Alas de sangre

I had a giant review/rant planned mentally as I finished #FourthWing . I was going to rant about how insufferable the main character Violet, or how really interesting characters are established only to crumble into pillars meant only to thrust Violet into more greatness. Though it would be falling on deaf ears. Most either love this book unapologetic or want nothing to do with the false hype surrounding it.

This book is conflict. Conflict between wanting to tell a above average fantasy tale with a really interesting world/concepts, and a cheap smut fan-fiction written by someone who has never been physically close to anyone. Some pages the fantasy story wins, and for half a chapter the spicy virgin dribble wins.

It really feels like the author had a pretty decent story written out and went back in and decide to inject the drooling over the male lead later on because it feels really forced and out of place. The best I can describe it is how there are H-Scenes in the original #FateStayNight Visual Novel because that was just what you did at the time if you wanted to sell a Visual Novel. Which is a shame because if they cut out all of the forced romance/smut and let it happen naturally this books could have easily been a 4 or 4.5 out of 5 instead of barley being a 3.

I am willing to give the second book a shot mostly out of curiosity to see if it rises to its potential that it shows it can have. Though if I am willing to finish it or adventure into the third book only time will tell.

Quick side note for the love of god please describe a setting more than just talking about how there are "mage lights" (which you never explain what those are) illuminating the area. And in no "fantasy" world would a character say "for the win" (let alone 3 times) or "they choose to look behind door number 2" (a reference to a TV game show)

It features a fast-paced plot with constant threats, rivalries, and unexpected twists that keep you engaged. The core of the story revolves around the bond between riders and their dragons, exploring themes of loyalty, trust, and the cost of power. While categorized as a romance, the romance develops alongside a compelling fantasy narrative, but can sometimes be overpowering, especially during the more passionate scenes.

Ich verstehe jetzt, warum Fourth Wing so einen Hype ausgelöst hat – denn es ist tatsächlich ein Buch, das man nur schwer aus der Hand legen kann. Der Einstieg ist rasant, das Setting an der Drachenreiter-Akademie atmosphärisch dicht, und die Spannung zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Handlung. Besonders gelungen fand ich, wie sich nach und nach das politische Netz um die Hauptfiguren verdichtet und wie die Autorin es schafft, trotz des typischen Akademie-Settings überraschende Wendungen einzubauen.

Violet ist eine Hauptfigur, mit der man mitfühlt – nicht zu perfekt, mit Ecken und Kanten, die glaubwürdig wirken. Ihre Entwicklung hat mich überzeugt, und auch die Nebenfiguren fand ich weitgehend gut gezeichnet, insbesondere Xaden, dessen ambivalente Haltung bis zum Schluss interessant bleibt. Die Drachen selbst sind nicht nur beeindruckende Kampfmaschinen, sondern haben Persönlichkeit – ein echter Pluspunkt!

Was mir allerdings nicht ganz so gut gefallen hat: Die intimen Szenen zwischen Violet und Xaden waren mir etwas zu prominent und zu detailliert beschrieben. Ich bin nicht grundsätzlich prüde, aber hier hätte ich mir etwas mehr Zurückhaltung gewünscht, gerade weil die Handlung an sich stark genug gewesen wäre, um auch ohne diese Passagen zu tragen. Die Balance zwischen Fantasy und Romance gerät dadurch für meinen Geschmack ein wenig aus dem Gleichgewicht.

Trotzdem: Fourth Wing ist ein echter Pageturner mit viel Action, Magie, politischen Intrigen und einer überzeugenden Hauptfigur. Ich werde definitiv weiterlesen – auch wenn ich hoffe, dass der Fokus in den nächsten Bänden wieder etwas stärker auf der Welt und der Handlung liegt.

This was a good book! I enjoyed reading it. Though at parts I thought it was a bit too long (but that could partly be because it too so long for me to read it and also because of world building.) the ending was the best part and it really really made me want to read the sequel soon! I’m hoping the next book has more action and less build-up. 4 stars because it was missing something for me to call it amazing, but it was a very good book nonetheless.

Another book that I enjoyed more than I thought I would! We follow Violet SorrengaiI when she joins the Basgiath War College to become a dragonrider in the kingdom of Navarre. All she wanted was to become a scribe, but her mother, who is a war General, forces her to join the Dragonriders Quadrant, instead of the Scribe Quadrant. Just to keep family tradition (her older siblings were also dragonriders). I feel bad about the ruthlessness nature of this military school (there are zero concerns with safety and well-being of the cadets) but I got past that. Cadets die if they make mistakes or fail the crazy challenges and test assigned to them. They are prepared to bond with a dragon and become a rider. The bond is strong, rider and dragons can telepathically communicate. And if you're a rider and your dragon dies, you die! I'm loving the mental banter-dialogues between the riders and the dragons. The romance is a slow burn well developed enemies-to-lovers. It's over the top and I loved it! I definitely want to check out the second book in the series.