American Rebecca Yarros is among the authors who have gone viral on BookTok, i.e. the part of TikTok where users share literature tips. BookTok has grown significantly in recent years, not least as a result of the corona pandemic, and is an important reason why English-language books sell well in Norway. Especially among young people. This summer, Yarros was awarded the prize “International Book of the Year” at the TikTok Book Awards for the romance book “Fjerde ving”. The book has now been published in Norwegian. CONTINUING WRITING: Author Rebecca Yarros is currently working on the third book in the “Empyriet” series, of which “Fjerde ving” is the first part. The sequel “Jernflammen” is also out in Norwegian. Photo: Katie Marie Seniors Dragon Riders Romance is fantasy interspersed with romance, preferably a little spicy. But “Fjerde ving” has also been called “military fantasy”. The action takes place at a military academy, in a brutal regime where only the strongest and smartest survive. Here, flawed – that’s how she’s described – Violet Sorrengail is ordered by her mother, the hard-hearted general, to report to the Equestrian Quadrant of the military society she’s a part of. The Rider Quadrant is where everyone wants to be, the elite division of the War Academy. Mortality is high in this department, but the thought of the honor those who become riders get makes it worth it. In this society, weakness is worth less than dust. Weak, bookish Violet doesn’t really stand a chance. Still, she tries. And succeed against all odds. It’s not just any riding that she should qualify for: In this society, they ride dragons. Of course, the coolest dragon chooses Violet as his rider. But then it also gets complicated. Unimaginative about sex Traditional fantasy often takes place in a kind of high-class medieval society. “Fjerde ving” has several of these characteristics: The novel takes place in a military castle society with dragons and other magical creatures. Mixing romance into this mix is not unusual, but here the romance gives the whole release a sort of light-hearted feel. In a society where you probably won’t survive tomorrow, it becomes important to get some “much-needed orgasms”, to quote Violet. Only that she chooses to keep her path clean. She has met her mortal enemy, whom she hates – and to her horror also desires – and saves herself for him. However, it will take over 400 pages of life-threatening, combat training and dragon riding before she gets an outlet for this. And when Yarros has held off on the romance part for so long, it’s surprisingly banal when it first arrives. The language, which is admittedly harsh and rather flat throughout the book, becomes unimaginative, repetitive and surprisingly uninnovative for an award-winning book. Through sex that crushes the room to wood, phrases like “I don’t want to think” come. I just want to feel’ and ‘Stop being so damn honorable and fuck me’. Thoughts go to housewife porn, spicy version. The book may seem tantalizing to some readers, but the literary and linguistic greatness of “Fjerde ving” is not. As entertainment and an escape from reality, it will nevertheless be sufficient for many. BIG MARKET: Bookstores focus on books that get a lot of mention on BookTok. Here from Norli. Photo: Aurora Henni Krogh / news Many will love “Fjerde ving” is Rebecca Yarros’ first fantasy book. She is an established author with a dozen publications behind her. A fantasy narrative must create an environment that is true to itself and realistic within its own framework. Yarros does that to an extent, but at the same time she creates a rather shallow fantasy, a brutal place where everything is at stake, but where little is felt to be important. In the development of the plot, it becomes clear early on that something is rotten in the military academy. Yarros writes at her best when she delves into friendships and family relationships. She allows the novel to take an interesting turn towards the end, a clever and surprising detail that opens up the possibility that the further story may have greater complexity in it than the first volume in this series manages to show. At the same time, the book is characterized by a kind of rough craftsmanship. A language that almost caricatures the people in the story, a lot of use of irony, sarcasm and one-word sentences, like this one: “You. Will. Not. Really. Have. This.” The sarcasm gives the language a colloquial, sometimes humorous touch, but it does not contribute to giving the characters depth, either through the narrator’s voice or in the lines. There are crazy destinies and great depths to explore here, but Yarros doesn’t dig very deep. Nor is there much development in the tension between Violet and Xaden (the mortal enemy). The character Xaden is the seemingly evil and handsome who does not undergo the major changes during the course of the novel. The narrative is long, the progress weak, the language little varied and imaginative – and in the Norwegian version perhaps also somewhat poorer. Puns such as Violet/violence are not the same in Norwegian as Violet/vold, for example. “Fjerde ving” still has a large audience out there. Putting a dragon into the mix has proven to be a chess move before. news reviews Title: “Fjerde ving” Author: Rebecca Yarros Original title: “Fourth wing” Translator: Teje Vejrup Genre: Novel, fantasy Number of pages: 592 Publisher: Gyldendal Published: 1 October 2024 ISBN: 9788205604599 “That’s not what I usually say on the radio”, says literary critic Karen Frøsland Nystøyl when she will talk about “Fjerde ving” in “Apen bok: Kritikerne”: Hi! I review performing arts and literature for news as a freelancer. Also read my reviews of “Det mørke fortet” by Riksteatret, “Vildanden” by the National Ballet in the Opera, or “Moby Dick” by Det Norske Teatret. Published 09.10.2024, at 15.59
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“Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros – Reviews and recommendations
