Manuscript Monday: Fourth Wing (Again)

On this week's Manuscript Monday Sarah recommends "Forth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros.

You know that feeling when a book recommendation hits so perfectly, it feels like a personal gift? That was me this week, utterly consumed by Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing.

The credit goes entirely to our own Lindsay (thank you), who first featured it in a Manuscript Monday and then, in the latest Book Interrupted podcast episode, planted the seed: “This could be your next book series obsession.” Lindsay, you were not just right, you were astonishingly accurate.

I began this over the holidays, intending to read just a chapter between family tasks. I physically could not put it down, it became my secret escape. While pies cooled and meat roasted, I was sneaking off to the grips of Basgiath and its Dragon riders. This book turned every spare five minutes into a precious fix, and I finished it utterly consumed and blissfully sated, the perfect conclusion to a hectic season.

Let’s talk about the romance, because for me, that’s the heart of any great fantasy. This was everything I’ve been searching for. It’s steamy, but the true magic is in the build-up. The tension between Violet and Xaden is a slow, masterful burn. The author makes you wait, makes you anticipate it, so that when things finally ignite, you’re right there with the characters, ready for that pressure to break. It’s satisfying in a way that so few books manage to achieve.

And then there’s the ending. I will tread with extreme care here to avoid any spoilers, but… wow. I did not see it coming. It’s the kind of cliffhanger thats unexpected in a good way and had me absolutely desperate for the next book.

In fact, the only thing stopping me from sprinting to the bookstore for the sequel, Iron Flame, is the small mercy of a soon-to-be-available library hold. Otherwise, my wallet would be in serious trouble.

So, if you’ve been missing that addictive, all-consuming series feeling like I got with Twilight or Ashley has with The Hunger Games consider this your sign. Goodbye to Twilight, hello to my new obsession: "Fourth Wing".

Have you read Fourth Wing yet? Please, no spoilers for book two in the comments, but I’d love to hear if it gripped you the same way!