Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Fourth Wing - Flammengeküsst

I'd seen the hype for this book and finally got around to reading it. I loved it and can't wait to read the second book, which is already out. If you liked the Harry Potter Series, Hunger Games, etc., this is an adult version of the genre. The sex scenes are graphic - no innuendo here!

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nbere01's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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reading_leaf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

ASL, people of all abilities, representation of ED and chronic pain. I loved this book as a disabled individual, It was very empowering and touching.

Small spoiler>>>>>>
I will say there is some Romance, subtle and enjoyable and Slow-burn escalation into pretty explicit romance leading fast toward <<<<<small spoiler

Some very intense sexual interactions (well written mind you!) come on and it gets a little awkward at times. There are some pretty cheesy moments that I think downplay the the entire theme of the book a bit. But
theres PLENTY enough of the book that is enjoyable beyond that and to me I was able to overlook it easy.

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eatingbrains's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

While I understand why people would enjoy this book, I am unfortunately one of the ones that couldn't turn off the feeling that I was reading a YA that was aged up to include sex.

I could not read the word badass without cringing. The world building was positively wild. It's in a more historical fantasy setting where they write with quills, use weapons, crossbows were a big deal, people who wield magic have access to smaller abilities like locking/unlocking doors, making mage light, etc. There lots of wooden shit, but that also translated to having wooden exercise equipment to essential get swole in a modern fashion, rather than bodyweight exercises. There's a brief mention right at the beginning about shoe sizes which means they have standardized them? And the whole riders quadrant can get married before everyone else when the graduate.... At age 23? That's early for this society? And the focus of sexual relations was just pervasive. The talk of raging hormones... The convenience of fertility suppressants getting a brief mention before boning down. Oh and gods are worshipped, but not by dragons.

There was some disability rep that I think was decent considering that it was a fantastical setting with healers, and the character didn't want to "look weak" and would refuse treatment to speed the healing process. There was some LGBT+ rep as well, but mostly on a surface level for side characters.

Honestly, it was fine but the romance had me putting the book down regularly and made finishing this book difficult.

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nicosta_music's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Is this really the book y'all have been hyping up so much? Fourth Wing is generally entertaining enough to keep you reading, but it's by no means a masterpiece. The first thirty-something chapters could have been condensed (or even cut entirely), since the book only got interesting in the last few chapters. Some character choices or world-building facts had no logical explanation besides the plot requiring them. I wish the book had focused more on the world itself than whatever Violet spent this book doing.

The writing style felt like it tried to be YA but the book was actually adult fiction. Despite this being a high fantasy setting, the author used the phrase "for the win" three separate times (I counted), but thank god she changed "birth control" to "fertility suppressant." The same zinger phrases are repeated word-for-word across multiple chapters. I also thought a few lines were just plain corny but that's personal preference.

All of the characters in this book were clichés, which isn't a bad thing if it's done right, but these characters were not. Violet in particular was a Mary Sue. She constantly calls herself and gets called weak, small, fragile, etc. despite also being the super-special chosen one archetype. The most interesting characters were the dragons themselves,

and they mostly exist as disembodied voices.

Overall, this book reads like a CW TV show in literary format. It's fun and exciting but lacks the depth I was expecting from a book with this much praise.

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