Book · 2023
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
A war college trains dragon riders by letting classmates kill the weak ones off, and the heroine's body was built for neither a dragon nor a sword.
What does Reddit think of Fourth Wing?
r/Fantasy's sentiment on this one reads critical, and the excerpts back that number up specifically. One top comment calls it "a CW show disguised as a book." Another proposes an actual megathread for "I read Fourth Wing and it sucks actually" posts, which only makes sense if there's a backlog of people wanting to say it. A third names the core complaint directly: four hundred pages of what gets called character work, and the reviewer still can't describe the protagonist past short, smart, and determined. But the same subreddit clocks the bigger story: Romantasy has, by one account, surpassed Sanderson in popularity, whether or not that reader personally likes it. r/RomanceBooks operates on a different axis entirely, joking about spice ratings rather than litigating prose. The audience-mismatch argument shows up explicitly, too: this isn't failing at epic fantasy, one comment argues, it was never trying to be that.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Genre-audience mismatch between epic fantasy readers and romantasy readers
- · Thin characterization behind pages of stated character work
- · Popularity outpacing traditional fantasy gatekeepers' approval
- · Spice level as its own separate conversation from prose quality
- · Backlash strong enough to want its own dedicated thread
Common praise
- + One r/Fantasy commenter concedes its popularity has passed Sanderson's, whatever they personally think of the prose.
- + r/RomanceBooks treats the spice level as a genuine draw, joking about their own reaction to it rather than apologizing for liking it.
- + A r/RomanceBooks regular separates it out from the 90% of Romantasy they call immature prose with sex in it, using it as one of two benchmarks for the better end of the genre.
Common criticism
- − A top r/Fantasy comment calls it a CW show disguised as a book, aimed at an audience the commenter says they're just not part of.
- − Another r/Fantasy commenter says four hundred pages in, they still don't know anything real about anyone besides the main character, whom they can only describe as short, smart, and determined.
- − A separate thread proposes a standing megathread just for people who read it and want to say it sucks.
Who it's for
You already read for the romance, not the worldbuilding, and the war-college-with-dragons setup sounds like a fun delivery mechanism for that. r/RomanceBooks is having a much better time with this than r/Fantasy is. Come from Sanderson or classic epic fantasy expecting that kind of density? One r/Fantasy commenter says plainly you're not the target audience, and means it as description, not insult. Want four hundred pages to add up to more than one clearly defined main character? Skip it, per the same subreddit's sharpest complaint, and reach for something with a bigger cast doing more.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Fourth Wing?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Fourth Wing is a CW show disguised as a book. There are plenty of people who love CW shows, there is 100% an audience for that. I’m just not part of that audience, and that’s fine.
“Romantasy has surpassed Sanderson in popularity. The Fourth Wing series' popularity is insane. It's not my cup of tea, but it clearly is that of many others.
“>1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros People here are sure going to love this
“Fourth Wing by a mile, for so many reasons. First and foremost, how do you spend 400 pages on late teen psychodrama - excuse me, ~character work~ and I still don't know anything real about anyone other than the main character, and what I know about her is that she's short, smart and determined? How …
“I am a proud member of fantasy romance community but what I've learnt is I adore fantasy WITH romance but 90% of Romantasy is, as you said, immature prose with sex in it. I won't say YA prose because a lot of YA is CONSIDERABLY more mature than a lot of Romantasy is. I now use ACOTAR and Fourth Win…
“I feel like, Fourth Wing is not targeted for the majority of r/fantasy readers. It’s not even a book I’d consider reading, but it obviously struck a chord with a ton of people. Like a lot of people. Even more people than you are thinking of. So is it bad? Probably. But not the kind of bad that mea…
“For scheduling purposes: On Mondays we hate Maas On Tuesdays we hate Sanderson On Wednesdays we wear pink (and hate Kuang) On Thursdays we hate Fourth Wing On Fridays we hate Goodkind Over the weekend you can hate whatever you like, as long as it is romantasy
“If we’re talking sales and cultural impact it’s probably a romantacy like Fourth Wing or A Court of Thorne and Roses. They’ve drastically altered the fantasy landscape
“Anytime there is a hate post on Fourth Wing I fear you will always find me there agreeing with whatever hate is being expressed
“Fourth Wing, the FMC only had the disease when the story needed it, she somehow is able to defeat much larger enemies than herself even though her ligaments basically shred themselves when she tries to do more than walk, but shes able to have these 3 page bang sessions with the emo boy with the spoo…
“Xaden and Violet from Fourth Wing would be *insufferable.* Always going on about how they’d die for each other. Shut up
“"Fourth Wing is a CW show disguised as a book." This made me lol so hard I spit out my coffee. I haven't read the book, but using this as a descriptor says EVERYTHING.
“Fourth Wing. Hate read for romantasy. Enjoyed every hilariously, painfully cliched page of it.
“Fourth Wing fans are worse. Which is insane to me because Rebecca Yarros is by far the worse writer in every single aspect than Maas.
“I’ve only read Fourth Wing so I can only speak on that one. I find her depiction of fragility problematic in the frame of reference of someone who has the same genetic condition as the main character. EDS (said condition) can affect the digestive system through comorbidities and left me malnourished…
Convinced? Pick up Fourth Wing
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Fourth Wing — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring Fourth Wing
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Fourth Wing — frequently asked
Is Fourth Wing well written, according to Reddit?+
r/Fantasy's displayed opinion is largely no: one top comment calls it a CW show disguised as a book, and another says that after four hundred pages of stated character work, they still can't describe anyone beyond the protagonist, who comes across only as short, smart, and determined. r/RomanceBooks engages with it on different terms entirely, treating spice level as the draw.
Who is Fourth Wing actually for, if not traditional fantasy readers?+
Per a top r/Fantasy comment, it's aimed at an audience the commenter calls not their own: readers of what they describe as adult YA, marketed largely through viral word of mouth among twenty- and thirty-something readers.
Is Fourth Wing more popular than traditional epic fantasy right now?+
One r/Fantasy comment says yes directly: Romantasy, with Fourth Wing named as the driver, has surpassed Sanderson's popularity, a claim the commenter makes while adding that it isn't personally their taste. That's a specific admission from inside a subreddit whose overall sentiment on the book otherwise reads critical, not enthusiastic.
Does r/RomanceBooks actually recommend Fourth Wing?+
The clearest signal is a commenter who separates it, along with ACOTAR, from what they call the 90% of Romantasy that's immature prose with sex in it, using both as their personal benchmark for the genre done well. Another popular comment jokes about the spice rating rather than the plot, which reads as enthusiasm more than endorsement.