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 see something written by Markham—especially when it says “unedited history”—I find it almost reassuring that it is somehow a lie. The chapter opens with an epigraph stating that there have been hundreds of known cases where a dragon simply cannot emotionally recover from the loss of their bonded rider. There have even been three documented cases where the dragon died from it, right?

I wonder—could it have to do with the bond between dragon and rider not being the right kind of bond? More like… when the rider turns venin and somehow hijacks the dragon? Could it be related to that? Dragons—even the loveliest ones like Tairn—don’t particularly strike me as being overly attached to their humans. So I do wonder if there is more to it than simple grief.

I don’t fully know the laws of magic in Fourth Wing, but I do wonder why Sgaeyl did not attack Jack, Oren, and Tynan for trying to kill a feathertail. Surely she would be absolved of any crime given that she intervened to save a dragon. As we know in Iron Flame, a bonded dragon killed several cadets and riders too—so it’s not exactly unorthodox, so to speak.

We all enjoy how Jack simply disappears, the coward he is.

And just as we got intrigued by Xaden in the previous chapters, we certainly love his sass when he says, “No, but I can narrate.” Such a smart-ass who loves to follow his own advice. The right way isn’t the only way.

What I want to talk to you about is this:

“Just as Tynan reaches up to two-hand his sword, preparing for a killing blow, I catch a glimpse of movement to my right. It’s Xaden. And rules be damned, he steps forward as though he intends to stop Tynan from killing me.”

Rules be damned—Xaden actually takes a step toward her, potentially to save her. An interesting and admirable choice. But knowing what we know in Iron Flame—that Xaden promised Lilith he would look after Violet—could this be him holding up his end of the bargain? Or was it that he had already caught feelings for Violet? I love these morally gray moments in the book, when we aren’t quite certain which motivation is driving which action. Of course, the result is the same.

“I barely have a moment to register surprise that Xaden would ever save me, for any reason.”
For any reason. As if we already have a bit of foreshadowing.

“Step aside, Silver One,” a deep, gruff, definitely male voice orders.

There is so much here. Tairn speaks to Violet for the first time. He calls her “Silver One.” Again, I can’t help but wonder if Violet is somehow a god? A silver one? A type of dragon? Much like Andarna is the golden one. Remember the similarities between the golden and the silver ones. So honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised.

The first conversation between Tairn and Violet is incredible. I love every single word of it. He’s so damn grumpy and arrogant—he’s perfect.

“One does not live a century without being well aware of the space one takes up. Now get on.”

A reminder that Tairn is middle-aged. We know he is 100, and clearly dragons live somewhere around two centuries, which is fascinating. It’s also interesting, as we might learn quite a bit about the history of Navarre through them.

“Dragons never supplicate for anyone.”
But about… anything? Again, could it be that she is a god? Another dragon? I find it highly unrealistic that a dragon like Tairn would simply supplicate for Violet. He knows more than we do—that’s for sure.

Of course, it’s all very exciting… until Violet falls off—in an instant—from Tairn’s back.

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