Book Review: Iron Flame

Title: Iron Flame
Author: Rebecca Yaros
Genre: Fiction, Romantasy, Fantasy, Magic

What It’s About: Violet stares at Brennan in disbelief–he’s alive and is Brennan but it is not him. Bodhi comes in with a message for Brennan, under a different name, which he explains is due to him faking his death. He goes to meet with the assembly, and Violet wanders around the house, coming across Imogen and Bodhi listening in on the Assembly, as they debate what to do about weapons and also about the group of students. Xaden tells them that they will decide for themselves, but they will take the advice of sending only 6 of the 8 students back into consideration. When the assembly notices that Violet is listening, they get indignant, telling them that it’s private (in which case they should have closed the doors); that she’s the daughter of the General (to which Brennan responds, reminding them that he is too, but to which the assembly tells him he’s proven himself, though he hasn’t–and Bodhi and Imogen come to Violet’s defense, stating that they wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for her); that she should be jailed. Violet reminds them all that she is still here and they are talking about her.

The Assembly ends and she speaks to Brennan alone, on Xaden’s advice. Brennan tells her how he sruvived–Naolin actually did save him at the cost of his own life, and Brennan and his dragon were helped by and hidden by other dragon in caves until they fully healed. He then tells her a bit about their missions and what they are trying to achieve. He tells her that there are wards in Aretia–like the one that powers the one in Basgiath College, but no one knows how to make it work; it just makes a pretty statue instead. Violet wonders if she could get some information in the archives on how that ward was created and how it could be powered again to protect Aretia.

They make their way to the dragons and Violet is confused at the size of Andarna and that she is no longer golden, but black. Tairn tells her that it is most likely accelerated growth, and that Andarna is now an adolescent, so she will have an attitude. Violet think that it must have been them using her power to stop time, but they can’t be sure. Tairn tells her that they will need to return to Basgiath so that Andarna enters the Dreamless Sleep that she needs for her transition, and they have to do it unseen and undetected in order to protect the younglings. They need to modify the harness on Tairn in order for him to carry Andarna, and Xaden has an idea on how to make things at the College happen.

hey make it back to the College in the early morning before graduation, and they make their way to the school grounds from the flight field. Xaden and Violet make a bee-line of Liam’s room, where Violet find a stack of letters, and then gives them to Rhiannon for safe-keeping in the event that someone comes to burn Liam’s stuff. Then, the whole group of 8 students meet up behind the stone dragon statues of the first 6. Xaden reminds Violet to put up her mental shields like they had practiced on their way to the school. Then, as the bell rings for formation, they head out with Xaden at the front. The Scribe, Fitzgibbons I calling out the names of their group, and is flummoxed when Xaden calls out that they are alive. He tells them that as part of the War Games, they were sent to Athebyne, and were attacked by Gryphons. General Sorrengail is in shock, and turns on General Aetos, who tells her that she left it to him to sort out for the War Games. Violet confirms the story and adds that she was stabbed with a poisonous blade, and had to heal, which is what delayed their return. Xaden tells them that Liam and a 3 year had died in the attacks. General Sorrengail orders them to be added back to the graduation and formation lists, and then turn son Aetos, telling him that they will see each other in her office later.

They head towards their formation and Dain steps out with worry. Violet threatens to cut his arms off if he ever touches her again, and Xaden humiliates Dain publicly. He tells him to think of Athebyne anytime he gets close to Violet’s face. Xaden gets his assignment upon graduation, and Violet and her friends become 2nd years. They celebrate and get drunk. Xaden catches Violet’s eyes on their way out and they head out together, with him giving her advice, including that if she cannot lie to her friends, to distance herself from them. They encounter General Aetos, with a man that he introduces as Vice-Commandant Varrish. He gives them orders–they can only see each other every 14 days for 48 hours on behalf of their dragons being mated, which means that if they stagger the visits, they will see each other every 7 days. Aetos then makes a comment that secrets aren’t always leverage as they die with them. The two men head their own way.

Seven days later, Violet is at one end of the Parapet with Rhiannon and Dain, when she recognizes the 3rd son of the King, as she and Dain grew up with him. He ignores them, gives the name Aaric Greycastle, and goes across the Parapet. Sloane, Liam’s sister, comes up and Violet helps her braid her hair, and starts giving her advice, when Sloane recognizes her and is filled with hatred, blaming her directly for Liam’s death. Once all of the new conscripts have made it across, they get sorted into teams. Aaric gets placed into theirs, but Slaone gets placed into First Wing. They switch her to their wing, and Sloane protests until Rhiannon orders her to get in formation. Dain tries to do the same speech as Xaden, but he is not as charismatic. The dragons show up, including a one-eyed orange one named Solas, who is bonded to Varrish. Tairn tells Violet to keep an eye on him as Solas is unstable. Sure enough, some of the first-years bolt, and Violet yells out a warning. Those who dive, live–including Violet, who protects Sloane–but those who don’t, get burnt to a crisp. Solas takes out not just the first years, but also most of the 3rd wing. Tairn shows up, bringing Chaos to the yard, and mentally years at Solas, threatening his rider, which causes Solas to fly off in fear.

Xaden doesn’t show up that day, but the next day, and before he heads out, he tells her to pay attention to what happens as she prepares to visit him at his Post. The day that she flies, Bodhi walks her, and Varrish shows up, asking his men to search her. Bodhi stays by her side as her direct reporting officer. They don’t find anything and Tairn is the one carrying all the contraband. Varrish tells her that he will punish her for not producing Andarna.

When Violet arrives at the outpost, she does not see Xaden in his room, and she follows her feeling–link downstairs where Xaden is in the fighting pits. Xaden notices her and gets hit, but then goes fighting for real–he had been toying with his opponent–knocks him out, and claims the role that he wanted for the weekend. They spend some time together and then Violet is forced to return back to Basgiath College. Upon her first return from visiting Xaden, Varrish makes Violet’s punishment to be her using her signet–lightning–until she hits burnout, and Tairn flies her into water in the river and calls for help.

The weeks go by and the following happens:

During assessment day, someone comes asking for Violet, and Nadine snarkily says that she says she is Violet, only for her neck to get broken. Violet ends up fighting with a first year who is much larger than her–she uses what Xaden had taught her and it is very clear that it is an assassination attempt as the guy says the same words about secrets dying with the person, which is a match for what Aetos had said to her and Xaden. There are also assassination attempts on Imogen, Bodhi and the other members of the team that were with her in Athebyne. Sloane had wanted to challenge Violet, but the professor said no, and Violet proved why when she came out on top in that fight.

Sloane keeps struggling in hand-to-hand combat and keeps refusing Imogen’s help, though she was fostered in a home that had no lessons for her in hand-to-hand. After her next loss, Violet tells her that Sloane can hate her all she wants, but she did care for Liam and that she promised him to look after her. She tells Sloane that she has letters for Sloane from Liam, which Sloane does not believe at first until one of the others confirms that to be true. Violet tells Sloane that for every week that she trains with Imogen, she will give her 1 letter from Liam for her. Sloane accepts.

Violet requests Jesenia’s help to get some books. Jesenia is a Scribe and one of her closest friends outside of the Rider’s Quadrant. At one point, Jesenia meets her and they watch as one of the riders is hauled off, after which Jesenia admits to her that she probably got the guy killed because she wrote up his request and sent it up the chain of command. She reveals that she had never written up Violet’s request form last year about the fables, because she was embarrassed that she could not find it, and sent out requests to other libraries for it, but they all told her that Basgiath has the most complete library. Yesenia tells her that they could have been purposefully removed. The girls switch books–Violet lends Jesenia the fables, and Jesenia gives her books off the records on some of the earliest works about the first 6 and the wards that they have.

Xaden visits her and during the visit, he realizes that Violet is surrounded by the books that Jesenia brought. She reveals that she’s been doing this research behind his back as a tit-for-tat because he has his own secrets. He visits Jesenia with Violet when Jesenia returns Violet’s book of fables.

Violet visits Xaden next and he tells her that he’s forcing her hand, asking her if she wants to sleep in his room. She says yes, and they make out. Mira tells them to get a room–she had been transferred from Athebyne to this outpost, and Xaden tells her that Mira had been adamant about Violet sleeping in her room. He goes out to carry his duty, and Violet spends time with Mira. She feels bad that Mira doesn’t know that Brennan is alive, and she asks Mira about wardship, since that is her signet.

Varrish tries to punish Violet again for not bringing Andarna, and Tairn grabs solas by the throat, threatening to kill him until Varrish agrees that Dragons are not under the command of humans. Without a dragon, Varrish would not be a rider, and therefore could not be the vice commandant. He leaves them alone.

Violet is kidnapped after class and made Tod o land nave with Rhiannon, Sawyer, and Rico as well as infantrymen. They drink water, which mutes their connection to their dragons, and try to navigate with two maps that turn out to be different. They encounter Baide, who incinerates one of the infantry-men. Ultimately, they do not make it to an extraction point, and get picked up by their professors, who gives them water that reconnect their bond back with the dragons.

After a hand-to-hand match, Aaric approaches Violet, who has been in an argument with Rhiannon about what happened at Athebyne. She tells Chi to never ever ask her about it, as she does not want to lie to her. Violet takes Aaric to the healers’ Quadrant, and he reveals that his dad thinks he is on his 20th birthday trip, fucking and partying across the continent, but he knows what is really happening and that is why he is here.

Xaden takes Violet to Basgiath’s forge when they are intercepted by Vice Commandant Varrish and at first Xaden does not want to let her go because she is hurt, but Sgaeyl convinces him. Violet and her team are taking into a practice interrogation room, where they share personal secrets as well as one team secret–Violet tells them that they killed Poromish citizens in Samara. Varrish tries to break her, but he is not able to, even when he hurts everyone else. Varrish calls Dain to come and use his powers on Violet, trying to tempt him with answers to questions on why Violet chose Xaden. Violet tells him no, to get the fuck away from her, and Dain refuses to go through with it. Ultimately, they escape the interrogation room and get a patch for that.

During a Battle Brief not long after, they come across papers everywhere that say that Blue Fire Dragon burnt a village in Poromish territory. Violet watches Devera, who she thinks doesn’t know about what they are doing to Poromish citizens, and it seems like Devera is surprised. Markham shows upend takes one look at the text, showing surprise before schooling his features. As Violet and her team debate whether or not this is propaganda, Rhiannon asks what Markham would do if it was real. Violet responds that he would Deny, Distract, Deflect and Discredit. By the end of the conversation, Markham does exactly that, and asks a question that would make anyone question the wording in that announcement. Then, he reintroduces Jack Barlowe, and they talk about the attack on Samara–Devera tells them that there was only 1 injured, then touches her left side of the neck, which signals to Violet that it is Xaden. She runs out of her class and Bodhi gives her his flight jacket. Violet gets on Tairn and they fly to Samara. When she arrives, Mira tells her that it is all thanks to Xaden that they are standing, and that he can be found in the gym, where she does find him sparring with Garrick. They get into an argument over the jacket, because Xaden is jealous, but it quickly dissipates when Violet tells him it is Bodhi’s jacket because she ran out without waiting to go to her room to grab hers. They end up having sex in the shower where Xaden took her because she couldn’t shut out Tairn’s anger, and without her tell him that she loves him–but that she needs him. Together, they make a midnight run and drop off the weapons to Serena and Cat, short for Catriona, a name that Bodhi mentioned once. Violet had seen Cat look with longing at Xaden on the field, and did not like it. He gives her the remaining dagger, putting it in his flight jacket on her, for her to go back to Basgiath.

When she arrives at her dorms, she sees Professor Kaori in one hallway, and Varrish with his 2 cadets in the other hallway. They start searching her, and she worries about the blade in her flight jacket, as they accuse her of impersonating an officer, then change it to two when they find the other jacket in her bag. Rhiannon had peeked out and Vi made a face, looking at her shoulder before she handed over the jacket. Kaori makes a comment that she’s not impersonating an officer, as she has her own name tag, and that she could hardly be faulted for the feelings of her much stronger dragon. Kaori tells Varrish that he had turned in his expert opinion on the whole matter to Pancheck, when Varrish tells him that she is to be court-martialed for leaving, indicating in the report that Violet cannot be at fault for the feelings of her stronger, older, mated dragon, and that Panchek had agreed. Varrish makes a comment that some of them do not bow to the whims of dragons, but influence them, to which Kaori asks if he influenced Solas to kill the squad of bonded riders after Parapet.

After Kaori leaves, Rhiannon pulls her into her room where Sawyer and Ridoc are already waiting, and demands to know what that dagger is that she had pulled through the wall. Violet explains that it is for fighting Venin, and tells them the truth about what happened in Athebyne. They all agree to help her, and they are not pissed at her for hiding it–a reaction so different from her towards Xaden. One of them reveals that there is a hidden vault in the archives that Violet doesn’t know about and that he only found out during their mission in General Sorrengail’s office, when they stole the map. The four search and read books on wards in the archives, while Jesenia searches for the hidden vault. Imogen also tells her best friend, Quinn, the true. They watch the threshing happen and celebrate the bonding of the new first years.

Violet has to go to her watch to relieve someone else, who turns out to be non other than Eya. They get ambushed by infantrymen who claim that they have express permission to be there with the message about secrets dying with those who keep them. Eya dies, and Violet, too, almost dies by going over the edge of the building, only to be saved by Jack Barlowe. Jesenia had met with the member of the Violet’s team that was free to meet her that night, and he relays to Violet that the secret room they’re looking for is the Royal Vault, and needs a royal’s blood to enter the wards.

Xaden comes to visit and she tells him the truth about sharing information with Rhiannon and her team. He tells her that they have flaws in their plan. Aaric shows up with the rest of her squad and wants to kill Xaden because he had killed his brother, who Xaden claims was a bully. They manage not to kill each other when Violet helps focus Aaric’s anger at his father, and he agrees to help them. They go to the archives, and leave someone to guard, before they head down to the vault. Aaric pulls Violet through the wards, leaving behind Xaden and Imogen on the other side. They search, until they find the journals in a glass casing also protected by wards, one that make Aaric’s hands bubble as he pulls the tomes out. They manage to make it out of the archives barely before the door closes and Bodhi takes Aaric to get healed in his room. Xaden and Violet break off from the group, and go into a cove, where Violet gives him Warrick’s journal, telling him if he leaves now, he’ll get out before they search him. She has Lyra’s journal, and once Xaden leaves, she sits there. She is approached by Nolan, who gives her lemonade that tastes funny and then apologizes to her; that he cannot let her do things that put the whole kingdom at peril. Violet gets dragged off by Varrish and his cadets.

She next wakes up in an interrogation room, and finds out that one of the cadets is a truth-sayer, meaning that she will know if Violet is telling the truth. So Violet deliberately answers in a way that the woman will interpret her as saying the truth. Varrish tells her that what makes him good at interrogation is that his signet lets him see other’s weaknesses–but she never showed him one; her shields are strong–though in one instance it was about the people she cares for. At some point during the torture, Violet sees Liam, a hallucination though he says that Malek may have sent him to help. He coaches her through the torture–it had been five days and she was forced to drink more liquid that would block her connection to Tairn. Varrish reveals that Xaden has deserted his post and is en route to Basgiath, towards a trap meant to capture him. He calls in Dain, and this time he gets Dain to see her memories, but Liam tells Violet that it stand to reason that she could show him the memories she wants him to see too. That’s exactly what she does, and at first, she believes that she fiailed when Dain tells Varrish things, but then Dain attacks Varrish and frees her. He’s about to get her out of there when Xaden comes. IN the meantime, Varrish had been called twice as leadership needed to congregate due to an emergency, something that Varrish had ignored.

Violet tells Xaden to leave Dain alone; that he helped her and Xaden help her kill Varrish. Xaden tells her that he loves her and is in love with her, which is all she wanted to hear from him, and Violet says it back to him. The guys take her out and run into General Sorrengail, who gives Violet the antidote to the potion that suppresses her bond with Tairn, and tells her that she had pushed her into the Rider Quadrant to give her a chance to live, and struck a deal with Xaden that he would make sure that Violet does not get hurt outside of classes and the threshing–which explains the newer scar on his chest that Violet had seen. General Sorrengail tells Violet that she would have figured out the truth sooner or later even in the Scribe Quadrant, and then asks Xaden if he is the one stealing the weapons, and whether they should thank him for the dead Wyvern corpses. He says yes, and promises to take care of Violt. Then, they leave, and Violet has the idea to tell all of the Riders the truth. Dain calls for formation and tries to tell it but that puts things into chaos. Xaden steps in and tells them the honest truth, with Tairn helping with the memories. Many decide to leave with them, including Jesenia and a couple of scribes.

They arrive in Aretia with over 100 riders and 200 dragons. Brennan meets them and asks what Xaden has done to Violet, to which he says nothing. Brennan mends her and she rests with Xaden in his room. They go to meet the Assembly, which again does not trust her and they take issue with Dain. Still, they come to an agreement to move forward.

One day during Battle Brief, they get a warning that 40 dragons are headed their way and that Teine is leading the charge. Violet runs out to meet Mira and convince her, but Mira does not need convincing–she saw the Wyvern bodies and Xaden told them where to find Aretia. She also put together what and why Violet was asking about wards. That said, Mira is shocked when Brennan shows up alive. She punches him and the two bicker again, which cause Violet at one point to tell them both to shut it.

Violet thinks she knows how to fix the wards, but then fails. She begins to take lessons with Felix on her magic, to channel correctly and he gives her a channeling stone when he explains things about wielding power–that Carr wasn’t training her properly is the conclusion she comes to. He tells her to use that stone to channel and control, and that if she doesn’t, he won’t help her. Classes end up resuming again with everyone in Aretia.

Xaden does not want to take Violet to meet Viscount Tecarus to get the Luminary, so she makes a plan with Mira and Brennan. They go, only to find that Xaden is waiting for them. Viscount Tecarus has them change and Violet confides in Mira that something is wrong, but she doesn’t know what. When she comes down to the table, Xaden hides her in shadow and kisses her at which point he tells her that Catriona can amplify feelings, and that is why she can feel the amplified feelings of Jealousy.

After dinner, they go to watch Violet wield her lighting and the viscount has Xaden stay back, while he brings out a box that Xaden’s father had given as part of an agreement they made–one that Xaden ended. Mira comes down with Violet and as they come up to the box, a Venin pops out of the box, and a fight begins. Brenna joins them, and yells at Mira to ward, even though she is beyond the wards, when the Venin uses his destructive power. Mira protects them and Violet sends them back, while she anchors the Venin to the ground using her daggers, and then uses her lightning to electrocute him. When she comes back up the stairs, Tairn lands alongside all of the other three dragons in a square formation, and Xaden has Tecarus by the throat. On Violet’s word, he lets Tecarus go, and they go into negotiations. Tecarus explains that they’ve captured some of the Venin and that is why he had barren land from Braerwick brought in. He offers Violet to stay and find safety in one of the isles, which sounds good, but that is not what she wants–Violet believes that is the coward’s way out. He agrees to give them the Luminary if they take the flier classes with them to train them alongside the riders. There is one way to get into Aretia though it is treacherous for the Gryphons. Brennan agrees on the condition that they also bring the cross bolts.

The riders and the fliers scale the mountains with the gryphons, while the Dragons patrol above. The idea is that this is a test just like the Parapet, which is the only way Riders will respect the fliers. Violet climbs alongside Sloan, who reveals that she doesn’t hate her and that she is in the October letters from Liam, which is when he guarded Violet. With them is Maren and her gryphon. Maren is Cat’s best friend and Cat happens to be partnered with Rhiannon. As they are making their way up, a Gryphon trap is triggered with a boulder falling down. Tairn destroys it before it manages to hurt Maren or Violet. Marin then reveals that Violet was a ransom target and they thought that Xaden would kidnap her in his first year, so they were extremely surprised when Xaden showed up last year and ended things, refusing to do anything about Violet. Maren also tells them how they pick their gryphons, and bond. At one point, they come into a particularly treacherous section, where they are not able to trigger the traps and disengage it. Ridoc uses Dain’s sword to make a ledge as Violet and Luella, a gryphon rider, are very short and cannot make the jump. Violet swings across and lands. Luella swings, but comes up short, triggering the trap which stabs Ridoc into the abdomen. But then, Luella falls into Violet and the momentum has them going over the ledge along with Visia. Ridoc catches Violet, who in turn catches Luella and Visia. Visia is able to get out on her own, but Luella falls to her death and her Gryphon dies shortly after. Cat blames her, but Maren tells Cat that it is not Violet’s fault. Dain helps her pop her shoulder back in, and Brennan comes to mend Ridoc. They are attacked by Wyvern, and to save her friends, Violet gets onto Tairn to get them out and away from the people on the pass. She ends up using the cloud coverage–which made it hard for the dragons to see the wyvern–to kill the four wyvern with her lightning. Everyone makes it out alive.

Later, they are taught runes. Both Violet’s team and Cat’s team are being used to test this out as they are the top of their class. Cat manages to finish the rune first without any scorch marks. Violet makes it too, but with some scorch marks. She later practices her runes and asks Xaden if that is why he shared the book on Turkish runes with her, and he confirms he figured she should get a start on it. He explains to her that the stone he keeps with him was a protection stone, made by Colonel Mairi as they decided to protect their kids during the rebellion. All of the kids held it in their hands when their families were executed by dragon fire, and whichever ones they held it in, that is where the marks come from in their skin. He tells her that she needs a direction in the rune, and she tells him that she will ask for help when she needs it, only to later realize that he was right.

After another brawl breaks out between the Riders and the Fliers, they decide to do hand-to-hand combat and solve it the way it’s done through the Codex. Cat challenges Violet, and basically tells her that Xaden was with her, and that she was better for him than Violet. Cat tells her that if she thinks she’s fighting for Xaden’s love, which Cat doesn’t think he is capable of, she’s mistaken because she is fighting for the crown. Violet chokes her to within an inch of her life, and Xaden communicates with her telepathically that he does not mind what she does to Cat, but that she will, and when Violet asks him for help, he hauls her off and out to the throne/ assembly room. He kick the Assembly out and then gives her oral sex until she comes on what used to be the throne. He tells her that Cat only amplifies feelings already there–so the jealousy, anger and insecurity is already there. They talk and he explains that he and Cat were betrothed, not engaged, which is different, but he ended that with Cat’s family because he is in love with Violet. He reminds her of that, and the fact that he will always choose her, so whatever is bringing up those emotions, she needs to work through it, but until then, she should always carry the daggers with the runes that would protect her from being manipulated by that kind of magic.

Rides and Fliers are split into groups and it so happens that Cat’s squad becomes part of Violet’s squad. Dain and Violet spend time in the library researching to translate the journal written by Warwick, one of the first six. They also begin to imbue the stone in their spare time, and Xaden held too. Dain agrees to answer questions–whatever Violet handles and when Violet confirms that she loves Xaden, Dain tells her that he trust Xaden. Violet also figures out how to raise the wards in Aretia, and she decides not to until they speak with the fliers in her squad. She tells them that she will have to tell Xaden so they have some time to decide if they’d rather stay or go, a tough choice. When Xaden returns, he realizes that Violet has figured out the wards, but she refuses to discuss it up until she and her squad are done with their mission as part of an assignment–they need to find runes in the mountains that were placed there.

Violet, Sloan, Maren, Cat and a couple of the other members along with Adarna and the Gryphons trudge their way to a cave with the runes and talk. They enter the cave and go down it until they find the rune, and activate it. Andarna tells her that she senses dragon, and they start to head out when Solas shows up and tries to incinerate them. Andarna protects them from the fire, and violet then takes out another eye, while getting them out. Cat gets above and starts shooting at Solas, until Andarna takes him out, resulting in her being called in front of the Empyrean for killing another dragon. In the midst of it, they find out that Sloan is a siphon. Xaden finds Violet in their room with Cat, and is surprised that Cat brought her back. Violet and Xaden talk–more like argue, because he tells her that he wondered when she would ask him about the deal he made with her mom. Violet tells him that she shouldn’t have to figure out the right questions to ask. She finally asks him what his second Signet is as Sgaeyl had bonded to his grandfather, and Xaden pales.

They set up the stone and use dragon fire to bring up the wards. It seems to work. They fly to the cliffside and both Xaden and Violet continue to argue–Violet knows that the signet comes from his personality; something he is or something he needs. And she realizes that he is an innitinnsic–he can read intention. They are not able to continue arguing as a Wyvern approaches and the Sage sends three of them to the wards, and they die. When they return to Aretia, Mira meets them along with Serena, the gryphon flier, who in turn shows them that she is able to wield, which she shouldn’t do, and it means that the ward did not work. Mira tells them that General Melgren has asked to meet them both.

The next day, they fly to Athebyne, and Xaden and Violet keep going about his 2nd ability. Xaden admits that he stopped using his ability on her when she became more to him than the General’s daughter, and when he realized the error that Dain had made and what that cost him. They meet Melgren and his contingent including General Sorrengail, and Melgren tells them that he has seen that Navarre has been overrun due to Samara–where the Venin will overpower them. He asks for their help in exchange for freedom for their city. One of the members of the Assembly leaves them, saying that they will sit it out. Melgren asks if it isn’t Xaden’s decision, and Brennan walks out and tells them that they rule by committee. He also adds t hat maybe their mother should rethink things if all three of her children are on the other side. General Sorrengail asks to speak with her daughters, and they both confirm that Brennan is alive, and that Violet has known for months. Their mom tells them to check the Wyvern bodies as they are not the same as those that Mira saw at Samara when Xaden dropped their corpses. She knows that something is wrong with the wards and gives Violet Layla’s diary, saying that Warrick wanted Navarre to hold the upper hand but that Layla wanted to share it. On their way back, Mira and Violet go to check out the closest Wyvern carcass, and sure enough it seems to wake up, confirming what their mom said.

Violet gets nowhere with convincing Brennan to help in Samara. So she meets with Xaden, and they Spar, where they make rules–they will not argue in their bedroom, they will share without asking questions, and they will reaffirm that they love each other. He tells her that his mom left when he was 10 as their marriage contract said that an heir had to make it to that age, and then she was free. He tells Violet that his second signet manifested a month after his first, and when he saw someone else being killed for being an innistinnic, he held it together, went to Sgaeyl and lied his ass off when questioned as Sgaeyl had bonded to another in his family, who was ultimately thought to be a great-uncle. He then has Violet disarm him for two of his daggers, which he had made for her as a replacement for those that she lost.

2 days before solstice, Battle Brief has information that shows all the Wyvern in Samara, waiting. Violet realizes that if they breach Samara, the ward will only go back to its natural border, and she realizes she needs to speak with Xaden. She tells him that Samara is a distraction, and that they are waiting for all of the wards to fall. Sawyer tells her that Melgren would be able to see another battle, to which Imogen says not if more than three of the marked children are there. Xaden realizes that Basgiath is where the fight will be, and they realize that they have to go to fight. Marin gives Violet a small crossbow and some arrows as they depart and fly towards the college.

They arrive in Basgiath, with their dragons dropping them off before General Sorrengail opens up the doors for everyone else. They convince her to let them see the ward, and the come across slain cadets, as well as Jack Barlow and his dragon, Bride. He has his dragon destroy the pillar and then kills his own dragon. He doesn’t die as he has started to turn Venin, and Xaden knocks him out once. Dain gets information out of him while he’s unconscious. Thy all sleep the night, and when Violet and Xaden are getting a bit frisky in the morning, a knock interrupts them. They find Brennan with all the remaining 2nd and 3 years as well as some 1st years and gryphon fliers. The iron wing–Violet’s squad–gets approval to guard Brennan while he mends the pillar.

The battle begins and General Sorrengail gives rain for Violet to leverage, which she uses to strike some of the Wyvern and venin alike. At one point, she makes a decision to get out of her seat on Tairn, in order to save Sawyer, who lost his leg to a wyvern while on top of Sligsil, as she refuses to let anyone else die. Cat and Maren take him away, and Cat returns when she sees Venin coming for Violet. Violet kills one with lightning and Andarna kills the other. Orders come that they want to move Xaden and Violet to the vale to protect it and ithe two of them go to meet with the Generals. Jesenia comes to her at that time and tells her that it’s seven, not six, and that Lyra’s journal is the lie. Violet is confuses as there are only six dragon races, until she remembers Andarna–who is different and is her own breed. Xaden had gone ahead to try to argue why they need to stay, so she joins him and then tells them that they need to power the ward stone. General Sorrengail dismisses it until Violet cries out and begs her to listen to her. Violet also tells Xaden and he tells her to ward Basgiath as she will only be able to create one pillar with a ward, not two so they have to make a choice–and the choice is that this is where Violet is now.

Xaden goes to fight the Sage to buy them more time, while Violet runs to the ward and starts to imbue it while talking to Andarna about what she is, and why she couldn’t tell her. Her mom comes in and realizes what they are doing. When Violet refuses to let go of the ward, her mom kicks her out and uses Sloane’s siphoning power to Siphon all of her and her dragon’s magic to the tower. As a result, she dies just afterwards. Mira comes for them but she’s too late. The stone is lit by the 7 dragons and the wards go up, killing Venin and Wyvern alike. Violet feels something from Xaden so she goes to see him. Sgaeyl tells her to be gentle with her words and when she sees him, his eyes are rimmed red like the venin.

Xaden wakes up from a dream/ memory of how he took power from the earth while battling the Sage, who only wore him down. Sgaeyl had screamed. He kisses Violet and tells her he loves her before he heads out and finds himself in the interrogation chamber in front of Jack Barlowe and asks him what is the cure for turning venin. Jack tells him that there is no cure, and that he will keep wanting this power now before telling him that he will now be the villain in Violet’s story.

My Thoughts: Holy cannoli, This book was so so good. I love how Violet and Xaden’s love story progresses and how she is faced with her own insecurities courtesy of Cat, and goes to grow from that. I love how Xaden reassures her, but challenges her at the same time, and gives her the space she needs to grow.

But the revelation that Xaden is an innitinnsic and has managed to live and not be discovered is kind of what I was hoping for. I didn’t think it would be him, but I had hoped that someone else in the story will be secretly one. I am wildly happy about this because I think it goes to show that you can be one and still live. That said, I’m not happy about Xaden turning venin, and I hope that this will be sorted out in the next book so that he’s back to himself. I am sad about General Sorrengail’s death, but it seemed like the fitting end–sacrificing herself to protect her children though I do wish her relationship with Violet was explored further as I think that there are a lot of reasons and things that we could have learnt from that, as to the motivations of Mom to push her physically disabled daughter into something like this. I wish that we had more chapters with Xaden’s perspective just so that we can see what he has been through.

Overall, I loved this book, and I just cannot wait for book #3, Onyx Storm, to be released in January 2025. I suspect that ti will be about Xaden as he is described as having Onyx eyes, and he would be the “eye” of the storm, hence Onyx Storm. But I’m looking forward to whatever the story is, and I will most likely re-read these books in preparation of its release.