What readers say
decided to reread this book after reading it in 2023. 2026 me was not impressed 🤭 fourth wing was honestly a frustrating experience from start to finish. the writing is sloppy, juvenile, and reads way more like wattpad fanfiction than an adult fantasy novel. it relies heavily on telling instead of showing, which makes the emotional moments fall flat. the audiobook narrator didn’t help either and somehow made violet even more unbearable?? violet is easily one of the most insufferable fmcs i’ve ever read!! she’s written as this “pick me” girl who’s so tiny, fragile, weak (which the book reminds us of every five minutes), yet she somehow succeeds at nearly every challenge with no believable growth….?? her voice is uppity and self-important, and the story constantly contradicts itself. she criticizes how casually death is treated at the academy, then immediately glosses over someone dying so she can talk about how hot xaden is. and yes. we get it. xaden is hot. “holy fucking hot” to be exact. the book will not let you forget it!! instead of building any real emotional connection, their entire relationship is just instant lust pretending to be enemies to lovers. violet is constantly ogling him, so there’s zero tension and absolutely no chemistry. the romance feels rushed, shallow, and forced. the dialogue throughout the book is painfully cringy. no one talks like this!! xaden is supposed to be some terrifying, badass character, but his dialogue completely ruins that image and honestly gave me the ick. the spicy scenes were especially bad. they were awkward, juvenile, and filled with inner monologues that made me want to crawl out of my skin. like what is this?? “when did I ever give you the impression that I give a fuck what people think?” oh i don’t know only the entire fucking book you’ve been worried how others view you??? girl shut UPPPP the worldbuilding is weak and underdeveloped, making it hard to picture the setting or feel immersed at all. almost every side cha