Fiction Rebellion

If you’ve stepped anywhere near BookTok or the fantasy shelves lately, you’ve seen Fourth Wing. Dragons. Death trials. Enemies-to-lovers. 

But tonnes of fantasy books have those. So why is Fourth Wing so addictive? 

It combines The Hunger Games morally grey survival choices, Red Rising brutal academy and A Court of Thorns and Roses romance.

Let’s break down further why we love it so much.

1. Violet’s physically frail but dangerous

Violet Sorrengail isn’t your typical fantasy hero.

She’s not the strongest or the fastest or built like a warrior. She’s definitely not the “chosen one”.

Violet’s fragile joints and a body that dislocates way too easily set her apart in a brutal military academy, where strength is paramount. 

This is a problem when your school’s entrance exam is basically: “Climb this wall or die.”

Everyone assumes she’s doomed.

Except?

While everyone else relies on brute strength, Violet’s survival hinges on her strategy, sharp observation, cleverness, and undeniable stubbornness. Watching her outthink people twice her size is so satisfying. It feels earned, not handed to her.

Her brain is her sword, making her a dangerous opponent. 

And here’s the twist: her “fragility” actually makes her safer when bonding dragons. Stronger riders risk magical overload. Violet’s body regulates the power better.

So, the girl everyone thought would die first?

She bonds with the most powerful dragons.

Her physical weakness is her secret OP. We love to see it. This personal struggle is mirrored in the unforgiving world that Yarros creates.

2. The world has an impact because it feels real

Author Rebecca Yarros grew up around military life, and you can tell. The Basgiath War College isn’t cute training montages. It’s got deadly tests, harsh rules, people dying in training, and commanders making questionable decisions for ‘the greater good’. The stakes feel real.

3. Pain is personal and a power

Yarros’s own battles with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and chronic pain resonate profoundly with Violet. Each moment of Violet’s exhaustion and underestimation feels achingly real. She studies people and uses her intelligence to outsmart them, rather than relying on physical strength. This is far more relatable than some invincible chosen one. 

4. Romance that impacts everything (and isn’t just fluff)

Expect deadly dragon battles, political secrets AND slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension.

Violet’s romance with Xaden is fraught with trust issues and secrets, causing profound emotional turmoil. As Violet grows stronger, their relationship becomes more complicated, not easier. He’s the son of a rebel leader whom Violet’s mother helped kill. And Violet is never sure of Xaden’s motives. Even when he protects her, she wonders whether he is helping her for strategic gain.

5. A corrupt system

The true enemy lies not in the dragons, but in the corrupt system and its leaders

Violet constantly has to question authority and decide whether to follow orders or do what’s right. This is particularly hard for Violet, as the daughter of a General. She goes from following the rules to questioning and then decides whether to become a rebel. A pivotal moment is when she discovers that the leaders have lied about who is really destroying the villages. 

Violet herself is forced to resort to underhanded means to survive. It’s either fight dirty or she’ll die. So she puts poison on her daggers, even though it’s against the rules and could kill her opponents.

✍️ Steal this writing prompt inspired by Fourth Wing

Your character is picked for an elite mission because of something everyone sees as a weakness. Can you create a character that would never be a chosen one but turns out to be the true leader?

• Do people underestimate them?
• Do they hide their ability or use it?
• What happens when they realise they were chosen on purpose?
• Who can they actually trust and why?

Boom. Instant YA fantasy plot.

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