by Rebecca Yarros
The Empyrean, #1

SPOILER ALERT

Back in November 2023, I started reading again. And I started with a book that destroyed me emotionally. What made it worse was that I was on vacation in the happiest place on earth. Disney World.

Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing was a book that I never knew I needed in my life. It was in my top recommended books list and it sounded interesting.

However, I was not prepared for so much intensity from the start. 

From the moment I opened the book until I finished the last page, I was hooked. Nothing could tear me away. Ok, maybe my family trip to Disney during the day. But once I was back in the room, the book was back in my hands. 

Dragons and a war college. Definitely not what I was expecting. I loved how you did not just enter the rider’s quadrant. You had to prove yourself worthy by crossing the parapet. And of course it was storming. The violence among the students was a new concept for me. It definitely helped build the characters. It helped me learn who the villain was very fast. 

When it came to the idea of school cliques, I was able to relate to that very early on. I struggled with finding my place in life and in school, but once I did and I found my core friends, it made the struggle worth it. 

Earning the right to present themselves to the dragons was amazing. They had to prove they were strong and worthy. 

The romance was also top notch. I enjoy a well crafted enemies to lovers romance. And Rebecca did a tremendous job. From your dad killed my brother, to your mom killed my dad, to oh sorry forgot to tell you, your brother is actually alive and I never really hated you. 

I would rather lose this entire war than live without you, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I’ll do it. You gave me your heart, and I’m keeping it.

Xaden Riorson

Like WTF! 

Now in to the emotional damage. Liam. 

If you have read the book you know what I am talking about and you need no explanation. 

For those that haven’t read. Liam dies. He dies in a saddest and most traumatic way ever. His death gutted me. It gutted me when I first read it, and gutted me again when I listened to the audio book. Tears running down my face and going through half a box of tissues. All while hyperventilating trying to catch my breath. 

And remember, I’m at Disney on vacation with my family. They thought someone really died. Then they realized I was holding a book in my hand. They gave me time to process while at the same time thinking I was crazy. 

I couldn’t wait to get home and start the second book Iron Flame. And I have now learned that Rebecca Yarros does NOT write happy/fluffy endings.