I don’t remember ever coming up with a checklist of things to look for in a fiction book I’m planning to read, but then Rebecca Yarros and Fourth Wing happened. With Iron Flame coming out in just over 8 days, I’m sharing my predictions, checklist, and a few final theories.
Predictions
Keeping secrets from Rhi will help Vi forgive Xaden and/or prompt her to tell Rhiannon about the venin.
In Fourth Wing, Vi feels guilty for keeping secrets from Rhi. p283, she references the secrets. On page 367 she thinks:
Now guilt bites into me for a whole other reason. Rhiannon is my friend, my closest one here, if I’m being honest about what Dain and I have become. Of everyone, she should know—
We’ll learn more about the military leaders and the corruption in Navarre.
I think the military leadership is keeping the truth secret to continue the war with Poromiel. Peacetime means a lack of military funding and deprioritizing military operations. It also means military leaders can lose influence. I think the real reason the war’s been going on for hundreds of years is that Navarre’s military leaders want to retain power.
Checklist – Things to Look For
- How did Brennan survive? Where is his dragon?
- Information about Xaden’s mother. That could prove or disprove the Xaden royalty theory, or that she was killed or turned by venin. I’m not sure I want Xaden to be royal because I want the monarchy overthrown. But I also trust the author.
- Information about how Dain’s signet works. We know he says he has to touch the temple, but Xaden demonstrated cupping the cheek. What’s the truth?
- Information about Dain’s mother and Colonel Aetos’s signet.
- What will the signet power from Andarna be?
- Confirm or disprove the second signet theory about the marked ones.
- Information about Violet’s Dad’s death, and whether Lilith or someone in the Scribe Quadrant murdered him. I do believe Dad’s research referenced by Colonel Aetos on page 308 will be crucial for the revolution moving forward.
- Information about a dragon rebellion, and whether all dragons know about the venin.
- Were Jesinia and Liam sleeping together? We know Liam flirted with Jesinia and on page 424, when they’re summoned for War Games, he’s still buttoning his shirt and gets embarrassed when Violet asks about his night, which suggests maybe something was going on with someone. If it was Jesinia, will this prompt Jesinia to join the rebellion as Violet’s source in the Scribe Quadrant?
Additions:
Does Mira know about Brennan? Is she a double agent?
Other things to look for:
Andarna royalty and parentage theory evidence. Is she royalty? Is she from the future, and Tairn and Sgaeyl are her real parents? How will she misbehave as a teenage dragon? How will they keep her growth hidden from leadership?
Violet venin theories. Was General Sorrengail infected by venin when pregnant with Violet? I don’t see enough evidence to suggest that Violet’s mom or dad weren’t her real mom or dad, but any family information is always welcome.
Does Mira know about the rebellion?
Anything about Ridoc. Still hoping we get a companion novella about his sexual exploits at Basgiath.
Proving Theories
War Games Setup
I’ll be looking for information to prove or disprove my theory that the war games setup at the end of Fourth Wing was planned before Dain knew about Athebyne. I’ve elaborated on that theory previously, and while I believe he knew something was in the works, I don’t think he’s solely or even primarily responsible. This was something Colonel Aetos did. Whether Colonel Aetos acted under orders from General Sorrengail remains to be seen.
I also want to note that the third years were the first marked ones who’d be seeing active duty. We saw how people outside Basgiath and outside the Riders Quadrant responded when they saw the marked ones. I wonder if leadership knew they’d have an issue in their ranks, particularly when someone like Xaden Riorson assumed leadership, and were plotting to get rid of him for months.
General Sorrengail
I’ll be looking for confirmation that General Sorrengail is pure evil and not on the side of the rebellion. I also believe she put the 107 scars on Xaden’s back. No matter what, she’s emotionally abusive, and I’m never going to like her. If she’s pro-rebellion, I’ll grudgingly tolerate her.
Dain’s Motives
My final theory is that Dain had other motives for getting Violet out of the Riders Quadrant than just fear about her dying. I want to note that this doesn’t justify his actions. Dain did not believe in Violet and he tried to coerce her to leave. He didn’t respect her decisions. And at some point—we don’t know when, but at some point—he started reading her memories without consent. Dain has a lot to answer for.
However, I’ve been wondering if part of the reason or the real reason he wanted to keep her out of the Riders Quadrant had to do with the plans to set up Xaden and the marked ones. From page 52, we know he’s being groomed for leadership. Page 287 Dain says:
“Look, you don’t know everything there is to know about Xaden, Vi. I have a higher security clearance due to my signet, and you need to be careful. Xaden has secrets, reasons to never forgive your mother, and I don’t want him to use you to get his revenge.”
Violet then asks him:
“Wait, did you keep begging me to leave Basgiath because you didn’t think I could survive here—or because you were trying to get me away from Xaden?”
Also, remember Professor Carr’s advice to Violet on page 386:
“Keep your loyalties clear. You and Riorson both have exceptional, lethal power that any rider would be envious of. But together?” His bushy brows furrow. “You would be a formidable enemy who command could simply not afford to let exist.”
Remember at Threshing, when Violet bonded both dragons, Dain begged her to go with Andarna only.
P185:
“I’m not choosing,” I repeat, softer this time. What if I can’t have either of them? What if they’ve broken some sacred rule and now we’ll all be punished?
“You are. And it has to be Andarna.” (Dain) grips my shoulders and leans in, an edge of urgency in his tone.
Then he does an about face on page 191:
“Violet!” Dain reaches me, his smile wide as he cups my face. “You kept both of them!”
I wonder if Dain knew leadership was after Xaden. Maybe he saw her memory of her first encounter with Xaden, or he was simply worried about Xaden wanting revenge against her mother, and feared she’d get caught up in it. I wonder if he was worried he’d be ordered to spy on her. Dain tried very hard to keep Violet from going with Xaden at the end, which certainly suggests he knew something was up, and he was still trying to keep Violet out of it.
I actually wonder if he kissed her to try to keep her away from Xaden. I still think his dad gave him shit for it, but I wonder if, in the moment, he thought if they got together, he might be able to shield her from what was coming.
As it is, his ploy to get her to leave the Riders Quadrant was a bad plan. Even if Markham let her go to the Scribe Quadrant and stayed quiet, the other instructors in the Riders Quadrant would notice she wasn’t there and her mom would have found out. And I’m pretty sure it would have been breaking the rules to smuggle her out. Graduate or die, right? I think there’s a whole mess of stuff going on with Dain that we don’t know about, and while he certainly emphasized fear she’d die when he tried to persuade her to leave, I’m not convinced it was the only reason he tried to get her out.
Frankly, a few chapters in Dain’s point of view could be mind blowing and expose the corruption within the leadership. I want to know what’s up with his mom because he needs his head set on straight, and he needs to change his thinking about Violet and how he treats people. But I do think if he realizes he’s being manipulated by leadership, there’s hope for him to change. I save my hate for the leadership, who I hold responsible for senseless deaths in the Riders Quadrant—which is a whole other topic of discussion I might tackle after Iron Flame—and on the front lines of Navarre by continuing a war with Poromiel instead of dealing with the real enemy.
And the one Certainty?
Rebecca Yarros will gut us emotionally and leave us in ruins at the end of Iron Flame. I don’t think we’re getting an HEA until book 5 friends, so buckle up and schedule your therapy appointments now.
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