Fourth Wing

Full of familiar tropes—plucky heroine with a crush on her childhood friend, a love triangle, and an enemies-to-lovers plot—this slow-burn romance also mixes in dragons and magic. Violet planned to be a scribe. Her mother, a top general in their kingdom, sends her to be a Dragon Rider, like her brother and sister. Without much physical prowess, Violet is considered a liability by her cohort. She uses her scribe skills to survive the treacherous training and multiple attempts on her life by classmates. Dian, her childhood friend and crush, is a second-year rider and does his best to protect her. Her biggest threat is Xander, a third-year rider and son of an executed rebellion leader. A dragon chooses Violet, and it is also the bonded mate of Xander’s dragon. They are now thrown together by their dragons. The action moves quickly with bullies, betrayals, and battle training. Worldbuilding, a crucial part of any fantasy, is tenuous. Violet repeats the history of the kingdom to calm herself in stressful situations, and those recitations slow down the pacing. The descriptions of the dragons are strong, and their interactions with their riders is both interesting and amusing. The use of modern profanity and sexual scenes can sometimes be jarring and makes this more appropriate for older teens