I want to go to dragon college

Alright… so… the hype for this book made me hesitant to actually read it, and I put it off for a while even after my dad was able to snag me a copy from Target before they sold out everywhere. Thanks, Dad, for trusting BookTok, as I've now ended up reading one of the most fast-paced, entertaining fantasy books I’ve read in a long, long time. I started it on a 5 hour flight and flew through the first 200 pages. As I kept reading on a lovely family vacation I’ve just gotten back from, I reached a point in the story that made me go, “Oh, this is why this book is so hyped up.” Be warned -- there are some spoilers later in this review. I’ll just say here that that distinct point in the novel has everything to do with the dragons and how uniquely their lore and relationships with the humans of this fantasy world are developed. The vast realm of this book is insanely cool, but one of my favorite parts is pretty small: the varied epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. The selection is so pointed to fit the content of the chapter. I was definitely taking notes concerning stylistic choices for my own writing. The politics of this said realm are also well-fleshed-out and make sense without bogging down the actual storyline concerning Violet, Xaden, and the rest of the Basgiath War College. Speaking of characters: Violet is everything I could want in a female main character. She has flaws other characters seem to love pointing out, but she pushes through their judgement, physical pain, and her own mental blocks, defying all the odds. I usually hope that a book's main character stays alive for a whole host of reasons, but these odds Violet defies don’t seem too far fetched or unbelievable because she’s so skilled at improvisation and out of the box thinking. Her arc from timid scribe to confident rider, overcoming obstacles left and right and proving first to herself and then to others what she's actually capable of, was one of my favorite parts of this entire novel. Because, as she grew into her rider identity, she kept her scribe identity as well; she still adored books, held knowledge and its power close, and remembered her valuable, lifelong training. So, that’s Violet. Now we have Xaden… In all honesty, he scares me. He continued to remain highly intimidating even after Violet crumbled a good amount of his resolve and convinced him to admit the feelings he locked behind a stoic mask. But he’s undeniably attractive (especially when we’re getting the story through Violet’s eyes), and I felt so deeply for him and his grief over his father. His backstory illuminates the backstories of so many other characters who we don’t see as fully developed, painting a larger picture of the state of this empire and the corruption that runs deeper than Violet’s jaded point of view can allow. On that note, however, I need to bring up one MAJOR spoiler from the very last page. You have been warned.



​Xaden knew about Brennan still being alive… that kind of rocked me, along with the fact that Brennan is actually alive. How is Xaden expecting to win back Violet when this is just yet another hidden truth he’s been keeping from her? Like, that’s huge?! Ok, spoiler over. That one’s really been running through my head. Another character I want to bring up is Dain. This will be my only ACOTAR cross reference here: Dain is Tamlin in another font. Manipulative, possessive, over protective, bound by the rules and tradition, doesn’t actually listen. The list goes on… He really bugged me from nearly the first moment we meet him. And I doubt we as readers actually know the extent of his siphoning mind powers, especially considering what little we know about his father’s political and magical power as a general. I’m calling it now - Dain’s going to become some sort of villain (in a more traditional sense than the villain I view him as now). Violet standing up to him and forcing him to see that she’s no longer the girl from his childhood, but rather a woman capable of way more than he seems to be able to admit, was so so satisfying to me. Honestly, that scene might be my favorite of them all; it was certainly memorable. One last note: I adore Tairn’s grumpy old man persona and insane power equally as much as I adore Andarna’s pure, innocent soul and quiet bravery. The element of dragon-human interactions brings this already very intriguing story concept up a notch. And paired with the spice (which is really quite spicy) leads me to understanding why BookTok’s been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I’ve been seeing descriptions of Violet and Xaden’s relationship trope as enemies to lovers, which I think there are glaring elements of. But at times I felt like some of the instant love trope snuck its way in there. When Xaden admits Violet had him “from the start,” the sentiment felt ingenuine because, well, he had every reason to want to push her off that parapet the moment she came into view. But later, he betrays he was warring between feelings of hate and attraction in that moment… which, alright, those two emotions can exist simultaneously. But in Xaden’s extreme case of his father’s public, pointed execution, it didn’t seem believable to me. And then there’s Violet - grieving the untimely death of her only brother at the hands of Xaden’s father. There’s just so many overlapping motives here that I felt like we skirted into muddled territories beyond simple enemies to lovers. I’m really intrigued to see where the next books in the series take their relationship in terms of intimacy as well as the physical setting of a nearing all out war. Oh, and Violet’s mom? My dislike for her has no bounds. She is evil on way too many levels. How she’ll come into play in future books is also something I’m intrigued by. The last thing I simply must mention is Liam. Oh, Liam. I love him, dimples, unique bond with Xaden and all. He is definitely my favorite character. My tearstains will forever remain on the pages where he unjustly suffered. Ouch, I'm hurting just thinking about it... that scene impressively portrays the bond between dragon and rider in a touching, visceral way. Okay... I think I’ve covered all the elements I’ve wanted to without ranting or throwing too many spoilers out there, so I’ll stop here. I’ve already preordered Iron Flame and will be counting down the days until November 7th. :)



Some of my favorite quotes from Fourth Wing:

"There is nothing more sacred than the Archives. Even temples can be rebuilt, but books cannot be rewritten."

"Don’t borrow tomorrow’s trouble."

"You’re making us look bad. Stop it." (classic grumpy old man Tairn)

"You can't make me fall for you and then die."

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