A Court Of Thorns & Roses Vs. Fourth Wing: Which Beloved BookTok Series Is Better?

Summary Both A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing have become largely popular on BookTok.

Both book series' contain several similarities in their protagonists, love interests, and supporting casts.

Fourth Wing has a more concrete magic system and storyline, making it the better series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing have both become beloved BookTok series' with interconnected followings, but the question remains: which one is the better series? Both series have several similarities: both are ongoing high-fantasy series, both sets of current books have strong fandoms attached to them, and both have possible streaming adaptations in the works. These outer similarities only strengthen the internal beats that the two series share.

Each has a strong-willed female protagonist, a dark and broody love interest, and a strong supporting cast of fleshed-out, memorable characters. Both worlds have intricate stories of betrayal, intrigue, friendship, and several types of love in vastly thought-out worlds with their own political and magical systems. However, despite the similarities between them, only one of these stories utilizes all of these factors to an elevated degree, starting with their protagonists.

Related The Court Of Thorns & Roses & Fourth Wing TV Shows Better Be Paying Attention To Outlander STARZ's Outlander can help the creative teams of Hulu's A Court of Thorns and Roses and Amazon's Fourth Wing avoid a common fantasy pitfall.

A Court Of Thorns & Roses' Feyre Archeron Vs. Fourth Wing's Violet Sorrengail

Feyre Archeron And Violet Sorrengail Both Share Traits, But Utilize Them Differently

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Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses and Violet from Fourth Wing share many traits, including their desire to protect their loved ones, though each utilizes those traits differently due to their circumstances. Feyre begins the series as a hunter by necessity, aiding her family and others at the cost of herself, never truly considering what she wants for her own life. However, Feyre transitions away from this later on, prioritizing her own desires while still using that strength to aid those she loves through their own journeys, such as her tough love approach for Nesta.

Conversely, Violet Sorrengail in Fourth Wing has grown into that protector role due to her desire to help others but balances that with her own needs. Violet's motivation to grow in the first two books is her desire to protect her friends, especially after the ending of Fourth Wing. However, Violet does so while still taking her needs into account, achieving her goals with assistance from others, such as Imogen. This is also seen in her relationship with Xaden, as she voices her desires early on and encourages him to do the same, letting them grow individually and together.

Rhysand Vs. Xaden Riorson: Who Is The Better Love Interest

Rhysand and Xaden's Love Stories Are Both Based On Helping Their Partners Heal

Art by Anna Shoemaker

Though Rhysand and Xaden match their lover's needs, Rhysand's gentleness is more compelling than Xaden's challenging nature. Rhysand, in A Court of Thorns and Roses, tries to resist his mating bond with Feyre to allow her something she rarely ever had: a choice. However, Rhys also (under the guise of his devil-may-care attitude) tries to help Feyre heal from her trauma where he can, helping her grow into herself through both their reading lessons and magic lessons. Through this, Rhys is able to truly get to know her and let her know him, making him a stronger love interest.

Xaden also tries to resist his attraction to Violet at first, but takes on a more challenging approach when it comes to helping Violet heal. Xaden understands that many in Violet's life view her as fragile. Though it causes some friction as he battles his own trust issues, as seen during Xaden's second signet reveal in the second book, Xaden forces her to confront her fears and traumas through direct means, aiding in her training and forcing her to have tough conversations. Though his methods are flawed, they work for Violet, allowing her to believe in herself again.

ACOTAR's Supporting Characters Vs. Fourth Wing's

Specifically, The Inner Circle From ACOTAR vs. The Iron Squad From Fourth Wing

Art by @meiflowersketches

Both sets of supporting casts contain strong characters, but the Inner Circle contains their own expansive stories versus the Iron Squad, who help move the main story. A Court of Thorns and Roses' supporting characters have full stories of their own, with many events happening outside the narrative, allowing the audience to feel as if the world is well lived in. It also makes the Inner Circle compelling to watch, as their ongoing narratives complicate the main plot, but can at times overcomplicate it, as audiences need more explanation for these motivations and decisions.

This allows Violet's journey to feel bigger as she is not alone; rather, she is sharing it with her friends as they fight to make it to graduation.

By contrast, the Iron Squad's journey is intertwined with Violet's while still having smaller opportunities to shine as individuals. The Iron Squad does not have as extensive a history, but their personalities are unique and allow for some strong character moments, such as Rhiannon saving Violet from venin in Iron Flame. However, their stories become a part of Fourth Wing's larger series narrative, moving the story along rather than creating side stories. This allows Violet's journey to feel bigger as she is not alone; rather, she is sharing it with her friends as they fight to make it to graduation.

A Court Of Thorns & Roses' Story Vs. Fourth Wing's

Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses' Stories Both Focus on Growth

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One of the reasons both series have become so popular on BookTok is their focus on mental health and self-acceptance, with each protagonist growing beyond their pasts and into better versions of themselves. Feyre's story's main focus is her healing from her trauma of being forced to become the sole provider of her family, her Under The Mountain story arc, and time with Tamlin, with her learning that it is okay to think beyond others' needs. Feyre learns to accept her past but also no longer lets it control her, accepting help and love from Rhys and others.

Though her journey is incomplete, Violet's path to growth is similar as she confronts her lack of knowledge and further connects with others. Violet prides herself on her knowledge, so finding out about the venin and wyvern's existence along with Basigath's secrets discombobulates her. This, paired with her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, makes her feel as if she is at a disadvantage as a rider. However, through both Xaden's efforts and her friend's encouragement, Violet has already begun to allow herself to grow, accepting herself while also finding ways to improve that suit her needs as she strives to find the truth.

How ACOTAR's Fantasy World Compares To The Empyrean Series

ACOTAR Is A Soft Magic System Versus The Empyrean Series' Hard Magic System

While both series are high fantasy books, ACOTAR is more of a soft magic system, while Fourth Wing is a bit more of a hard magic system, which impacts the world's story and setup. The Court of Thorns and Roses books employ a soft system as it never truly establishes the power of some characters and backtracks on some established facts, such as Hybern's might and the power of the High Lords. This allows the story more fluidity but also affects the worldbuilding as it lessens the impact of some characters and storylines, such as the war with Hybern.

Conversely, Fourth Wing's books establish the powers of dragons, griffins, or the earth itself without deviation, making it more of a hard magic system. The varying drawbacks and benefits of each magic type are explained and adhered to throughout the series, one example being Violet's signet punishment by Varrish showcasing the consequences of burnout. This strict adherence to worldbuilding allows audiences to clearly understand the story's stakes, as the venin's powers are shown to be formidable. However, it can also limit the story going forward, as some character plotlines clash with those hard rules and may create some issues.

Why Fourth Wing Is Better Than ACOTAR

Fourth Wing's Worldbuilding and Storyline Are Stronger Than ACOTAR's

Overall, Fourth Wing is the stronger series due to the balanced characters, more concrete worldbuilding, and cohesive storyline. Fourth Wing has many strong book moments, but the more character-based beats do not overshadow the main plot's flow. Instead, the character moments amplify the plot as everyone grows together versus having many character arcs simply being explained to Feyre, pausing the plot. This also heightens the stakes and worldbuilding of the series, as the characters and readers learn and absorb the impact of the truth together versus only audiences and Feyre discovering something everyone else knew.

The worldbuilding is also more solid in Fourth Wing, with the story bending to those rules rather than the other way around. This makes the storyline more cohesive and amplifies the stakes organically, as the venin aka those defying the rules are truly able to be credible threats as they grow more powerful despite that defiance. The storyline also balances character versus plot beats better, letting the two intertwine and impact each other versus pausing to have one take center stage, as often seen in A Court of Thorns and Roses.