Fourth Wing

Empyrean, Book 1

By: Rebecca Yarros

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton

Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Now with two bonus chapters read by Teddy Hamilton. Re-download the title now to listen to the extended version!

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."—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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.

©2023 Rebecca Yarros (P)2023 Recorded Books

Amazing story, terrible narration!

This story was absolutely amazing! I loved the fantasy, the tension, the fmc, the dragons and their personalities and basically everything about the story. What I didn’t like, was the narration. It was incredibly frustrating and distracting to listen to someone with congestion narrate. The constant gulps of breath and nose sniffing made me almost give up about 1/3 of the way in. Luckily, I stuck it out and was rewarded with a great story. I can’t wait for book 2!

Great book, like the narrator

I’ve been seeing bad reviews of the narrator. She is the best female narrator I have come across and I listen to a book a week. Her voice is appropriate for the characters age and she has an appropriate amount of emotions in her narration. Most female narrators of this genre sound whiny and forced. Good book. Exciting. Good imagery

Loved the story, hated the narration

I have easily listened to hundreds of audiobooks and I usually can get past a narrator I don’t like. I literally bought the book on kindle to finish reading because this narrator drove me insane. The beginning of the book had 3 errors/omissions that had been dubbed in with the corrected lines and I constantly could hear the narrator swallowing, it drove me absolutely insane!
Otherwise book is great, a bit slow start and very similar to most fantasy smut. Didn’t love the first half but the it finally started to pick up. Eager to read book #2.

Waited too long!

I cannot believe I was on the fence about this book. I finally purchased it and am so happy I did. Cannot wait for the next book. I love the dragons personalities.

My Favorite read of 2023

I love dragons. When I was younger, I would annually read Eragon. This feeds into that same love I felt while reading those back then. I will admit, I wanted more of Violet's developing relationship with her dragons than we got. Other than that, this was fire and definately worth the hype its been getting.

I love this book!

I was kind of skeptical of the dragon world but this was not a disappointment. I'm obsessed with these characters. It is so well written. I find that romantasy books sometimes fall short on plot but this is not one of those books. I cant wait for the next one.

Best. Book. Ever.

Shockingly good! Excellent writing. Excellent narration. This just might be better than ACOTR. I’m going to reread right now.

riveting story, subpar narration

this book is a fabulous fantasy read. hands down probably my favorite read of 2023. going to be hard to top this one. I have a few nit picky things but they are more isms for me and what I like. they didn't take away too much from the story.

as long as I wasn't focused on the narration (ie doing chores or yard work) I could get past the sound of the narrator's voice. apparently from the other reviews she was sick. whatever. we all have to work so I wasn't bothered by that as much. but did take away stars for it.

Way too much “i need you” at the end

75% of the book was great and then it felt like the author ran out of story and just kept repeating sex scenes without much progress from there

Amazing book, horrible narration!

The book was everything and more!! I can’t wait for more books. The only thing I didn’t like about this audiobook was that the narrator had a cold, or just a very nasally voice. It got better as the book went on, but you could still hear her breathing and swallowing. It was better if you speed it up.