This is a tropey high fantasy novel trapped inside a smutty romance.

Unpopular opinion: the romance is weighing Fourth Wing down, stopping it from reaching its full perfect potential.

Look, I respect it. Yarros has a background in romance/smut novels and this really seems like she's taking her first step into the cynical and critical fandom of high fantasy. I am cheering for her. The world of Fourth Wing is so vast and beautiful. Violet is the perfect underdog turned female power trip. Its got personally tailored magic, telepathic dragons, soul bonding, military intrigue, competitive academic setting.

And it is also, ferociously horny.

I don't know if I'm too gay to enjoy this VERY straight romance novel or if I'm just a "fade to black" girly. But I could not stand being BUMBARDED with Violet's horny teenage level thoughts. The romance is interesting and I actually really enjoyed their relationship. Its very Dragon Rider's of Pern so I'm familiar with the whole "psychically linked and soul bonded dragon and rider's weird sex lives" thing going on. Its an important and interesting part of the world building and lore so it kind of has to be a little horny but like geez. Call me a prude I guess but the horniness distracted so much from this amazing lore and world building. I ended up skipping over all the mouth staring and sex scenes.

I have gripes. I could nit pick further. I wish we had explained Violet's illness a little more. The dialog is repetitive. Dain is unfucking bearable and wildly under developed for someone who is suppose to be a "main character" and a corner of the love(?) triangle (?). But I just don't care. The book is so fun.

The audiobook is okay. Just cringe your way through the loud as fuck swallowing and deep breathing.