Today is the day of the Fourth Wing Special Edition paperback release in the USA, and with it, we are getting a brand new bonus chapter from Xaden’s POV.
And let me tell you, this bonus chapter has not been released or seen before. Unlike the previous Xaden POV bonus chapters, which cover chapters 9 and 16, this is about chapter 27!
Warning: Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t read the new bonus chapter, please do so first, as this article will go into heavy spoilers.
To access the bonus chapter, you need to order the new paperback from Amazon-> https://amzn.to/4dpMC1F
The bonus chapter will also become available free for all on Rebecca Yarros’ official site sometimes later in the year.
What is Fourth Wing Chapter 27 about?
If you don’t have Fourth Wing handy, here’s the highlight of chapter 27. It’s during the battle brief in Montserrat. Remember that one? It’s the time Xaden kisses Violet…for the second time.
It all starts with battle brief simulation led by Mira Sorrengail. The exercise simulates an enemy fortification near their border, prompting the team to brainstorm and plan a hypothetical response. Amidst this, there are undercurrents of personal conflicts and power dynamics, particularly involving Xaden, whose presence and actions generate friction.
It’s also the first time we see Xaden communicate with Violet via their bond.
Xaden’s POV Chapter 27 – What do we learn?
At first, I was quite puzzled as to why Rebecca Yarros decided to pick this chapter for us. But after reading it fully, I totally get it.
Here are the highlights that you need to know about. And keep on learning because I think we get a small clue as to Violet’s second signet!!!
Why Imogen was missing from the battle brief?
Let’s face it, it bothered us a lot that we didn’t really understand why Imogen was missing. Where was she? Was she using her signet on everyone? We finally find out that she was indeed on a mission.
Xaden dragged Sgaeyl across the continent and not the other way around
Oh, this was good. We assumed that Sgaeyl and Tairn couldn’t be apart for longer than 3 days, but it turns out, that’s not quite the case. They seemed to have quite a grip on their emotions. Xaden, on the other hand, not so much. It was his emotions that pretty much made Sgaeyl take him to Violet. I think this little detail was so cute and much needed for all of us, so want Xaden and Violet together forever. Besides, Xaden is cool and all, but clearly not when it comes to Violet. Perfect book boyfriend.
Sgaeyl is perpetually annoyed
As the series progresses, one thing is for certain: we’re loving Sgaeyl more and more. She is always annoyed and inconvenienced by everyone, including Xaden. In this bonus chapter, we get a little more about how she communicates with Xaden. She sure is ruthless, but oddly…adorable. However, it’s clear that Tairn and Sgaeyl are a match made in heaven. Grumpy and fed up Tairn with ruthless and perpetually annoyed Sgaeyl.
Xaden uses the mental connection with Violet for the first time
We already know this one but from Violet’s perspective. So what is special about this? Well, we learn that Violet pushes emotions through the bond and not just thoughts. We learn that Xaden sees her as silver, so Tairn’s nickname for Violet “Silver One” is reinforced here.
Besides, we get to learn a little more about how he reacts to her at all times. It’s pretty great.
Xaden loves Violet…yes, already
When you read this part, you are going to giggle to yourself because yes, Xaden admits to himself that he loves Violet. So good. Of course, we already knew that he fell for her a long time ago but it’s really nice to know that by chapter 27 he already uses the word “love” when thinking about Violet.
Oh wow, it’s so fun to read that Xaden literally cannot stand the dude. Everything Dain says makes Xaden’s blood boil. It’s quite fun to read, especially given how much we dislike Dain too.
Xaden is a morally gray character
Well, I did tell you this before, Xaden is morally gray, but only when it comes to Violet. He admitted in this bonus chapter that he chose Violet over his mission and responsibilities.
We get more of Liam
Honestly, I hope we get a whole Fourth Wing from Xaden’s point of view, just so we get more of Liam. I love that we learn more about Liam and Xaden as kids and brothers. We learn a bit about their training. We also learn that they are seriously tight as “brothers”. But we get to witness an interesting squabble between Liam and Xaden. Well, it might be a harsh word, but we basically get to see Liam raise his voice at Xaden. Yup, it’s all behind closed doors. Don’t worry, it all gets cleared out immediately.
There are unfriendly gryphons
Not all gryphons are friendly and have a working relationship with marked ones. In fact, not all gryphon squads like each other either. When the wards fall in Montserrat, at the end of the chapter, we learn that it’s not a hoax. It’s a very real threat from unfriendly fliers.
We learn what was in Xaden’s backpack
You know how we were wondering “what he left behind” according to Violet? Yeah, it was all weapons. So it is true, he arrived with a heavy backpack full of weapons, Imogen took them to the friendly fliers and in turn, Xaden left Montserrat with a less heavy backpack.
We learn how Xaden’s second signet works
The most interesting and special part of this bonus chapter is that we understand how Xaden’s signet works.
We learn how he reads her and how he doesn’t read her mind per se, but he clearly reads her intentions. And in that instance, he reads emotions and how she intends to bolt.
This is super interesting because we might just realise that his signet as a mind reader is more different than we imagined. He could sense all emotions and the resulting chemistry of all emotions that kinda show raw intention. Either way, there is a lot more for us to discover.
Xaden’s kiss has so much more meaning
Sure, we know that Xaden was stalling so Violet doesn’t run away towards Mira. But we also learn that he wants that kiss so much. He risks being hated by Violet to keep her safe.
We also learn that the kiss was a dual distraction. One to keep Violet from running, but also to keep her from feeling…apprehensive about the way Tairn needs to pick her up. Remember how we learn that she’s fragile and not great at special flight maneuvers? Well, for her to jump on Tairn required some pretty special maneuvers.
Turns out, Tairn went to Xaden using a private mental pathway to tell him that he needs to scoop her up and won’t be a dignifying moment. Lucky for Violet, she barely even noticed that, given her focus on Xaden, their kiss and her immediate intense reaction when she realized that he was indeed…stalling.
Oh, the beauty of young love.
Finally…a clue to Violet’s signet
There is a paragraph:
“[…]I shrug. Lying is easy, except when it comes to Violet. I haven’t quite figured that one out yet”
It could be just a paragraph. It could be that Xaden simply doesn’t want to lie to her. Or something could stop him from doing so. Could it be Violet’s second signet as a truth sayer? That by using his signet, he can anticipate a lot and realise that she catches on…fast.
This would be interesting to explore further. After all, we do know that Violet’s second signet will be something rather underwhelming. And we did learn about truth sayers in Iron Flame…chances are, given that she always needs the truth, she might just about have a signet related to it.
Is worth buying the special edition book?
YES! Every new chapter is totally worth it, and Rebecca Yarros did an amazing job with it all. We got to learn so much more about Xaden, his connection to Sgaeyl, his love for Violet and even his connection with Tairn. It’s clear that we need the full book from his POV but for now we’re happy with the little extra we can get.
If you haven’t already, please make sure to order the book -> https://amzn.to/4dpMC1F
Over to you, what do you think about it all? Did you enjoy the Fourth Wing chapter 27 from Xaden’s POV? Let me know in the comments section below.
Leave a Reply