I was trying to follow a specific reading order but I clearly did not check the reading order before continuing the series after the 3rd book. I was supposed to read “The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac” Series next before moving onto the novellas for this series but completely skipped those before moving on so I have thrown all plans out the window.
I am not too upset by this because I feel like if I deviated away from the main series at this point in time I would struggle to keep going. I am interested in this series but the writing isn’t as great as I would like to see so I am scared that reading a separate series between would make it hard for me to find the motivation to return, especially because it is 5 total books before I can come back and I can really only get 4-5 books done a month realistically.
So maybe all this was a happy accident?
“If only real life bullies could be hot, brooding men with dark back stories who worked through their inner demons for the sake of true love.”
Spoilers are ahead if you have not read the books up till this point! Proceed with caution.
About The Book
Author: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Publisher: Kings Hollow
Published Date: August 30th, 2021
Page Count: 534 Pages
Main Genre: Romantasy
GoodReads Rating: 4.10
Format: E-Book
Synopsis
The Vega twins are alive.
Those five words circle in my mind like an oncoming storm. They change everything about the future we thought had been set in stone. They challenge everything we were raised to be and the stability of the entire kingdom.
They’re coming to our academy looking for the life that was stolen from them, but we can’t let them take it back.
So much hangs in the balance and we can’t risk the arrival of two naïve princesses destroying everything we worked so hard for.
I have trained in dark magic, overcome all challenges and stood in the shadow of Lionel Acrux for far too long already. I won’t let them come between me and his downfall.
Which means they have to go before they discover how powerful they truly are.
This is a retelling of the first book in the Zodiac Academy series from the point of view of Orion and the Heirs and should be read after you have finished the original story. It includes scenes from alternative points of view as well over 50k words of additional content and scenes which have never before been revealed. So prepare to step into the dark minds of the Zodiac boys and watch out for the heartbreak and carnage that will ensue.
“But just as the stars ripped me into their grasp, I thought of her. The girl with the fire in her soul and the power to destroy all I was. When the stars spat me back out of their embrace, I didn’t find myself in my own room. I found myself in hers.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this book as I was worried I would be reading 500 pages of a book I had already finished. I was pleasantly surprised that this book added a ton of new information to build upon from the first book in this series. It also gave us more insight into what the boys were actually thinking while doing all of these horrible things to the girls. This book felt really necessary for character development.. Without this book I think I would hate the Heirs for all eternity..
Darius and Orion are for sure my favorite male characters in this series and with each and every additional book I read they only get better! I normally don’t love miscommunication in books but I think it works well here cause the boys can’t really tell the Vegas how they feel due to their horrible circumstances. So yes, this may be a slow burn romance, but I think it will truly pay off in the end.
Overall, This series only keeps getting better as I go and I can not wait to see where it goes!
“Fuck, if her hate makes me this savage, one drop of her love would corrupt me to my core.”
Everyone says once you read book three in this series you will know if you want to DNF the series or continue on. I had some conflicting feelings about book three up until the end and here I am now currently reading the 1.5 book The Awakening: As Told By The Boys. I am following a reading order I found on Tiktok and so far I am glad I am doing that. Who knows if i will read all 20+ books in this expansive world but so far it seems like a trainwreck I can’t stop watching.
“Everyone knows, Karmas a bitch. And today her name was Tory Vega”
The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse. But when finding the truth, don’t let the shadows take you.
The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen’s lives pure hell as they prepare to take their fateful assessment.
With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, Tory and Darcy have more to worry about than just passing their exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer…
I would like to start off by first saying that these first three books could have been one maybe two books. Stretching it through three books was ridiculous. We hardly passed through any time, The world building was added upon but I don’t see why it wouldn’t have fit into two books and also I felt like the character growth was minimal and honestly I didn’t find I was liking one character more than another throughout the three books. Normally in a series I find that the characters grow on me as we go, but I still feel pretty indifferent about each character in this series.
I struggled through the first 50% of this book. Much like my review for the second book I didn’t feel like we saw a lot of growth with them working on their powers, I felt like they just kept getting lucky when the time was needed to use them. This could be due to the small amount of time that seems to pass between the three books, yet they somehow pass the reckoning with flying colors. I want to see the character and power growth and not see them just be lucky cause they are the chosen girls. I did like that they know they are stronger together and can pull more power and control when linked to one another so that was a bit of growth I saw. I am hoping that now that they know their order forms they can actually focus on their powers and we can see them learn more.
Regarding the power and magical system in this book, it feels way to convenient. I feel like these Fae can do really anything they desire with their power and it just feels way too OP. I would like to see some more struggles, but maybe this is only because we follow the perspectives of the most powerful Fae in all of Solaria. It just makes it less fun in my eyes if they can do anything and everything their heart desires with their powers. Like other than the power being drained when being used, what hinders them?
These girls being Phoenixes makes a ton of sense but damn… Can’t they be two different orders? I get that they are identical twins but again I want some difference between the girls! Why have two characters when they are the exact same people besides a few personality characteristics. It would make it much more interesting to follow if we have some more differences. It all comes down to convinces again, probably much easier to write.
The writing and grammar was still not great in this third book either. I seriously hope these errors start getting better or at least less noticeable. It is kinda sad haha.
I gave this book a three and a half vibe star rating so clearly all my thoughts can’t be negative right? Lets talk about the things I did enjoy!
Darius and his family are all dragons except for his brother who happens to be the cutest dang Pegasus to ever live. This was an interesting mix due to his father being so ruthless, everyone bends at his will yet he now has a son who he views as lesser than. This is heartbreaking to see but causes character growth in Darius as you now see some of his motivations to making the girls leave. He needs to protect his brother! The scene where Tory finds out about this was probably my favorite scene in the whole book! She finally let down her guard and had fun and then she acted in the most humane way when she did find out about the Pegasus form and it made me excited to see where this would go in the future.
The love triangles still get on my nerves but I am hopeful for some resolutions. We got to see more chapters from Darius and Caleb and got to hear more of their inner monologues which made the love triangles less annoying. This is a serious slow burn and I think I am mostly annoyed because I am dying to see where this all goes! The boys are truly going to snap soon! Darius has a Temper and he seems to be Territorial!
I guess this is me saying I like the Boys more than I like the girls lol. The boys have the most character growth in my eyes and they are way more interesting as they are all different to one another. They seem to bounce off each other really well even when they are butting heads, they can set aside their issues for one common goal. Even if their one common goal of destroying these girls gets muddled by the interesting lust they seem to have for them.
The ending to this book when we found out about the Dragon Lord’s, Lionel, desires to wield the shadows was what really interested me. I knew he was bad but this actually made sense to me. This made me excited to keep reading the series as I need to know how the girls are going to handle this situation. Everyone thinks their memories were erased but they know everything… This puts them in an interesting predicament and it will be fun to see how they handle it. I think it may frustrate me as well because we finally saw the boys care about these girls and now we might go back to the unwavering hatred. I am exhausted, too many emotions!
I will see you for my next review seeing how I can’t put down these books… Hopefully we see some higher ratings coming later down the road.
“There are countless people who would say I’m not allowed to want you,” Darius breathed. “But you make me want to burn the whole world down so that I can claim you for my own.”
I only finished the first book in the last few days of 2024 and here I am devouring up the second book! This is the first book I finished in 2025 and honestly not a bad one to kick my year off with.
In 2025 I am trying to have a vibes rating and a Dynamic rating that averages out 5 different scores based on characters, plot, writing, world Building and overall enjoyment. This Dynamic rating will help me try and dissect my reading a bit more and ultimately force me to pay more attention to the books I am reading. Honestly, I tend to forget most of what I just read shortly after finishing a book and I would love for that to not be the case. So in my reviews Going forward my ratings may look a bit different and this is why.
“Poor little rich boy, all his pretty things are gone.”
They tried to break us. They almost did. But we’re not going anywhere.
The Celestial Heirs think the stars are on their side. But they don’t know what’s coming. Fighting them one on one isn’t an option so we have to be stealthy. Remaining under the radar won’t be easy, but if we pull it off, they’ll never suspect our involvement when their lives start falling apart.
Besides, they’ve already taken us to the brink of hell, what more can they really do?
Much like the first book this one had some writing and Grammar errors that were clearly noticeable. I feel like this could be due to how quickly the books seemed to be released or what but these two things really brought my Dynamic rating down.
I do think this second book did a great job at building the world and magic system even further which made it even easier to get into and enjoy which really helped my Vibe ratings for this book sky rocket!
In this book we started to get additional POV’s every so often from the four Heirs and Orion which I thought was a nice touch. It helped add some humane aspects to the characters that we had really been missing from just the twins POV’s. This may have done good for their characters but when thinking about characters in my dynamic rating this also hindered them. I think in this second book especially that the characters motives were getting very confused and I understand they are meant to be morally gray and are only doing what their parents told them to do but the believability of their characters went quite a bit down for me. That is till the end with Darius, if any of the heirs have a decent character growth in this book it would have to be Darius. This is probably because we seemed to interact with him more than the other Heirs and got more of his POV and family back story but his motivations and desires didn’t seem to contradict one another as much as lets say Caleb’s did.
Caleb started off strong in this book as being the first POV we get and how he was wrestling with the idea that he in some way caused harm to his source, Tory, Even if he wasn’t the one who actually tried to drown her or even the one who stole her deepest fear, he was there cheering on his buddies and didn’t stop them from causing her harm. This goes against his Vampire code. He seems to truly care about Tory but yet he still goes out of his way to cause her distress at times and because we don’t see his POV often it makes me question his character a lot. I am just not convinced of who this man is and what his true motivations are.
In this book the twins are out for revenge against the Heirs for trying to make their lives an actual living Hell, but because they can’t control their powers they have to resort to spreading rumors, stealing items and burning down one of their rooms, Giving one of them fleas and then last but not least causing severe rashes due to Gryphon poop. During this book I felt this all was pretty childish and didn’t really enjoy their ideas of payback. But the end of the book it all really came together and I didn’t hate it. I just really wished we could have seen them get back with their powers more and focus a bit harder on harnessing their untapped power, like let this nonsense actually motivate you to unleash your birth right.
The first book did a great job of taking us from class to class to learn about their powers but I felt like we were missing a lot of this book. We did see Tory and Darius finally work on her fire power close to the end of the book but I honestly hoped for more active growth and not just situational growth. I want these girls to prove to me that they want to be here!
The romance in this book is truly a slow burn! We did get more spicy scenes but not enough to make me happy lol! I was kicking my feet and screaming when Orion finally kissed Darcy though! But man oh man do these girls have problems ahead of them… Caleb and Darius may just fight to the death over Tory. As for Darcy I think her and Orion are pretty spot on, this thing with Seth will probably blow over real quick, at least I hope.
We finally got to see a pitball match and honestly I love it! I think they did such a great job coming up with such a fun game to learn about! I hope we see them play in pitball soon!
There are somethings in these books that drive me crazy like Faebook (Facebook), Faeonic Plague (Bubonic Plague), or even the teachers names, their names are all pretty obvious when it comes to their element like washer is the water teacher, Pyro is the fire teacher, Astrum was the astrology teacher. Idk I would have liked to see more creativity when it came to these names.
Overall, the vibes were there so I gave it a 4 star vibe rating just like the first. I can get past the issues I have with the books and just see them as fun and laughable. I am very intrigued and am excited to see where the series goes.
“To hate you, I’d have to care about you. And I don’t give one shit about you,”
I had no desire to start this series. I had mostly heard negative things regarding this series and if I am being honest the covers were just not pulling me in. I decided to pick this first book up only because one of my favorite book sellers in Utah, Lovebound Library, Posted that their owner picked it up and really enjoyed it. I was influenced by her recommendation and honestly, I am so glad that I was! I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would have.
“The most important thing I’d learned in life? You can’t trust people. And you especially can’t trust boys with wicked smiles and equally wicked intentions.”
You have been selected to attend Zodiac Academy, where your star sign defines your destiny.
If you’re one of the Fae, elemental magic is in your blood. And apparently it’s in ours. As twins born in the month of Gemini, we’re a rare breed even in this academy of supernatural a-holes.
Changelings were outlawed hundreds of years ago but I guess our birth parents didn’t get the memo. Which means we’re totally unprepared for the ruthless world of Fae.
Air. Fire. Water. Earth.
No one has ever harnessed all four of them, until we arrived. And it hasn’t made us any friends so far.
As the rarest Elementals ever known, we’re already a threat to the four celestial heirs; the popular, vindictive bullies who happen to be some of the hottest guys we’ve ever seen. It doesn’t help that they’re the most dangerous beasts in the Academy. And probably on earth too.
Our fates are intertwined, but they want us gone. They’ve only got until the lunar eclipse to force us out and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.
We never knew we had a birthright to live up to but now that we do, we intend to claim our throne.
We can’t expect any help from the faculty when it comes to defending ourselves. So if the dragon shifters want some target practice, the werewolves want someone to hunt or the vampires fancy a snack then we have to be ready. But we’ve been looking after each other for a long time and fighting back is in our blood.
In no way was this book perfect. I found many grammatical errors and I am not someone who is really great with grammar in the first place, so it was clearly pretty obvious.
The writing was fun and kept me really engaged in the story line but I wouldn’t say the writing was good. I honestly struggled having the two girls POV’s as I definitely liked one more than the other and honestly I didn’t know the different between the two girls for half the book. Especially cause they have mortal names and Fae names which got used interchangeably.
With those main concerns out of the way I would like to point out that I had a great time reading this book! I think the world is fairly easy to grasp. It would be even easier if I, myself knew more about the zodiacs and star signs but even without that I can grasp the magic system which is great! I really love how each person gets an elemental power based on their Zodiac and a specific order based on their blood lines that comes with its own power. It does seem like a lot is going on in this magic system but not overly complicated.
I think the twins, Darcy and Tory, are decent characters, but honestly I am more interested in the outside characters such as the Heirs, Orion and even their friends Sofia and Diego. I think the girls have a ton of growing to do and I would just like to see more of the outside characters POV’s so I can better grasp what’s going on around us. I guess it is a good thing that we have many more books left to go in this series haha.
With what I mentioned above, there are so many characters to keep track of. Not only are you learning everyone’s names, you also have their star signs, order forms and elemental powers all thrown at you and it feels near impossible to remember all of this information. You do get reminded about them as the story goes but man oh man is it dumping a ton of info into our brains!
I feel like I can easily predict what is going to happen next in the books which I thought would bug me but honestly it is making the book move faster as I am excited to get to the plot twists. This is especially true with the love interests. I feel like I know exactly who these two are going to end up with but it is giving slow burn vibes all while trying to throw us off of that track. I am dying to get into the romance in this book but I can tell that the slow burn is going to pay off!
I feel like this review felt negative in nature but honestly I had a blast reading this book, so much so I finished it in two days! It reads really quickly and kept me engaged. The way the book ended had me dying to pick up the second book as well which I think are all good signs! If you can get past the not so great writing I think you’ll enjoy the book!
“Tears never did anyone any favours, but sometimes they just needed to fall.”
I, much like many other book enthusiasts, am obsessed with the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros. I have read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame twice in the last year and have came up with theories for the upcoming books, along with taking note from many other readers theories. So I have decided to put my thoughts on the page before Onyx Storm is released to see how many of my thoughts were accurate. I’ll probably make a new post after my Onyx Storm read with more up to date thoughts as well.
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with any of these as I would love to have more conversations surrounding this amazing series!
Disclaimer: I have seen many theories on Tiktok and Instagram over the last year. There is no way I can remember all the people who have talked about these theories. Most of these theories I have heard multiple creators discussing so I am unsure where the original thought may have came from.
Spoilers will be ahead so if you have not read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame please do not continue on.
These are Theories I discovered on my own before anyone else’s thoughts came to light. I am not claiming that I am the only one who has had these revelations just that I hadn’t personally heard them before I thought them.
Regarding the Name “Onyx Storm” for the Third Book
I have a few different thoughts on this. Most people think “Onyx” is regarding Xaden’s Onyx eyes, as Rebecca mentions this so many times throughout the books, but I don’t fully agree.
In Xaden’s Bonus chapter 16 he mentions that he can feel Tairns Onyx bond line. I think it is possible that “Onyx” is referring to Tairn and “Storm”, of course, is talking about Violet.
When Mira shows up at Aretia, her and Violet go and find the Wyvren Corpses and notice that they have an Onyx Stone with an intricate rune carved on them. We learn that this is how these Wyvren were created and controlled.
Chapter 2: Fourth Wing – Amber’s Irony
This is just a fun thing that I noticed upon my re-read.
At the End of Chapter two Violet literally has Jack Barlowe by the balls after he tried killing her on the Parapet. The redhead holding the Roll says –
“We don’t wait for trials around here. We just Execute.”
Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing Pg. 28
Well, as we learn later in the book, the red head is Amber, and how did Amber die? Oh that’s right, she helped first year cadets break into Violets room while Violet was sleeping so they could try and kill her! Xaden, with the help of Violets memories through Tairn, Gets her executed for not following the Codex. No trial, just execution!
Amber literally foreshadowed her own death in the second chapter of this book!
Violet and Xaden: Mating Bond
This one is a bit out there but it ties into something I will discuss later from other creators theories that I have heard.
We all know that Tairn and Sgaeyl have a mating bond which connects Tairn, Sgaeyl, Violet, and Xaden. However, Violet and Xaden both seem to be closely bonded. Xaden even saying that he has been hers since the first time he laid eyes on her.
We have heard about dragons having a mating bond in the past but no one has ever said that those dragon’s riders get this close of a bond to one another. Meaning that maybe this has never happened before.
Violet is having nightmares in Iron Flame about the Venin General, by the end of the book we realize the General was actually in Xadens dreams telling him he would turn for love. So somehow Violet was able to see his dreams. I think this is due to their own mating bond.
Violet and Xaden can’t seem to be apart for very long, much how they describe Tairn and Sgaeyl can’t stay apart from one other either due to the longing and need for their mated pair. In the third bonus chapter we received in the paperback version of Fourth Wing (Xaden’s POV to chapter 27) we find out that he wasn’t dragged to Montserrat by Sgaeyl cause she needed to be near Tairn, it was actually because Xaden couldn’t stand to be far from Violet.
To piggy back off that last thought these two are so horny it’s exhausting! They seem to get moody when they aren’t near one another and in good standing much like their dragons.
I feel like we all have bad vibes about this man, but upon my first read, I had a feeling that he had to be in cahoots with the Venin.
The Venin literally skipped over Cordyn, where he resides.
He just happens to have a ton of info compiled on the Venin? Sure he’s studying them but he knew an awful lot.
He told Violet if she stayed with him he could promise Violet and her family’s safety. How can you promise that unless you have some kind of deal with the Venin?
We know he collects rare and unique Items but we also know the Venin really want Violet alive. He could have just as easily traded her to them for a deal.
If he is playing a bigger part in this I feel like Cat would have no idea. So this could give us a further point of contention with Cat later in the series where she has to decide whose side she’s truly on.
Theories I Have Heard From Other Sources
These are going to be my thoughts on theories I have heard floating around on the internet; I’ll add if I agree or disagree and why. Honestly, a lot of my theories clash with one another so I know not all of these are going to hit the mark but I’m excited to see what we as a fandom got correct and what may have gone completely over our heads.
Brennan and Tairn – Naolin Betrayal
This one hurts to admit but I think Brennan and Tairn know a few more things than they are letting on, especially about Naolin. This theory is about how Naolin is actually alive because he turned Venin to save Brennan.
Brennan and Naolin were beyond close. In fact, it was pretty heavily implied that they had romantic feelings for one another, and as our Venin dream General has said: “You will turn for love.” I think that is exactly what happened with Naolin. He saw Brennan, the love of his life, dying and was unable to save him with his current supply of power so he pulled from the earth.
Tairn wasn’t really wanting to bond and they chalked that up to him still mourning the loss of his previous rider but honestly I think he was just feeling very betrayed.
This is a theory that I think is highly likely and if it is the case and Violet finds out she is going to feel very hurt and blindsided by two people she truly loves and trusts.
This brings me back to my first theory where Onyx Storm could be about Tairn and Violet and mainly focusing on their trust and overall bond. As we know Tairn hasn’t always been the most upfront with his information so it’s already a point of contention.
What would be worse to Violet is her brother withholding information… and as we’ve seen in the last two books, she doesn’t seem to handle being left out very well. This leads us to a different theory regarding her siblings (Please see A Sibling Betrayal for more info)
A Sibling Betrayal
People are pointing out that the original riders were siblings; one who bonded a Dragon, one who bonded a Gryphon, and one who took from the earth. People think that it is no coincidence that their are three Sorrengail Siblings and are drawing parallels.
People think that one of Violets siblings will betray her and end up working closely with the Venin, and possibly even turn Venin at some point.
I don’t want to believe this theory but the next one (The Orange Dragon Theory) made me waver on this decision. I think if any of her siblings were to turn against her it would probably be Brennan. As mentioned above, people (myself included) think that Naolin and Brennan were in love, and if Naolin is alive and is truly Venin then maybe Brennan has darker intentions….
What makes this one so hard to believe is the fact that Brennan has been alive trying to fight venin for the past 6 years! He does seem to be a bit of a stickler and not willing to spread his armies too thin to help innocent people but I think his intentions are for the best…
Maybe he truly is just trying to find a cure! And maybe he takes a wrong step or two, causing him to do some not-so-great things, but I don’t want to think he is capable of destruction.
Orange Dragon Theory
This actually stems from a pretty sound logic that all dragon colors match their riders intentions or rankings. Black dragons bond powerful people and likely leaders: Violet and Tairn, Melgren and Codagh. Blue dragons bond the most tutheless: Xaden and Sgaeyl. (Fun fact: Sgaeyl is described as a navy blue dragon. To get “navy” you mix black and blue)
Orange dragons are known to be unpredictable so the theory is that riders who have an orange dragon are likely to be bad people or have bad intentions.
Jack Barlowe bonded an Orange dragon (Baide) and we all knew he had ill intentions and turned Venin while in the College.
Varrish is Bonded to Solas and he clearly had ill intentions with his eyes set on Violet.
So who else of note has an orange dragon?
Amber
Amber was a strict rule follower but ended up being executed by Dragon fire for breaking the Codex. While not one of the worst people, she made an unpredictable, bad choice that brought her to her death.
Brennan
As mentioned above there is a theory that one of the siblings betrays Violet. Brennan having an Orange Dragon makes things a bit suspicious. I don’t think he will be a bad guy but I think he will make some questionable choices and ultimately become dangerously unpredictable.
Imogen
This one breaks my heart. I only recently heard this part of the theory so I haven’t had time to find the exact moments for this in my re-reads… but supposedly Imogen has used her memory erasing signet a few times on Violet already. In a few chapters, Violet says she woke up not remembering why she’s so sore and thinks it is probably due to the workout Imogen had her working on the day before. If this is truly the case I hope its for the good of Aretia and the revolution, and not for some deeper, darker reason…
Violets Second Signet
I personally have no clue what her second signet is but I have heard many thoughts on the topic. It could honestly be anything, but I do believe it will be some kind of “mental” power.
Rebecca Yarros has said that there is one line in Iron Flame that confirms her second signet, which is probably the most frustrating news I have heard, seeing as how we don’t have any real answers until Onyx Storm is released.
Truth Sayer
Violet has a thirst for the truth, she has been demanding the truth from everyone, especially Xaden, all throughout both books. This has caused a lot of issues between her relationships which gives a lot of strength to this second signet theory.
Compulsion
This to me is the weakest possible theory as compulsion would be an insane signet for her to have. Violet would be extremely over-powered if this was the case.
To back this theory up people quote Violet when she screamed “You Will Survive!” at the end of Iron Flame and then Xaden turned Venin so he could kill the Venin General.
Dream Walker
This is just a fun Second Signet that I was messing around with. I really don’t think this is the case for Violet but possible.
Violet was having dreams about the Venin telling her that she would turn for love but at the end of Iron Flame we learn that the Venin was actually visiting Xaden. So how did Violet see these dreams? (This goes with my Mating Bond Theory above.)
If it isn’t Violets second signet, it is possible this is a Venin Power and maybe the Venin was “Dream Walking” in both of their dreams. I am undecided on this but it feels important.
Strategist
Rebecca said that Violet’s second signet is kind of dull compared to some theories she has heard being tossed around. So I think this theory has a good leg to stand on.
This theory is basically saying that Violet has a need for information. When she has deduced things in the past, like when she discovered Xaden could have a second signet, she felt her gravity shift. This can easily be explained by the fact that maybe she felt a bit blind-sided, but she still had a physical feeling that deduced this information. She seems to always have the answers as she grew up to be a scribe.
I think her having a second signet that helps her deduce information quicker would fit her well. A Rider with a Scribe’s mind.
Dragon Born – Mother of Dragons
This theory is a bit out there but I’m not the only one who feels like it might be a possibility. I didn’t put this in as a possible second signet, as I am not sure it would classify as that since this power would have come before Threshing, even before she was born.
Dragon Born
This theory is basically stating that the cure Violet’s mother took when she was sick and pregnant with Violet was made with Dragon Egg shells and other Dragon related items, causing the discoloration of Violet’s hair and possibly even un-tapped power.
Mother Of Dragons
Basically Andarna states she waited 600 years to hatch; waiting for someone worthy of her power. It was as though it was a prophecy that needed to be fulfilled. Violet is a Rider with a Scribe’s mind who is the key to winning this war. Violet can talk to other dragons, Violet can do and say pretty much anything she would like and Tairn seems to allow it. Yes, he is still stern, but Violet almost always gets her way. So maybe she has the ability to bend the dragons’ will.
What Would Each of These Even Mean?
She was able to talk to Codah, who is the most powerful Dragon of the current times, and also a few other dragons throughout the two books; like the two green’s who could smell her dragon scale armor or Sawyer’s dragon when she was trying to save him in that last battle. This is crazy, as it is widely known that you are not supposed to speak to dragons whom you are not bonded too.
Some people say she is able to do this because the dragons have respect for her and Tairn. But why is that the case with the two green’s before Threshing then?
At the end of Iron Flame, when Xaden goes to pull power from the Earth, Sgaeyl shouts: “You cannot!. I chose you!”. In which Xaden in his mind says: “But Violet chose me, too.”
A Dragon chooses their rider, and this line from Xaden saying that ‘Violet also picked him’ and he ‘chose her over Sgaeyl’, leans into the “Dragon Born” Theory. Maybe she has a bit of dragon in her as well; she chose to love him and be by his side which sparked their own mating bond to be put into place. This part I haven’t heard anyone else really discussing so I could be wildly off the mark, but I think it’s interesting to think about.
Violet Dated Aaric’s Older Brother Halden
This is a plot point many people have been talking about for Onyx Storm. We know Violet has had a few love interests in her past, or at least a few friends with benefits, but we never got any names.
So when Aaric and Violet where in the Kings Wards trying to find the journals, Xaden got a little jealous! People think it would be interesting to have Aaric’s older brother Halden show up in the Third book as a past love interest who she finds comfort in while Xaden is off being Venin. This would spark some jealousy in Xaden, which is only fair seeing how we already read about his rendezvous with Cat. Plus, jelaous Xaden sounds kinda hot…
Why Halden?
Well as we learned Violet grew up around Aaric and his family due to her mom being closely aligned with the king. SO, it only makes sense that she knows Halden. But how much older is he than her? That’s the only thing holding me back from her having a past relationship with him… and I don’t see her sparking anything new up with how close her and Xaden actually are, despite their arguments. I’m not sure if this will really come to fruition, but it could make things pretty interesting.
Things I Absolutely Don’t Want
Dain to be a love interest (again).
Let this just be a rekindling of a friendship. Nothing more, please!
One of her dragons die.
If Tairn or Andarna dies in any of the upcoming books I will be devastated. If they keep more secrets.. fine, whatever, we can recover from that.. but one of them dying? No!
Losing someone in the Iron Squad!
If either Rhi, Swayer or Ridoc die.. I will be destroyed! I feel like I’m asking for a lot here with how crazy things are getting, but I can’t take any more heartbreak…
Xaden and Violet not being “end game”.
From what I’ve heard, Rebecca says Violet and Xaden are end game.. but I can’t be sure about that until we reach the end of the book. Please don’t break my heart completely!
Truth Sayer Second Signet
This second signet theory just feels too obvious to me and so it would bum me out if this was the case.
Violet’s dad being alive.
This is a theory I didn’t discuss above because I haven’t looked into it enough to know the details… but from what I have heard: people are speculating that her dad turned Venin due to the heartbreak of loosing Brennan.
If this is true I will be so upset. Violet has already dealt with so much with her family, and Brennan being alive was great, but the heartbreak of thinking he was dead for 6 years only to find out he was alive but never came for her is so sad… If her dad were to do this as well I am unsure I could forgive anyone in her family.
I don’t think this theory has a lot of ground to stand on. Her dad tried teaching her and prepping her for this future. He knew what was out there and what was coming for them. I couldn’t imagine him dedicating so much time to the cause for him to turn against all this. The scribes literally rewrote history but yet he kept the only book that spoke of Venin so history couldn’t be completely erased. Ugh, I’m upset just thinking about it.
Violet’s mom being a Venin.
This theory was more prominent before Iron Flame came out but I still hear it circling around.
People state that her mom was sick because she was Venin while she was pregnant with Violet. The evidence being the story of when she was a kid and her mom had red eyes from all the work and stress. That is a pretty easy way to turn that story around and make people think she isn’t Venin. But if she was Venin she would know the cure already cause she wasn’t Venin in these books as far as we can tell. So if she was cured, they wouldn’t have needed Nolan to “fix” Jack Barlowe.
This theory just feels like a stretch to me now that she is dead… I guess we will see.
Conclusion
These books mean the absolute world to me. I have not stopped thinking about them since the moment I read them last November. I have made so many of my friends and family read these books so I could have people to discuss them with. I think this series has really brought a lot of people together, so I am so thankful they exist and that I gave them a chance.
Coming up with theories has been an absolute blast! These books leave a lot of room to theorize, and with three more books to go, all I can say is that I am terrified! Please, Rebecca, don’t break our hearts!
I finished “Fourth Wing” The night before “Iron Flame” Released meaning I started this book practically hours after I had finished the first. If I didn’t have a vacation to be on this would have been finished last week, that is how fast I was flying through this book. Luckily I did have some decent layovers that did let me read bits and pieces at a time but I had too many distractions to be bale to finish till I came back home. Now that I have finished the book I don’t know if I even have words…
“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.”
Just as a warning this is quite a long review and overall deep dive into this book but I had a lot to say so I guess this was mostly for me to get all my burning thoughts out! I have provided a table of contents so you can skip to the parts you would like to spend time reading.
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.
Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.
Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.
But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.
Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
I have waited a few days to officially write my review so everything that happened could really sink in. I am excited to share my thoughts and theories even the completely unhinged ones. This is going to be a long and rocky review so buckle up and lets go!
I have heard a lot of people say that this book is not a literary master piece so why are we rating it so high? I agree this series has its flaws but the emotions this series pulls out of people and the attachments we have over these characters I feel like is the true reason it is rated so highly. If a book can get me to audibly gasp or physically cry there is no reason I would be rating this any lower than four stars, which I know is probably crazy to some people but ratings change from person to person and our reasons will probably never align and that is OK!
You are going to read these first few paragraphs and be in awe that I rated this book so high. But please don’t question my logic and mostly my feelings because I think this book was an integral part to the overall series and everything that happened in this book is going to be so important later on. So bare with me… Ok.. Here we go!
The beginning of this book had a lot of info dumping that we had to trudge our way through that honestly didn’t feel like it was going to have any kind of pay off in the end. It almost felt like this whole book was just going to be a transitional book so book three could be a huge battle, which honestly may not be wrong. However, the first part of the book walked so the second half could RUN! With that being said I have heard most people struggle reading this book till shortly after part two cause that’s where things really start to pick up maybe even just before part two begins..
In fact I wrote this in my storygraph notes (Scene where Mira finds out Brennan is alive just before part 2) ‘Page 360’ “Mira! I am so happy they are all together. I love that she punched him. Also I think the book could have ended here and been an ok transitional book into the third one with a big war but we shall see.” I just think this happy family reunion was a good stopping point but Rebecca was like “Hold my Drink, we are going for a ride!” And what a ride it was!
“Less than a minuet” , Xaden whispers. “That’s all it took for you to fall out of love with me.”
Xaden will forever be one of my favorite male characters in books. I love me a protective man even when Violet says “You are starting to sound like Dain” I mean how dare you compare Xaden to Dain… Insert eye roll. Xaden is the ultimate shadow daddy and this book confirmed that. I am honestly upset with how little he was in this book, clearly my favorite character and I hardly got any scenes with him!
Xaden tried so hard to love Violet and give her the time and space she needed and asked for but Violet was giving him nothing! This leads me to my next gripe. Is it just me or is Violet a very unlikeable character? I could be in the minority here but she drives me crazy!
‘Page 1’ “Mom and dad need to make up and have no more drama…ok? ok.” Like seriously I wish this was true but they were in a constant fight this whole book it felt like! I am rooting for them but damn I almost feel like Xaden deserves better, cause he really tries and I feel like Violet is just so stubborn but I mean would I be any better in her shoes?
‘Page 115’ “Girl…You shouldn’t be denying yourself any part of this man!!! Put that bed of his to good use!” I mean seriously if you don’t theres a million other woman who will, if you catch my drift.
‘Page 115’ “As a certified asexual I don’t need him to dick me down but damn a “fight for me” kind of man…😋”
‘Page 119’ “The miscommunication!!!! Everything is not your fault Violet but fucking up your relationship will be on you!! I am a Xaden Stan!”
Ok enough about how much Violet drives me crazy, let’s move on to more important things.
The Big Twists
Trying to avoid spoilers for this book was so hard and as I am writing this I can now see that I am a part of that problem… Oops.
I knew someone died at the end, even without spoilers you could have assumed this was going to happen. But for me it was because of my boyfriend, he decided to read the last chapter of the book (Nothing more) and by his reaction I just knew someone died and he was like “yup but I will not tell you who.” So during the book I would randomly be like “oh no, please don’t tell me it was Rhi…” or “Oh shit! Brennan doesn’t die does he?” Well, Noah stood strong, never giving me a single hint at who dies.
I get to the end and who dies? Oh yeah, her mother! Like what? Lilith wasn’t even on my radar of someone dying, meaning I didn’t think I would care if she died and man oh man was I wrong! Talk about Literal tears!
Lilith was 80% a bad guy to me. I figured she might turn good at some point but I saw her as a horrible mother until the middle of this book when she helped Violet escape and then the end where you can see under her tough shell is a mother who just cares about her children.
With all that said Liams death in “Fourth Wing” still hit me harder but this is a close second! (Surprisingly)
Speaking of Liam, I was so happy to see him in this book. His death really tore me apart because I loved his character. Reading this book gave me hope that we may be able to see him / hear from him more in the next few books. This makes me beyond curious to know what part he will play in the rest of this series.
The next thing that shocked me to my core was Xaden Turning into a Vennin! How could Rebecca do this to us?! Of course, the answer to that is for the plot. But what a way to break my heart! As mentioned above Xaden is why I am reading this series so god forbid something happens to him!
I mean look at that face, I was shook! I am honestly so scared for him in the upcoming book(s). I don’t know if my heart can take much more! He has had one rough go at life and he deserves to finally be happy.
“Welcome to our fucked up family. Guess we’re brothers now.”
Jack Being alive almost caused the destruction of my book. I was not ok! She killed him! How in the world could he possibly be alive?!
But what really stung was the fact that he was Vennin! What? How? When? Where? Why? I have so many questions and so little answers. Especially when he said we are already among you… now on my next re read I will be paying attention to every single character! I gotta hunt them all down!
“Was.” My gaze tracks Dain as he walks around the mat to Professor Emetterio. “He was my best friend.” For fifteen years, there was no one closer. I’d thought he was going to be my everything.”
In my “Fourth Wing” review I wrote “Dain has two fates he either dies or they make up and he joins the forces. God I hope they kill him! Traitor!!!!” Well it looks like he joined the forces. I honestly don’t know how to feel about him, I know I don’t trust him but he almost makes you want to give him a chance. But yet he is still Trash! He has a few more books to make it through and if I were him I would be counting my days!
God forbid Rebecca gives him a chance with Violet next book. That just might kill me.
Theories I Can Hop On Board With
***I have heard this various times on TikTOk I unfortunately don’t know who said what now with the millions of theories I have listened too. ***
Violets Second Signet is either Time Travel or A Direct bond with Malek
Andarna is a god of dragons
Liliths love of her life isn’t Violets dad (More of this on my own Theories where I add onto this in an unhinged way)
Violets Lightning is actually raw power so she can manipulate her power in more ways than she thinks
Violet can dream walk. (Her dreams with the Sage)
The marked ones mark is actually an extra power or a boost in power because a dragon gave them the mark and dragons only give marks as powers. The size of the relic represents their power. (Kayleigh Tiktok) I agree with this because why else would they be able to block out Melgrens power if they are in groups more than 3? This way they have a way to still go under the radar if needed. That is a blessing in of its self and the dragons don’t seem to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Theories I Don’t Love
***I have heard this various times on TikTOk I unfortunately don’t know who said what now with the millions of theories I have listened too. ***
Tairns previous rider was the one Lilith was secretly in love with
Violets dad is the leader of the vennin
Violet is inntinnsic
Liam Comes Back
Violets mom is vennin
Violet is vennin because Nolon was constantly healing her as she grew up, I don’t believe this because in the book she has a “Dream” with the vennin sage who said you will turn to save the one you love or die togetehr.
My Theories
Heads up. My theories are a bit out there so many of you may not agree but What If?
You can watch my Tiktok Theory Video to hear my exact thoughts and comment to see other peoples opinions as well.
My First theory is that the love of Lilith’s Life is actually Fenn Riorson… Yep you heard that correctly!
I think that Lilith has been helping the Rebellion the whole time and in the midst of it all she fell in love with Fenn Riorson. When in the end he became the very thing he despised, Vennin. On page 620 we read.
“We have tried every method we know of, as you requested. There is no cure. There is only Control.”
-Missive from Lieutenant Colonel Nolon Colbersy to General Lilith Sorrengail
I think she could have been trying to save him instead of killing him because he was the key to protecting not only the continent but most importantly her kids, which was her soul mission in life.
Why else would she entrust Xaden to protect Violet when she entered the war college? She had to know deep down Xaden would protect her at all cost and do the right thing for the marked ones, the continent and of course Violet.
Of course she could have been using the serum to heal Violets dad instead which is a possibility but I just don’t believe it. or I guess I don’t want to believe it if it is true.
My Second Theory is maybe a bit more believable than the first.
I believe that the leader of the Vennin is Xadens mom.
All we know is that she left him at a young age and he hardly knew her. I think she could have been vennin before he was born and so Xaden already has Vennin blood inside of him meaning maybe he is a direct line to the vennin thrown. This is why the leader of the Vennin is searching for him so hard.
I also believe this is why when Violet was in the arena she had to fight a vennin that was contained in Fenn Riorsons Chest. He knew how to capture them because of his wife which in turn when she left him and his son he knew he had no choice but to stop her Vennin ways.
Questions I Need The Answers Too!
If I have missed any details that should have given me these answers please let me know in the comments!
Did Violets dad really die by Heart Problems?
Will Xaden and Violet Be End Game?
Who was the 7th rider?
Who was the 7th Dragon?
How were the dragons able to keep Andarnas Breed such a big Secret?
Who else do we know is a Vennin?
What is Violets Second Signet?
Did Tairn actually know that Xaden was Inntinnsic because in fourth wing he said something along the lines of boy don’t you dare try and get in my head and read me. But when Violet found out he was so shocked! Of course he could mean tapping into the connected bond all four of them share but the worded has me questioning it.
How did the Vennin get into Basgiath? And how can they still harness some power?
I am interested to know how all of this would have played out if Violet really did get into the Scribes. Not really a question though.
Do Vennin have to feed?
Poll Section
Favorite Quotes
Too Many To count but I don’t apologize, there are just too many good ones!
“I do. I’m sorry if you expect me to do the noble thing. I warned you. I’m not sweet or soft or kind, and you fell anyway. This is what you get, Violet— me. The good, the bad, the unforgivable. All of it. I am yours.” His arm wraps around the small of my back, holding me steady and close. “You want to know something true? Something real? I love you. I’m in love with you. I have been since the night the snow fell in your hair and you kissed me for the first time. I’m grateful my life is tied to yours because it means I won’t have to face a day without you in it. My heart only beats as long as yours does, and when you die, I’ll meet Malek at your side. It’s a damned good thing that you love me, too, because you’re stuck with me in this life and every other that could possibly follow.”
“I think I liked you better before you decided that feelings were something we need to discuss.” “Sorry to inconvenience you, but this year the role of Violet Sorrengail”—he points to me—“ will be played by Xaden Riorson”—he taps his chest—“ who will drag her, kicking and screaming if he has to, into a real relationship with real discussions, because he refuses to lose her again. If I have to evolve, you do, too.”
“But I’m begging you, Violet. Don’t offer me your body unless you’re offering me everything. I want you more than I want to fuck you. I want those three little words back.”
“You should take her at her word. In fact…” Xaden doesn’t bother to lower his voice. “If you don’t, I’ll take personal offense. She made her choice, and it wasn’t you. It will never be you. I know it. She knows it. The whole quadrant knows it.”
“No, Violet.” He lifts both swords overhead, then slips them into the sheaths on the pack behind him with practiced expertise and a hint of a smirk. “Just you and me.”
“His jaw flexes, his hands curl at his sides, and his beautiful face… Well, he hasn’t looked at me with that much anger since discovering my last name at Parapet, back when he wanted to kill me. Guess I should be careful what I ask for, because I’m so fucked. “You aren’t where I left you, Violence.”
“In a world of dragon riders, gryphon fliers, and dark wielders…” “It’s the scribes who hold all the power.” They put out the public announcements. They keep the records. They write our history.”
World of Bai 