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A review by readundancies
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Look, I'm not here to yuk anyone's yum, but the hype is very much over-hyped with this novel.
However, in spite of my gripes this was still a fairly enjoyable YA/NA read.
What it isn't, is adult fantasy. If you can make peace with that, you'll find something about it to enjoy. If you can't, well, this just isn't the book for you.
The long and the short of it is, I liked the dragons. But I couldn't fall in love with them because they did not get nearly enough page time and for a novel that kind of revolves them as a main focus, that's not OK. Which wasn't great because I also hated every aspect of the romance - from the shitty attempt at a love triangle for a brief moment, to the literal insta-love between enemies to lovers which was a giant turn-off for me - and I don't really know why I put up with it.
But I was genuinely disappointed by the overall plot and world-building, especially when it comes down to what should be a high level of political intrigue that just did not deliver. I tend to live for fantasy novels which have rich world-building and smart, engaging plots. I am sad to say that this is not one of those novels. It reads very YA, especially when it comes to the characterization, only really hits NA status because there's smut, but there's no nuance.
And I live for the nuance.
I also really struggled with the pacing because I did not appreciate how erratic it came off as. Time was stretched out at certain moments, and name-dropped by months passing at others. Nothing was fluid, nothing felt consistent, and with the very small seed of political intrigue that was sowed, it made it extremely difficult for anything of substance to be cultivated over time. So much so that nothing ever came out of it.
What tempers some of this out is how readable the writing is. It's not ground-breaking, it's not gorgeous, but it is easy reading. It wants to be more deep and violating than it actually is (it's not quite pretentious but it is trying just a bit too hard at times, especially when some of the many deaths are treated with an overly sardonic tone), and yet, in spite of that, it's the kind of read where I didn't need to devote a hefty amount of brainpower to follow along which meant I could chug along at pretty quick pace.
I am curious to see if the gripes I have with this story can be addressed and improved upon in the sequel, so I probably will continue with the series. But maybe it's a good idea to save it for a reading slump.
However, in spite of my gripes this was still a fairly enjoyable YA/NA read.
What it isn't, is adult fantasy. If you can make peace with that, you'll find something about it to enjoy. If you can't, well, this just isn't the book for you.
The long and the short of it is, I liked the dragons. But I couldn't fall in love with them because they did not get nearly enough page time and for a novel that kind of revolves them as a main focus, that's not OK. Which wasn't great because I also hated every aspect of the romance - from the shitty attempt at a love triangle for a brief moment, to the literal insta-love between enemies to lovers which was a giant turn-off for me - and I don't really know why I put up with it.
But I was genuinely disappointed by the overall plot and world-building, especially when it comes down to what should be a high level of political intrigue that just did not deliver. I tend to live for fantasy novels which have rich world-building and smart, engaging plots. I am sad to say that this is not one of those novels. It reads very YA, especially when it comes to the characterization, only really hits NA status because there's smut, but there's no nuance.
And I live for the nuance.
I also really struggled with the pacing because I did not appreciate how erratic it came off as. Time was stretched out at certain moments, and name-dropped by months passing at others. Nothing was fluid, nothing felt consistent, and with the very small seed of political intrigue that was sowed, it made it extremely difficult for anything of substance to be cultivated over time. So much so that nothing ever came out of it.
What tempers some of this out is how readable the writing is. It's not ground-breaking, it's not gorgeous, but it is easy reading. It wants to be more deep and violating than it actually is (it's not quite pretentious but it is trying just a bit too hard at times, especially when some of the many deaths are treated with an overly sardonic tone), and yet, in spite of that, it's the kind of read where I didn't need to devote a hefty amount of brainpower to follow along which meant I could chug along at pretty quick pace.
I am curious to see if the gripes I have with this story can be addressed and improved upon in the sequel, so I probably will continue with the series. But maybe it's a good idea to save it for a reading slump.