Major spoilers ahead, so I’m going to assume you’ve finished the entire series. These thoughts cover all the books, not just Fourth Wing.

Every time I hear Violet getting excited about seeing Dain, I can’t help but smile. Moving on though, this chapter gives us more insight into why Violet sticks to “scribe hours” and volunteers for breakfast duty. Turns out, she’s not just skilled with daggers but also pretty handy with poisons.

To me, Chapter 8 is all about growth. We get a deeper look at Dain and learn he’s such a rule follower because that’s what his father drilled into him. At the same time, Violet realizes she can’t always be honest with Dain, even though it makes her feel guilty. She’s starting to follow her gut, even if that means choosing to trust Xaden and his secrets over her childhood friend.

The first time I read this chapter, I was sure we were heading into a love triangle. I was so happy to be proven wrong.

This is also our introduction to dragonkind and how to approach—or avoid—them. We learn some key traits, like how red scorpiontails are quick to anger. Definitely details worth remembering if we want to unravel the deeper connection between dragons and gods.

Chapter 8 drops more hints that something’s off. Fewer dragons are bonding, cadet numbers are steady, and attacks are increasing. Just like Violet, we feel that knot in our stomach that something bigger is happening behind the scenes. And honestly, that’s what makes these books so hard to put down.

We meet Sgaeyl, a blue daggertail and the rarest of blues. She’s ruthless. Rebecca Yarros makes it a point to mention that she bonded with a relative of a former rider, which is usually forbidden. That little detail hints at something bigger and confirms what we find out later about Xaden’s second signet. Yarros really did give us all the clues in book one if we paid close attention.

We also get our first mention of black dragons. There’s only one other besides Melgren’s , so it’s obvious this dragon (Tairn) is going to be important. B

lack dragons are the rarest, most cunning, and none have been born in over a century. That makes me think Tairn and Codagh are related somehow. Since scale color is hereditary and they are from the same den. Maybe they’re brothers or cousins? There is defenetly tention between Codagh and Tairn but we do not know why.

One line really stands out to me: “He’s revered as a battle dragon among their kind, and if not for him, we probably would have lost during the Tyrrish rebellion.” This doesn’t sit right with me at all. How come that Tairn actively participated against the Tyrrish rebellion? “There is no outsmarting a black dragon” meaning that Tairn must have known what’s going on in the Tyrrish rebellion and why those people are fighting Navarre. Why would he go against Fen Riorson to squash the rebellion? This, doesn’t quite make sense. So you see, there are many issues with the Tyrrish rebellion and what truly happened that we just don’t know yet. Maybe in Book 4?

We also learn Tairn’s only other rider was Naolin, a siphon. Battle reports say Naolin died trying to revive Brennan. He succeeded (as we all know), but that part of the story just doesn’t line up.

Here’s where I start to theorize a little, pulling in some stuff from Iron Flame. Remember when Sloane siphoned Lilith’s power into the stone? She acted like a conduit.Meaning that in order to survive, Brennan needed his own mending power amplified, right? Brennan himself said that mending onself is a pain in the ass, which to us, kinda means it’s a lot more difficult. So in theory, Naolin needed to reach for extra power, to siphon it into Brennan, right? That’s one variation. Another is that he simply gave all of his power to Brennan and died in front of Tairn. Feels..sketchy. Dragons don’t almost die or die when their own rider’s die. We all know that Tairn almost died when his rider died but something tells me it wasn’t because of synpathy, emotion or true bond. There was more to it. He almost died because Naolin almost drained him. OR he died because he killed his own rider somehow, when he became venin. Maybe seeing that venin actually exist, is what made Tairn turn sides and fight for the rebellion, and against venin.

Naolin also means “God of the sun.” That quote stuck with me: “Bonding makes you a rider, but resurrecting someone from the dead? That makes you a god.” Which makes me wonder, did Malek see Naolin as a threat for crossing that line?

——

Chapter 8 continues with Violet throwing a dagger at Barlowe and proving that she’s starting to believe in herself. She wins her first mat challenge using her poison skills and starts stacking up more wins. When she gets her fifth dagger, the hilt has a ruby in it. I think the colors of these stones matter, and I have a feeling they tie into the gods somehow.

The chapter ends on a great note with Xaden offering to spar with her on the mat. And yeah, we all know that’s going to be intense and maybe a little hoooot too.

Continue with the Fourth Wing Read Along

• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 1
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 2
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 3
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 4
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 5
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 6
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 7
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 8
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 9
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 9 – Xaden’s POV
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 10
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 11
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 12
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 13
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 14
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 15
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 16
• Fourth Wing Read Along – Chapter 16 – Xaden POV