It's the question everyone asks before they even look at the map of Basgiath War College. Honestly, if you’ve spent five minutes on BookTok, you’ve seen the flame emojis. You’ve seen the "smut" warnings. But there is a massive gap between what people say on a 15-second TikTok and what is actually on the page.
So, let's get into the fourth wing spice level without the hyperbole.
Is it a "clean" read? Absolutely not. Is it basically erotica with dragons? Not even close. Rebecca Yarros wrote a New Adult fantasy. That distinction matters because it dictates exactly when, where, and how the "spicy" scenes show up. Most of the book is about not dying during dragon bonding or surviving a deadly gauntlet. The romance is the engine, but the steam is the exhaust. It takes a long time to get there.
The Slow Burn and the Fourth Wing Spice Level
If you’re looking for immediate gratification, you’re going to be disappointed. The fourth wing spice level starts at a zero for the first half of the book. It’s all tension. It's Violet Sorrengail trying not to get snapped like a twig by Xaden Riorson.
The "enemies to lovers" trope is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
You get a lot of lingering stares. You get the "touch her and you die" energy. But actual physical intimacy? You’re waiting until past the 50% mark. Yarros builds the chemistry through proximity and shared trauma. It’s effective. When the payoff finally happens, it hits harder because the stakes are high. It isn’t just about two people find each other attractive; it’s about two people who literally shouldn't trust each other finally snapping.
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Quantifying the Steam: How Many Scenes?
Let's be specific. There are essentially two major, high-heat scenes in the book.
The first one occurs around Chapter 30. It’s descriptive. It’s explicit. Yarros doesn't use "fade to black" here. She uses clear, anatomical language and focuses heavily on the emotional intensity of the moment. It’s loud. It’s intense. It’s exactly what the fans mean when they talk about the fourth wing spice level.
The second major scene follows a similar vibe later in the book. Beyond those, you have some heavy making out and a lot of suggestive dialogue, but the "core" spice is concentrated. If you were to rip those pages out, you’d still have a 500-page book about political intrigue and dragon warfare.
Why the Rating is "New Adult" and Not "YA"
This is where people get confused. For years, fantasy was either Young Adult (clean, maybe a kiss) or Adult (George R.R. Martin levels of grit). Fourth Wing sits in the New Adult (NA) sweet spot.
The characters are in their early twenties. They swear. They swear a lot, actually. The violence is also pretty graphic—people get incinerated, stabbed, and crushed regularly.
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The fourth wing spice level matches this maturity. It’s written for an audience that grew up reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but is now 25 and wants stories that reflect adult desires. It’s not meant for the middle school section. If you’re a parent wondering if this is okay for a 13-year-old, the answer depends on your comfort level with explicit sexual descriptions and a lot of "f-bombs."
Most librarians and reviewers categorize the heat as a 3.5 or 4 out of 5. It’s "steamy," but it’s not "pornographic."
Comparing Fourth Wing to ACOTAR and Beyond
Everyone compares this book to Sarah J. Maas. It’s the law of the internet at this point.
If you’ve read A Court of Thorns and Roses, you know the spice levels vary wildly between books. Fourth Wing is probably most comparable to A Court of Mist and Fury. It has more descriptive sex than the first ACOTAR book, but it’s arguably less frequent than what you’ll find in A Court of Silver Flames.
What makes the fourth wing spice level stand out is the "telepathic" element.
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Remember, these characters are bonded to dragons. The dragons are bonded to each other. This creates a weird, psychic feedback loop that adds a layer of complexity to the romance. It’s a bit "meta." It’s also one of the things that makes the scenes feel more intense to the reader—you aren’t just getting the physical sensations; you’re getting the mental overflow.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Hype
The biggest misconception is that the book is only popular because of the spice.
That’s a disservice to the world-building. Yarros created a brutal military academy setting that actually feels dangerous. The magic system—where riders channel power from their dragons—is genuinely cool. The fourth wing spice level is the "hook" for some, sure, but the "stay" is the plot.
If the story sucked, two spicy scenes wouldn't have kept it at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for a year.
You have to be okay with the "cringe" factor of romance tropes, though. There are lines of dialogue that feel like they were written specifically to be highlighted on a Kindle. If you hate "alpha-hole" male leads and "special" female leads, the spice won't save it for you. But if you like high-stakes fantasy with a side of heavy steam, it hits the mark.
Actionable Tips for New Readers
If you're jumping into the series, here is how to navigate the content effectively:
- Check the Chapter Numbers: If you are reading in a public place (like a plane or a doctor’s office) and you hit Chapter 30, maybe tilt your screen away. That’s where the fourth wing spice level peaks.
- Don't Skip the Beginning: The "payoff" only works if you understand the tension between Violet and Xaden. If you skim the training scenes to get to the "good parts," the "good parts" will feel unearned.
- Read Iron Flame Next: If you finish Fourth Wing and want more, the sequel, Iron Flame, actually increases the frequency of the spice, though some fans argue the "quality" of the tension is different.
- Mind the Content Warnings: Beyond the spice, there is significant gore, death of animals (dragons), and themes of chronic illness (Violet’s character is a rare representation of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome-like symptoms).
The bottom line? The fourth wing spice level is high enough to be memorable but not so pervasive that it replaces the plot. It’s a fantasy novel with explicit romance, not a romance novel with a dragon on the cover. Understanding that distinction will change how you experience the book.