Author | Rebecca Yarros |
---|---|
Language | English |
Series | Empyrean |
Genre | |
Published | April 5, 2023 |
Publisher | Red Tower Books (Entangled Publishing) |
Pages | 512 |
ISBN | 9781649374042 |
813.6 | |
Followed by | Iron Flame |
Fourth Wing is a 2023 new adult[1] fantasy novel by American author Rebecca Yarros. It is the first book in the Empyrean series. Released on May 2, 2023, the novel achieved viral success on TikTok's reader community BookTok, which propelled it to reach No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
The book is the first installment in the Empyrean series. It is the first book published by Red Tower Books, an imprint of Entangled Publishing.[2] Its sequel, Iron Flame, was released in November 2023.[3]
The novel's protagonist Violet displays many symptoms and parallel experiences to those with Ehlers–Danlos syndromes, including joint pain and hypermobility as well as the graying of her hair.[4] The condition is not specifically named in the novel, but Yarros has confirmed that Violet canonically has the syndrome.[1] Yarros has the condition herself and uses the book to add more representation.[5]
Set at Basgiath War College in the fictional country of Navarre, the novel follows twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail. Having trained her whole life to become a scribe – members of the college responsible for documenting history – she expects to enter the school's Scribe Quadrant. However, her mother, a general and the commander of the college, forces her to instead enter the deadly Rider Quadrant despite Violet's small and fragile body.
Upon entering the Rider Quadrant's "Fourth Wing", Violet must survive a series of increasingly perilous tests, including bonding with a dragon, and training to be a warrior on the front lines of Navarre's ongoing war. Her mother's role and her small frame puts a target on her back, specifically with Jack Barlowe - a sadistic fellow first-year intent on weeding out any riders he deems to be weak - and Xaden Riorson, the third-year leader of Violet's wing whose late father led a rebellion against Navarre, and was killed by Violet's mother.
The book had a mostly positive critical reception. Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, praising its worldbuilding, characters, and "sexy dark academia aesthetic".[6] Alana Joli Abbott, in a review for Paste, praised its use of familiar tropes and compared it favorably to fantasy series like Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.[2]
Fourth Wing became a viral phenomenon on BookTok, where the hashtags "#FourthWing" and "#RebeccaYarros" have more than a billion views combined. Its popularity led it to reach No. 1 on Amazon's bestseller list as well as the No. 1 spot on The New York Times Bestseller list, where it stayed for 18 weeks.[1][7] It has been credited as helping to popularize the "romantasy" genre, which blends elements of romance and fantasy genres.[8]
Kimberly Terasaki of The Mary Sue wrote about a phenomenon within the fandom of portraying Xaden, a primary love interest of the protagonist, as white in fan art despite the fact that he is described as a dark skinned person of color in the book. Yarros also commented on the phenomenon and asserted that the character is not intended to be white.[9]
The sequel, Iron Flame, was released on November 7, 2023.[7][10] There are plans for a third book, but no date has been announced yet.[11]
In October 2023, Variety reported that a TV show adaptation of the series was in the works at Amazon MGM Studios. It was also revealed that Amazon and Outlier Society had acquired rights to all books in the series, as well as that Rebecca Yarros and Liz Pelletier would be the executive producers of the series.[12]