Fantasy Book Annotation: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Title: Fourth Wing
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date:
May 2, 2023
Number of Pages:
528
Geographic Setting:
Basgiath War College in Navarre (alternate universe)
Series: Empyrean
Plot Summary: Its
conscription day, and Violet Sorrengail is the general’s daughter. Despite Mira
Sorrengail, her sister’s objections, General Lilith Sorrengail has “voluntold”
Violet that she will not be going to college to become a scribe like her dad. In
this polytheistic society, these 20-somethings are in school at Basgiath War
College in Navarre. Navarre has been at war for 400 years and is a mythical
place with dragons, gryphons, and other mythical creatures. Students die left
and right by falling off parapets and while sparring.
It gets complicated quickly. Dain Aetos, her childhood
friend, is her squad leader, and he does not believe in her and may even have
hidden interests. Handsom Xaden Riorson is her wing leader. Xaden, the rider of
the dragon Saegel, is the son of rebellion leader, Fen Riorson. He also did not
choose to be a rider. Violet finds him irresistible before she figures out who
he is.
This book is a fantasy-romance set in a different time and
alternate universe. Think quill pens and ink wells. If you like magic, for
example time manipulation, dragon-sight, and lightning wielding, you might
enjoy this book.
Between other characters calling her fragile and her
shoulders popping out repeatedly, Yarros hints at Violet having a connective
tissue disorder, making Violet a heroine who is disabled, but can she beat the
odds?
Subject Headings:
Dragons – Fiction
Imaginary Wars & Battles – Fiction
Secrecy –Fiction
Mothers and Daughters – Fiction
Conspiracies – Fiction
Magic – Fiction
Epic Fantasy
Appeal:
Characterization: Heroic, selfless lead character
“Many fantasy novel feature characters that are antiheros,
characters that change and grow over the course of scenarios” (Wyatt &
Saricks, 2019, p. 128).
Frame: Worldbuilding
“Readers turn to this genre to enter a new world” (Wyatt
& Saricks, 2019, p. 125).
Tone: Bleak outlook
“These books are not horror titles, but they are stories
filtered through grim, violent, and gritty world-view” (Wyatt & Saricks,
2019, p. 127).
Story Line: Hopeful but gritty
“Its general pattern leads to a hopeful outcome, no matter
how grievous the trails along the way” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 127).
Pacing: Starting slow but accelerating
“Fantasy novels almost always start slowly as authors
carefully establish the elaborately developed locales and multiple characters
that create the backbone of their stories” (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, pp. 129).
3 Terms that best
describe the book: Fantasy, Dragons, Magic
3 Relevant Fiction Works:
(Click on the book covers to search WorldCat for holdings
near you)
Throne of Glass by
Sarah J Maas
Maas, S. (2012). Throne
of glass. New York: Bloomsbury.
Common appeals: Alternative Universe, Magic, Fantasy
Fireborne by
Rosaria Munda
Munda, R. (2019). Fireborne.
New York: Putnam Press.
Common appeals: Alternative universe, Magic, Dragons
A Knight of Seven
Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
Martin, G. (2015). A
knight of the seven kingdoms. New York: Bantam Books.
Common appeals: Dragons, Magic, Fantasy
3 Relevant Nonfiction
Works:
Dragons & Mythical
Creatures by Gerrie McCall and Chris McNab
McCall, G. & McNab, C. (2020). Dragons & mythical creatures. London: Amber Books, Ltd.
Common appeals: Dragons, Mythical Creatures, Myths
Dragons & Mythical
Creatures: An Image Archive for Artists and Designers by Kale James
James, K. (2021). Dragons
& mythical creatures: an image archive for artists and designers. Vault
Editions.
Common appeals: Dragons, Mythical Creatures, Myths
A Genealogist’s Guide
to Gaelic Names: A Reference for First Names from Scotland by Connie
Lockhart Ellefson
Ellefson, C. (2012). A
genealogist’s guide to Gaelic names: a reference for first names from Scotland.
Cincinnati, Ohio: Family Tree Books.
Common appeals: Gaelic Names, Names from Scotland, Mothers and Daughters
References
Yaross, R. (2023). Fourth
wing. New York: Red Tower.
Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory
guide to genre fiction: Third edition. American Library Association.
Honestly, no surprise that Throne of Glass would be a recommendation for Fourth Wing fans. It really does have plenty of similar appeal factors like you mention, plus the characterization of a strong, female lead, a group of friends, storylines of good vs. evil, etc. Personally, Throne of Glass far outranks the Empyrean series, but I know it's just getting started. Did you like Fourth Wing? Are you going to read Iron Flame?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I haven't heard of Fireborne yet, but I'm going to have to check it out! I have been wanting more dragon fantasy books so bad, lately.
Hi Katie, I have read Iron Flame. Big cliff hanger. I would still recommend it though.
DeleteI have seen this book everywhere. I cannot escape it at my job. The summary that you wrote sounds really interesting. Fantasy Romance is something that I have not dipped my toes into as a fantasy fan, but that might change soon.
ReplyDeleteWilliam, Thanks for the comment. I had to get really creative with the nonfiction read-alikes. All of the dragon's names are Gaelic, so I got a little creative there. Also, the Gaelic meanings for the names speak to the characters they are assigned to.
DeleteFantastic annotation! I saw that they just announced the title and pub date of the third book! Great job on the appeals and outlining why each of the readalikes are a great fit!
ReplyDelete