Synopsis 

This wasn’t a book I was originally intending to read. After being burnt quite regularly by BookTok favourites, I’ve grown naturally distrusting of their popular recommendations. However, I found this book in a nearby charity shop for a pound and decided to give it a try and see what the hype was about.

Romantasy (genre blend of romance and fantasy) is a hugely popular genre that continues to expand on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, with its use often being an introduction to fantasy. Series like A Court of Thorns and Roses and indeed the Fourth Wing series (The Empryean series), continue to be common starter books for people who are just returning to the hobby of reading after years away. 

Quick & Easy-to-Read

I found it to be a pretty solid book. There was nothing I would rave about, as I didn’t find it as mind-blowing as others clearly did.  However, I could understand why others enjoyed the book. It’s relatively fast-paced (though some further editing wouldn’t have gone amiss) and easy to grasp as a fantasy novel. Still, I wanted more, especially considering all of the hype it receives. I wanted to find myself unable to put it down, wanting to know more about the politics and the battles of the world, but I didn’t. I feel as if a lot of the adoration around this book extends from the romance aspect of the novel. 

Like most of the popular BookTok romantasies, Fourth Wing is a trope-fueled book, with enemies-to-lovers being the most prominent trope.  As the name suggests, the characters begin as enemies before their relationship turns romantic. That’s the case here: Xaden is the son of a traitor, creating a dynamic where the main protagonist, Violet, is almost forced to hate him. But, as the trope suggests, they become lovers—which then develops into another popular trope I won’t go into, to avoid spoilers.

Builds into a Political Fantasy Series 

Given the heavy romance plotline, it might be easy to  dismiss this as just another romance book and whilst the romance does take up a decent chunk of the plot, it’s not the central focus. A lot of this book is building up the politics behind the fantasy world it is creating. There are lots of discussions on war and training for war, as Violet is training to become a Rider—essentially soldiers on dragon wings. 

There are discussions of oppression and betrayal, secrets and mysteries which the rest of the series will unravel. I’m sure the backstories between Violet, Xaden, and their families will be revealed further in the rest of the series.

Overview

Personally, I didn’t find the book intriguing enough to want to continue reading the rest of the series, however I do understand why it’s so highly praised on BookTok. It definitely has all the hallmarks of a standard romantasy: enough romance to hook readers, with enough fantasy elements to be balanced. Still, it wasn’t quite engaging enough for me to want to continue the series. Hence, the  pretty standard three-star rating!