The next book to be featured on the Zoe Ball Radio 2 Book Club will be Fourth Wing, an exciting fantasy novel by Rebecca Yarros. The book was released on 2 May and Rebecca will be on the show with Zoe on Thursday 15 June.
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Fourth Wing
Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last…
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. Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies…or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
Selection panel review
The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK. Our readers loved Fourth Wing – here are some of their comments:
“This story is set in a fantasy world, specifically in a very prestigious and competitive military school. It is essentially an underdog story, following our main character Violet as she tries to make it in the part of the school where they train to work with dragons. I absolutely loved it. I was thrilled to discover this will be a series, and already cannot wait for the next one.”
“This was a brilliant book. With richly detailed and imaginative world building, the story is about 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail who is forced to become a dragon rider by her mother, the general. However, with her small stature and fragile bones she couldn’t be more unsuited. Every day she has to face death with hand-to-hand combat, obstacle courses, never knowing who she can trust and knowing far too many people are out to kill her because of her parentage. Ultimately this is a story of dragons, magic, friendships, love and betrayal and a completely badass heroine. A fabulous dark fantasy.”
“The characters, the plot and story progression kept me hooked throughout, each strong enough within itself to drive the story. I really liked that so much happened in this first book instead of it being split into 3 or 4 books in a series. There were multiple moments throughout the story, where I was surprised to be reaching a plot point I thought I would not happen until the end or even left open for a sequel. It was also a lovely surprise at these moments to see that I still had more than half the book to go! The characters are not perfect but they are so real and frustrating and human. I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this story, it has become one of my favourites.”
“A fast-paced fantasy novel set in the brutal and competitive world of a military college for dragon riders. Well written and brings to mind The Hunger Games with a powerful but physically fragile female lead character who overcomes innumerable odds to dominate the story and the world in which she lives. Beautifully written and great escapism.”
“I absolutely loved Fourth Wing! What an adventure; dark academia, feisty females, romance and dragons.”
About the author
Rebecca Yarros is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, including The Things We Leave Unfinished and The Last Letter. She is also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.
Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. She’s the mother of six children and is currently surviving the teenage years with three of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon kitten named Artemis, who rules them all.
Get involved
Tune in to the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show to hear the live feature on Thursday 15 June. You can also listen to the full-length interview on BBC Sounds.
Have you read Fourth Wing? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #R2BookClub and you can also follow Rebecca.
Planning to buy Fourth Wing for your group? Buy books from Hive or from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.
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