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.

The epigraph teaches us about dragons. We already know a little bit about blues, greens, and oranges, but we are learning even more. I do wonder why we’re told not to look a red in the eye. Have you ever wondered about that remark? Also—trepidation toward a brown. I feel like, in this series, we actually know so little about brown dragons.

It’s very interesting to me that, in theory, we know so little about feathertails, and yet we’re given some very useful information here. We know that they don’t bond. Garrick says that he cannot remember the last time one of them was seen outside of the Vale, meaning there have been instances when they have been spotted.

“Feel free to look at the dragons, especially if they’re showing off their tails, but I would abstain from eye contact if you value your life.” Again—what is it with the eyes?

“I look over my shoulder to see her wide gaze flickering between the path and the dragons. She’s nervous.” This is a moment of gentleness and kindness that I think is noted by us, the reader, but also by the dragons. Violet pays attention to the smallest details and deeply cares for her friends.

“I think I’m just as loyal to my sister whether I’ve had a letter from her or not,” I counter. “There are bonds that can’t be broken.”

This is a reminder—an Easter egg right here. There are bonds that can’t be broken. It could be referring to dragons, love, or her siblings. Either way, I think this is very important for the ending of Onyx Storm.

“Though I think Dain was probably a little more rule-abiding than most kids. He likes order and pretty much detests anything that doesn’t fit neatly into his plan. He’s probably going to give me shit about how I got up the Gauntlet, just like Amber Mavis did.”

Again, an interesting little Easter egg for us. It’s true—Dain is rule-abiding. I do wonder if this is still something we’re meant to keep in mind as we move forward through the series, or if we’re meant to believe that Dain has fully redeemed himself.

Something else really interesting happens here: “You guys done bonding back there?”—Violet and Rhiannon. I do think this was intentionally placed here. Violet talks a lot about bonds: bonds between sisters, family, friends, and dragons. I think they are all uniquely important.

“At its full height, it’s probably only a few feet taller than I am, like a perfect miniature of the brown next to it.” I still feel like this is somehow a little golden nugget (no pun intended) for us. We know far too little about brown dragons—the least, actually—and during her interview, Rebecca Yarros did confirm that there is a reason for it. So I’d like us to remember that while Andarna is a different dragon altogether, there is a reason this little bit of information was left here for us.

“There’s no way the other dragons allow a baby to bond. No human alive has ever seen a baby.” Well, this was right here for us to see, but nobody noticed that everything we ever needed was right in front of us.

“Half your hair is silver and you’re… petite,” she finishes with a fake smile. “Golden and… small. You match.” I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Could it be that Violet is somehow… related to dragons? I know it sounds absurd, but is she part dragon, part goddess? Tairn always calls her “the silver one” and calls Andarna “the golden one.” They both have access to sky magic, too.

And then—Rebecca Yarros gives us even more: “I mean, it could be worse. We could be walking past a line of wyvern, right?”

How exciting that we’re introduced to this right off the bat—and we learn so much. We learn what wyvern look like. We learn that venin riders have eerie red eyes. We learn all of this immediately.

It’s also interesting how Violet talks to the dragons. My understanding was that we’re not meant to talk to them—and yet Violet simply talks to them and explains herself to the greens.

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