5 Stars Archives - Angel Reads

Book Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Jun 8, 2023

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Pages:512
Publish date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Piatkus
ISBN: 9780349437002
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today 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.

Fourth Wing:

Thank you to Hachette Australia for a review copy. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. I did try and make this review as spoiler free as I could but a few things may have slipped.

I finished this book over a month ago now, and it’s taken me a while to get all my thoughts together. And I was so excited and nervous going into Fourth Wing. If you didn’t know already, Rebecca Yarros is one of my all-time favourite authors. I have loved every single book of hers. So when I heard she was doing a fantasy, I was fricken excited but also nervous.

But I don’t know what I was thinking, because once again Rebecca Yarros has outdone herself, and my expectations, and Fourth Wing has jumped to my favourite of her books and my favourite book of the year. I know that you are probably seeing this book everywhere at the moment, and that makes me so damn happy because I think Rebecca Yarros deserves it. Don’t shy away from reading it because of the hype.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros follows Violet Sorrengail as she begins her journey to become a dragon rider. She wasn’t supposed to be a dragon rider but her mother has other plans for her. Now she is fighting with hundreds of other candidates to become part of the elite. But being a dragon rider isn’t easy and Violet will need to fight for her life, if her own body even allows it. It’s not just the elements trying to kill her but other dragon riders as well. *cough cough* Xaden Riorson. There are only two ways to finish at Basgiath War College; die or graduate.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Violet has to be one of my favourite female protagonists ever. I have always loved how Rebecca writes her female main characters and Violet really highlights that. Throughout Fourth Wing, the reader gets to see Violet not only grow strong and find her place in this violent world but understand herself more and more. I really understood her. I adored that she never gave up, even if she wanted to. And I already want to do a re-read and really take in Violet’s growth throughout the book. She really explores herself in Fourth Wing and the reader gets to see her believe in herself more.

Violet is strong but knows her limits. She works around them. And when thrown into a situation that doesn’t seem possible to get out of, Violet works out a way. She is the type of protagonist that I am so happy reading about and I don’t think I will ever get bored of her.

Xaden Riorson? What can I say about him? He is dark, dangerous and exactly what I love. He will kill you, but he also cares so deeply. From the start, I knew I was going to love Xaden. How couldn’t I? He really stands out in this book and boy there were times when I wanted to kill him. But as the story goes on and we find out all the things that Xaden has done to protect those around him. My little heart couldn’t. I also love that he breaks for Violet. We slowly start to see him want to help protect her. Not stop her from doing anything, but help her achieve what she wants. And he does that with a lot of the people around him. He wants everyone to do their best. But he is also a man and makes some dumb decisions, and we will need to wait until the next book before I might forgive him.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Now let’s get into the world. There are two ‘worlds’ in this Fourth Wing. The world of Basgiath War College and the outer ‘real’ world. For most of this book, we are exploring the world of the College. And I found that so fantastic. It’s such a layered world and if we had found out everything right at the start about the whole world it might have been overwhelming. What I loved so much about the world-building is that through Violet’s rambles and the little notes throughout the book we find out about things. We aren’t info dumped but when we need to know about the information it’s given to us nicely and slowly.

I loved how damaged this world is. How hundreds of kids want to be dragon riders and so many die before they even step foot into the college. It’s fascinating and I can’t wait to find out even more. I don’t want to talk too much here about the world-building, because it’s a complex world and I don’t want to spoil anything. But there is magic, war and lots of betrayals coming your way. But this layered world of Fourth Wing is enticing us to know more and that makes everything so much more exciting.

Now it’s time to talk about the dragons. I love them. I love that they are given human traits. It makes the emotional connection between the dragon and the rider mean so much more. We get to see so many types of dragons and the different ways that they interact with riders. I mean if a dragon just doesn’t like someone, they just torched them. This world is brutal. It’s not a nice world. They are in a war college. I just want to love I do love me a grumpy dragon.

One of the things that I don’t see talked about enough and that makes me angry and sad at the same time, is the disability rep and honestly the representation in general. I adored the disability representation in Fourth Wing. There were times when I just felt it. While it isn’t explicit throughout the book, Violet shows signs of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. A genetic condition that Rebecca herself has. What I loved about how it was explored throughout the book was that it wasn’t forgotten, but it also wasn’t just who Violet is. It’s not her disability and that’s it. I loved she was able to adapt – with a little help, but it didn’t stop her. The general representation in the book was also fantastic. It’s just there, like you know, life.

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

Now it’s the romance’s time to shine. This angsty, slower-burn romance is exactly what I need. It’s enemies to lovers and so much more. Violet and Xaden have so much tension between the two of them that I was waiting for the pin to drop. I loved that the reader could see the connection from the start and it just slowly built up. One of my favourite things about these two is how much Xaden advocated for Violet without even realising it. It made me so happy. He didn’t stop her. He helped her figure out ways she could accomplish what she wanted. This isn’t just about Violet and Xaden but I adored how sex-positive Fourth Wing was. It just happens. It wasn’t a big deal. They made jokes here and there but it wasn’t like this big thing.

I don’t think I will ever stop thinking about this book. I am telling everyone at work about it, I’m trying to convince every customer to read it. And my family is getting sick of me talking to them about it. But if you love dragons, fantasy with a little bit of spice. And lots of death. Then pick please Fourth Wing up. This new adult fantasy romance is one to keep an eye on. I know that this book won’t be for everyone. I wish it was. But I think a vast majority of you will love it.

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Overall Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has so many elements that I have loved in a book. An angsty romance, a fantasy world that will not leave my mind and characters that took hold of my heart. Plus grumpy dragons just made my day. With a protagonist that has jumped to the top of my favourites list and a romance has me wanting more. And that ending has left me gasping and waiting for the next book. I tried to explain how much I love this book in this review and I do hope that it has come across. But I am so excited for the next one, and I cannot wait.

Have you read Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it any time soon? What book has blown you away this year? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

May 21, 2020

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Pages: 400
Publish date: March 17th 2020
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 9781250217288
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realising that family is yours.

The House in the Cerulean Sea:

I think I’ve found one of my favourite books of the year, maybe even of the last few years. I think I have.

This book crept up on me that is for sure. I hadn’t heard about it until I saw a couple of reviews both on blogs and booktube. And everyone was loving it. Adult fantasy isn’t something that I read a lot of, so I requested from my local library and started reading. And damn. I’m so glad that I did. Because I think this might be one of my favourite reads this year.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune follows Linus Baker as he goes through his life like every other day. A caseworker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, Linus’ job is to make sure that the children in the orphanages are being well looked after. But when he’s given a highly classified assignment, everything changes. Linus must travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where there are six ‘dangerous’ children.

But everything isn’t as it seems and when he meets the children, he has to decide if they might bring the end of the world. But there is more than one secret on this Island and the closer that Linus and Arthur, the children’s caretaker, get more come out. And will Linus do the right thing when the times comes?

Photo by Andrei Ianovskii on Unsplash

Linus is such an interesting protagonist in The House in the Cerulean Sea. He isn’t someone who I would normally be attached to while reading a book. But as the novel goes on and Linus starts to truly find himself, everything falls into place. Linus is a very ‘by the book’ type of guy, and that is a very interesting dynamic with the other characters in the novel. But I adored seeing Linus grow, his character arc was fantastic and the reader can see the changes in him, even before he does. I loved Linus’ innocence. He is this fully grown adult but has so much to learn and the children and Arthur help him with that. The main reason why I love Linus is that he is ordinary. There is nothing ‘special’ about him per se. He is just a human.

I loved each child at Marsyas Island Orphanage. Seriously, my heart could not handle them. They made me laugh and cry, and I just wanted to give them all a big hug. They are all misunderstood, but they are all brilliant and fascinating children. And they want to be that, children. The way that each child was treated shapes who they are. And I want them to feel love forever.

I don’t think I could pick my favourite really, each child had their personalities that stood out on the page. The reader is always able to tell who is talking without even their name appearing throughout The House in the Cerulean Sea. Each child was unique and wonderful. I loved seeing each of them interact with Linus and how different they were in that. Some of them took a little longer to let go and interact with Linus, but it was beautiful.

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

Lucy, oh gosh. Every time he opened his mouth, I just laugh. He tries to be this antichrist, but in reality, he is a little boy who just wants to be loved. I adored his relationship with Arthur, and this eventually Linus. Talia, again she made me laugh so much. She has this attitude that just worked for her. Chauncey is fantastic and adorable and I want all his wishes to come true. Phee, while she wasn’t very present, the reader is always able to know where she is. Sal has had it hard, and I loved being able to see him grow through the novel and come out of his shell. And lastly, we have Theodore who just melted me. The reader never really knew what he was saying, but we still knew.

The romance in The House in the Cerulean Sea was very light, but it was still quite beautiful. I enjoyed seeing the small interactions between Linus and Arthur. Those small notions add something more to the novel. I do wish we were able to see them connect more. But I think that their connection was on a different level. Arthur protectiveness over the children was so nice to see. The reader can witness Arthur’s first appearance in the book how much he does care for the kids, and he isn’t afraid to show. And I think that this protectiveness projects onto Linus and without even realising it, he cares for everyone just the same.

The writing throughout The House in the Cerulean Sea was exquisite and breathtaking. T.J Klune was able to characters that are unique, but also relatable. The reader can connect with each one of them, even if it’s on a small level. The world-building in The House in the Cerulean Sea was also done so well. While the reader is thrown into this unusual world, it’s very easy to understand pretty early on.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is a magical and profound novel that truly takes the reader on an experience. It explores family and the notion that sometimes you find them in unlikely ways. It’s about love, that isn’t just about blood family or falling in love. It’s about believing in yourself and those that do love you. This enchanting story is exceptional and breathtaking. It will make you smile and laugh and just feel safe. It’s a warm novel that does with what it’s like to be a little different. I highly recommend this to anyone. Because it’s simply amazing.

Have you read The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield

Apr 18, 2020

This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield

Pages: 297
Publish date: September 3rd 2019
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 9781922268136
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

I have questions I’ve never asked. Worries I’ve never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go—it’s a survival risk.

Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things—how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick.

Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies. He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he?

This is How We Change the Ending:

I don’t even know where to begin when talking about This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield. I spoke about it briefly when I talked about my favourite #LoveOzYA of 2019 for the CBCA Clayton’s Night. But I wanted to give this beautiful, powerful and heartbreaking book a full review. This is How We Change the Ending was longlisted for the Stella Prize this year, as well as being shortlisted in the Older Readers category for the CBCA.

This is How We Change the Ending follows sixteen-year-old Nate McKee as he tries to hide from most of the world. He has a lot of fo things going on in his life, and he is trying to juggle everything that id thrown at him. One of his main concerns is how his father treats Nance and his two half brothers. o get away from it all, Nate escapes the local youth centre. There he fills his notebook with this he can’t say aloud. When his worlds start appearing graffitied around the centre he realises that he may not be alone.

Warren Wong

Nate was surprisingly an easy protagonist to get along with. From the get-go, the reader can see that Nate has been through a lot already, and it isn’t going to get easier for me. At times all I wanted to do was just hug him. Vikki Wakefield does a brilliant job at writing a character that is honest and real. Nate felt that a human is exactly what I want from my characters, especially in a contemporary novel. At times Nates’ thoughts and are very erratic, and that added more to his character. The reader can connect with a lot of his thoughts and feelings, which added another layer to his character. I also loved Nate’s growth throughout This is How We Change the Ending. It was seriously amazing and turned Nate from a character in a book to this person that lived and breathed.

Friendship is a major theme throughout This is How We Change the Ending and it explores the good, the bad and the ugly of it. For most of the book focuses on his friendship with Merrick. It was a very strange friendship with many ups and downs, and that played a lot of Nate’s mind. Nate doesn’t have anything permeate, but he though this friendship with Merrick was. However, as the novel goes, things start to change, and that plays a lot of Nate’s mental state. While this meant that I was frustrated a lot of the time with the way that Merrick was acting, I understood it all. At the start, I thought that their friendship was amazing, and I enjoyed seeing a male friendship like this. But people grow, and things change, and so do friendships.

There isn’t a massive amount of things happening in This How We Change the Ending. However, it delves into a lot of issues that occur not only in Australia but around the world as well. The plot was just there is drive the story along, not to be the catalyst or a major point of the novel. Vikki Wakefield was able to manger this especially well. She was able to create enough tension and buildup that the reader is more focused on Nate and what is going on in his life. There is a lot of issues that Wakefield also explores throughout the novel.

Calum MacAulay

One of those is looking into the low socioeconomic communities of Australia. It’s not often we see these types of characters represented, and that is sad. I’ve always been an advocate for diversity in all shapes, and forms and I think that Wakefield has explored it especially well here. The reader can see the struggles that not only some parents go through, but the children as well. Nate struggles with a lot of things through This is How We Change the Ending, but his living situation is something that isn’t a good thing in his life. His father – I can’t even begin to explain or think about. He is a horrible man, and Nate struggles with what is right and what he should do by this family.

In saying this I loved his relationship with his siblings. He might have thought that they were little shits at times, but the reader can see that he loves them.

Mental health is another major them of This is How We Change the Ending. Nate struggles with a lot of things throughout the novel, and while he doesn’t understand what is going on, it is clear to the reader. We can see his anxieties through the course of the novel. I think that Vikki Wakefield was able to capture these feelings so well and while it wasn’t explicitly put on the page what was happening, the reader knows and understands.

I found the writing style of Vikki Wakefield in This is How We Change the Ending very erratic at times. But that fits the novel. It tied everything together. It gave this other dimension to Nate and lent itself to the story. There were times where there were so many things going on in Nate’s head, and the reader is easily able to see that solely through the writing style. At times that did make things tense, but Vikkie Wakefield did it in a way that was no confusion when reading.

Markus Spiske

Overall, This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield is a powerful read that explores the low socioeconomic communities in Australia. And how it impacts daily lives, especially teens trying to make their way through school. This book made me feel so many things from anger to hope. From sadness to being proud. This poignant coming of age story that captures the lives of those that struggle day by day. This is the perfect example of how amazing #LoveOzYA is and why more people should be reading it. And why more should be published. If there is one book that you pick up because of me, please let it be this one.