Book · 2023
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
A war college drafts a general's daughter into dragon-rider training, where the first-year washout rate is measured in bodies.
What does Reddit think of Fourth Wing?
Fourth Wing has 546 mentions tracked here, and 376 of them sit on r/Fantasy, with r/suggestmeabook (155) trailing and r/printSF barely present at 15. The loudest thread (↑1378) opens by telling critics they aren't the target audience, framing the book as viral 'new adult' fantasy-romance rather than a genre entry meant to satisfy Serious Fantasy Readers. From there the knives come out. One reply (↑746) counts 400 pages of teen psychodrama with no real character work outside the lead. Others (↑677, ↑560) file it under 'new adult' alongside ACOTAR: YA tropes plus sex scenes, not a new genre. A widely upvoted comment (↑437) singles out the physical logic, a disabling disease that vanishes whenever combat or romance requires stamina. The fairest defense (↑309) says judge it against ACOTAR, not Babel, and it holds up fine on those terms.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · romantasy vs. traditional fantasy gatekeeping
- · 'new adult' as a genre label
- · target-audience arguments
- · physical logic complaints about the FMC
Common praise
- + Even skeptical r/Fantasy threads admit it 'struck a chord' with an audience larger than the sub anticipated (↑580).
- + When judged against its actual peer group, one top comment (↑309) calls it one of the best romantasy books of the year, not a Babel-tier failure.
Common criticism
- − The top r/Fantasy comment (↑1378) argues most critics 'aren't the target audience,' pointing to the viral fantasy-romance crowd instead of traditional genre readers.
- − A heavily upvoted reply (↑746) says 400 pages go to teen psychodrama, joking that 'character work' is really just filler, without giving the cast beyond the lead any depth.
- − Multiple comments (↑677, ↑560) lump it in with ACOTAR as 'new adult,' YA tropes with sex scenes bolted on, not a distinct genre achievement.
- − One comment (↑437) calls out the FMC's disease vanishing exactly when the plot needs her to fight, even though her ligaments supposedly shred when she just walks.
Who it's for
If you already live in the ACOTAR fandom, this is exactly the next read; r/Fantasy's own top comment says as much (↑1378) when it tells critics they were never the intended audience. Come for the dragon-riding war college and the romance beats, not for prose economy or hard worldbuilding logic. Traditional epic-fantasy readers comparing it to Malazan or Sanderson's hard-magic systems will bounce off within a hundred pages. Judge it next to ACOTAR, per the (↑309) comment, and it holds up fine within that genre.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Fourth Wing?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“You're not the target audience. As a Serious Fantasy Reader\^tm I didn't really understand this until my girlfriend explained it to me, but there is an entire genre of "adult young adult books" that is basically marketed exclusive through viral marketing amongst twenty and thirty-something straight …
“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…
“Yeah Fourth Wing and ACOTAR are new adult, which is just young adult tropes and styles but with sex scenes.
“Yeah seeing Fourth Wing and Reign & Ruin (which have 1-2 sex scenes) listed under a request for “absolute smuttiest” when books like IPB and MGMF exist is hilarious 😂
“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…
“I think it's important to recognize that *Fourth Wing* isn't trying to go up against books like *Babel*, it's trying to go up against books like ACOTAR. Even if it's one of the best romantasy books of the year, if you don't generally read a lot of romantasy, I wouldn't expect it to click for you. I…
Convinced? Pick up Fourth Wing
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Fourth Wing — frequently asked
Is Fourth Wing actually good, or is Reddit just dunking on it?+
Both. It has 546 mentions overall, most of them (376) on r/Fantasy, and the top comment there (↑1378) argues critics 'aren't the target audience.' A separate top reply (↑746) still calls out 400 pages of 'late teen psychodrama' with no character work beyond the lead.
Is Fourth Wing considered YA or adult fantasy on Reddit?+
Neither, exactly. r/Fantasy repeatedly tags it 'new adult,' which one comment (↑560) defines as 'young adult tropes and styles but with sex scenes.' Another (↑677) makes the same call about the wider romantasy category it sits in, arguing most of what markets itself as smutty romantasy reads closer to YA than genuinely adult fiction.
Should I compare Fourth Wing to ACOTAR or to harder fantasy like Babel?+
ACOTAR, per Reddit. One comment (↑309) says it's unfair to judge Fourth Wing against Babel since 'it's trying to go up against books like ACOTAR,' not literary fantasy. Judged against that peer group, it's called one of the year's better romantasy entries.
Does Fourth Wing's plot logic hold up, according to Reddit?+
Not for everyone. A top-upvoted comment (↑437) flags that the FMC's disabling disease vanishes exactly when the plot needs her to fight, calling out the contradiction between her shredding ligaments and her stamina for both battle and extended romance scenes.