You know, I saw this headline when it came out but I wasn’t yet a convert myself, so it passed me by! I really admire Sophie, and this piece has additional resonance because she shares a diagnosis with Yarros (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). Yarros gave Violet, her protagonist, many of her symptoms and challenges and has created a narrative in which she becomes a heroine and a leader anyway — which is never the expectation for folks who are very sick, but has also inspired many, many people with chronic illnesses that have never seen themselves represented in this way in fantasy-land.
My husband did the same, so no judgement! Like my friend said above, as long as we’re giving ourselves the chance to eat dessert in our reading lives, it’s all good. What does that look like for you?
I very much enjoy the series. And I am fully capable of holding two things at once: At a prose level, I wish it were stronger, but at a plot level I'm hooked. There are a few things I think Yarros does extremely well: Nuanced perspective on disability, especially accommodation; extremely clear action sequences; world-building that has surprising elements and internal logic; extremely strong plotting and structure.
I can also hold multiple desires for my reading: I can read literary fiction to stoke my love of language and stretch my thinking, and I can read romantasy and romance because it's fun and I can read mass-market mysteries because they're exciting. I read **a ton**. Reading is my antidote to doom-scrolling. Feeling twitchy? Read. Sitting in my daughter's room with the lights out while she falls asleep? Listen to audiobook. I read on the libby app on my phone, on my kindle, in hardcover and paperback, and I listen to audiobooks, too. What I hope for is that the folks who picked up Fourth Wing after a long reading hiatus stick with it. That more adults remember the pleasure of reading (or listening to!) stories.
This is such a perfect point by point analysis of the craft elements of the series. And I’m *so* glad you linked your piece — not just so we know where to go after this as readers, but also so we know what to eat. It made my stomach grumble to read it!
Have you read Sophie Strand’s thoughts on romantasy? Y’all are convincing me to try out these books. https://sophiestrand.substack.com/p/why-we-need-romantasy
In the meantime, if you do dig into these books, please come on back and share your thoughts! Would love to hear them!
You know, I saw this headline when it came out but I wasn’t yet a convert myself, so it passed me by! I really admire Sophie, and this piece has additional resonance because she shares a diagnosis with Yarros (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). Yarros gave Violet, her protagonist, many of her symptoms and challenges and has created a narrative in which she becomes a heroine and a leader anyway — which is never the expectation for folks who are very sick, but has also inspired many, many people with chronic illnesses that have never seen themselves represented in this way in fantasy-land.
I would also point fans of Sophie’s work to her recent GoFundMe, as she’s really struggling right now. https://www.gofundme.com/f/sophie-strand-asks-for-help-on-her-healing-journey
I gave these books a try and couldn't get into them, but this makes me want to try again. Glad you're home!
My husband did the same, so no judgement! Like my friend said above, as long as we’re giving ourselves the chance to eat dessert in our reading lives, it’s all good. What does that look like for you?
And thank you for the well wishes ❤️🩹
I really loved this piece!
I very much enjoy the series. And I am fully capable of holding two things at once: At a prose level, I wish it were stronger, but at a plot level I'm hooked. There are a few things I think Yarros does extremely well: Nuanced perspective on disability, especially accommodation; extremely clear action sequences; world-building that has surprising elements and internal logic; extremely strong plotting and structure.
I can also hold multiple desires for my reading: I can read literary fiction to stoke my love of language and stretch my thinking, and I can read romantasy and romance because it's fun and I can read mass-market mysteries because they're exciting. I read **a ton**. Reading is my antidote to doom-scrolling. Feeling twitchy? Read. Sitting in my daughter's room with the lights out while she falls asleep? Listen to audiobook. I read on the libby app on my phone, on my kindle, in hardcover and paperback, and I listen to audiobooks, too. What I hope for is that the folks who picked up Fourth Wing after a long reading hiatus stick with it. That more adults remember the pleasure of reading (or listening to!) stories.
PS - I have some recommendations for what to read after Empyrean in this piece! https://thenewfamilytable.substack.com/p/make-soup-eat-beans-drink-wine
This is such a perfect point by point analysis of the craft elements of the series. And I’m *so* glad you linked your piece — not just so we know where to go after this as readers, but also so we know what to eat. It made my stomach grumble to read it!