First Chapter Analysis: The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Chapter 1 Summary

Here’s a quick summary of the first chapter before we look at the high-level analysis of each scene within the chapter:

Violet Sorrengail walks up a long flight of stairs to say goodbye to her mother, General Sorrengail, on Conscription Day. Upon arriving at the door to her mother’s office, Violet overhears her sister (Mira) arguing with their mother about Violet’s poor chances of survival should she pursue a spot in the Riders Quadrant. Mira begs their mother to let Violet enter the Scribes Quadrant instead, but Lilith refuses and kicks Mira out of her office. Violet says goodbye to her mother and then heads back to her room with Mira. Mira helps Violet reorganize her pack and gives her protective clothing to help her survive the trials. Mira says that other cadets will try to kill Violet because of her name and tells her to find Dain Aetos for protection. They head down to the Riders Quadrant entrance, and Violet surveys the tall tower and the narrow parapet at the top that she must cross to join the Riders Quadrant. Mira continues to pepper Violet with advice as they wait, and she warns Violet about steering clear of Xaden Riorson, the son of the Great Betrayer who led the rebellion years ago. Mira believes he will kill Violet at the first opportunity. Mira leaves, and Violet meets two other cadets, Rhiannon and Dylan, as they wait for their turn to cross the parapet. At the top of the tower, three cadets prepare them to cross—one of them is Xaden Riorson, whom Violet is immediately attracted to. They confront each other; Xaden reminds Violet that her mother executed his father, and Violet claims that his father killed her brother. Their tension is broken when Dylan screams, falling from the parapet to his death.

Now, when analyzing any opening chapter, whether it's from a published novel or a messy first draft, the first thing I look for is a glimpse of the big picture. So, what is this story really about? 

Big Picture Macro Analysis

As writers, we must set expectations at the beginning of our stories and then work to deliver on those expectations throughout the middle and end. In other words, we need to show readers exactly what kind of story they’re in for and then deliver that story scene by scene. 

Let’s take a look at how Rebecca Yarros did this in this very first chapter of Fourth Wing. And to do this, we’re going to use seven questions from Paula Munier’s book, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings. 

1. GENRE: What kind of story is it?

I like to look at genres in two ways—commercial vs. content genres. For this first question, I usually think in terms of the commercial genre. So, where would this novel sit on a shelf in a bookstore? And how does this first chapter set up the readers’ expectations from a commercial genre standpoint?

Fourth Wing is a New Adult Fantasy novel that beautifully blends the life and death stakes of an action story with a steamy love story—it’s Romantasy! How do we know this is a New Adult story? The protagonist, Violet, is 20 years old which makes her a smidge too old to fit in the Young Adult category.

2. PLOT: What is the story really about? 

For this question, I like to look at the content genre of the story. So, what is the story really going to be about? And Fourth Wing is primarily an action (external) story with a worldview (internal) arc. There are life and death stakes and Violet must learn how to survive despite initially believing herself too weak or incapable. 

In this opening chapter, the author tells us that Conscription Day is deadly and that many would-be-cadets end up dying. We know that Violet is physically weaker than others her age and that she’s only been training for the Riders Quadrant for six months. We wonder things like, “Will Violet even make it into the Riders Quadrant? And if so, how will she possibly survive it? What will happen with Xaden Riorson? Will he actually kill Violet if given the chance?” 

This opening chapter does a great job of raising these questions in the reader’s mind—and it perfectly sets up our expectations for an action/worldview story with a strong romance subplot.

3. POV: Who is telling the story?  

This story is written in the first person from Violet’s perspective. This choice makes sense because it’s truly Violet’s story. She has the most at stake, and she undergoes the biggest internal shift. First person is a popular POV choice for New Adult stories because it creates an immediate bond between Violet and readers. It keeps us close to her emotions and viewpoints—and because of that, we get to experience Violet’s awakening to the revolution and her steamy romance with Xaden.

4. CHARACTER: Which character should they care about most?

As readers, we definitely latch onto Violet in this first chapter. She’s huffing and puffing up the stairs under the weight of her heavy pack (giving us readers further evidence that she might not survive the parapet), and her mom doesn’t seem that supportive. Through Mira, we learn all kinds of things about the dangers Violet is about to face, so we worry about her chances of survival. We wonder if she’ll make it across the parapet—and if she does, how on Earth will she fare in the Riders Quadrant? We’re also super curious to see what happens when she inevitably meets Xaden—Will he truly try to kill her? Or will this be an enemies-to-lovers story? And these are exactly the questions Rebecca Yarros answers throughout the story!

5. SETTING: Where and when does the story take place? 

This chapter takes place at Basgiath War College in the kingdom of Navarre. The micro-settings we see in this first chapter are significant and play a role later on in the story, too. This opening provides a great example of introducing readers to the protagonist’s “normal world” while still setting up the central conflict.

6. EMOTION: How should readers feel about what’s happening?

There are three main emotions I think we all feel when reading this first chapter–curiosity, concern, and wonder. We’re concerned about Violet’s chances of surviving the parapet and entering the Riders Quadrant. We’re curious about Xaden Riorson and the reason behind Violet joining the Riders Quadrant in the first place. And finally, we feel a sense of wonder because this is an entirely made-up world with a war college, magic, and dragons! If you consider the rest of the book, these are the perfect feelings to evoke in readers from page one. We read forward to get the answers to our questions and to satisfy our curiosity and concern. 

7. STAKES: Why should readers care what happens next? 

We care about Violet because we know what’s at stake on Conscription Day. Many would-be cadets will die. Violet’s physically weaker (and less prepared) than the others. it’s raining outside, making the parapet extra slippery. And she’s already made two enemies—Xaden and Jack. It’s not looking good for Violet when we exit this first chapter, but we also know she has tenacity, so we root for her to succeed. The physical and psychological stakes make us want to read forward to see what happens—and to see if Violet will actually survive and become a Rider.

So, as you can see, Rebecca Yarros definitely gave us a glimpse at the big picture of this story–we know it’s going to be about survival in the Riders Quadrant, and we have a pretty good indication there will be a strong romantic subplot (with either Dain or Xaden). It’s a fantastic opening chapter—one that fantasy writers can learn a lot from! 

Micro Scene Structure Analysis

Now, let’s dig into the structure of each one of the scenes within this chapter so we can see how and why everything works. To do this, we’re going to use the scene structure I laid out in this article. If you’re a fan of The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne, you will recognize this structure.

Chapter #1 - Scene #1 - Violet’s POV

In this scene, Violet’s goal is to say goodbye to her mother because it’s Conscription Day, and she’s about to join the Riders Quadrant. So, let’s look at the conflict that gets in Violet’s way as she pursues this goal:

1. Inciting Incident: Mira is (unexpectedly) in their mother’s office, begging their mother to let Violet join the Scribes Quadrant.
2. Turning Point: Mira evokes their brother Brennan’s name as a final plea. He died in the Riders Quadrant—is their mother willing to lose another child?
3. Crisis: Should Violet interfere and agree with Mira (and probably make the situation worse)? Or should she stay quiet and accept her fate?
4. Climax: Violet starts to respond but ultimately remains silent.
5. Resolution: Mira gets kicked out of their mother’s office; Violet says a semi-awkward goodbye to their mother.

So, what has changed in this scene?

The main thread we’re tracking in this scene has to do with whether or not Violet will get out of joining the Riders Quadrant. It’s clear (through her interiority) that she doesn’t want to join the Riders Quadrant and that she isn’t very confident about her ability to survive the parapet. With everything that happens in this scene, we’re wondering if she’ll be able to escape to the Scribes Quadrant like she wants to. The conflict kicks into gear when Mira is unexpectedly in their mother’s office, begging their mother to change her mind about Violet entering the Riders Quadrant. The conversation between Mira and General Sorrengail (their mother) reinforces Violet’s fear and inner obstacle—everyone thinks she’s weak and that she won’t survive the Riders Quadrant. This is not setting Violet up for success going into the parapet crossing, so we can say that her inability to change her mother’s mind (and the vote of little confidence from her family) moves her closer to the danger side of the life and death spectrum. Her chances of surviving the quadrant are less coming out of this scene because of the conflict that happened between Violet, Mira, and their mother.

Chapter #1 - Scene #2 - Violet’s POV

In this scene, Violet’s goal is to report and sign in at the Riders Quadrant entrance (and gobble up all the advice Mira’s willing to give her along the way). So, let’s look at the conflict that gets in Violet’s way as she pursues this goal:

1. Inciting Incident: Mira dumps out Violet’s bag and says she needs to take less stuff with her into the Riders Quadrant or else she won’t survive the parapet.
2. Turning Point: Mira asks Violet to choose between two books.
3. Crisis: Should Violet take the book of fables that holds sentimental value? Or should she take the book on poisons that could actually help her survive?
4. Climax: Violet chooses the book on poisons.
5. Resolution: After repacking, Violet and Mira head to the Riders Quadrant entrance. Along the way, Violet sees the tall tower and the parapet, a group of Scribes and a group of Riders, and Mira gives her all kinds of advice—most significantly, to find Dain Aetos and to stay away from Xaden Riorson.

So, what has changed in this scene?

The main thread we’re tracking in this scene is around Mira helping Violet get ready to enter the Riders Quadrant—especially after the previous scene. The conflict surfaces when Mira says Violet will not survive the parapet if she takes so many things in her pack. Unlike the last scene, this scene moves Violet closer to safety—or to being able to survive the parapet (and entering the Riders Quadrant) because she’s equipped with Mira’s wisdom, a lighter pack, and better gear.

Chapter #1 - Scene #3 - Violet’s POV

Now that Violet’s in line with the other cadets, she must navigate new relationships (both good and bad) and prepare to cross the parapet (without Mira’s guidance). So, let’s look at the conflict that gets in Violet’s way as she pursues this goal:

1. Inciting Incident: Violet makes friends (Dylan and Rhiannon), despite Mira’s warnings—and an enemy (Jack)
2. Turning Point: Violet realizes the hot guy at the top of the staircase is Xaden Riorson, the son of the Great Betrayer whom Mira warned her about.
3. Crisis: Will Mira let her fear of Xaden intimidate her and ruin her chance of surviving the parapet? Or will she stand up to him and let courage win?
4. Climax: She stands her ground with Xaden.
5. Resolution: Dylan falls off the parapet and dies. Now it’s Violet’s turn to cross.

So, what has changed in this scene?

The main thread we’re tracking in this scene is around Violet navigating this semi-new world alone now that Mira’s left. The conflict surfaces when Mira meets Rhiannon and Dylan who actually seem nice. This goes against some of Mira’s warnings that everyone in the Riders Quadrant will want to kill Violet. However, Violet makes a significant enemy in this scene (Jack Barlowe) and comes face-to-face with Xaden Riorson—the son of the Great Betrayer and the exact person Mira said would definitely want to kill her. Plus, she’s about to cross the deadly parapet! So, this scene has moved Violet closer to danger on the life and death spectrum because a) she’s met Xaden, b) she’s about to cross the parapet that she’s not sure she can survive, and c) she’s on Jack’s radar now.

Final Thoughts

So, can you see how both scenes move the plot of the story forward and impact the characters involved? And how, ultimately, this first chapter does everything that a first chapter should do?

I encourage you to look at your first chapter through this macro and micro lens to make sure that you’re delivering enough of the big picture to your readers. This is also a fantastic exercise to do with the opening chapter of your favorite novels, too. 

Want to hear Abigail K. Perry and I break down other popular stories? Click here to check out past scene analysis episodes!