Fourth Wing

I thought this was pretty ordinary at first, a competent mashup of Harry Potter and the hunger games with dragons. It was quite blood thirsty but well written and I did think I had read it all before and wasn’t expecting anything radical.

Studious, physically weak girl expecting to join a community of librarians and scribes is forced into a military Academy with a high mortality rate. She faces many challenges but rises to the occasional through strength of character and sheer determination rather than special powers or prowess.

However, as the book went on, they were hidden depths, new information and new ideas. And as the romance developed and the characters back stories were filled out, this became better and better. It was surprisingly raunchy in places (more than I expected!) And I have to say I genuinely did not see The ending coming, at least not all of it. I think the “mythical” creatures are quite well signposted, but I did not see the other big reveal once our heroine wakes up from the final battle.

I can completely understand why this book has been so popular and I’m looking forward to the second instalment. There are also some really nice special editions that I am starting to covet!