BKMT READING GUIDES
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, 1)
by Rebecca Yarros
Hardcover : 512 pages
69 clubs reading this now
4 members have read this book
Introduction
A #1 New York Times bestseller • Optioned for TV by Amazon Studios • Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 • Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 • Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 • NPR “Books We Love” 2023 • Audible Best Books of 2023 • Hudson Book of the Year • Google Play Best Books of 2023 • Indigo Best Books of 2023 • Waterstones Book of the Year finalist • Goodreads Choice Award, semi-finalist • Newsweek Staffers’ Favorite Books of 2023 • Paste Magazine's Best Books of 2023
"Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the first in Yarros' Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure-filled fantasy." ?Booklist, starred review
"Fourth Wing will have your heart pounding from beginning to end... A fantasy like you've never read before." ?#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout
Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general?also known as her tough-as-talons mother?has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter?like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda?because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
Editorial Review
No Editorial Review Currently AvailableDiscussion Questions
1. From Xaden- “Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”??At the beginning of the book, Violet sees herself as frail and bookish, yet, her mother forces her into the rider program. Xaden sees Violet’s fighting potential fairly soon. Was this a matter of Violet simply becoming more mature, self-aware and training up? Did Xaden and Violet’s mother see strength that others couldn’t see?2. There’s a wide-ranging trigger warning at the beginning of the book calling out (among other things) war, poisoning, death, brutal injuries, and sexual circumstances. How do you feel about content warnings? How do they serve (or dis-serve) the reader? Can a well written synopsis suffice?
3. World-building is everything in a good fantasy book. Discuss how Yarros built this particular world. What did you like/dislike about it? Is the world complete?
4. There are plenty of other books about deadly magical schools and dystopic training programs, such as Scholomance, Divergent, Harry Potter and In Other Lands. Have you read any of those? If so, how is this one different? Are there some tropes that all of those books share?
5. Violet says, “I will not die today”. And yet she nearly dies at many points throughout the book, both from the rigors of the training and the her fellow students. How do you think that you would have responded to those many threats??
6. Is Dain gaslighting Violet or truly trying to protect her? What’s his motivation? And have you ever experienced a friend or family member who did the same?
7. “Because it hurts to think we’re the kind of kingdom that would do this. It hurts to rearrange everything you think you know. Lies are comforting. Truth is painful.”??Violet’s realization that her academy leadership has been lying about the rebellion, venin and wyvern is a slow burn throughout the book. And then the end of the book hammers all it home in an unambiguous way. Did you see it coming? Why do you think the kingdom is holding onto this deception?
8. After the final dramatic fight scene, there’s a change in the point of view from Violet to Xaden. Did you notice? Why do you think the author made such a switch so late in the book?
9. Let’s rate this book! On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being pure fantasy and 10 being pure romance, where would you place this book? Alternatively, on the Scoville spicy pepper scale with 1 being a bell pepper and 10 being a habanero, what is the spice rating of the sex scenes?
10. Raise of hands…who wants to cuddle Adarna and take her home?
Source: https://libromaniacs.com/fourth-wing-book-club-questions/
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