Book Review of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Join Karl and Em as they review Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. A thrilling romantacy adventure based in a dragon rider's college where Violet attempts to escape impending death while falling for the enemy's son.

This episode will contain spoilers, mentions of death, violence, sexual activities, and is not for all audiences.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello everyone. I'm Carl and I'm Em. Welcome to our podcast discussing all of the latest

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books. This is the first episode and we will be discussing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
We promise to give you all of our honest opinions on all the characters, chapters,
and scenarios. We don't meet any harm to any of the authors. This is solely our opinion.
We promise to Carl them like we read them. So there is a little intro at the beginning of
Fourth Wing that just kind of gives you an idea of what to expect us to talk about today. Fourth

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Wing is a nonstop thrilling adventure fantasy set in the brutal and competitive world of a
military college for dragon riders, which includes elements regarding war, battle, hand-to-hand combat,
perilous situations, blood, intense violence, brutal injuries, death, poisoning, graphic language,
and sexual activities that are shown on the page. Readers who may be sensitive to these elements,

(01:05):
please take note and prepare to enter Veskayath War College. So there's four different quadrants,
the riders quadrant, the healers quadrant, the inventory, and then as well the scribe quadrant.
We mainly focus on two of those but you do hear a little bit about each one here and there.
So I'd just like to note there is a beautiful map of the continent and then a beautiful map of the

(01:28):
college in the book, which was really helpful for me. I like being able to see it laid out and to
use that when I get confused. I'm like, okay, where is she at? What are we talking about? And the
main map doesn't really become relevant until kind of probably the end, but the college map was
really, really relevant, especially from the very beginning. And then also I really liked the
dedication, which the first part is about her husband, which was really cute. I really

(01:52):
appreciated the very last sentence that says, you hold the power to shape the world. And I think
that is so relevant to this book and so exciting and such a good setting the tone for the rest of
the book. So we start off with the topic of conscription day, which is where all of the
candidates walk across what is similar to a bridge. It's just a rocky, small, thin pathway

(02:16):
that they have to walk across. And whoever makes it to the other side gets to go into the riders
quadrant and officially become a cadet. So walking the plank. That's what I pictured in my head.
So a couple of points that kind of happen in the first couple chapters is just really the doubt
that comes across with Violet's family towards her. She's very frail. She's very fragile. They

(02:39):
speak about that multiple times throughout the book. And her family just really doubts her. And
honestly, I would kind of start doubting myself too, because of everybody that's coming at you.
But I do have to say that her, I will not die today. I will not die today. Drive really
set kind of like a little bit of, well, maybe she's not going to let these people get to her.

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I really feel that was emphasized a lot in the first chapter is that she is not very good. And
honestly, it's kind of a theme throughout the book of Violet, you're not good enough. We also are
introduced to Rihanna, which she becomes her best friend inside of the quadrant. And pretty much,
I mean, she was told by her sister not to become friends with anybody. And almost instantly, she's

(03:22):
just like, you're probably not going to make it with your shoes that don't have really good souls.
Take one of mine. And she automatically shows her character is that she really is just going to pick
and choose who she wants to be friends with, whether or not everybody else believes she should or not.
Also, I think her compassion, it shows that a lot of writers have this tough, no emotion,

(03:43):
get business done kind of vibe and Violet does not. She very much has a softer and academic vibe
that she brings to this whole thing that is really, really fun to see. It helps her to whether or
not she keeps it, whether she loses it or what happens. But I think Rihanna is the first example
of that, switching booths with her really highlights that. But also in the same scene, we also get

(04:05):
introduced to Jack Barlow, which kind of becomes like the villain almost through most of the first
part of the book, but he just takes the kid and throws him off the parapet and then all of a sudden
starts charging at Violet, your next, I'm coming after you and just instantly makes her target
number one for him. And she luckily makes it to the other side, but he's still on the parapet

(04:27):
and she turns around and sticks a dagger straight to his balls and just almost shows that she has
this like inner strength that we're not sure we've seen very much of yet, but yeah, definitely has
it deep down. And I really think that that pretty much set the tone for, you know, kind of again,
I will not die today. I can make it. It definitely shows us because we see how soft and compassionate

(04:49):
she can be. And then right there, three pages later, whatever it is, it's a wait notes. No,
no, I can be, but you're not going to abuse that kind of thing. So it's really crazy that.
And the theme too with her as well, as she gets injured very easily. So, you know, a lot of
the weaknesses that she could show, she chooses not to because she doesn't want to be seen as
weak and frail. We get introduced to her childhood friend, Dane. We also in this chapter get introduced

(05:15):
to Zaden, who just instantly by his description is just super fine and super, super good looking,
but Violet is told to stay away from him. Zaden is the child of the leader of the rebellion,
and Violet is the child of the general who kills the leader of the rebellion. Zaden,
Zad kills Violet's brother, Brennan. So it's a little bit of a forbidden love kind of situation

(05:39):
that starts pretty early. She talks about him being gorgeous, him being super attractive, but
he pretty much wants to kill her. So it's just instantly becomes one of those things.
At least that's what she thinks the whole time, you know, because it's said that it means to
love her the way that we just. Yes. So when we're introduced today in the childhood friends,
and he starts doubting her pretty much instantly, we learn that his signet, which whenever they

(06:04):
do bond with the dragon, they get a kind of special superpower, and he can read minds,
which we'll figure out later that it doesn't work in anybody's favor. But Violet is then
moved into Zaden's wing, which I think that he did that just he could punish her. So that kind

(06:26):
of sets up where we're at with everything. We kind of talked about it previously outside of the podcast,
but it's interesting for me to see, first of all, they mentioned a rebellion. We don't get a whole
lot of information. It talks about how they have relics. If they were a child of the rebellion,
and that the dragon that punished dad did it, it's very vague. We don't understand it fully. And
honestly, it's talked about even throughout the first book, but it's not fully explained. The

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relics aren't at the point. So we'll probably talk more about that later. It's also interesting to see
that some of the new cadets that cross the parapet, they line up in the formation afterwards,
and they talk about how people died, how people lived, but they also bring a couple of dragons
over. And there are cadets who have been training for this their whole life. That's what they intended

(07:11):
to do. They signed up to do this. They volunteered. And yet they're still scared of the dragon's land
on the Stone Bridge. And it's so interesting to see that it really, I guess, makes me think
how terrifying the dragons probably look like what I have in my head is not probably what they
actually look like to them or supposed to look like. I'm picturing maybe a softer version,
I don't know. But yeah, it was just interesting. I just, to me in that whole scene, I just kind

(07:33):
of looked at it and I was like, I mean, did they maybe not really want to do it? I was thinking
maybe they are, which we later find out with the rebels that they're all forced into this quadrant.
But I'm wondering if there may be rebels who were forced to do this, but that was the only
option for them kind of situation. Yeah, well, and I don't know if it tells us specifically if the
three that die, the rebels are not. So maybe I don't really get those. But yeah, we do see,

(07:59):
we do see later on that one of the rebels does say, I can't do this. I don't want to be here. I
don't like this. It's just interesting that the majority of them, though, throughout the book even
are, I wouldn't say happy to be there, but they're there and thriving. They're doing well. They're
top of their class. They have rank. That was really interesting to see because I would have
expected the opposite. I would have expected them to be, even if they were good to not be getting

(08:22):
rank or whatever, because, you know, they're traders. Yeah, I think once they kind of passed
over into that quadrant, almost the parapet was an equalizer for everybody. Yeah, you are a child
of rebellion, but guess what? You cross the parapet, you've showed us your worth. At this
point, we all become equals. I think that kind of theory though. Yes. I mean, I get some people
still have a problem with them, but yeah, and some higher ups still have opinions about them

(08:45):
and everything. So it almost gets them on an even playing field. Yeah, it's supposed to. The next
part is the mats. They start going up against each other to train and see what their strains
or the weaknesses are. The biggest part that I took away from it is right before Violet fights
Imogen, we kind of see Jack murder another kid that instantly, to me, it's screened automatically

(09:08):
psycho. I was just, I mean, my notes literally even say psycho instantly. He just takes his kid,
snaps his neck and he's just like, Oh, well, how was I supposed to know he has a weak neck?
Okay, well, I mean, usually you're not attending to hold somebody that tightly that you're going
to kill them. This mat is supposed to be testing your strengths and, you know, not your intention
to murder, but he has really no remorse or anything. Yeah, no. And they very clearly said

(09:31):
you're supposed to fight until this is hand to hand combat, essentially, but you're supposed to
fight until someone taps out or someone gets knocked out. Murder was not the objective. It was not
happening on any other mat and Jack purposely murdered this kid. And he very clearly makes a
comment about Violet and other cadets that he thinks are liabilities and he keeps coming back
to that and thinks he's weeding out the weak ones. Like it's his responsibility to do so.

(09:56):
And it's clearly just him justifying the literal murder for absolutely no apparent reason.
Well, and I think in this scene as well, whenever we get to Violet and Imogen's fight, it really
emphasizes the fragileness of Violet and kind of her how easy it is for her to get hurt. She
instantly gets taken down to the healer's quadrant to get healed. And we end up finding out that

(10:16):
she's had a healer almost on standby majority of her life, which his name is Nolan. So we'll come
back to that because he does become important in the next book. But it pretty much tells you that
she's she's pretty weak. I mean, as far as physically, you can kind of see where maybe her mom and
Mira and Dane and everybody's kind of, Oh, I don't know if you're going to make it. I don't know if

(10:38):
you're going to be able to do this because I mean, most of her life has been spent getting mended
because she's not strong enough to, you know, even dirt climbing a tree, I think is one of the
instances that she talks about in the book, and she falls and she hurts herself. So there's multiple
instances where she's been healed where you can kind of understand where they're coming from.
But if she's, you know, got the mentality, I can do this, at least back the girl up a little bit,

(11:03):
you know, make her feel like she could. Absolutely. And you're right. Imogen's scene there where she
snaps her shoulder is a great example of that and sets the scene for how fragile she is. And it's not
that she's not strong enough because she hasn't worked out. It's that she literally physically,
her bones, her ligaments, her joints, everything is fragile. They're not developed properly.
Her mom had some sort of illness when she was pregnant with her and she has been,

(11:26):
what they say is cursed the entire time. But it also does it to her hair silver,
her hair color fades to silver at the end, which is important for another time. But we don't find
out what the illness is and I don't like that. I wish we would know, but I wish we'd be explained.
But it definitely sets it up to where we see that there are actual obstacles and reasons that they
may be more concerned. But I think Dain's is where it gets too much for me. I can see why Mira was

(11:52):
upset, was concerned, but Dain is where it takes to the next level. And that's what, that's what
sealed the deal for me to be like, no, she's not going to end up with him because he doubts her
way too much even after she time and time again did beat statistics and when and he still continued
to doubt her. And I don't like that. And also in this section, we do also see that Mira and

(12:14):
Mira and Violet's relationship is a little bit deeper than what we initially talked about. And I
really enjoyed the note that Mira left in a book that is actually their brother's Brennan's and
his Violet's guide to surviving. So I really enjoyed the kind of relationship that we got
introduced to even though Mira is not a huge part of this book, you know, it led up to introducing

(12:35):
that sisterly bonds. And I mean, after their brother died, their dad died, that was all it was
left. So I mean, it's nice to see that even though Mira comes off as a strong warrior, she still has
a soft spot for her sister Violet as well. And Brennan's book also becomes the huge part to me
in Violet surviving as long as she did. Oh, absolutely. I don't think she would have made it

(12:58):
on the mat if it was not for that book. No, I agree. The challenge is she would have when
she would have probably died the first one because he intended to kill her. And had she not been able
to take Brennan's book and poison him because she found out where they keep the list of challenges
each week, then she most certainly would have probably died that first time on the mat, which
would have been really, really tragic. But yeah, it would have been a short series for sure.

(13:22):
It would have. It would have cut it short very much. It had been a book about Brennan at that
point. Yeah. So the secret meeting is where the rebels gather Violet's picking her poisons to be
able to go on the mats and poison her opponents before she challenges them. So in the secret
meeting, she's hiding out. They gather and they're talking about helping each other out. And this

(13:44):
is the first one on one interaction we get. They didn't catch this Violet spying on them. And
honestly, to me, that was one point that really stood out of he started to trust her automatically.
He trusted her to keep their secret. And I do want to quote one of my favorites
that he says to her because she throws a couple daggers at him. And he said, fascinating, you

(14:06):
look all frail and breakable, but you're really a violent little thing, aren't you? And it just
sets up that little bit of flirtation between the two. But it also sets up. He also thought she was
a little frail, but she's got a little something underneath that, you know, not many people may
have noticed. So. Well, I think it's cool too, because even after that, she's still so convinced

(14:27):
that Zaden wants to murder her because that's what everybody else also believes. Even though he's
literally never said one time, I want to murder you and nothing the way Jack has, especially.
But and we see in that scene where he very easily could have and gotten away with it and no one
would have known a single thing and he doesn't. And she's convinced at that point he's playing
with her, but that's not the reality of what it is. And so it just really helps build that tension

(14:51):
that enemies to love her. It's just so good. And then the next time we actually see on the
mat is actually whenever Violet miscalculates her poison. And so Zaden steps in and actually
challenges her on the mat. This is the second one on one interaction we get. And it's a lot more,
you know, flirty, steamy situation. And there is a line that to me summarizes most of the interaction.

(15:17):
But he says, going for blood today, are we violence? And that's the first time that he
uses her nickname as well. And that becomes like a trend for her throughout the book that he refers
to her as violence. Because he really, for some on reason, somehow he just knew that she was a
little bit more than what everybody else seen that she was. And even I think more than what

(15:40):
she thought she was for the most part. I agree. I feel like it really hit home for him that she
wasn't just this frail, little weak person that everybody thought she was and that she could
actually make it to the end. And I think I think at that point, oh, she could be taught. Oh,
she can learn. She can evolve from where she is. And I think that that he becomes really the first

(16:00):
person decided to me that stands out to support her. And she can actually survive this thing.
Yeah. And he a part of that. So he actually realizes that she's been poisoning her opponents and
said nothing. And was, I guess, thinking about stepping in at some point, but he finally steps
in. And then when he steps in, he tells her, quietly, no one else here is that's pretty clever

(16:22):
of you, but that doesn't actually prepare you for one day when you have to do hand to hand combat.
And so it's really interesting to see. And it's very confusing for Violet because she's like,
why would he want me to learn how to defend myself if he just plans to kill me? And so I feel
like that's the flip where she's like, okay, he's had twice how he could have killed me. And he
didn't. In fact, he went out of his way to help me. And I think that's where we kind of see it

(16:46):
flip. And it starts to get a little bit more of, okay, maybe he doesn't want to kill me. I'm still,
I'm still an edge, but maybe it's not, maybe that's not true. Maybe I don't really know him,
you know, but she actually makes a comment at some point, you know, I would rather you be on my side
than me having to watch the shadow, be watching for 40 other people to try to kill me is a lot
better than you coming out of the shadows. And which that's another thing I don't think we talked

(17:07):
about too is his segment is actually willing the shadows. So that kind of automatic. So he really
does come out of the shadows as they describe multiple times. So he just appears out of nowhere.
So really, he is something that would come out and easily just, I mean, honestly, he could slit
her throat with his shadow if he really wanted to, as we can see in another scene as well. So

(17:30):
yeah, well, and the shadows talk to him too. So he doesn't even have necessarily be there,
but they're always telling him things. We don't really see it from his point of view to explore
into depth about his shadow wielding, but we definitely see one of the things he uses the
shadows form a hand to pull the dagger out of the tree and things like that. So very easily,
could have killed her at any moment, anytime really, and has not and went out of his way then

(17:51):
to be like, no, no, you should be preparing yourself for the day that you actually do have
to fight an opponent. Whereas Dane just keep trying to caudal her and get her to run away to the
squat scrub quadrant instead of preparing her for battle. Anyone is lying to get girl.
I can't stand him. I will say, speaking of that, I would have liked a little bit more,

(18:15):
at least maybe just like the first 10 chapters of not making Dane into being so doubted of her,
some to just build up that love triangle a little bit more, because I knew from
I want to say the first interaction I was convinced. No, he's there's no way he's not
going to be the love interest because it's pretty bad. He's constantly trying to get her to run away.

(18:36):
He never says anything positive. It's pretty bad. Well, and I think also we'll get into it more in
the end, but everybody should have already read the book if you're listening to the podcast,
that way, spoiler alert. But Dane actually trays her and uses his signal to report and send Violet
out to die. So I think if she would have built that up to be, oh my gosh, this could be a possibility,

(19:00):
that betrayal would have been 10 times worse. I agree. If that would have happened because
if we almost loved him as much as we loved Liam, it probably would have been a little bit more of
like a bit of a better thing. Liam's object. Yeah, like I almost wanted her to be with Liam also.
I loved him way more, built that up a little friends to love her thing or something would have been,

(19:22):
but 1000% Dane was from the very beginning and I called it that he was going to betray her. He
touched her way too often and in so many different contexts, like it wasn't appropriate to touch her
face. And he says very clearly, he says temples when he tells her his power, but he always touched
her cheek and I was like, no, it's just, it's, it's gotta be, he's, he's reading her memories and

(19:45):
we find out that's the case because Dane is disgusting. He's a rule follower though too,
which I actually like that doesn't bother me in a character until it obviously becomes her
character flaw, which it is for him. But I almost, I would almost disagree that he's a rule follower
to a T because he very clearly invades her privacy has no problem doing so. And he's not supposed to

(20:11):
do that either. So I think it's he said he does what serves him. That's really what it is. Well,
I think more so he does it to serve the. Yeah, the good of all basically he does it to like serve
authority like he wants to please his dad. I mean, the military group, I believe, believes that they're
doing what's good for all because they do keep secrets from basically the whole world. So I think

(20:34):
in Dane's mind, he doesn't know about all these extra stuff. So I think he really thinks that
him reading her mind is a little bit better. That's not rational. In the world by invading your
privacy violet, even though I think I love you. So the next part is the gauntlet and the gauntlet
is I kind of pictured it as the American and Joe warrior kind of. Deadly off your course. That's

(21:04):
how they describe it. So the only way to to live is you have to make it to the top. If you don't
make it to the top, you die like point blank period. There's no other exceptions. So with that, we
kind of right before the gauntlet, we kind of start learning about the different types of drag out
there and feather tail. So color coded mainly. So that really helps. So they start going into

(21:26):
the gauntlet and violet to me, more of that scribe in depth thinking than what most people would have.
It's, you know, she uses things which they consider illegal because she used a dagger to
help herself get up because she's so small. And that kind of changed like a little bit of a turning
point where they kind of defense her a little bit. And he's just kind of like, it was his idea to

(21:49):
switch it up too. Yeah. She's struggling and can't do it the right way is not necessarily the only
way. So that she then starts taking outside the box to get more creative so that she does get up
because she tried, I think they had like eight or nine practice runs before the actual one. And she
failed every single one of them on the practice runs. Yes. Until she came up with the out of box
thing and another cadet tries to challenge her on it and they can take her side and defense her.

(22:12):
And it's delicious. Yes. Yes. And then there's also a section that I really enjoyed that it led to me
like a little bit of violet, I don't know, sassiness getting her spunk to that I can do this. I can,
you know, I got it. And Dane asked her what changed between the parapet now. And she just responds

(22:34):
me. And they just instantly says, Oh, well, she's got a little bit more than you think she does.
Yeah, it definitely, we see a little bit more of her backbone. She several times when Dane doubted
her and expressed that and wanted her to run away. We see her almost comforting him rather than
setting up for herself. Gimora tries to accept that it's just because he cares about her. He just

(22:58):
wants to keep her safe rather than wait a minute. No, no, no. Why are you doubting me? It takes
her a while to get there. But eventually she does. And it's really good for her because from there
you really see her confidence start to build. For sure. I think the gauntlet was really a whole
turning point for her. And even though she kept saying the mantra, I will not die today. I will
not die today. Even before this event, I really think that that was the point that she was just,

(23:21):
you know what, screw you guys, I can do this. I've got this. And then whenever she figures out,
Hey, there is a way for me to still survive. Even if it's not the same way as everybody else,
I can still figure this out. And I think that's really cool to see too, because in a gauntlet
and other scenes, we see her on the parapet. When she gets nervous, she starts reciting

(23:42):
historical factual information that she learned to subscribe to calm herself down. And it's really
interesting to see that and see how she manages her adrenaline rush and her nerves, because every
other writer is not that way. The writers on the gauntlet that were excited to do the obstacle course.
And I've been waiting my whole life for this. I've been training for it. You know, that I think
one of the characters says, dad used to set these up every summer for us to do them. So she's like,

(24:05):
I don't know what we're doing. The violet is so lost. I don't want to be here, but you know what,
I am and so make the best of it. And 1000% we see that also we see her like you're talking to her
problem solving is so different. Everybody else kind of uses brute force or strength to problem
solve and she doesn't. She's much more cunning and strategic with things that she does. And I think

(24:27):
that's also something that Zane really likes about her. And I think he notices that from day one
and appreciates it. And I think that helps build his love for her and his interest in her
that he likes it. Well, he actually makes a quote that says, I don't have a thing for defenseless
women. So he kind of sets that field of Hey, you're going to be weak. Leave me alone. I got
nothing to do with you. But whenever she is chosen by a dragon, the underlying thing was there's more

(24:51):
to being chosen than just physical strength or more to it. So I think that all of that kind of
builds up to that point. The other thing I do want to pinpoint on is there is a scene of what
Rydyk is that how we I say Riddick. But I don't know that's right. But he refers to it as a

(25:13):
presentation. And it's basically a walkthrough field. They basically like interview with the
dragons. But it's like a lot up. And they just like walk by them. See if they're smelling it. It's
weird. Yeah, there's a chit chat. And one example is a girl named Luca. She actually gets incinerated
because she keeps diminishing other candidates. And so she gets burned. So they basically they

(25:37):
determine whether or not they're going to like you. And it's almost their way of picking because I
think a really good example is Jack. I think he's either Jack or Orin was really mad because they
couldn't see the tails of the dragon. Who am I supposed to know what to which one to pick? It was
Tannen. So you're not supposed to pick them. They're supposed to pick you. So it's like their
interview but without them actually speaking directly to the dragons. But we do have a

(25:59):
lot of dragons only speak to their rider. Yes, yes. In theory, you found that out. That's not
true for some people. But generally. But we do have a scene Violet sister Mira gave her a corset
to protect her, which it came into massive play throughout the entire book. Honestly, but the
corset is actually made of Mira's dragons scales. And so there's two green dragons that come up to

(26:24):
her and start sniffing her. And to me, that was just a sweet moment in a fearful everybody else
is terrified. And their Violet is just having a casual chat conversation with these two dragons.
Oh, this is my sister's dragon. You smell her like, you know, it took her a second to realize
they weren't just trying to harm her. But then they actually started sniffing where her corset
was. That's when she realized she was like, Oh, you must smell my sister's dragon. And it's really

(26:49):
cool to see that the dragons have those sort of bonds to even just among themselves enough to
recognize the scent on someone else and be curious enough to step forward and what you got there.
Yeah. It was almost like that like a little playful dog like what you got there. It was so
cute. I thought and then this all leads to what's called the thrashing, which is basically the

(27:09):
selection of the dragon. So basically it's just a bunch of 20 year olds running around a young
adult, young adults running around a field and basically randomly a dragon will start speaking
into their minds and be like your mind. Hello, how are you so glad you joined me on this day?

(27:30):
I think it was cool to see how Rhianna described it, by the way. Yes, yes, because that was a
really good example of what it was supposed to be like. And that didn't happen like that for Violet.
And so to see that Brandon said she just knew she just felt it deep this comforting that is who I'm
supposed to be with. And he I love it for sight. Imagine how Rhianna described it. Yeah, like soul

(27:51):
mates. Yeah. Yeah. For Violet, however, it did not happen that way. So there was a golden feather
tail dragon that was sunbathing in a field is how it's described. And both Jack and his buddy,
Orin and Ty, come into this field and try to kill the feather tail because they believe it's the
weakest and which is it's huge thing not to kill. Yeah, they're not supposed to kill dragons. They're

(28:15):
supposed to be trying to find their own dragons. They're not even supposed to be hunting anybody.
However, because they're jerks and think they're important, they decided to hunt the little baby
dragon trying to say it was a weakling and a liability, even though those typically do not bond
anyways. So when we going into war, so it wouldn't be a weakling anyways, it wouldn't be a liability
because it wouldn't be there, but they don't care because they're just cruel. And as they're doing

(28:38):
that, first of all, Zaden shows up with his dragon, Segeal. He challenges Jack and Orin and Ty, and
it was just like, you might not want to mess with her. And yeah, that's what I like though too,
is like he doesn't, he doesn't step in. He says very clearly that like, I don't want to mess with
Violet, even though she's outnumbered, she doesn't get much help from the dragon because the dragon

(28:59):
doesn't have any claws, can't blow fire and like that yet. She's a hatchling, I believe is the term
they use. And, but, and he pops over and they're not supposed to, two second years and third years
are not supposed to interfere or interact during this threshing. However, his dragon has an attachment
to the baby dragon. And so they popped over just to watch to keep an eye on him and says, I love it

(29:22):
that he's like, don't mess with Violet. He doesn't say, I'm going to do anything. He says, you better
not mess with Violet. And they're sitting there, a black dragon comes into the scene and starts
speaking to Violet. And one of the first things I love that he says is he calls her the silver one
because of her hair. But one of the first things that he says is, you're bleeding, stop it. It was

(29:45):
just, it was just like this big brother annoying. It was, yes, a thousand percent. That's how he,
that's how he sounds in my head. Yeah, it was just, come on. Of course, why, how are you already
bleeding? Like you're, we're just supposed to be becoming friends, but yeah. And he's one of the
most powerful too. So I love it. Then we'll find out like he has an attachment to the golden one.
And that's the whole thing. He is mated with Zaden dragon and they're kind of like parents to the

(30:09):
golden one, adoptive parents. But we see that and he very clearly is from the beginning, he's like,
come on man, this is, this is the one I supposed to be paired with. However, he's very confident in
his choice. He still is just like, come on, get it together for me. He just knows her potential,
which I really love too, that he sees that from the beginning and is like, you can do it. Stop,

(30:30):
stop playing games. I really liked the part where Orynn is on the ground knocked out.
He sits there and the black dragon makes a comment, you should kill him. And she said, well,
this whole situation is the statement of his character, not of mine. So I really liked that
violet is still, Hey, I'm not going to kill anybody. That's not what I'm here for. Which honestly,

(30:52):
once she does actually kill somebody that does kind of change the whole ball game for her,
I think on a mental level. So I think that really speaks a lot to her, her character again, that she
is not going to try to kill somebody just because even though they're trying to actively kill her
multiple times throughout the whole, she should have killed Jack before she should have killed
Orynn at that time. She should have killed him multiple times. However, she does not, which you're

(31:13):
right, does speak to her character. It's very impressive even though it comes back to bite
her in the rear end later. But and he does, I love that that he's like, you should kill that one.
Yeah, because he killed the other one. I really like Orynn, like a little coward. Don't forget that.
Jack didn't run like a coward as well. So I mean, that spoke to a lot as well,

(31:34):
is that he wasn't as big as bad as what he kept persona-finding. Not before she hurt his shoulder,
though. She threw a dagger in his shoulder. I like that. At least she got him. So after they get
chosen, she figures out her dragon's name is Tyrann, and he's basically doing some like loop-de-loops
with her. And she's basically just saying, Hey, I didn't think I was going to make it this far.
I took stuff in, but I didn't like keep it in because I really didn't think I was going to get here.

(31:56):
He's not quite big enough to stand her seat either. And it's not muscle. It really is,
but it's body size. She's just not big enough to fit the seat of a dragon. And so it's interesting.
Well, not the biggest dragon that's out there either.
Correct. That didn't help either. So it's cool to see like how he manages that she's different.
And she has different needs. And it's really interesting to watch the hell even a dragon

(32:17):
in this book adapts to that and constantly encourages her instead of saying, well, maybe
you're just not meant for it. She even says, you don't want to pick me. You don't want me,
I promise. And he's like, no, yes, I do. Yes, I do. Well, and I really like the fact as well that
a lot of talk with this whole scene is that Violet's talking to herself that if you fall from a
dragon seat, they're probably not going to catch you. They see that. Yeah. And we think that, oh,

(32:42):
well, here you go. Violet's dropping. He's probably just going to let her fall. And he actually saves
her and just, Hey, stay on my seat. Stop pulling around. And she's like, I can't sit on here.
He does it over and over and over and they do flight practice for weeks. And she falls several
times and he picks it every time it throws her back up. I have this imagery in my head of his
claws and just like choking her back on his back. I love it. It's so cute. Like a rag doll.

(33:06):
I really like that in one scene, she says, I'm just not as strong as other writers. And he said,
I know exactly who and what you are Violet Sorengel. So I really like that that he knew coming into it,
what he expected out of her. And it wasn't that she was going to be the best rider on the planet.
It was just, she was going to be herself. And he said, you're the smartest of your year, the most

(33:28):
cunning. You defended the smallest with ferocity and the strength of courage is more important
than physical strength since you apparently need to know before we land. So he's basically saying,
hey, you are stronger in a lot more areas than other people. So I know what I'm getting into
basically by bonding with you. Yeah. And he was his choice. He did not have to bond her no matter

(33:50):
what happened. He chose to do that and he was proud to do it. And it was, I thought it was really
cute too. He talks about, he gives you his full name and I can't pronounce that. So I'm not even
going to try. And then you have also the little golden one bonded her as well. And so her name
and Darna, and it's just adorable watching all three of them like have like these mind conversations

(34:13):
when it's just really cute or other little sisters, they're like, you know, you have to be safe over
here or you have to stay out of action. And it's the same thing they kept telling Violet, which is
what we see. And I like that kind of comparison. So when we learned about the black dragon and Jack
really wanted him, I was like, Oh, that's who Violet's going to get. That's going to be Violet's
like foreshadowing. Then we learned about the golden dragon separately. And I was like, man,

(34:35):
maybe that's who she's going to get because it would be perfect, you know, to people being
underestimated under sauce and everything. And then she gets both of them. And I was like,
Okay, that's even better. I couldn't, I couldn't have even guessed that. It was great because no
rider has ever gotten to. So that was pretty cool to see her again, beating standards. Violet is the
most ferocious as far as mind wise, where a Darna is more a comparison to her as far as size wise

(35:00):
and kind of her weak state, I guess you can say. So I think both of them are a great reflection of
Violet and kind of her capabilities in both aspects. Because even though a Darna is a weak one,
she is really, she's positive too. She's like, let's go Violet, like you got this. I really think
that both of the dragons reflect both sides of Violet. And even though Tyrann's got this little

(35:23):
darkness to him, I mean, Violet does too, as we kind of learn a little bit. So I mean, I think
it's a good reflection of both of her in both of those dragons. For sure. And like this kind of
jumps ahead a little bit, but the scene where she does actually finally kill someone, that's
on being Jack. But anyways, when she actually does that, he even comforts her about that. And

(35:45):
Zaden does too. But you know, he doesn't say, you know, you should accept it or neither does Zaden,
but you can feel those emotions. And then you got to move on because you do what you had to,
and you saved your friend, a friend that Rebecca then kills off later. Let's not get into that,
Rebecca. I'm very disappointed that you killed Liam. But anyhow, it was really good to see that
that he, even though he's a dragon, he understood her human emotions and was still those are valid.

(36:10):
But you did what you had to do. You at some point have to accept that. Yeah. Yeah. So
there is a scene I want to talk about before I go into the next part with Tyrann, but there is a
scene where Dane kisses Violet. And at that point, it was pretty much solidified that no love triangle
was going to happen. She flat out says she does not want this anymore. She's wanted it for years,

(36:31):
but now that it's happening, God, it was what she was wanting. He kissed her and she was like,
I'm not into it. Yeah. And I really think that a love triangle, that was not a possibility.
It's for sure not happening to me at that point. And just hope he's not as important. I think it
sealed it for Violet in that moment too. And I think that's when she really started to let herself
consider Zaden. Yes. The next part is she is sitting there with Tyrann and he starts talking about

(36:56):
her rise in heart rate every time she sees Zaden. He's so human the way he's described it,
it cracks me up mentally. They're able of having thoughts and strategies. Their brains are just
like humans. It's so cool to see that. He says, is that what you call it when your heart rate?
And she cuts them off and says, don't even start with me. So it's just this little teasy kind of

(37:19):
moment between the two of them. It's just a big brother, big sister moment that I really, really
love. And it kind of goes into the next kind of big scene that happens is Violet gets attacked in
her sleep. And in the scene, Orrin and a couple other unbonded riders try to attack, prove themselves

(37:39):
almost to Tyrann, which is kind of dumb to be honest. Yeah. He'll murder his current rider,
so he'll love me. Well, I agree. I thought that watching makes no sense to me. But also we got
to see their bond already from the beginning. And I don't think that happens with every rider in
Dragon because we see another dragon that loses their rider and rebonds almost immediately.

(38:01):
And so I think maybe it just, it is a testament to their bond that was really already there and
how well of a fit they are. They don't understand that because they're unbonded, except for the one
that was bonded that opened the door. And that's why she died. Yeah, she deserved it. So in the
scene, we find out our Darna can actually freeze time and she stops everybody and gives enough

(38:24):
time for Zaden to come in. And basically he just goes in, just murders everybody with his shadows
in that moment. I really think it's not just a flirty relationship here. I think there's actually
something that's going to happen. He basically comes in, murders everybody, and then Violet
realizes that Zaden is the one she wants. This was actually the first time she verbalized, oh,

(38:46):
Zaden's the one I want. So yeah, she accepted it. She was like, oh, I am attracted to him. Oh, no.
And they go in front of everybody and Zaden actually takes a stand on her behalf and says,
hey, this wing leader of another wing actually was the one opened up Violet's door. That to me,
that was a huge scene because it really solidified. The Dane did not trust Violet. He kept questioning

(39:10):
her like, let me see the memories. And she was like, don't touch me. And he started to put his
hand on her, which also she realizes later that, oh, he said this before. And that's why he was so
quick to try to just do it. And then he realized, oh wait, she's going to know in that moment. I
think too, Dane had a relationship with that cadet previously and we don't really get to hear a lot

(39:31):
about it. But I would imagine that played into his impression that Zaden was a liar instead of Amber.
But it's the first moment that Violet really accepts, oh, wait a minute, not only does he
doubt my ability to be here, he doubts me in general. Like he doesn't have any faith in me,
much less my ability to be here. And Zaden, she was scared to tell Zaden's in the first part because

(39:55):
she thought he wouldn't believe her because she knew Dane wouldn't. And she tells him he believes
her and he exposed her. It was almost infamously. I mean, he, yeah, the next morning, yeah, she was
just like, hey, this person did it. He's like, I've got this. I'll take care of it for you.
And I love that. I really liked it as well. There wasn't that many interactions up to this
point with Zaden and Violet for him to really have that trust with her. But I think it's because

(40:20):
he's already trusted her with one secret. So then she decided to trust him with hers.
And he was just like, okay, well, we've already built this trust a little bit.
But I think there's a nothing, something else that comes into play a little bit too,
but kind of exposed in Iron Flame, but I'm not going to get into that since you haven't read that.
So that the next episode. Yes. After this all happens and the other wing leader is Burns.

(40:44):
Violet wants to give her mercy, which also again, we see Violet's character coming into that
compassion, that mercy that she's not like all the other writers, because what Amber did violated
their code and that's why she was executed. But my heart broke for her dragon that had to sit
there and watch her be executed and then live through that. Sometimes when you kill the rider,
it kills the dragon. It's not guaranteed. So to know that like she might have crawled off

(41:08):
somewhere and because we don't know, we don't ever hear about it. But a broken heart syndrome.
And in the movies, like cries out and it's like a horrible high pitching screen to where like
they have to cover their ears. I don't know about y'all, like I've heard people cry out
at funerals and it's a horrible, it's a horrible noise. And so that's what my brain was thinking

(41:29):
was like that hit a full broken heart. And I was like, oh, like it was so sad for that dragon.
Amber deserved it, but I felt so bad for that dragon. Well, actually, there's a quote that's
mentioned several times in the book that I think would be a perfect kind of tip it off of that.
Is a dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead. And that's
actually from the dragon writer's codex that's quoted multiple times. And so I really think

(41:53):
that that's very true is I mean, Taryn kind of talks about how it was so tragic for him to lose
his previous rider as well. So and he actually disappeared for two years and nobody ever saw
him until he bonded with Violet. It's super, super sad. I couldn't imagine it's almost like a soulmate.
You lose part of your souls. I think it's really, really hard on both ends. But with a rider,

(42:15):
they die if the dragon ties so they don't really get to feel that heartache. And it may be just
a reflection of dragon has a bigger heart. So it's able to live longer where a rider doesn't. So
it's not as strong enough. I'm just thinking about Liam. I'm sorry. My man, you had to kill a man,
Rebecca. But no, it was cool to see that from both ends. Oh, too, I will say it was sad, but it was

(42:37):
cool to see a rider die and then see how the dragon responded. And then later we see Liam's
dragon die and then he dies right after we do get introduced at the end of this kind of scene.
Liam becomes the bodyguard for Violet. Zaden basically puts him on personal guard duty because
I know we didn't really touch on it, but Segeal and Tyrion are mates. So basically the theory is

(42:58):
if either Violet or Zaden dies, both dragons and both humans also die. So yes. Can you imagine if
they do poor Adana is going to be left alone? She might die from a broken heart too. I really hope
that doesn't happen. Rebecca, don't do it. Please don't. Please don't. At least maybe if she has
another dragon alive, she still will live. I don't know how that works. It's not been recorded in

(43:20):
their history, but we do also discover that all the rebels' children actually had some kind of
agreement to become riders. So that's their only way into this area is to become a rider, which I
think it's a little harsh to be honest because absolutely. I mean, basically your only way to
live is that you become a death sentence. Yeah, a death sentence or you have to become a warrior

(43:46):
for the people that your parents were trying to rebel from. Even if they survived the college and
become an actual rider and graduate, they still, according to Violet, are statistically more likely
to die before they ever reach retirement age. It literally is a death sentence. They pretty much
force you into the military service. You either die before you get there or you die while you're

(44:06):
serving. And that's the only way for you to prove your loyalty because of what your parents did.
Even ones that were babies when it happened. So it's not even just like adult children or the
teenagers. It's all the way down to the little babies. The youngest, I believe, is now six. So
it would have been little, little. So. Garak actually, Zaden's best friend mentions, as people are
like, when do we get to give Violet? And he defends her a little bit. Well, she's being forced to be

(44:29):
here just as well as we are. She's in the same boat and we don't want to be attacked. So why would
she want to be attacked? So I got a little bit as well. Yeah. And he says that it's the Navarian way
to punish the children for the crimes of the parents. It's not our way. And it's really cool
to see that he can very mature point of view because the majority of people obviously would not feel

(44:51):
that way. And it was just neat to see that because he has no bond with her. He doesn't have his own
relationship with her or anything. They're not friends. And actually, when he says that, it's
pretty early on. So I'm not even sure if he's really met her or talked to her. And it was just
really cool to see how mature some of them might be considering. We build this big idea that Zaden
wants to murder her much less anybody else. And Garak is very quick to say that doesn't make

(45:13):
any sense. We shouldn't do it. Well, and it's emphasized a lot that the Rebels kids want violence.
They want revenge. Some sentences, they say that as well. When do we get to kill Violet,
get payback for her mother's doing and all that. So I think that is a huge part that is played on
quite often. Oh, absolutely. He even mentions don't think you got your revenge when you dislocated
her entire arm from her body and imagines like she's lucky. That's all I did. I think it's even

(45:37):
cool to see that too because these kids that grew up without their parents and watch their parents
be executed, the anger obviously in the revenge that is rational and they still don't kill anybody
because of it. And yet you watch Jack, who did not grow up that way, who's very privileged,
has no reason to hit anybody because he's getting everything once and he's still out here just

(45:57):
murdering left and right for fun and gets away with it. That's an eek me out. I really thought
at some point that somebody in the authority was going to put him down. He's a rabid feral dog.
But I think he's just a textbook psychopath. So it's just his justification.
Textbook psychopath in a college full of psychopaths. That's what that's kind of what it felt like.
I mean, they're all kind of bloodthirsty. It's known that you may be murdered if you're a weak

(46:21):
link, but he goes above and beyond and he's just insane to me. Somebody should just put him down.
That's what should happen. Rabbit feral dog ends what we consider the first part of fourth wing,
which would end in a chapter 22. We end with Segal and Tyrann kind of have a little lovey-dovey
session and it overrides Violet and Zaden and makes them very lustful. We actually get a scene where

(46:44):
Violet has this longing for Liam, even though she has no desire otherwise, but it's almost an
overpowering feeling of emotion. And she has his emotions are like flowing into Violet. And so,
while they're doing their thing, she's also getting all of those emotions and she doesn't
realize it at first. What's happening? Then she slowly does and she's like, Oh my gosh,
I cannot jump Liam's bones. That'll be so awkward tomorrow. So she goes to get some cool air. And

(47:09):
that's when she sees Zaden and he's learned obviously to the compartmentalize and she hasn't
learned that yet. So it's a little steamy, but he's like, no, you're not on the right mind. I'm
telling you, yeah, the sexual tension was insane. And I mean, they were really flirty the whole time.
So you knew it was bound to happen, but it definitely did not think it was going to happen

(47:29):
because Segal and Tyrann were getting it on and they felt their emotions. I think it definitely
opened up that relationship. For sure. Well, it is the first step where they cross a lot and we
see that happen. So it does then from there, escalate because there's a rule that really
first years are not supposed to frighten us with leadership. And that would include Dane,

(47:51):
although he doesn't appear to think that applies to him in some instances and other instances it does.
But it also applies to Zaden probably even more. I was like selective hearing.
Selected something. I like that man. But we do finally get a kiss. And as much as the buildup
has been, it's really neat to see him be able to be like, you're not in your right mind to consent,

(48:14):
and I'm not going to engage with you and you need to go back to bed. That was hot because
most guys would not do that. So of course, you know, these fictional men are always setting
standards that we don't have in our life. But anyway, I really like I really liked in the next
chapter where they're all gathering and Rhiannon and Violet have like a little school girl giggle

(48:37):
about them making out to I really felt like that was really, really sweet. And she actually,
she asked if he knows what he's doing Rhiannon does and Violet says it was just a kiss. But yeah,
he knows exactly what he's doing. And so it's just a little cute little moment between best friends
and little school girls about the first kiss. Yeah, but I also hear for it. And every school

(48:58):
time is go for it. Would you please go get laid? And Violet is always, no, I can't do that. She's
so supportive. I love I love Rhiannon, by the way. There's a really good quote from Rhiannon that I
think like really shows her faith in Violet. So Violet makes a comment about Zaden being like the
most powerful and they're in the quadrant and Rhiannon says, you're all worried about the

(49:20):
integrity of the ring, because Ryerson might have to visit to keep his dragon happy. But Violet,
he's not the most powerful rider of our generation. You are. And she holds my gaze just long enough
to let me know that she means it. I love that. That is something we see throughout the entire
book is that Rhiannon never wants to lose his faith in Violet and is always tell me how I can
help. She trains her to try to help her. It's it's really good to see that friendship develop and

(49:44):
have that kind of as a little side plot to keep you keep you happy. Everything else is going wrong,
but Rhiannon. So then the next kind of thing is Jack and Violet gets on the mat and they start
crying. Jack is out for blood. He is ready to murder. And Violet- Even though he's code multiple
times again, do not. She takes out a vial of oranges after she finds out Jack is allergic to them.

(50:09):
She again chose to save his life after his throat swelling up and she's just, hey,
I poisoned him with oranges before she passes out. She said that before he did otherwise he would
have died, which I wouldn't have complained about it that. Unfortunately. Unfortunately. She should
have let him die. Before she passes out, saves his life again. And honestly, at this point,
I think it's like six times that she saves Jack's life and it's just like, plenty. What for? Like, why?

(50:35):
Yeah, she's better than me because I would have killed him day one when he was on the parapet.
And in the section, there's a spot where Violet snaps a little bit of Dane. And I really like
this line where she says, I know you just want to keep me safe, Dane, but keeping me safe is
keeping me from growing too. And that was the first time I really seen that little bit of, hey,

(50:55):
stop with the not confidence in me because like, I can't do it anymore.
I love it too, because that's a direct quote from Zaden told her, he's holding you back
and he's keeping you from growing. And then she turns around and says,
that's a him. And I was like, oh, you'll listen to me. Oh man, I do. Okay.
And in between there and the next portion we'll talk about is Violet runs into her mom and Dane's

(51:19):
dad and her mom actually makes another comment. You need to master your signet. You have a
legacy to live up to or something like that. And it's just, okay, well, you didn't bond the most
powerful dragon in the land. So I mean, you don't know what's going to happen. Well, not only that,
but I mean, first of all, she's bonded to dragons. So this is the first time in history, I think it's

(51:39):
said in 400 plus years that that's happened. And so nobody knows what to expect out of it. So who's
to say she even gets a sign which I mean, we know that she does. But in this moment, you don't even
know. But I'm basically building the new legacy for our family because I'm the one of two dragons
like period. And she never says good job, or I'm proud of you for anything that Violet ever does,

(52:02):
it's constant criticism. And with in the very beginning, her mom is a little bit of a soft
moment with Violet. And I really thought that we were going to be able to see that more as the book
explored and it's the opposite. She just gets harder and harder. And it's no wonder that Violet
ends up defying the authorities because she's not had a great example. Her mom, after her dad,

(52:24):
after her brother died, her mom totally changed. It talks about that her mom was willing to sacrifice
one child for the secret. And Violet accepts that it will all just have to be another,
rather than and that's a really big moment for me to see that she kind of accepts that there
really is no chance of a future relationship, a good one at least with her mom, which is sad

(52:46):
because I mean, especially you lose one parent and then you also lose your brother, you would hope
that way, build this closeness, which there's actually a line whenever she visits, which will
kind of go into but she visits Myra at camp and she actually makes a comment that, you know,
we've never been that happy family. Even before I died, we were never worried that happy of a
family or that close of a family. Which I think also builds a foundation for Violet's confidence

(53:12):
in herself as she's always had to basically support herself what's different now situation.
Well, and books have always been the way that she does that. She loves learning, she loves knowledge.
That's always how she's gotten herself ahead. She's always the top of her class. What she says
most of what comes is that her mom always would compare her to her siblings and she would never

(53:32):
live up to it and she accepted that at some point. Now she's doing better than them and has had
professors that even say you are better than them and her mom still doesn't have a single nice thing
to say. So the next part is whenever Violet and Zaden start training. So at the whole instance that
happens with Jack, basically Zaden makes a comment, I guess I'm going to have to take over your training

(53:54):
from now on. So they start spending a lot of time together. They train on the mat. They just have
these little flirty like wrestling sessions basically, which I think really builds up like more
of like a flirtation tone for what's to come. Because up to this point, we really only had maybe
like four or five interactions with Jack at them. So it was nice to kind of see a lot invested into

(54:16):
that relationship building with him in those scenes. Yeah, and it helps too that since their
dragons are connected, their minds are also connected. And so they can talk to each other
mentally. And that takes the flirtation for me to a whole other level. And they have a little
private conversations, flirty conversations. I love that. And she is so determined to see

(54:38):
his control snap. I love that too. So just slowly the tension is just building and building.
And we're getting slowly closer to the tip and the scale towards lovers instead of enemies.
It's really good. There is actually a scene right before they get to the part where they can start
talking to each other and in their head. They have a challenge to steal something. And they choose
to steal a map from Violet's mom's office to win this reward. And at the end, she makes a comment

(55:04):
that she looks up at Zaden, and he tilts one corner of that beautiful mouth and tips an imaginary
hat to me bowing his head for a heartbeat before bringing his gaze back to hold mine. Satisfaction
fills every ounce of my being as I smile up at him. It doesn't matter how the vote comes down.
I've already won. Yeah. You know, you did good there just has that one on one in a room full

(55:26):
of people and they're just, okay, well, here's this little flirty thing to themselves. And this
is before they even could talk to each other inside if the head. So I mean, they have that
communication already without even words being involved in it. Yes. Yeah. That relationship
is building. Yeah. Well, in relation to that, how we see him expressing his feelings without

(55:46):
saying it, he's much better at doing things. So he has her personalized dagger made, which is her
personal choice of weapon. It's so cute. And then he has her as saddle made for a dragon so she can
stay on. And I was like, this thing is in love. This man is in love. And he doesn't even know it
says, Oh, it was so good. I love that. I love seeing that. We love that he fought her. And there

(56:10):
with the reward session, I really liked the scene where Myra is actually at the post that they get
sent to, she kind of runs up to her. And she's super happy. But she's just like, Oh, I've got to
tell you all of this stuff because she instantly gets a sisterly feeling with her. And they talk
briefly about that. And she's like, it's a complicated subject. And she almost like threatens Zayden
and one of the scenes to don't you dare do this, my sister. Then I really liked the table scene too,

(56:35):
when they're sitting there planning on Heather, they're going through some training tactics,
and they're communicating telepathically. And she nudges Zayden quietly. And they're sitting there
having a whole fight behind the scenes with everybody. And I just found that so cute. That was
honestly one of my favorite scenes with him. Yeah. Well, in relation to that scene in total,

(56:55):
it was really cute because I think it was three days, maybe they had been apart. And he flies over
there and says it's the dragons that can't be apart. But in reality, we all know it was Zayden
that didn't want to be apart for three days. He does say that in his whenever they're doing that
telepathic thing in that section, he actually makes the comment. He said, aren't you sure it

(57:17):
wasn't me that couldn't stay away or something like that. So the quote that was said was you
never considered that it was you I couldn't stay away from. And then it was actually the point
where she actually took her right arm and jabbed it into his biceps. So it was a little like
teasy moment flirtatious moment. But then we actually get to the scene where that whole outpost
that they are at as the reward gets attacked. And there is actually the line that Zayden says

(57:45):
whenever she's basically we got to say and we got a five and Mira actually goes to Zayden,
which honestly shocked me in that scene. If she goes to Zayden says you have to get her out of
here, you're the best chance at her surviving. And to me that was left field because earlier
she was just basically stay away from her don't have anything to do with her. And it makes a
comment right before he kisses her again. And he says leave for me Violet, who's just I mean,

(58:08):
I'm still gonna fight about it. But yeah, I guess I'll get on the back of the straggling
resistance that still happened. Yeah, she was mad. But yes, he said he's like, can you walk or do I
have to carry you onto your dragon? And she has like this little I'm mad at you kind of vibe the
next day. And Tiren had reported to Segeal Zayden's dragon that she hadn't slept very good,

(58:32):
because she they're not knowing whether or not her sister lived. And she actually makes a comment
to Tiren in her head whenever she's saying like stop reporting my sleeping habit. She says Adana
is my favorite. And it was just like a little jab at Tiren, you know, I'm mad at you. And
yeah, they kind of just snorts afterwards, which again plays that brother sister vibe that I really,

(58:52):
I really enjoy with those two. Yes, for sure. Well, and from there, we really start their
relationship really develops after that is when he bosses saddle, you know, and eventually we get
to the scene where she does kill Jack. And we learned that her signet is lightning. So that was
a big, big moment. And I really want to quote the lines that I literally got goosebumps. I mean,

(59:16):
even the third time reading through it, I got goosebumps. And she says I am the sky and the
power of every storm that has ever been I am infinite. And then like my second favorite part
of that whole scene was whenever Tiren screens in her head lightning wilder. And it just like
really set the scene of he was very almost like to me, I'm proud of you. Like in his own way,

(59:38):
of course, because it's Tiren and he's not going to show any of that. But it was really well,
and I think he's a little different than most because I think Adana would be like, you go,
girl, you got your parents here. It definitely that's hilarious. That's exactly how it
was. But it was definitely really cute to see his his excitement for her. And obviously for his

(01:00:03):
because it's his writer. So for himself to know that she did finally come into her power. And
that it's a rare and unique one. There hasn't been one for hundreds of years. And it just shows how
powerful she is. So it's just really exciting moment. I think it's also important to note that
Tiren's previous writer, Naolin, I believe is house pronounced, his actually was where he could

(01:00:23):
heal people. So all of Tiren's previous writers have had powerful things. But I think this one
was more powerful than what even he expected, honestly. Yeah, I think I think at that point,
there was actually a lot now reading through it the third time. There's actually a lot of
different spots actually hinted at what her power was that I did not catch on to their

(01:00:47):
reference to like a Jolt's a funderous description. They she even says within the first chapter to
Mira that she's lightning fast. You know, there's just several different spots that actually
reflected that that I did not catch on to at first. Yeah, like her hair had the silver ends.
And then Tiren calls her silver one. So there's a lot of lightning imagery that you find there

(01:01:09):
at the book once you realize that's what the actual power is. So also in the scene, what triggered
her signet actually was her friend Liam got stabbed by Jack. And so triggered something in her to be
I've got to reach down inside of me and finally take care of Jack. You know, now he's not only
harming me, he's now harmed by friends. So most of the time that she actually used her powers for,

(01:01:34):
I don't want to say malicious way because it really wasn't but kind of more of like a super
power to destroy somebody was because her friends got hurt. And somebody she cared about got hurt.
Yeah, it's definitely in defense of others. It's not even a defense of herself.
And I think, you know, that there's something that she says after she kills Jack,
she goes back to her room, she makes a comment, I believe it's to Zaden and she says,

(01:01:57):
everybody else would be so excited to get this power. And her fear is she does not want to be
this army's weapon. She wants to use her powers for good. And I mean, to be honest,
so that's kind of truthful. And it kind of tells her whenever Dane's there and you can use your
power for whatever you want. And Zaden's like, don't stand and coddle her. Let her know. Yes,

(01:02:18):
she will be used as a weapon, but you get to choose how the weapon is used. So for the good
or for the bad, she really had that fear. And I think deep down, she knew there was something
going on with the military in that part, where she's like, I'm going to be used against people.
And I think to me that kind of spoke to that she kind of had an underlying feeling of something
else was going on. Now, probably to the extent that into coming out with probably not, but she

(01:02:42):
definitely had kind of an idea of what was happening. Oh, I agree. Because she makes,
even when they're talking about for when we very first learned Dane's power and talking about how
he'll be used for interrogation, she hints there that that would make her uncomfortable.
Then she hints again about the general, they talk about him at one point, and she pretty much
talks about how intimidating and disassociated almost he seems like he is evil almost. And

(01:03:05):
there's another point where she talks about the king where she's like, he's never even seen battle.
She very clearly is not like, she's not Dane. She is not wholeheartedly in this and supporting the
government. She is wary. She's not quite where Zaden is either until the end when she realizes
that there's secrets, but she definitely thinks there's something going on the entire time.

(01:03:25):
When he later, he goes to check on her. And so the next day or the later that night, he's like,
well, I want to see how you were doing because I know you were struggling. And that's also when
we see right before that her own dragon comforts her and says, you know, fill the emotions and move
on. It's okay not to be good with it, but you have to accept it. That's what it is. And that was
really cool to see too. But then Zaden comes to check on her. And we finally, finally get the

(01:03:50):
tear top relationship moment to where it moves past maybe into something. And then
you find out it doesn't then there's just more angst. Well, and I really wanted to talk about
too is that there was two parts of that scene, not specifically to the sex parts, but with
she almost couldn't control her lightning during the sex scene. Yeah, she's overwhelmed. Yeah.

(01:04:15):
Yeah. So it really kind of like pinpointed that her lightning is built on her own emotions.
And it seemed to be anger and then sexual desire, excitement almost that would field all that.
And yeah, very strong overpowering emotions, not like typical. Yeah. Yes. Then also as
they're sitting there kind of laying and chit chatting afterwards, Violet asked Zaden

(01:04:35):
his marks and he has 107 marks on his back and she discovers that Zaden actually took
responsibility for every one of the rebellions kids and basically made a deal. She doesn't know who
with or anything like that yet, but he makes a deal with somebody to basically say, Hey,
I will keep them in line if you let them live and the deal for again to put them into the

(01:04:57):
writer's quadrant. And I think at that point for me, my whole perspective on Zaden kind of changed.
It was kind of really a turning point of he doesn't have that heart exterior. He almost
like a mirror thing. She's very hard exterior when she's in front of the rest of the military,
but when she's alone with Violet, she's a whole different person. And the same happens with Zaden
is he really, he opens up a little bit to her and it's just, I basically took responsibility for,

(01:05:18):
I mean, 107 people. That's a lot of people. Children, 107 children. Yes. And he made the deal
that if they don't stay in line, he forfeits his life because of it too. Like it's not even just
that I'll watch over them. It's I will put my life on the line for those 107 children. Liam
being one of them, which is so sad. Didn't even to be sexier than he was by the first descriptions

(01:05:41):
to be honest, because it was just, okay, not only is he good looking, not only can he fight,
not only can he like build Violet up, but he also is just like a real sweetheart,
down deep as well and, you know, cares about people. Yeah, I know, I agree. So the one quote I do
want to talk about is kind of the next morning, whenever she has to go out and practice the

(01:06:01):
lightning welding, Tiren kind of teases her a little bit. And she's trying to get these emotions
going. And he said, should I get the wing leader? And I laughed so hard out loud about that. And
then right after that, Zaden kind of pops in is like, Hey, are you having problems
willing this lightning? And he said, Where are you? And she says, How did you know where I'm at?

(01:06:22):
She goes far away, obviously, because if she's shooting lightning, and she can't control it.
The night before, they set two trees on fire while they were doing it. So the presser is,
let's get out of here away from civilization. And the other quote that he also says that I
really like is there's nowhere in existence, you could go that I wouldn't find you violence. And
oh, it just it really at that point, I was just like, he is full on in love with her. It wasn't

(01:06:47):
just them having sex. It he is fully in love with her. But then he tells her that they can't she
can't fall for him. They can't have anything serious. And so we don't start all the way back over,
but we start back with that rebuilding the tension to get back to the where it breaks again. But
I was a little sad that he was scared of his feelings. And you find out later he has a secret.

(01:07:10):
And that probably didn't help. So the next kind of big scene after that really is the night that
they the king comes to the college, and they celebrate essentially it's like a, for example,
it's like how we do independence today every year, we celebrate the end of the war, when we got our
independence. That's what they do. They celebrate the end of the rebellion. And obviously, that's a

(01:07:32):
tough night for the children of the rebellion. They watch their family be executed. However,
the king requires their attendance. You'll note though that most of them don't attend, obviously,
because it is hard. So she goes to find and as a part of that, there's a scene where she like
interacts with her mom. And there's a quote in there. And I'm just going to repeat it because

(01:07:55):
it's such a good it speaks about her mom, but it really actually sets a tone for Zayden and shows
that time and time again, like he's always on her side. And so the quote is, and when others are
quick to stand in front of me, Zayden always stands at my side, trusting me to hold my own.
And I really love that because that's another time that she's realized time and time again,

(01:08:16):
not just once, not just twice, but over and over, you know, he has her back. And also he
trusts her to take care of her own self. He worries about her, but he still trusts her to
do things on her own. And then so she goes to find him on the parapet. And I love it. I love that
scene. That's probably one of my favorite scenes actually. And he's all like, what are you doing

(01:08:38):
out here? And she's like, well, you're out here. And he's like, you didn't think this through.
And she probably admits, okay, maybe I didn't think this through. But it was so sweet.
I would not have thought like, oh, his shadows could have caught me if I was falling kind of
situation. So I get where she probably didn't think of it because I, I did not register with me
either. And so he said it. And I was like, Oh, that does kind of make sense. See, and I've read,

(01:09:02):
I didn't read all guitars. So, but in my octard, that's how the shadow wielding works. So I knew
that, but I can see how she wouldn't have known that they don't really talk about his powers a lot,
or it really, he doesn't use them a whole lot. So I can see where she would have been confused.
Also, she didn't have a whole lot of time to think about it. She found him, she went out. That's
what it was. But I love that. I love it so much because she also says, I don't have the direct

(01:09:26):
quote, but she says something about, Xayden takes care of all of these people, all the 107 children,
but who takes care of Xayden? And he gets like shy kind of when she's like, no, I'm just going to
take care of you. And he's kind of like, what? What are you talking about? No one, no one does that
kind of thing. I love that. Like where it's, it's intimacy, but obviously it doesn't have to be
sexual. And so that, I think that really shows their relationship to, and that's kind of the turning

(01:09:50):
point when he accepts, okay, I can't stay away from her anymore. Or, yeah. And then after that,
seeing, they go back to the room, they basically do it all over again. And then,
breaking all kinds of furniture. Yeah. In the middle of it, they get interrupted and they
say that they're being under attack, which we end up discovering that it's four games start,

(01:10:10):
which is the last little bit at the end of the year. Yeah. And it's supposed to be a competition,
but it kind of takes the turn for the worse. And honestly, this is the part where I hated
Dain's freaking guts. Like, yes. So he's a traitor. Dain is a traitor. As they're sitting there

(01:10:31):
getting their assignments and everything, Zayden's told to break up their crew to go in a couple
different areas. And Zayden's recruiting his people saying, Hey, you're all coming with me.
He basically says, Hey, Bella, you got to come with me because our dragons can't be a part for
so long. And Dain's like, he's going to get you killed. He's going to get you killed. You can't
go with him. You got to stay with me. And she's like, No, he's right. Our dragons could only

(01:10:51):
last three days. And also he's the wing leader. So he's in charge and it's the side who goes where
Dain is taught. Yeah. But Dain actually makes the comment. I'll miss you. And instantly,
as soon as he said that I was like, Oh, crap, he's done something. And then it goes into a scene
that's just like them kind of in the fields and they're talking and some Griffin riders come up,

(01:11:12):
which if you've read the book, you know that basically established Griffin riders as the bad
guys the whole whole time. Everybody believes that they're bad guys. Well, it turns out Zayden
knows that they're not and so does all the rebels kit and also apparently so to her dragons. And so
Violet feels super betrayed by all of them at that point because they have all of her trust,

(01:11:32):
kept all these secrets from her. She speaks very illy. It breaks my heart, but she speaks very
illy towards Liam. And she's just like, You're not my friend. You never were my friend, you know,
all that kind of stuff, which really broke my heart because spoiler alert again, if you have
a book, he dies. So he says, he says the last thing I said to him was are we really even friends?
And I was just sobbing. I was like, Oh, no, they read this little note and Violet realizes that

(01:11:58):
Dane sent them there to die. And not Dane, but like the leadership, but Dane told leadership so
they would know. Yes. But Dane also knew that Violet was going there to possibly die too, because
he says, I'll miss you. And then they didn't even ask Violet what was the last thing he said. And
she said something like, I'll miss you. And he's like, Okay, and I believe Violet even says, Oh,

(01:12:20):
Dane sent me here to die. And so he didn't even say, Hey, Violet, I don't think it's a good idea for
you to go because I'm sending them all to die. He just basically says, he's going to kill you. He's
basically going to die if you go with him. But he knew it. And he's still, he was just like, Okay,
well, I mean, it's nice knowing you. He would rather send her to die than confess to what he's

(01:12:41):
done and prepare them for what they're going to find and potentially save them. He would rather
send her to die, which just like cemented for me how horrible he is and how self centered. And I
was like, Yeah, it's a good thing. He wasn't actually a love interest because he might be
worse than Jack. At least Jack was honest about what he did. Jack wanted to kill her from the
beginning and he was honest about it. And I can respect that more than I can respect Dane. That's

(01:13:05):
for sure. And really the biggest part that that really Violet did or even Zaden and them did was
that he read Violet's memories about their secret being worth. Like the location that he sends them
to die at is somewhere they went on a secret meeting, just three of the guys did. And that's
all that's all Violet knew was that those three flew on their dragons to this out port, this post.

(01:13:29):
And that's it. He says, I can't tell you why or what we did. But yes, we went there. And that's
all Dane knew and Dane snitched simply on the fact that him, his cousin and one of his friends took
a joy ride to one of the outposts. And honestly, Violet snuck out at some point, Rihanna to go
see Rihanna's family. So yes, I mean, you didn't send Rihanna there to die too. So yeah. And honestly,

(01:13:51):
I feel like Dane kind of also did it outside of the role situation. I feel like he also did it
because he was like, Oh, well, if Zaden dies, then I'll have her all to myself. And oh, absolutely.
Which makes no sense because he also knows, as everyone knows, if Zaden dies, she's going to die.
So he was comfortable chancing that theory. Well, I think, I think that because it was so much of

(01:14:13):
a theory, because it never had actually been confirmed in any way. I think that he was like,
Oh, that's a chance I'll take to maybe have Violet to myself. And to me, that was just kind of dumb,
because I really feel it's almost like they're made it as well with Segeal and Terrence. That's
why I asked you if it ever talks about mates for humans. Because I was like, the way they describe
like that his smell is good to her. And the way she describes the way her body reacts to him.

(01:14:38):
I was like, are they mates too? Do they talk about that? Because that's oftentimes how it's
described as mates in like other books and stuff when they're humans. So they're talking about
when they realize what's happening, they realize it's not training, it's not fake. And they realize
that they're going to have to essentially fight that they find out the why burns and everything
are real. And Violet realizes that everything her dad was telling her is legit. And that was his way

(01:15:03):
of trying to tell her it was real. There's a scene where as she has never run from a fight,
and today will not be the first, and I'm not going to stand by while innocent people are dying
either. But I'm not going to order any of you to join me. I'm responsible for all of you.
None of you cross that parapet because you wanted to, none of you. You crossed it because I made a
deal. I'm the one who forced you into the quadrant. So I won't thank less of anyone who wants to fly

(01:15:26):
for El Tuval instead. Make your choice. And every single one of them, including Violet, is like,
no, no, no, no, we're going to stay in fight. We're not going to leave you on your own. So then Liam
said, this is what I was like, Oh, Liam's going to die. Because Liam said, we watched as our parents
were executed because they had the courage to do the right thing. I'd like to think my death would

(01:15:47):
be just as honorable. And I literally in my book, like a sad face, and I was like, Oh, he's going to
die. And then I really liked it because somebody says we can live as cowards or die as riders.
And that also I think is such a testament to the entire book itself and Violet's journey of
whether or not she is going to stand her ground and fight or whether or not she is going to run away

(01:16:08):
and hide or sneak out or whatever. And it was such a good way to end like a big, big battle scene
and everything. Oh, so good. I really liked that too, because to me, that was also a testament to
they are loyal to this military that has literally time and time and time and time and time again,
show them that they should not have their loyalty. And even them knowing that they're
keeping all these secrets from all of the people in the area, like it's still overall, you know,

(01:16:35):
has that understanding that even though the rebel kids, they really are there for the people.
Yes, we defend the defenseless. That's what we do. I think so. Imagine says yeah. Yeah. And
they also say somewhere in there that these people didn't do it. Geerick again, defending these
people didn't do anything to deserve this. So why would we leave them to die? So I really like that.

(01:16:56):
And there is a quote to tear it up quite a bit whenever it was read, but Violet's talking to
Adarna and saying, Hey, you're a golden target. So you need to stay away. And she's like, No, no,
no, like I'm not going to run away. And she basically says you'll feel the moment when you'll
know that there's nothing left to leave. And it might break your heart. But when you feel you

(01:17:18):
fly, promise me you'll fly. I fall. I like take the glasses off because I was crying so hard.
I was getting my glasses dirty. Oh, honestly, it just it broke my heart because it really
was that moment of Violet knows that she's possibly going to die. And yeah, she's basically just
telling Adarna, you have to live even if I'm not alive. And yeah, she says someone's going to live

(01:17:42):
today. Yeah, yeah. And I really that that's me, even though it really didn't have much to the scene,
it really started setting up the emotional part for me. I just cried the rest of the book.
Yeah, literally. And then we not only do we get that that big emotional scene there, then we get
it with Zayden and Violet themselves, obviously. And that I pretty much saw the rest of the book

(01:18:04):
the rest of the book almost. Well, and it really kind of angered me at that point, because even
though she was mad at him for betraying her, she didn't kiss him. Oh my gosh, possibly go
inside and never see each other again. It was just okay, well, I'll see you afterwards. And it's
like, okay, well, I thought you're going to this big battle, we may die. Like, what are you doing?
Like, even though you're mad at him, you told him you loved him 100 times by now, just kiss him,

(01:18:28):
you know, it's I don't know. But then we get to the scene where Liam dies and the watch the scene
just wrecked me. I'm going to try not to quote anything because I'm pretty sure I'll start crying.
So as Liam's dying, so the dragon actually is killed. And like I said, in the quote,
a dragon without its rider is a tragedy, a rider without the dragon is dead. So whenever the dragon

(01:18:53):
is killed by the waiver and at that point, Liam starts dying and Violet is basically rushing
to get him to his dragon. It's almost like the same scene where the dragon, he's crying out for
his dragon, you know, he's in a lot of pain emotionally for his death of his dragon, because
he can feel that she's dying, or he I'm not sure what gender it is. So sorry if I misgendered it,

(01:19:14):
it's dying. She gets him down there. And before Zaden comes in, she says, you were a good friend,
you were a good shadow because you know, this reminder, she just basically said, Hey, you,
you've lied to me this whole time, you're not been a good friend, whatever. And she basically
reassures him where we ever really friends. Yeah. And she reassures him that that he was and that
she was just mad in the moment. And she makes two promises to him. One was to promise to hear

(01:19:39):
Zaden out because he did have good intentions. And then the other part was to take care of my
sister and gosh, she just wrecks me. She was like, no, you'll be all right. And he was like,
promise me, I was just, she knew he wasn't going to be all right. So just hear the man out of

(01:19:59):
his and Stein wishes, but then Zaden shows up and the minute she says, Hey, Liam's dying Zaden,
just, I mean, she just causes emotional just his all of his emotions, his grief, she feels his
instant grief and it's so power. I'm literally tearing up. It's so strong. And like a match,
because she already had her own relationship with Liam, but they grew up together him and Liam. And

(01:20:23):
so he's had a lifelong relationship with Liam and finding out that he led them there today,
not knowing what was going to happen, not being prepared. And now he's dead because of him. That's
how he thinks and my let thinks the same thing as her. And so it's a lot of guilt and a lot of grief
that they're both feeling and talking about quotes real quick. There's one part where just like in

(01:20:43):
her own head, she doesn't say it out loud, but Violet says, this isn't fair. This isn't right,
not day, not Liam. They're the strongest of our year. They're the best of us. Like as if she just
cannot possibly grasp that this would be an outcome at all. And it's just so sad. She's so fumbling,
trying not to believe it and really doesn't want it to be true. And me personally, I had, I took

(01:21:06):
my glasses off, I was sobbing. I had to put the book down. I kept trying to like underline annotate
and I had to put my pen down because I couldn't see the page. So it was horrible. But it's again
another turning point where Violet just digs deep, gets all those emotions and attacks and Zaden's
trying to build like a wall to protect all these people so they can get into this cave and Violet

(01:21:28):
is like, drop the wall. I've got this. She just instantly becomes like this strong. Yeah. The
warrior figure where she's just like, I'm going to get them. And she targets one of the Venom,
which is the even after she's been stabbed and poisoned and she's literally bleeding out. She
still is like, no, I'm going to do this. I'm going to handle this in this. So I feel like it's also

(01:21:50):
important to note that so when a dragon dies, the rider dies, but whenever the rider dies for the
Venom, then all of the waverings die. So she goes and targets one of them. They die. But she also,
in that moment, they also get to a point where she starts trying to freeze time a little bit so
she can control the lightning, which Adarna, she's not supposed to be doing that with Adarna.

(01:22:15):
Like Adarna was not supposed to be on in the first place. So she's basically draining Adarna. And
it's one point where she kind of passes out after she notices she's killed them and Zaden goes and
kills the ghost Venom and she falls. And so when she freezes time, she, Adarna also freezes time
to try to save Violet as she's falling from the sky. She lands on her back. She's freezing time to

(01:22:37):
try to save her, which granted Adarna cannot hold a rider. She's too weak and frail for that. So
when she freezes time, she's using everything she's got left to save Violet. She basically falls
to the ground and Zaden gets there. She's going in and out of consciousness. They're sitting there
talking. We've got to turn back to the college and they're like, that's too far away. She's not
going to make it. And they decide to actually take her to another place that they have been secretly

(01:23:03):
meeting at. It's closer by. So with that being said, we end up into another betrayal, another betrayal.
And so they get to this place and Zaden's just like, you have to fight by, he makes a comment,
you can hate me all you want when you pick up, you can scream, hit, throw your daggers at me for
all I care. You have to live. You can't make me fall for you and then die. None of this is worth it

(01:23:26):
without you. And so then you hear in the background a familiar voice as Violet refers to us and he's
asking, you know, what's going on and Zaden says, you have to save her. Well, then we go into Zaden's
point of view in the last chapter as Violet's basically unconscious and we end up finding out

(01:23:48):
that her brother Brennan is alive and they never got. Well, he may have that. So they do talk about
in one point that the nail in Terence, uh, old writer try to use his power to save Brennan. So
we don't know if he actually died or if he was so close to death and then nail and basically

(01:24:09):
saved him or kind of how that happened. We don't know any of that yet. They did. I should say.
Yes. So we find all that out and we find out that all the rebels kids knew that Brennan was alive
and especially that Zaden knew. So she wakes up and she figures out where she is. There's also
another point that is kind of interesting that I also found that the point that she makes is that

(01:24:31):
Melgrin can't see outcome of when more than three of you are together. That's why you're not allowed
to assemble. So based on the reason why the rule is that three or more cannot assemble is because
the general who can see the future and can see what happens can't see at that point, which is
kind of an interesting thing because I don't know if that's because of the relics or because he says
that I thought it was, he says he thought his relic was a curse and he realizes it's a gift.

(01:24:55):
And so it's connected somehow. But in this book at least I don't know about Iron Flame,
it's been read it, but it is not explained yet how exactly that occurs. And then I also kind of
really like the scene too where he, even though she's mad at him, he says, I can't help it, I
smile. This brilliant effing woman is mine or was mine, will be mine again if I have anything to say

(01:25:18):
about it, which I probably don't. Yeah, I love that. He's basically like, you know, she is mine,
but she's not mine. And then he also says, no, I'm not giving up until she tells me to.
Things might be complicated, but so are the both of us. It's also really cool in that whole chapter
just as point of view over and over, he compliments her even when she's passed out or when she's away.

(01:25:40):
He calls her a uniquely beautiful woman. He says again, when she figures out where they are,
the location, he says a brilliant effing woman again. He is just constant in awe and he's so
in love with her. And it's so fun to get to actually see it from his point of view and like how
overwhelmed he is. Just every thought of her is like, oh, I love that. Love that so much.

(01:26:00):
And I really like going off to him basically. And he said, I'm not afraid of hard work, especially
not when I know just how sweet the rewards are, or I would lose this entire war than live without
you. And if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I will do it. You gave me your heart
and I'm keeping it. And he also does not say to her, but he says it to himself, she already owned

(01:26:21):
mine, even if she doesn't realize it. And I really feel like that really sets the scene for kind of
what comes next in Iron Flame, which you have not read yet, so I'm not going to spoil it. But
it just sets that whole thing for me of, you know, they really do love each other. And even if Violet
doesn't want a minute, she still loves the man. I mean, I'm sorry, but I could not love the man
that he could probably kill everybody. I still love him. So I mean, if it's hard for me, I guarantee

(01:26:47):
it's hard for her to stop. But would you know, I love the villain. I loved him from the moment we
met him. I was like, that's my man. But she also keeps having to correct herself too when she's
trying to say, well, I love, I love sorry, I loved you, you know, kind of like correcting herself.
And like, she's like, yeah, she says it like three or four times where she has to correct herself

(01:27:10):
with that. So I love when he corrects her too. She says love, he says love, you love me. He's like,
no, ma'am, it's present today right now. I love it. So throughout the book, they have like several
quotes, whether the rules or from the book of Brennan are different things that start each chapter.
But my absolute favorite is the very last one. And it's Zaden's dad. And the last words of Finn

(01:27:37):
Ryerson, redacted, which means no one probably read it. But and it's literally, you're all cowards.
And that is a great example, the book, we keep coming back to these people that think they're
doing the right thing or whatever that they're cowards, they are scared to take the next step
or scared to defend other people. And it is, I feel like it really probably does set the

(01:27:57):
scene for the next book too. I haven't read it yet, but I would imagine that it all connects fairly well.
Yeah. So summarize the book, my personal thoughts on it. I, I give it a five stars. I mean,
honestly, it had a lot of character building for me. It was very good and descriptive. I mean,
honestly, I cried and I don't usually cry in books, especially in action dragons. I'm not really

(01:28:21):
the crier. So to me, to basically cry for like seven or eight chapters of the book, it really,
it was definitely out there. If you don't know, spoiler alert already that it's my favorite book.
So you can tell. Yeah. So it was astronomical. I honestly, I withheld if you guys don't know
this, we're recording this in February, I actually started reading it for the first time

(01:28:42):
the middle of January. I have now read it twice and listened to audio book once. So I seen it come
out last year and I was just like, it's got too much high. But honestly, after reading it, it has
honestly become my favorite series. I'm so excited for the TV series to come out. I'm so excited for
the third book to come out. But it really, it checked all the boxes for me, the love story,

(01:29:03):
the enemies to lovers, the dragons, the magic, like it just had so much context in it. It was
so well written. And it's like, you know, how Taylor Swift drops little Easter eggs, I feel like
now reading it back after reading the second, there was so many Easter eggs that I missed
that even after the third time of reading it, I'm still catching on to other things

(01:29:23):
that I did not catch on to. So I really like that little mystery to it as well that it kind of adds.
What about you? I am going to give it a 4.9 for two reasons. The first one is I definitely think
there was a little bit of potential miss with Dane. I do think that that love triangle was not
quite developed. The enemies to lovers for Zaden and Violet was beautiful. I loved it. I don't

(01:29:47):
have to have a love triangle. So it's not like I'm not really punishing it because of that. But
I do think that we could have built out just a little bit better. But I'm glad that she didn't
end up with Dane. But anyways, the second reason is because Liam died and I'm still salty. I've
actually like finished the book yesterday or this morning. So I am salty. And so maybe I've

(01:30:07):
triggered off that maybe I'll get the point one back. But right now, Liam could at least look to
the second book and then died the second book or something like you could have gave me a little
bit of happiness. Now his sister doesn't have a brother and I'm mad. I'm so mad about it. I feel
like though if you would have gotten Liam died in the second book, you would have cried even more
hysterically than what you already did though. I like to cry though. Like I like that I got so

(01:30:31):
invested in the book that it overwhelmed my emotions. I think that's part of it for me. I am
a crier. I will cry in books and movies in real life. I don't care. But like I'm attached to fictional
characters 1000%. And so I hadn't died in this book. I think I would have given it a 4.9 because
I'm just like after the 20th time with him trying to kill you, why is he not dead yet? But luckily

(01:30:51):
he did. So it is a 5. Well, and that's I say that's praise that I have for it because a lot of people
will drag out the villain from book to book to book instead of just kill that one and give us
another one or you know, whatever. And so I do appreciate that because Jack was getting on my
last time. It was getting too much like and honestly, I kind of liked it because it had so
many different types of villains too because we had Dane who is the child who best friend is a

(01:31:14):
villain. Then I had Jack who was just like this random dude that hated her guts for no reason.
And then you had Zayden and Imogen for example or two or Rebel kids that were supposed to be
villains turned out not to be villains. Thanks like that. And then we had then also Dane's dad,
Amber as you know, a villain. So I mean, there was quite a few attacks on Violet from all different

(01:31:34):
corners. And I think that was such part of it how good it was written to show because it literally
you're constantly who's going to come after next you just never knew. And so that was really good.
I think for Rebecca to do that. So but I am still salty about you. I'm not over that yet.
And I really think honestly, like the friendship that we're built to a lot of character
development that added to that was basically her friendships. Kiernan and Darna, I believe really

(01:32:00):
added a lot of depth to her as well because we also got to see that little playful side because
with Miro, we didn't really get much of that. But it was a little like dry tease here and there.
But with Kiernan and Darna, there was definitely that that really more depth to kind of her playful
side. And I mean, just a lot of the supporting characters, I feel like really added a lot to

(01:32:21):
Violet as a character. I agree. Definitely. For example, even like Riddick and Sawyer,
like they have smaller rows in there, but it still just brings another level and shows more of her
in different ways than you wouldn't have if you didn't have those characters. So overall,
it was really good. I'm looking forward to Iron Flame, which fun fact is our next book,

(01:32:41):
which just makes sense. We couldn't leave you hanging. By the time you're watching this,
we've already announced that. So no surprise unless you just now tuned in. But you know,
check us out on all of our social medias. We have Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, our website. Also,
we'll have our book releases on there as well. We'll have all of our episodes linked on our website.
You can visit us. All of our, our Carl and like we read them. And then also our website is Carl

(01:33:05):
M podcast.com. So if you guys want to check us out on any of those social media platforms, we'll
always announce our books one month in advance to our episodes. So it's always on the Wednesday,
a month prior to the actual episode. So you guys have time to purchase the book and read it. And
then by time you're also getting this episode, you guys have also learned that episode three and
four will be some fan theories. We're also going to talk about some kind of bonus content, such as

(01:33:31):
the bonus chapters. We're also going to talk about reflecting back on some things that we now after
Carly for sure has read the second book and I've read it, some of the stuff that we have caught on.
But we're going to go into a little bit more depth and talk about that just because there's so much
that there is to these two books that is literally impossible for us to do it in just two podcasts.

(01:33:51):
In April, we're planning on having where we talk about different genres. So if you're not into fantasy
and this is not your company, I appreciate you saying to this point, but we're not just stuck
on fantasy. So this of course was just something I really enjoyed and I've been begging Carly to read
since I got it. So this was a great gate opener for her to get to this, but we will probably be

(01:34:13):
bouncing back to the third book whenever it is released. We also want to let you guys know that
on our website, we do have a link where you guys can send us some of your fan theories,
some book suggestions even you can message us on Facebook, Instagram or anything. So let us
know what you would like to hear us to read because we do want to also read what you guys
have out there. We're going to go through your suggestions, figure out what works best for us

(01:34:36):
because we also don't want to read something we may not enjoy. So we're going to pick out from there
and kind of see what fits for us and go from there. But yes, don't send me no cowboy romances
because we need to read them. I can't do it. I'm sorry. I know I sound Southern. You think that
would be my cup of tea? It is not. No alien visions, nothing like that. But no, we will not be
reading Planet Barbarians. But we definitely, you guys also have the opportunity to subscribe to

(01:35:00):
our channels with subscribing to our channels. You guys get some bonus content bloopers. We will
also be posting some bloopers on TikTok, but you'll mainly get a whole feed of the bloopers.
You wouldn't think that we have as much as we do, but we have probably at least an hour's worth at
this point. And this is only our second episode really. You'll get to know us very well.

(01:35:21):
So you guys can subscribe to that as well. You know, if you guys have any questions or anything,
suggestions to us, even to how to make this podcast better, let us know as well. We're open to it.
This is obviously the first time we're doing this, but we're really excited to be on this journey
with you guys and get to read these books and kind of discuss them, send them our way. And we
hope to see you on the next episode whenever we come back with Iron Flame. And, you know,

(01:35:43):
we're always going to call our own like we read them.