The Expert Book Smuggler

Editor: Christina P. | Updated: 1/30/25

Rebecca Yarros is a name that is difficult to escape when navigating book spaces. Best known for her 2023 release, Fourth Wing, which went on to become a New York Times bestseller. She has won multiple awards including the Good Reads Choice Awards, British Book Awards, and the Australian Book Industry Awards.

Despite her success, many readers refuse to platform her works. Reasons range from issues with representation, her stance on Palestine, to invading reader spaces. Is the criticism warranted? Let’s dive in.

The Palestine Statement

The controversy surrounding Yarros began after the author shared a post titled “CHILDREN ARE NOT COLLATERAL DAMAGE” on her Instagram account. Prior to her statement, readers had been speculating on her stance due to questions surrounding potential publishing dealings with the apartheid state of Israel. Upon release of her statement, many readers only found themselves more upset with the author.

For those harassing me and spreading false information about “my opinion” on world events, this will always be it:

CHILDREN ARE NOT COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

This discussion shouldn’t be centered on my white, privileged voice, but to those tagging me and throwing around accusations that I support genocide, I will say this: As someone whose grandfather survived a Nazi concentration camp as a POW and suffered the lifelong physical effects of torture, I find your accusations not only false, but personally insulting.

I abhor war in every form, which is why every military book I write delves into the myriad of ways war irrevocably harms people. I’ve received dozens of documented, nauseating, and frightening D* and R* threats in the past due to my anti-war views, which leaves me hesitant to speak on THIS platform. I’d rather ACT by boosting other voices and donating money, which I have.

I condemn violence. I am absolutely horrified by the despicable attack on Israel. I’m terrified for the children and innocents of Gaza. Their living conditions are inhumane. Both emotions are valid. It’s called humanity. I don’t know the answer, but I view children as equally precious, no matter where they’re born. This isn’t taking a “both sides stance.’ This is a human rights stance.

As for my book translations: I will always stand against book banning (as I spoke on at the Kennedy Center last week), and refusing a translation is in my opinion a form of banning. It denies people who only speak that language access to knowledge, to different opinions, to information and perspectives that can help change hearts and minds. Books spread empathy and understanding in every form. To assume my political stance based on where my publisher (for trad books) or I (for self-published works) sell my rights for translations would be a mistake.

Now please, go donate money to the causes who can help the innocents, and elevate the voices that need to be heard. Mine shouldn’t have to be one of them.

There are a few glaring issues with this post that need to be addressed.

1. Yarros uses language that can be read as addressing her privilege (“white, privileged voice”) while actively distancing herself from the issue at hand. For many, this can be seen as decentering herself and making space for the voices that matter. However, in context with the situation and the rest of the statement it reads as little more than an excuse.
2. She utilizes the ‘I have a [blank] friend’ card both in referencing her grandfather’s time as a POW (prisoner of war) and by saying she is already doing the work in criticizing the war machine. We will address this later in the post.
3. She positions herself as a victim by mentioning the threats she receives for writing these “anti-military” books.
4. Yarros continues to play both sides by first stating that she is upset with the attack on Israel and specifically only mentions the children and innocents of Gaza. This rhetoric has been used to dehumanize Palestinian and Muslim men and often makes supporters of the apartheid state feel that they are being reasonable. By focusing on the ‘acceptable’ group, they inherently feed the idea that all Palestinian and/or Muslim men are terrorists.¹
5. “I will always stand against book banning,” is a wildly irrelevant statement regularly used by authors as a means to deflect criticism. Book banning is not refusing to work with an apartheid state committing genocide. Book banning, a type of censorship, happens when books are removed from libraries, schools, and stores due to objections to their content. Those impacted most by book banning are books focused on marginalized communities.
6. “Mine shouldn’t have to be one of them.” It is unsurprising that this statement wasn’t received well as it essentially states, “I shouldn’t have to take a stand against genocide.” (Although, as highlighted earlier, Yarros recognizes her privilege – privilege that affords her a platform to speak up against atrocities.)

Yarros has since contributed to an auction benefitting Gaza.²

In the Likely Event

As previously mentioned, Yarros has stated that she is anti-war and has written books that discuss the myriad of ways that war harms people. One of those books would be In The Likely Event, a 2023 release focused on how the involvement of the United States in Afghanistan impacted Americans. Reviews of this book make it clear that the book fails to address how this involvement impacted the people of Afghanistan.

Furthermore, she uses rhetoric that uplifts the American military imperialism.

“There will always be a need for guys like me to do the things that make it possible for you to sleep at night.”
“If no one’s trying to kill you here, then that means I’m doing my job over there. That’s how I choose to look at it, how I have to look at it.”

In The Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

In the Likely Event is a second chance romance where the main love interests reunite… in Afghanistan. Reviews of the book make it clear that very little thought was given to the setting beyond ‘tension’ and clearly does not display an ‘anti-war’ sentiment, but a ‘pro-military’ sentiment. This doesn’t mean that Yarros isn’t antiwar- but that her perspective appears focused on how it affects people like her.

Yarros repeatedly used language to describe Afghanistan, the entire country, as a war-torn, at the brink of collapse, and etching the country as completely in need of aid from America because of such “devastation/conflict”. The word “war-zone” was used 11 times in sentences describing the current state of the country. I cannot stress enough how much this perpetuates the propaganda that Afghanistan is inherently in constant societal collapse and requires external, American armed forces aid to help them against the Taliban regime. 

Review by readinghereandnow on Goodreads.

Poor Representation

The issues within her works extend beyond issues with military propaganda. Readers of Fourth Wing have taken issue with Xaden’s portrayal in Fourth Wing upon confirmation from Yarros that Xaden isn’t white. These concerns stemmed from vague descriptions that many white authors use when writing racialized characters. Yarro’s interview with Variety clears up her stance.

We’re just going to say he’s POC, we’re just going to leave it at that. I didn’t rise to the bait of a lot of those posts, which I think probably got me some flack, but I knew we were already in development for TV, and I want to make sure that role is open to as much diversity as possible.³

This “representation” typically relies on use of the terms such as ‘tan’ or ‘dark’ to imply skin color while actually referring to skin tone. In this particular case, the book refers to Xaden as “tawny” twice. Characters written this way may be described as ‘tall, dark, and handsome’, but that description is historically used to describe an attractive, dangerous man versus a Black or brown man. It does not mean the character is Black or brown.

Yarros has previously expressed confusion over fan art depicting Xaden as white, but that is not surprising given the way he was written.⁴ For example, author Sarah J Maas has faced similar criticism for providing just enough detail that a reader could interpret the character as a member of the global majority, but not enough that they can also be interpreted as white.

THE THREADS EXCHANGE

Yarros faced further controversy upon entering reader spaces unsolicited when a Threads user replied ‘Fourth Wing’ to a post asking for popular books readers thought were terrible. The author replied to the post despite not being tagged saying, “Totally cool! Thanks for giving it a try!”

While I believe Yarros replied to this with good intentions, it can often lead to attacks on the readers by upset fans. This discussion led to criticism of the author’s previous actions and Yarros began replying to myself and others having the discussions.

Threads User: I also find it interesting that an author posting fake negative reviews about other authors is getting cancelled but an author constantly editing her posts to hide the fact that she supports a genocide still has a wildly successful book and no one wants to hear it because they want to rave about her.

Yarros: I edited 1 post 2 months ago to include the word Palestine and noted it. I hate genocide, and to say I support it is misinformation. I am for the upholding and securing of Human Rights-no matter who is being denied them. This applies to all humans in Gaza, including Palestinians, no matter how they identify, along with the genocides that don’t make the nightly news like those in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have a responsibility to uphold the idea of basic human rights for all people. + What I don’t believe in is performative activism, which is why I ACT through donating my money and calling legislators. I in no way think I’m infallible, but the misinformation still circulating after I blatantly said I was against the genocide in Palestine on multiple platforms months ago is mind boggling.

Me: Notice how everyone who uses “performative activism” is using that to discredit others calling them out on their BS. That line is used every time. Also, we saw your husband liked a tweet with the hashtag istandwithisrael soooooooo.

Not long before this, liked tweets were found on her husband’s Twitter showing active support of the apartheid state. While Yarros cannot be held responsible for her husband’s actions, it is hard to believe that the discussion didn’t come up at all. Yarros is a military wife who writes ‘anti-war’ books, but fails to discuss an ongoing genocide with her husband? That seems unlikely.

Yarros: Hold up. I get judged for tweets my husband likes? That I don’t know about? That I don’t “like” myself? And yes, I’ll ask him about it.

Me: You definitely should. The people we surround ourselves with are a reflection of ourselves. Truly, all you need to do is stop focusing on the harm done to you and reflect on the harm you did to others and what actionable steps you can take to rectify it. People are calling you out because that is how bad your first statement was. They are judging you harsher because of it.

The Pronunciation Scandal

Yarros faced criticism in late 2023 for misusing Gàidhlig (pronounced gaa-lick) in her book while calling it Gaelic (pronounced gay-lick).⁵ Many people criticized her for mispronouncing the words, citing the wrong language, and the ‘lazy’ usage of Celtic languages.

Fumbled Releases

It is no secret that the release of Fourth Wing’s sequel, Iron Flame, came with a myriad of issues including damaged and bleeding sprayed book edges, typos, missing pages, and upside down pages. At the time of the release users were sharing a variety of TikToks about the issues. While readers were hopeful the subsequent release of Onyx Storm would be smoother, the issues have persisted.

The release of Onyx Storm saw a variety of issues, starting with criticism for the late announcement of the Target exclusive only 2-3 weeks before the publication date.⁶ However, the problems didn’t end there as readers expressed frustration at crashing apps⁷, canceled pickups, and limited stock.

The issues continued as readers who had managed to snag a copy discovered stock artwork⁸ inside and warped covers⁹. Yarros faced intense backlash for these issues, though the responsibility ultimately lies with her publisher.

Where does this leave readers?

For many of her readers, the issues listed within this post will probably not be a deterrent. For others, they will be more than enough to add the author to their DNR (do not read) lists. Regardless, fans of the author should bear in mind that no author is exempt from criticism. Silencing marginalized readers who speak on these issues does little to repair the author’s reputation and instead further convinces people not to read her work.

Note: What’s the deal with? is a series that explores reasons why others dislike your favorite author. An author’s inclusion in this series is based on Patron votes. This series is intended for informed readership ONLY.

1“Women and children”: Why doesn’t sympathy for civilians extend to Muslim men? – Unbias The News

2 First edition Fourth Wing with sprayed edges | Free Online Silent Auction Fundraisers | 32auctions

3 “Iron Flame” Author Rebecca Yarros on Spoilers, Fourth Wing TV series

4 https://www.themarysue.com/author-of-the-hottest-book-of-the-year-baffled-by-whitewashed-fan-art/

5 https://www.thenational.scot/news/23894713.rebecca-yarros-faces-criticism-tiktok-gaelic-pronunciation/

6 https://www.reddit.com/r/YAlit/comments/1i6dmbl/comment/m8cnk3l/

7 https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/news/onyx-storm-target-rebecca-yarros-fourth-wing-b2683606.html

8 https://www.tiktok.com/@shaesicles/video/7462540300905483566

9 https://www.tiktok.com/@readwitheme/video/7463240743897894190?_t=ZT-8tKrspsGknO&_r=1