If there’s one thing about Fourth Wing—and its sequel, Iron Flame—it’s that it got everyone on the bookish side of the Internet talking. Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy was all anyone could talk about, as people praised and (rightly) critiqued it in equal measure.
Since I’m contractually obligated by the universe to read or watch anything that includes dragons, I of course dived into both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. And while they’re far from being my favorite type of book, I was thoroughly entertained—both positively and negatively.
So here is my breakdown of the 11 best characters in the series, ranked from least favorite to favorite, based mostly on my personal taste as well as how well-crafted of a character they are. My comments for each of them will include details from both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, so be aware of spoilers if you aren’t caught up with both books.
11. Xaden Riorson
Xaden is our resident shadow broody man, the one that the protagonist is told to stay away from on more or less the third page of the first book. So, obviously, he’s the one she falls immediately in lust and love with the second she sees him in the following chapter.
His presence in the series is so overwhelming that it’s impossible not to include him in this list, but he’s also firmly in the last position because he keeps too much stuff hidden from Violet. And because he attended Rhysand’s school of feminism, which consists of seemingly giving the female protagonist choices while criticizing those that patronize her—I mean, rightly so—and then proceeding to keep her in the dark about vital information. What else can I say but “hypocrite”?
10. Violet Sorrengail
Violet is the main character of the story, as well as the point of view character—something that sadly put me off immediately because I really can’t stand first-person storytelling. It’s very hard to write a book in the first person and not fall into the pitfalls of telling rather than showing, and things get even more complicated when you have a character as inconsistent as Violet. She, sadly, is a bit of an agglomerate of the worst Mary Sue tropes—she’s incredibly tiny, she gets two dragons, and the list goes on. Her disability, which is the equivalent of modern Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, also ebbs in and out of the story as needed rather than being something permanent—and it all veers dangerously into the realm of “if you want it then you can.”
Once again, she’s on the list because she simply had to be, what with her being the main character and all. She ranks higher than Xaden because she’s undoubtedly determined and somewhat resourceful, and her shenanigans are sometimes very funny to read.
9. Sawyer Henrick
I love me some “older brother”-style characters—the ones who step in to lead the pack, which is exactly what Sawyer does. As a cadet repeating his first year at Basgiath, he already knows everything there is to know about the school, and he somewhat guides his fellow squad members through it, something which endears me to no end.
Plus, there’s nothing that makes me like a character more than said character developing a crush on a character I like even more—so when Sawyer started showing interest in Jesinia, learning sign language to talk to her, I knew he had stepped right into the VIP area of my heart.
8. Andarna
Dragons are hands down the best part of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, and the main ones are lead characters in their own right. Andarna is funny and endearing when she’s a baby in the first book, wanting to take part in the action, and then grows a bit moody and insolent as a teenager—as teenagers are bound to do.
She’s not as high up on this list as other dragons precisely because of that, because as someone who is no longer a teenager, I find teenage shenanigans hard to bear sometimes.
7. Mira Sorrengail
Badass dragon rider with a no-nonsense attitude and a pixie cut? Sign me up, please. Mira, the middle child of the Sorrengail siblings, is not always in the middle of the action—since she’s on active duty around Navarre’s borders rather than hanging around Basgiath—but she definitely draws everyone’s attention whenever she is.
I love how she looks out for Violet in her own brisk but affectionate way from the very start, and I love that her first reaction to discovering that their brother Brennan is alive is punching him square in the face. What an icon.
6. Imogen Cardulo
Imogen is another Mira-like character and so, of course, another one of my favorites because I love a female character who is brash and sometimes rude without being too apologetic for it. I like how her initial distaste of Violet—which is not over a guy as Violet herself believes—morphs into trust and then friendship, with Imogen helping Violet through her training.
Sure, their friendship is more told than shown, but then again, so are the majority of relationships within the book. My only note is that both Mira and Imogen should have had girlfriends—or maybe that’s just projecting because I want to be their girlfriend. Who can tell?
5. Sgaeyl
Honestly, Sgaeyl is both Mira and Imogen dialed up to one thousand in dragon form. Xaden’s fearsome Blue Daggertail will burn you to a crisp if you so much as look at her the wrong way, and honestly? Good for her.
I like her deep but direct bond with Xaden, which is based on mutual respect, and the suffering but still caring attitude she has towards Violet by virtue of her bond with Tairn, which automatically makes her “one of the family.”
4. Liam Mairi
Liam Mairi sadly becomes a major character in the story too late and leaves too soon. In the short time he’s alive and well in Fourth Wing, though, he proves himself to be a brilliant fighter—so much so that he’s considered the best cadet of his year—and a loyal friend to Xaden since both are children of the now-executed rebellion leaders, and Violet, who, essentially, becomes his charge.
I like his banter with Violet and also how genuinely caring he seems to everyone around him right until the end.
3. Jesinia Neilwart
I love badass brash characters, sure, but quiet ones who are still instrumental to the plot, too. Jesinia is one of Violet’s oldest friends and a very promising cadet of the Scribe Quadrant, the same one Violet was supposed to enter.
She’s knowledgeable and loyal, so much so that she helps Violet find classified information at great personal risk. And she’s direct, too, with a no-nonsense attitude that is different from Mira’s but equally effective. We also love it when the narrator of the entire story actually has a part in the story.
2. Rhiannon Matthias
As I said already, we love a no-nonsense girl, and Rhiannon is definitely that, even though she’s just a first year. The second we met her in the queue at the Parapet, I knew she was going to become one of my favorites, just like Violet immediately knew she was going to be her best friend. Rhiannon is brilliant, a great leader, and she cares deeply about Violet—the time when the secret of the existence of wyverns and venin sits heavy between them takes a toll on both girls.
Plus, I can’t help but stan a fellow bisexual who has a green dragon rather than the usual green couch—even if she sometimes skirts along the edge of the “promiscuous bi” trope, which is something that needs to be handled very carefully.
1. Tairn
No one is more deserving of the number one position on this list than Tairn. Massive, dangerous, forever grumpy, incredibly powerful, devoted mate, and struggling with fatherhood, Violet’s Black Morningstartail dragon has it all.
It was clear he was going to appear—and bond with Violet—the second they mentioned “a great black dragon who hasn’t shown up for Threshing in years,” but boy oh boy, how nice it is to have him on the page. He’s snarky and ferocious when it comes to protecting those he loves, he pushes Violet to always better herself while also accommodating her disability, and is overall the best character in the entire series.
(featured image: Little Brown Book Group)
