth Wing.”
Yarros dedicates the book to her husband Aaron she adorably monikers “My own Captain America.”
Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s production company Outlier Society plan on transforming the anticipated five book series into a television series with Yarros as an executive producer though a release date has not been announced.
“Iron Flame” the sequel to “Fourth Wing” was released in early November – six months after the first book, but Yarros said in an interview with Variety that she plans on slowing down a bit.
“I think I wrote like 851,000 words in 15-18 months — I was just wiped out. I want to be able to deliver the best books possible, so I need to sleep a little. I’ll be writing, I just need to write and sleep, not just write. We’re slowing down a tiny bit, not every six months,” Yarros said.
Yarros is a mother to six kids, a military wife of almost 20 years and is self-described as a die-hard Mets fan.
She previously wrote contemporary romance books but “Fourth Wing” is her first adult fantasy book.
Yarros encourages readers to follow her on social media platforms to stay up to date with the "Fourth Wing" series. .
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