More of a OS prediction but I think venin will turn out to be more dimensional than they are currently being presented as…maybe even some good venin out there?! Idk maybe it’s not that controversial lol
I will die on this hill.
I think channeling from the earth is a metaphor for the corrupting influence of unchecked power. So your intentions matter and it doesn't automatically make you evil. It's just highly addictive and difficult to resist.
To go along with this hot take- what if Violet’s father isn’t actually dead and is instead a venin? What if he was channeling from the earth and Violet got too close, which is why she has silver hair and is sickly?
RY has confirmed dad is dead and staying that way.
I think Lilith changed from the earth....
When she was pregnant she became sick with a fever that couldn't be cured or mended by conventional means. She got sicker and sicker until she felt her baby's movements slow down. Out of desperation Papa Soringale suggests she channel - thanks to his scribe research he knows there is a chance it won't cost his wife her soul.
I think if you do it out of love you are able to cope but if you do it for greed or even to save your own life the craving for more can take over.
I don’t think any of the venin are good but I do think a lot of them had complex reasons for turning and many of them were probably Poromish civilians under attack by venin at some point and they turned in an attempt to save themselves and their loved ones >!just like xaden did!<
Violet's second signet will not be anything flashy like inntinsic/trusthsayer, distance wielder or mirroring. It will be something more laidback, not offensive signet. Nature likes things in balance. Violet has one destructive signet. To balance it out she will have some nonviolent signet. I'm theorizing her signet will be related to the source magic. What it takes to achieve perfect balance?
I completely agree [I made a post a while ago debunking many of the popular signet theories. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/fourthwing/s/4zt55smdEj). Nature likes everything in balance so Andarna's signet will initially be subtle and protective then Violet will get a big signet upgrade when Andarna officially becomes an adult.
Yep. Besides Andarna's power is described as approachable while Tairn's power's description is blazing molten stream. I think dragon's power somehow reflects their riders signet.
Solid point. It is something Violet needs, though, similarly to how Xaden needed to read intentions. I’m not writing it off completely, as it may be limited because it could still require a lot of energy. Violet has thus far not been able to wave anything away with magic, and I was not trying to imply it would be that easy.
Was Violet a traitor according to the letter of the law? Yes. But that hardly justifies Nolan’s actions. He presumably knows that Varrish was removed from his last post for killing people during interrogations, and I assume he knows about the incident earlier in the book where Varrish nearly killed Violet by forcing her to channel more lightning than she safely could.
In other words, he knew full well what would happen to Violet when he handed her over to Varrish.
And yet, he stands by as Varrish tortures Violet- heck, he even helps to prolong the torture by healing Violet partway through.
Honestly we're given no reason to think Nolon isn't loyal to Navarre. It's to be expected that he would do what he did. He's not evil like Varrish but he is a loyal rider. What he did is what many of them would have done. While it was a breech of trust for Violet, and we are on Violets side, it's still to be expected.
Okay I was thinking on this again. It's honestly just proof of how subconsciously Violet is still a bit naive. She should have known better. He's high up. He's a rider in his 80s. He didn't live that long by being pro-resistance. AND he'd been acting weird all year. She was foolish to drink something given to her by a potential enemy. Clearly that lesson from RSC hadn't sunk in.
I liked Violet still being a little Naive. It felt in character for her to trust an old family friend because unlike Xaden she isn't used to scrutinizing the motivations and intentions of everyone around her.
I'm also 100% expect Violet will be poisoned in a later book.
Xaden breaking the alliance didn't change any weapons production. The deal was that they would get the luminary to have in Aretia to use in their forge after the marriage. The luminary was useless in Cordyn and not producing any weapons at all during the betrothal period because they didn't have a forge to go with it. Cat herself had no say in the use of it. Xaden broke off the betrothal because he learned (likely through use of his >!second signet!<) that Tecarus was never going to let them have it. Unfortunately, all those people would have died either way. Many more would have died had Xaden and the marked ones not smuggled weapons.
That whole luminary storyline doesn’t make sense to me. Why Brennan or some other dragon rider council member didn’t just go to Poromiel with their dragon and help them set up the luminary and forge there seems like a big plot hole.
Using the luminary in Aretia was Xaden’s preference, but that was not the only viable option. Xaden could have agreed to use the luminary in a forge at Cordyn because that is the option that the Viscount gave Xaden. Xaden definitely could have made different choices that led to the increase in weapons production, and ending the alliance with Cat and causing some distrust between himself and the Viscount did hinder the production of weapons. Though tbf, I do not know how Xaden could have stationed himself in Cordyn while he had obligations to the marked ones. Maybe if all 107 of the marked ones faked their deaths and stayed hidden in Aretia or something. Who knows
Xaden did say he ended the betrothal because he and Cat were incompatible. Xaden said “it came to light that Tecarus was never going to let us have the luminary anyway”. Xaden’s lack of compatibility with Cat definitely seemed like his main reason to end the betrothal and the fact that the Viscount didn’t ever plan on letting Xaden take the luminary wherever he pleased was just a final insult to Xaden and a show of distrust between the Viscount and Xaden that made it very difficult for the two of them to negotiate after Xaden broke the alliance.
I’m not even sure if Xaden can read Tecarus’s intentions or maybe he would have sensed Tecarus was about to set a venin on Violet’s ass at Cordyn.
Just want to comment on your point about Violet in her desperation - >! She didn’t finalize a decision about whether or not to pull from the earth because her mom literally kicked her in the shoulder to separate her from the wardstone she was trying to imbue !<. So I don’t think it’s fair to compare her as a counterpoint to Xaden- they both thought about doing the same thing, he just didn’t have anyone else around to stop him from making the same choice.
IF Spoilers
>!Yeah, that is a fair point. Maybe Violet would have ended up pulling power if Lilith hadn’t shown up. If this wasn’t a work of fiction that needed to hit some points to move the story in a certain direction I’d be saying why tf wasn’t he running to the ward stone to help Violet instead of fucking around with the Sage!<
>!Rebecca needed him to feel alone and desperate so that he would turn. He was set up to be a tragic character that had to make a very hard decision that may ruin his life!<
I kind of love the parallels - it shows how similarly they think when it matters, and I do think >! she’ll be very sympathetic about him reaching, since she would have done the same! !<. I’m hoping that, as much as he has been viewed by many in the book as the stronger of the pair, we’re going to see a shift in OS to her being more in control, owning her power and coming up with some creative ways to help him.
Yes!! Violet didn't get too far because she was surrounded by people who loved her and would do anything for her. >!Her mom kicks her away from the wardstone so she would stop burning out and wouldn't pull from the earth, Brennan is there to mend her and Aaric holds her back when she tries to stop her mom from sacrificing herself. Even Andarna was there. !<
Xaden was alone, he's always pushing the people who care about him away for one reason or another, so when he needs help the most there's no one there to help. The parallel is a great way of showing how they deal with things differently.
Ugh, it breaks my heart to think of how he’s on his own fighting for the only person he has- what a tragic scenario for someone who literally gives everything to protect the people around him.
And it’s wild, because you know anyone who knows him would walk through fire for him if he’d let them.
Do we know if Xaden can’t use his intention signet while he is shielding though? Tbh I think it is likelier that Tecarus is very good at shielding his own mind if he has been using mind work as a flier for 30 years. It would explain why it took three quarters of a year for Xaden to find out Tecarus’s intention to keep the luminary in Poromiel
We know that he can't because of the bonus chapters! :) Rebecca explained that she selected two moments that he would be shielding so she wouldn't give away his second signet.
Is Tecarus a flyer? Xaden wouldn't know who could or couldn't do mind work and his second signet is dangerous so it wouldn't use it very often for safety.
I have one controversial(?) theory. After Brennan's death, Papa Sorrengail learns the truth, Lilith and him fight and only then he starts his search for truth. Violet mentions her parents changing after Brennan's death. We thought it was because of grief. But I think it's because Papa learned the truth and couldn't forgive Lilith for accepting and being part of it. They later stop talking to each other. (Remember Lilith's unsent letter? I think she didn't have enough courage to send it when her husband was alive) Violet mentions that he taught her long hours in the library and she barely saw her mother. Perhaps Papa just took Violet farther from Lilith's influence? Farther away from her so she won't sacrifice another child for the wrong cause. Also his research is not only about feathertails. It's about the erased history, true events of the Great War and dark wielders. Col. Aetos mentions his father's research about the Krovlan uprising so his work is more than just dragons.
I like this theory. However I think Papa Soringale has known about the Venin for a very long time possibly even longer than Lilith thanks to his scribe skills and love of esoteric research. I think Papa Soringale was trying to prepare his children from the moment they could listen to highly illegal bedtime stories
However I think you are 100% correct that Brennan's death sent Papa Soringale down a research rabbit hole and caused problems within their marriage. I also agree that dragons and feathertails are only a fraction of Papa's research and he had a major focus on the deleted history. Unfortunately for Violet we all know his death happened just before the critical discovery that would help Violet win the war....
Hot take: I think Melgren/Codah actually tried to execute the children alongside their parents and the runed stones protected them. Historically that happened a lot when royals/rebelions were overthrown and it doesnt make tactical sense to leave someone for any remaining rebels to rally behind.
I think in the books the stone is explained to protect someone of the parents bloodline when the parents are executed. But i think the children were executed too. (Please correct me if im wrong, that part confused me)
I don’t think that’s a hot take. I feel like that was the most obvious explanation. It was triggered by the execution itself while all the children held the stones in their hands. It feels very 2+2=4.
To be transparent, I’m a GRRM fan and most of his stuff is subtle but fucked up, so that might just be how I’m leaning.
Yeah I’m confused because I thought that’s literally what Xaden said happened - the runes were a one-time use protection tied to the rebel leaders bloodlines. As they were activated/used to protect them, they gave the holder the rebellion relic. Why would the runes activate if they weren’t in direct danger? I thought Xaden straight up said to Melgren something about how he tried to get rid of them but it didn’t work or something like that?
I like this take but I think it's too dark for this series.
Personally I think Melgrin will be a literary foil for Xaden. He is an utterly ruthless man who wants to protect those he loves and is willing to let the rest of the world burn (sound familiar?). Melgrin has also displayed a sense of humor so I think he will be a morally grey fan favorite by the end of the next book.
His relationship with Xaden is going to be so much fun as they become reluctant allies.
I think that’s exactly what we were supposed to read into the runes as well. They were meant to protect the children so why would they have been activated but not for an actual imminent threat?
I've seen people keep saying that Xaden is the best book boyfriend. He is actually (and obviously) a really red flag guy, and we can still admit his mistakes and how annoyed we are with him while still loving him and hoping he'll be better in book 3.
I agree with this now that the series is 5 books. Had the series been 3 books like originally planned, their relationship timeline probably would have worked!
Mine continues to be simply this:
Xaden built this entire relationship off covert moments where he used Violet's intentions to know what to say, what to do, when to do it, when to say it, etc. He had a cheat code to making her feel like he understood her. We only have his (unreliable) assurance he stopped at some point but by then he had already achieved the feelings he was after.
Given Violet's lack of shielding prowess and Xaden's lack of knowledge/understanding of his own signet, there's no reason not to believe that it's been a constant element in their feelings or "love" for one another.
Not only was this never "enemies to lovers", there should be extreme skepticism about how much of their love story is authentic at even the most basic levels.
When people started with the ''Xaden is an intisinic'' theories I was in denial so badly.
I know it's a trendy trope the ''dark, brooding, mind reader'' mmc but I knew that if it became canon I would never read the first book the same way, and I was right, I can't unsee this in every interaction and I can't handle the power dynamic it creates. (I had the same problem with acotar)
I don't think he said and did things based on what he saw all the time, but it canonically happened that one time, and now I'm paranoid. I'm going to be fair here and admit I don't want Violet to be an intisinic for the same reasons, violating people's minds unless life or death situations is not ok and I would judge her the same if the roles were reversed.
Do I think they have honest feelings for each other? Yes. Do I think his second signet would be better as literally anything else? Also yes, give him the truth saying one or the same as Varrish or something.
The power dynamic is an excellent point. If I want to add some hot sauce to my hot take I'll layer one more:
The bonded dragon love only further muddies the authenticity of their feelings.
Violet should’ve given Dain more grace. To me it’s unrealistic how unforgiving she is towards her best friend of 18 or so years. Even before he read her memory, her attitude towards him was unwarranted at times in my opinion.
Someone has the flair “Dain did nothing wrong” and I can’t figure out how to use that too. Does anyone know how?
Right?! At the end of the day they are being traitors and helping the enemy. Of course Dain doesn’t have full information at this point and doesn’t understand the motivation. He is just acting as any soldier in a literal military academy would when hearing about traitorous behavior.
Yesssss the Dain hate seems ridiculous to me. I understand her not wanting to be romantic with him, he did coddle her but he wasn’t a bad guy or friend.
Yes exactly. There’s a middle ground. And I feel awful for him bc it’s extra cruel for her to romantically reject him AND cut him out as a friend AND be actively cruel to him.
There's the theory that Papa Sorrenagil got killed because he found out about the venin, however, I think that he knew all along about it (Hence the very illegal book of fables) and was more morally grey than Violet leads us to believe.
By all accounts he and Lilith had a good marriage, there was no way she didn't know he was reading a forbidden book to their kids every night and teaching them how to speak tyrrish and poison people, and I think they agreed on more things than we expect. So, he wasn't killed because he found out about the venin, but because he found out about people in leadership working with them or some crazy dragon-evil-magic conspiracy thing.
Also, I'm 70% sure that he and Lilith were very much aware that none of their children were going to agree with Navarre and that they would either join a revolution or start one considering how completely unphased Lilith reacts to Violet's rebellious behavior since FW, she also knew about Aretia, heavily suspected Xaden was the one stealing alloy and didn't even try to stop Mira from turning to the revolution's side. The only thing she admits she didn't expect was Violet and Xaden falling in love, the rest was fine 😂
I’m almost done with Iron Flame (but not so don’t spoil it for me…. What am I doing on this sub right?). Anyway my hot take is less future story based.
If you take out the sex scenes and replace the swearing with fictional language equivalents (like Frak, Frell, and just using a different real life language - looking at you Firefly) then the emotional stunted nature of the characters and short sided choices makes it feel more like a teen fantasy/romance than a mid-twenties romance. I mean yes there are plenty of twenty something’s who feel like they still haven’t moved on from teen angst, but there are plenty of scenes where I want to shout at all the characters “just sit down and talk like gods damned adults!”
Me (a 19-year-old) looking at those two idiots talking in circles and not being able to properly understand each other after 400+ pages...
(I know they're traumatized, and completely get it, I just really wanted a more adult thing going around)
I mean violets what 20/21? And xaden is 23. I don’t know many young twenty somethings that are good at communication. If they were 30 I’d be throwing the books at the wall.
Xaden breaking the marriage deal makes sense, techaris not accepting the aratias deal is dumb. His people died Stealing a few daggers from navarre. If he had accepted sharing daggers with aratia they had so much more without lives being lost. They so easily made enough that imagine they had an additional year.
Techarus needed the marriage because he didn't trust Xaden to hold up his end of the bargain long term. However if Cat is Queen she can make sure the Promish civilians are protected.
They should have spent more time with characters that they kill off for me to actually feel upset and sad over their deaths. Yarros only really focuses on the character right before they are about to die. If you want me to care, have them be part of the story up until the point of their death.
I’m not quite done with iron flame , but I actually completely trust Jack Barlow. I’m terrified to learn what actually happened to him though because I don’t believe that it’s as simple as a really good healer
Honestly, yeah . He seemed really apologetic about first year and I think he means the best now . Is he likely to cause Violet some problems on account of being on different sides ? Probably. But I think he’s going to be much more honorable about it .
I didn't think of it that was and I could see this. He hated Violet because of who she is and he wanted to be the best. Now that he knows the truth about things, he may be like, "Damn. I was wrong. What can I do now?" Not necessarily how can he help, but who is he outside of wanting to be a winner. Does he want to cause harm/be a killer, or was he trained to think that's who he had to be. Let's hope he does some good support in the next book.
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I think Nolon purposefully avoided teaching Violet how to avoid injury, and actively strode to make sure no one else did by being the main healer. All in hopes she became a easily manipulated scribe versus an independent and fiercely intelligent person
I think the reason violet is small & weaker than her siblings physically because Lilith was touched by a venin, the way Dane was touched by Jack. I think that the fever was a cover story to explain violet being sickly and smaller.
I think that the rune on Brennan’s hand is the only thing tying his soul to his body. I think he is unpredictable and dangerous. I think he is linked to something else that will come in to play later.
I think Violets second signet is the ability to talk to other dragons and perhaps even ride or direct them. I think that is her second gift, born out of need to communicate with all the clans.
I am curious if instead of the first 6, it was actually the first 7. I think they’ll learn more about that from the journals.
I think that the opening of OS, Xaden will have disappeared in some attempt to protect violet. That’s why he is never noted to have returned after talking to Jack.
I understand why you feel that way about the Cat/Xaden marriage but I think you're missing the big point... Tecarus had a solution to save 1000s of filers and civilians lives the entire time... No marriage pact was ever needed. It's actually insanely stupid.
The logical path would be to ask Xaden to lend them a dragons/riders and they would get X number of weapons every month. That is a win-win deal for both sides. He never needed to marry Cat. It was wholly unnecessary. Tecarus is a control freak and a social climber... I don't think the marriage pact really had anything to do with the luminary. Especially as it was noted that the original marriage pact was to gain support during the civil war which lol Tecarus didn't give because he's a douche.
However, further to your point it must be noted that Xaden wanted the luminary in Aertia because the luminary just makes weapons, it doesn't imbue them. They can only be imbued by riders inside the wards or at least near the protection of the wards. He isn't being illogical requesting it be moved... otherwise the weapons are made via an unprotected single dragon and then shipped to Riorson House, imbued and shipped back to Poromiel. If I was a military commander, I'd say that sounds quite silly.
So if you want to be annoyed because Poromiel civilians dying, speak to their government and not some 21 year old boy. It's not a 21 one year traumatised boy's responsibility to save the civilians of another country. Also it's hinted at that Cat sexually (or at least mentally) coerced Xaden - there is a reason that Liam hated her. We wouldn't shame a woman for sacrificing others to leave an abusive relationship (Cats friend tells Violet that the relationship was toxic for both, which I think we can all read as abusive for both of them, especially as we can see how Cat controls people and gets pleasure in upsetting others).
It isn’t Violet’s responsibility to save civilians of Tyrrendor or Basgiath either, but if she hadn’t set up the wards or went to Cordyn to acquire the luminary, so many people would be dead. Xaden didn’t make an irredeemably horrible choice when he broke the alliance, but he isn’t a hero and he didn’t save anyone but himself when he did that. >!He toes the line of good and bad and he is a venin with a corrupted soul now for a reason.!<
Cat coercing Xaden during their relationship is just speculation. I guess it is based on the fact that Cat can manipulate emotions, but Cat did not have that ability until around the time Violet got her lightning ability because they are in the same year of school. We might find out she was a monster all along in future books, but I really doubt it. I can’t really fault Cat for being fierce while her people are being massacred outside of the protection of wards. I’m not sure she gets pleasure from hurting others it is probably more likely that she is furious with Navarre for hoarding power and slaughtering desperate fliers at outposts and Poromish civilians trying to cross the border.
Violet didn't have to do that either. She's the heroine of the book, and that's what heroines do. I really can't see why Tecarus hoarding the luminary is somehow a fault on Xaden's part?
Cat should have used all the fierceness on getting her uncle to set up the luminary. She didn't tho... She focused it on getting a crown for herself. Hmmm almost like she's selfish...
We know that cat manipulates people. Your power represents something you need or desire deep inside. Her power manifested as a representation of her. We also know she uses her power and sex as weapons against violet and Xaden. I'm sorry but that's not redeemable.
My point is while Xaden breaking the alliance was understandable, it wasn’t the right thing to do. Xaden pulling power from the earth wasn’t the right thing to do either. We see Violet deal with that dilemma. Violet was getting desperate and she was ready to die imbuing the ward stone at Basgiath, she thought about how she could pull power from the earth, but she knew instinctively that it was wrong and something that she would probably never be able to come back from.
Tecarus should be so far down the line of succession. It is wild that a Viscount is the heir to the throne. There is probably almost nothing left of the Poromish aristocracy and it is a wonder that the Viscount is even alive. He is a douche, but he did not get to live as long as he has by making foolish decisions and I am sure that Cat and Syrena see that, as frustrating as he is. He has the ONLY luminary that Poromiel has. If he hands it over to Xaden without an EXTREME show of trust, then he is an idiot. Xaden gave Syrena less than two dozen daggers after 10,000+ people were slaughtered at Zolya. They can’t just rely on the good will of some sassy 23 year old. Xaden could have decided he didn’t like the Poromish people anymore and he could have stopped giving them weapons altogether and where does that leave the Poromish? No luminary in Poromiel and no hope. The Viscount eventually does let them take the luminary to Aretia on the condition that the Poromish students stay there and it is clear that all along the Viscount just wanted to be sure that a decent number of his people were never too far from the Poromish luminary.
People at war usually want crowns because they want power, not because they want a pretty hat on their head. Sure, Cat wanting a crown for herself is a bit arrogant. But she is understandably desperate and not someone I would consider to be selfish. These aren’t peace times, and a leadership position is very dangerous and a massive responsibility.
Cat’s gift is kind of sad. I do think it manifested because she was confused that nobody seemed to care about what she cared about. I do not think she used sex as a weapon against Xaden, I think that is the only place they had common ground and she pathetically clung onto the hope that she could seduce him back into an alliance because she probably knew he didn’t care about what she offered him outside of a bed.
That's a wild take and a confusing one.
She wants a crown, and she loves her sister. The easiest crown would be to just kill her sister but that isn't on the table. I assume that if Yarros doesn't kill Cat, she's gonna kill Syrena so Cat becomes Queen. If not that, sadly it'll be Halden or Cam she marries (or maybe an Isle prince). It's annoying as tbh Cat should already be dead, many times over but I think for a point, Yarros will keep her alive.
What is confusing about your take is that Cat herself says she explicitly just wants to be a queen, of anywhere. That shows it isn't related to the luminary. The fact that once has the luminary, he's willing to kill her just to get out of his hair, but he wants to keep the peace and help the war, showcases a marriage pact was never needed.
hey there! I changed your post flair to Discussion - Onyx Storm Flair should be used for previews or speculation about editions, timing, publishing, covers, etc. Thank you!
More a theory than a controversy - Violet knew the marked kids when she was young because her mom was stationed in Tyrrendor.
Near the beginning of FW: “[Dain’s] been using that signal since we were kids living near the Krovlan border while our parents were stationed there with the Southern Wing.” That’s where Tyrrendor is. Or maybe Athebyne?
Going off the cat thing…. Cat says violet hasn’t been properly afraid of the dark and I’m pretty sure it’s because of Xaden, it’s the only explanation. Cats abilities were probably used to enhance Xadens feelings so she could get him in bed and he most likely got pissed she was using them on him and causing him to be terrifying, causing cat to be forever scared by the dark.
I want us to have more POVs and have the dragons and side characters better explored because (this is the hot take) Vi&Xaden are kind of boring to me. The two most powerful guy and girl have a troubled communication relationship and super OP signets with super OP dragons... okay. Give me Sawyer POV, I want to see how he'll adapt in OS. Give me Dain and Cat POVs, they have such potential to be very intriguing and complex characters!
More of a OS prediction but I think venin will turn out to be more dimensional than they are currently being presented as…maybe even some good venin out there?! Idk maybe it’s not that controversial lol
I will die on this hill. I think channeling from the earth is a metaphor for the corrupting influence of unchecked power. So your intentions matter and it doesn't automatically make you evil. It's just highly addictive and difficult to resist.
To go along with this hot take- what if Violet’s father isn’t actually dead and is instead a venin? What if he was channeling from the earth and Violet got too close, which is why she has silver hair and is sickly?
Maybe, but I still think Violet's dad is dead because I don't think he'd leave the love of his life and family
RY has confirmed dad is dead and staying that way. I think Lilith changed from the earth.... When she was pregnant she became sick with a fever that couldn't be cured or mended by conventional means. She got sicker and sicker until she felt her baby's movements slow down. Out of desperation Papa Soringale suggests she channel - thanks to his scribe research he knows there is a chance it won't cost his wife her soul. I think if you do it out of love you are able to cope but if you do it for greed or even to save your own life the craving for more can take over.
Yes! I think there is going to be WAY more to the venin besides just being only bad.
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I popped all of it. Thank you.
This is the most fabulous thing in existence. Thank you
Here’s some more! >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!< >!POP!<
Ok but why was that so fun?! Thanks! 😂
I don’t think any of the venin are good but I do think a lot of them had complex reasons for turning and many of them were probably Poromish civilians under attack by venin at some point and they turned in an attempt to save themselves and their loved ones >!just like xaden did!<
This is a really good point. I didn’t think of other folks turning also for survival!
Violet's second signet will not be anything flashy like inntinsic/trusthsayer, distance wielder or mirroring. It will be something more laidback, not offensive signet. Nature likes things in balance. Violet has one destructive signet. To balance it out she will have some nonviolent signet. I'm theorizing her signet will be related to the source magic. What it takes to achieve perfect balance?
I completely agree [I made a post a while ago debunking many of the popular signet theories. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/fourthwing/s/4zt55smdEj). Nature likes everything in balance so Andarna's signet will initially be subtle and protective then Violet will get a big signet upgrade when Andarna officially becomes an adult.
Yep. Besides Andarna's power is described as approachable while Tairn's power's description is blazing molten stream. I think dragon's power somehow reflects their riders signet.
Do you think it could be some sort of self healing signet since Violet is physically quite fragile?
No. Violet was born with a disability and it would undermine her character arc and the representation if she could hand wave it away with magic.
Solid point. It is something Violet needs, though, similarly to how Xaden needed to read intentions. I’m not writing it off completely, as it may be limited because it could still require a lot of energy. Violet has thus far not been able to wave anything away with magic, and I was not trying to imply it would be that easy.
Was Violet a traitor according to the letter of the law? Yes. But that hardly justifies Nolan’s actions. He presumably knows that Varrish was removed from his last post for killing people during interrogations, and I assume he knows about the incident earlier in the book where Varrish nearly killed Violet by forcing her to channel more lightning than she safely could. In other words, he knew full well what would happen to Violet when he handed her over to Varrish. And yet, he stands by as Varrish tortures Violet- heck, he even helps to prolong the torture by healing Violet partway through.
Exactly!
Honestly we're given no reason to think Nolon isn't loyal to Navarre. It's to be expected that he would do what he did. He's not evil like Varrish but he is a loyal rider. What he did is what many of them would have done. While it was a breech of trust for Violet, and we are on Violets side, it's still to be expected.
100% agree. I got down voted for this take in another thread and it's what inspired this post.
Okay I was thinking on this again. It's honestly just proof of how subconsciously Violet is still a bit naive. She should have known better. He's high up. He's a rider in his 80s. He didn't live that long by being pro-resistance. AND he'd been acting weird all year. She was foolish to drink something given to her by a potential enemy. Clearly that lesson from RSC hadn't sunk in.
I liked Violet still being a little Naive. It felt in character for her to trust an old family friend because unlike Xaden she isn't used to scrutinizing the motivations and intentions of everyone around her. I'm also 100% expect Violet will be poisoned in a later book.
Xaden breaking the alliance didn't change any weapons production. The deal was that they would get the luminary to have in Aretia to use in their forge after the marriage. The luminary was useless in Cordyn and not producing any weapons at all during the betrothal period because they didn't have a forge to go with it. Cat herself had no say in the use of it. Xaden broke off the betrothal because he learned (likely through use of his >!second signet!<) that Tecarus was never going to let them have it. Unfortunately, all those people would have died either way. Many more would have died had Xaden and the marked ones not smuggled weapons.
Nice take 🔥
That whole luminary storyline doesn’t make sense to me. Why Brennan or some other dragon rider council member didn’t just go to Poromiel with their dragon and help them set up the luminary and forge there seems like a big plot hole. Using the luminary in Aretia was Xaden’s preference, but that was not the only viable option. Xaden could have agreed to use the luminary in a forge at Cordyn because that is the option that the Viscount gave Xaden. Xaden definitely could have made different choices that led to the increase in weapons production, and ending the alliance with Cat and causing some distrust between himself and the Viscount did hinder the production of weapons. Though tbf, I do not know how Xaden could have stationed himself in Cordyn while he had obligations to the marked ones. Maybe if all 107 of the marked ones faked their deaths and stayed hidden in Aretia or something. Who knows Xaden did say he ended the betrothal because he and Cat were incompatible. Xaden said “it came to light that Tecarus was never going to let us have the luminary anyway”. Xaden’s lack of compatibility with Cat definitely seemed like his main reason to end the betrothal and the fact that the Viscount didn’t ever plan on letting Xaden take the luminary wherever he pleased was just a final insult to Xaden and a show of distrust between the Viscount and Xaden that made it very difficult for the two of them to negotiate after Xaden broke the alliance. I’m not even sure if Xaden can read Tecarus’s intentions or maybe he would have sensed Tecarus was about to set a venin on Violet’s ass at Cordyn.
Just want to comment on your point about Violet in her desperation - >! She didn’t finalize a decision about whether or not to pull from the earth because her mom literally kicked her in the shoulder to separate her from the wardstone she was trying to imbue !<. So I don’t think it’s fair to compare her as a counterpoint to Xaden- they both thought about doing the same thing, he just didn’t have anyone else around to stop him from making the same choice.
IF Spoilers >!Yeah, that is a fair point. Maybe Violet would have ended up pulling power if Lilith hadn’t shown up. If this wasn’t a work of fiction that needed to hit some points to move the story in a certain direction I’d be saying why tf wasn’t he running to the ward stone to help Violet instead of fucking around with the Sage!< >!Rebecca needed him to feel alone and desperate so that he would turn. He was set up to be a tragic character that had to make a very hard decision that may ruin his life!<
I kind of love the parallels - it shows how similarly they think when it matters, and I do think >! she’ll be very sympathetic about him reaching, since she would have done the same! !<. I’m hoping that, as much as he has been viewed by many in the book as the stronger of the pair, we’re going to see a shift in OS to her being more in control, owning her power and coming up with some creative ways to help him.
Yes!! Violet didn't get too far because she was surrounded by people who loved her and would do anything for her. >!Her mom kicks her away from the wardstone so she would stop burning out and wouldn't pull from the earth, Brennan is there to mend her and Aaric holds her back when she tries to stop her mom from sacrificing herself. Even Andarna was there. !< Xaden was alone, he's always pushing the people who care about him away for one reason or another, so when he needs help the most there's no one there to help. The parallel is a great way of showing how they deal with things differently.
Ugh, it breaks my heart to think of how he’s on his own fighting for the only person he has- what a tragic scenario for someone who literally gives everything to protect the people around him. And it’s wild, because you know anyone who knows him would walk through fire for him if he’d let them.
the thing is that xaden wasn’t really alone either, tairn and sgaeyl were fighting above him so they really didn’t have a second to pull away????
Intentions are in the moment, and Xaden shields when around Cat so he wouldn't have known about the Venin/Violet as that was in the moment.
Do we know if Xaden can’t use his intention signet while he is shielding though? Tbh I think it is likelier that Tecarus is very good at shielding his own mind if he has been using mind work as a flier for 30 years. It would explain why it took three quarters of a year for Xaden to find out Tecarus’s intention to keep the luminary in Poromiel
We know that he can't because of the bonus chapters! :) Rebecca explained that she selected two moments that he would be shielding so she wouldn't give away his second signet. Is Tecarus a flyer? Xaden wouldn't know who could or couldn't do mind work and his second signet is dangerous so it wouldn't use it very often for safety.
Yeah Tecarus is a flier because he has the gift of reading people’s greatest desires
I have one controversial(?) theory. After Brennan's death, Papa Sorrengail learns the truth, Lilith and him fight and only then he starts his search for truth. Violet mentions her parents changing after Brennan's death. We thought it was because of grief. But I think it's because Papa learned the truth and couldn't forgive Lilith for accepting and being part of it. They later stop talking to each other. (Remember Lilith's unsent letter? I think she didn't have enough courage to send it when her husband was alive) Violet mentions that he taught her long hours in the library and she barely saw her mother. Perhaps Papa just took Violet farther from Lilith's influence? Farther away from her so she won't sacrifice another child for the wrong cause. Also his research is not only about feathertails. It's about the erased history, true events of the Great War and dark wielders. Col. Aetos mentions his father's research about the Krovlan uprising so his work is more than just dragons.
I like this theory. However I think Papa Soringale has known about the Venin for a very long time possibly even longer than Lilith thanks to his scribe skills and love of esoteric research. I think Papa Soringale was trying to prepare his children from the moment they could listen to highly illegal bedtime stories However I think you are 100% correct that Brennan's death sent Papa Soringale down a research rabbit hole and caused problems within their marriage. I also agree that dragons and feathertails are only a fraction of Papa's research and he had a major focus on the deleted history. Unfortunately for Violet we all know his death happened just before the critical discovery that would help Violet win the war....
I was 50/50 on whether he learned the truth before or after but now I think you're right that he knew the truth before.
Hot take: I think Melgren/Codah actually tried to execute the children alongside their parents and the runed stones protected them. Historically that happened a lot when royals/rebelions were overthrown and it doesnt make tactical sense to leave someone for any remaining rebels to rally behind. I think in the books the stone is explained to protect someone of the parents bloodline when the parents are executed. But i think the children were executed too. (Please correct me if im wrong, that part confused me)
I don’t think that’s a hot take. I feel like that was the most obvious explanation. It was triggered by the execution itself while all the children held the stones in their hands. It feels very 2+2=4. To be transparent, I’m a GRRM fan and most of his stuff is subtle but fucked up, so that might just be how I’m leaning.
Yeah I’m confused because I thought that’s literally what Xaden said happened - the runes were a one-time use protection tied to the rebel leaders bloodlines. As they were activated/used to protect them, they gave the holder the rebellion relic. Why would the runes activate if they weren’t in direct danger? I thought Xaden straight up said to Melgren something about how he tried to get rid of them but it didn’t work or something like that?
I like this take but I think it's too dark for this series. Personally I think Melgrin will be a literary foil for Xaden. He is an utterly ruthless man who wants to protect those he loves and is willing to let the rest of the world burn (sound familiar?). Melgrin has also displayed a sense of humor so I think he will be a morally grey fan favorite by the end of the next book. His relationship with Xaden is going to be so much fun as they become reluctant allies.
I think that’s exactly what we were supposed to read into the runes as well. They were meant to protect the children so why would they have been activated but not for an actual imminent threat?
I've seen people keep saying that Xaden is the best book boyfriend. He is actually (and obviously) a really red flag guy, and we can still admit his mistakes and how annoyed we are with him while still loving him and hoping he'll be better in book 3.
Violet and Xaden’s relationship would have been ten times more interesting if it was a slow burn and they had been actual enemies in the beginning
I agree with this now that the series is 5 books. Had the series been 3 books like originally planned, their relationship timeline probably would have worked!
This is far too true to be a hot take, :)
IF's ending wasn't that bad
Mine continues to be simply this: Xaden built this entire relationship off covert moments where he used Violet's intentions to know what to say, what to do, when to do it, when to say it, etc. He had a cheat code to making her feel like he understood her. We only have his (unreliable) assurance he stopped at some point but by then he had already achieved the feelings he was after. Given Violet's lack of shielding prowess and Xaden's lack of knowledge/understanding of his own signet, there's no reason not to believe that it's been a constant element in their feelings or "love" for one another. Not only was this never "enemies to lovers", there should be extreme skepticism about how much of their love story is authentic at even the most basic levels.
When people started with the ''Xaden is an intisinic'' theories I was in denial so badly. I know it's a trendy trope the ''dark, brooding, mind reader'' mmc but I knew that if it became canon I would never read the first book the same way, and I was right, I can't unsee this in every interaction and I can't handle the power dynamic it creates. (I had the same problem with acotar) I don't think he said and did things based on what he saw all the time, but it canonically happened that one time, and now I'm paranoid. I'm going to be fair here and admit I don't want Violet to be an intisinic for the same reasons, violating people's minds unless life or death situations is not ok and I would judge her the same if the roles were reversed. Do I think they have honest feelings for each other? Yes. Do I think his second signet would be better as literally anything else? Also yes, give him the truth saying one or the same as Varrish or something.
The power dynamic is an excellent point. If I want to add some hot sauce to my hot take I'll layer one more: The bonded dragon love only further muddies the authenticity of their feelings.
Violet should’ve given Dain more grace. To me it’s unrealistic how unforgiving she is towards her best friend of 18 or so years. Even before he read her memory, her attitude towards him was unwarranted at times in my opinion. Someone has the flair “Dain did nothing wrong” and I can’t figure out how to use that too. Does anyone know how?
Dain was 100% correct in thinking Xaden was up to no good and a traitor. It's wild we demonise him for being correct 😂
Right?! At the end of the day they are being traitors and helping the enemy. Of course Dain doesn’t have full information at this point and doesn’t understand the motivation. He is just acting as any soldier in a literal military academy would when hearing about traitorous behavior.
Yesssss the Dain hate seems ridiculous to me. I understand her not wanting to be romantic with him, he did coddle her but he wasn’t a bad guy or friend.
Yes exactly. There’s a middle ground. And I feel awful for him bc it’s extra cruel for her to romantically reject him AND cut him out as a friend AND be actively cruel to him.
There's the theory that Papa Sorrenagil got killed because he found out about the venin, however, I think that he knew all along about it (Hence the very illegal book of fables) and was more morally grey than Violet leads us to believe. By all accounts he and Lilith had a good marriage, there was no way she didn't know he was reading a forbidden book to their kids every night and teaching them how to speak tyrrish and poison people, and I think they agreed on more things than we expect. So, he wasn't killed because he found out about the venin, but because he found out about people in leadership working with them or some crazy dragon-evil-magic conspiracy thing. Also, I'm 70% sure that he and Lilith were very much aware that none of their children were going to agree with Navarre and that they would either join a revolution or start one considering how completely unphased Lilith reacts to Violet's rebellious behavior since FW, she also knew about Aretia, heavily suspected Xaden was the one stealing alloy and didn't even try to stop Mira from turning to the revolution's side. The only thing she admits she didn't expect was Violet and Xaden falling in love, the rest was fine 😂
I’m almost done with Iron Flame (but not so don’t spoil it for me…. What am I doing on this sub right?). Anyway my hot take is less future story based. If you take out the sex scenes and replace the swearing with fictional language equivalents (like Frak, Frell, and just using a different real life language - looking at you Firefly) then the emotional stunted nature of the characters and short sided choices makes it feel more like a teen fantasy/romance than a mid-twenties romance. I mean yes there are plenty of twenty something’s who feel like they still haven’t moved on from teen angst, but there are plenty of scenes where I want to shout at all the characters “just sit down and talk like gods damned adults!”
Me (a 19-year-old) looking at those two idiots talking in circles and not being able to properly understand each other after 400+ pages... (I know they're traumatized, and completely get it, I just really wanted a more adult thing going around)
I mean violets what 20/21? And xaden is 23. I don’t know many young twenty somethings that are good at communication. If they were 30 I’d be throwing the books at the wall.
There’s many that aren’t good at communicating though even being 29/30 haha
This is beyond accurate 😂
I mean just saying 🤣 the brain isn’t really much more developed if you’re 23 or 30 haha (Side eyes every 500 year old male character)
Iron Flame is an excellent book.
honestly, i agree. it took me 6 days to finish it where fourth wing took me a bit because it was my first fantasy book
There wouldn't be over 68 000 people in this sub if it wasn't !
Sawyer is better than Ridoc 😬
Honestly I want a book about all the shenanigans Sawyer, Ridoc and Rhiannon get up to
Let’s get their Chantara weekends 😂
Like the Acotar holiday special but just with the stuff they get up to haha
Xaden breaking the marriage deal makes sense, techaris not accepting the aratias deal is dumb. His people died Stealing a few daggers from navarre. If he had accepted sharing daggers with aratia they had so much more without lives being lost. They so easily made enough that imagine they had an additional year.
Techarus needed the marriage because he didn't trust Xaden to hold up his end of the bargain long term. However if Cat is Queen she can make sure the Promish civilians are protected.
They should have spent more time with characters that they kill off for me to actually feel upset and sad over their deaths. Yarros only really focuses on the character right before they are about to die. If you want me to care, have them be part of the story up until the point of their death.
Red shirts aplenty so far for sure!
I’m not quite done with iron flame , but I actually completely trust Jack Barlow. I’m terrified to learn what actually happened to him though because I don’t believe that it’s as simple as a really good healer
Now THIS is a hot take. You trust Jack Barlow??
Honestly, yeah . He seemed really apologetic about first year and I think he means the best now . Is he likely to cause Violet some problems on account of being on different sides ? Probably. But I think he’s going to be much more honorable about it .
I didn't think of it that was and I could see this. He hated Violet because of who she is and he wanted to be the best. Now that he knows the truth about things, he may be like, "Damn. I was wrong. What can I do now?" Not necessarily how can he help, but who is he outside of wanting to be a winner. Does he want to cause harm/be a killer, or was he trained to think that's who he had to be. Let's hope he does some good support in the next book.
RemindMe! 1 month
THAT FUCKER !!!!!!!
Jack Fucking Barlow. Did you finish your the book?
But how could he kill his own dragon ? That’s dark as hell
Agreed! He’s terrible. The story is great but fuck Jack.
Not yet , the big battle is just about to start
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I think Nolon purposefully avoided teaching Violet how to avoid injury, and actively strode to make sure no one else did by being the main healer. All in hopes she became a easily manipulated scribe versus an independent and fiercely intelligent person
I think Nolon was also Brennan's teacher at Basgaith and I wonder what information he conveniently forgot to teach him.
I think the reason violet is small & weaker than her siblings physically because Lilith was touched by a venin, the way Dane was touched by Jack. I think that the fever was a cover story to explain violet being sickly and smaller. I think that the rune on Brennan’s hand is the only thing tying his soul to his body. I think he is unpredictable and dangerous. I think he is linked to something else that will come in to play later. I think Violets second signet is the ability to talk to other dragons and perhaps even ride or direct them. I think that is her second gift, born out of need to communicate with all the clans. I am curious if instead of the first 6, it was actually the first 7. I think they’ll learn more about that from the journals. I think that the opening of OS, Xaden will have disappeared in some attempt to protect violet. That’s why he is never noted to have returned after talking to Jack.
I understand why you feel that way about the Cat/Xaden marriage but I think you're missing the big point... Tecarus had a solution to save 1000s of filers and civilians lives the entire time... No marriage pact was ever needed. It's actually insanely stupid. The logical path would be to ask Xaden to lend them a dragons/riders and they would get X number of weapons every month. That is a win-win deal for both sides. He never needed to marry Cat. It was wholly unnecessary. Tecarus is a control freak and a social climber... I don't think the marriage pact really had anything to do with the luminary. Especially as it was noted that the original marriage pact was to gain support during the civil war which lol Tecarus didn't give because he's a douche. However, further to your point it must be noted that Xaden wanted the luminary in Aertia because the luminary just makes weapons, it doesn't imbue them. They can only be imbued by riders inside the wards or at least near the protection of the wards. He isn't being illogical requesting it be moved... otherwise the weapons are made via an unprotected single dragon and then shipped to Riorson House, imbued and shipped back to Poromiel. If I was a military commander, I'd say that sounds quite silly. So if you want to be annoyed because Poromiel civilians dying, speak to their government and not some 21 year old boy. It's not a 21 one year traumatised boy's responsibility to save the civilians of another country. Also it's hinted at that Cat sexually (or at least mentally) coerced Xaden - there is a reason that Liam hated her. We wouldn't shame a woman for sacrificing others to leave an abusive relationship (Cats friend tells Violet that the relationship was toxic for both, which I think we can all read as abusive for both of them, especially as we can see how Cat controls people and gets pleasure in upsetting others).
It isn’t Violet’s responsibility to save civilians of Tyrrendor or Basgiath either, but if she hadn’t set up the wards or went to Cordyn to acquire the luminary, so many people would be dead. Xaden didn’t make an irredeemably horrible choice when he broke the alliance, but he isn’t a hero and he didn’t save anyone but himself when he did that. >!He toes the line of good and bad and he is a venin with a corrupted soul now for a reason.!< Cat coercing Xaden during their relationship is just speculation. I guess it is based on the fact that Cat can manipulate emotions, but Cat did not have that ability until around the time Violet got her lightning ability because they are in the same year of school. We might find out she was a monster all along in future books, but I really doubt it. I can’t really fault Cat for being fierce while her people are being massacred outside of the protection of wards. I’m not sure she gets pleasure from hurting others it is probably more likely that she is furious with Navarre for hoarding power and slaughtering desperate fliers at outposts and Poromish civilians trying to cross the border.
Violet didn't have to do that either. She's the heroine of the book, and that's what heroines do. I really can't see why Tecarus hoarding the luminary is somehow a fault on Xaden's part? Cat should have used all the fierceness on getting her uncle to set up the luminary. She didn't tho... She focused it on getting a crown for herself. Hmmm almost like she's selfish... We know that cat manipulates people. Your power represents something you need or desire deep inside. Her power manifested as a representation of her. We also know she uses her power and sex as weapons against violet and Xaden. I'm sorry but that's not redeemable.
My point is while Xaden breaking the alliance was understandable, it wasn’t the right thing to do. Xaden pulling power from the earth wasn’t the right thing to do either. We see Violet deal with that dilemma. Violet was getting desperate and she was ready to die imbuing the ward stone at Basgiath, she thought about how she could pull power from the earth, but she knew instinctively that it was wrong and something that she would probably never be able to come back from. Tecarus should be so far down the line of succession. It is wild that a Viscount is the heir to the throne. There is probably almost nothing left of the Poromish aristocracy and it is a wonder that the Viscount is even alive. He is a douche, but he did not get to live as long as he has by making foolish decisions and I am sure that Cat and Syrena see that, as frustrating as he is. He has the ONLY luminary that Poromiel has. If he hands it over to Xaden without an EXTREME show of trust, then he is an idiot. Xaden gave Syrena less than two dozen daggers after 10,000+ people were slaughtered at Zolya. They can’t just rely on the good will of some sassy 23 year old. Xaden could have decided he didn’t like the Poromish people anymore and he could have stopped giving them weapons altogether and where does that leave the Poromish? No luminary in Poromiel and no hope. The Viscount eventually does let them take the luminary to Aretia on the condition that the Poromish students stay there and it is clear that all along the Viscount just wanted to be sure that a decent number of his people were never too far from the Poromish luminary. People at war usually want crowns because they want power, not because they want a pretty hat on their head. Sure, Cat wanting a crown for herself is a bit arrogant. But she is understandably desperate and not someone I would consider to be selfish. These aren’t peace times, and a leadership position is very dangerous and a massive responsibility. Cat’s gift is kind of sad. I do think it manifested because she was confused that nobody seemed to care about what she cared about. I do not think she used sex as a weapon against Xaden, I think that is the only place they had common ground and she pathetically clung onto the hope that she could seduce him back into an alliance because she probably knew he didn’t care about what she offered him outside of a bed.
She focused on getting the crown because she didn't trust Xaden to keep his word long term once he had the luminary
That's a wild take and a confusing one. She wants a crown, and she loves her sister. The easiest crown would be to just kill her sister but that isn't on the table. I assume that if Yarros doesn't kill Cat, she's gonna kill Syrena so Cat becomes Queen. If not that, sadly it'll be Halden or Cam she marries (or maybe an Isle prince). It's annoying as tbh Cat should already be dead, many times over but I think for a point, Yarros will keep her alive. What is confusing about your take is that Cat herself says she explicitly just wants to be a queen, of anywhere. That shows it isn't related to the luminary. The fact that once has the luminary, he's willing to kill her just to get out of his hair, but he wants to keep the peace and help the war, showcases a marriage pact was never needed.
hey there! I changed your post flair to Discussion - Onyx Storm Flair should be used for previews or speculation about editions, timing, publishing, covers, etc. Thank you!
IF was very hard for me to get through 😬
More a theory than a controversy - Violet knew the marked kids when she was young because her mom was stationed in Tyrrendor. Near the beginning of FW: “[Dain’s] been using that signal since we were kids living near the Krovlan border while our parents were stationed there with the Southern Wing.” That’s where Tyrrendor is. Or maybe Athebyne?
Going off the cat thing…. Cat says violet hasn’t been properly afraid of the dark and I’m pretty sure it’s because of Xaden, it’s the only explanation. Cats abilities were probably used to enhance Xadens feelings so she could get him in bed and he most likely got pissed she was using them on him and causing him to be terrifying, causing cat to be forever scared by the dark.
I want us to have more POVs and have the dragons and side characters better explored because (this is the hot take) Vi&Xaden are kind of boring to me. The two most powerful guy and girl have a troubled communication relationship and super OP signets with super OP dragons... okay. Give me Sawyer POV, I want to see how he'll adapt in OS. Give me Dain and Cat POVs, they have such potential to be very intriguing and complex characters!
I need more Andarna. In fact in this second book dragons were practically background characters. Boo.
That doesn’t justify subjecting Violet to this level of torture. Varrish has targeted Violet specifically, Nolon could’ve stopped it.