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 on November 7th 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]
Violet is forced by her mother, a high-ranking general in the kingdom of Navarre, to enroll in the dangerous and brutal training to become an elite dragon rider at Basgiath War College. There, she meets Xaden whose father was executed by Violet's mother for leading a rebellion five years ago. Violet manages to survive training and bond with not one but two dragons -- Tairn, a large black dragon, and Andarna, a small golden adolescent dragon -- something that has never happened before. Tairn is mated with Xaden's dragon Sgaeyl, which creates a bond between Xaden and Violet. As Xaden helps to train and protect Violet, they develop feelings for each other.
Eventually, Violet discovers her "signet power" (a power manifested from the bond between the dragon and rider) of wielding lightning. Just before graduation, Violet goes with Xaden and a small group he trusts to complete a mission at an outpost outside the kingdom's boundaries. Xaden reveals he and his friend have been delivering weapons to help protect Poromiel, their enemies. Navarre has been under attack by gryphon fliers from nearby Poromiel because Poromiel needs resources from Navarre to fight off "venin" -- people who have been corrupted by channeling dark magic. Venin absorb the life force and magic from things around them and they are able to and conjure wyvern to fight off dragons. Navarrian authorities have led people to believe Poromiel is simply greedy and war hungry, and they deny the existence of venin.
Xaden figures out that Violet's childhood friend, Dain Aetos, has secretly been using his power of seeing someone's recent memories, on Violet without her consent in order to glean information about Xaden's activities. Violet agrees to join Xaden's fight as they engage in a deadly battle when venin attack nearby. Violet's lightning bolts are able to help kill the wyvern and the venin. When Violet recovers, she learns that her brother Brennan (who she believed to have been killed during the rebellion) is alive and part of the revolutionaries.[6]
Violet Sorrengail: The protagonist and primary point-of-view character. Smaller than other riders and physically weak, she only joins the Riders Quadrant at the demand of her mother, General Lilith Sorrengail. She is assigned to Fourth Wing.
Xaden Riorson: The wing leader of Fourth Wing who, through his bond with Sgaeyl, has the ability to wield shadows. He is the son of Fen Riorson, a rebellion leader who killed Violet's brother and was soon after killed by Violet's mother. Xaden is described as an extremely attractive person and is often the love interest for Violet.
Dain Aetos: Violet's childhood best friend and son of Colonel Aetos. A second-year Rider, he is a squad leader in the Fourth Wing. Through his bond with Cath, he can read memories upon touching another person.
Rhiannon Matthias: A first-year member of the Riders Quadrant who is assigned to Fourth Wing. She becomes Violet's best friend.
Sawyer Henrick: A repeated first year, he and Rhiannon agree to help Violet with hand-to-hand combat if Violet tutors them in history. He becomes a good friend of Violet, Rhiannon, and Ridoc.
Ridoc Gamlyn: A first-year member of the Riders Quadrant who is assigned to Fourth Wing. He is very humorous and becomes a good friend of Violet, Rhiannon, and Sawyer.
Jack Barlowe: A violent first-year Rider who is assigned to First Wing and makes it his mission to kill Violet.
Mira Sorrengail: Violet's older sister and a graduate of Basgiath War College. She strongly opposes her mother's decision to force Violet into the Riders Quadrant.
Liam Mairi: A first-year Rider who grew up with Xaden after their parents were killed for leading the rebellion.
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".[7] 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 RosesbySarah 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][8] It has been credited as helping to popularize the "romantasy" genre, which blends elements of romance and fantasy genres.[9]
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 dark-skinned in the book. Yarros also commented on the phenomenon and asserted that the character is not intended to be white.[10]
The sequel, Iron Flame, was released on November 7, 2023.[8][11] The third book, Onyx Storm, is set to be released on January 21, 2025.[12]
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.[13]
