She had 100 questions? He answered them all. She asked the same question a million times? He answered it each and every damn time. Someone tried to make her jealous? He confidently claimed and assured her every time. Yeah, exactly! That's the kind of man he is 🤭😌 Candidates have been training their whole lives for the opportunity in which 15% die on the parapet before they can even become a cadet and Violet is not only small but hasEhlers-Danlos syndrome (this is implied and never explicitly stated). The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

I have had enough and I wish you all love and peace. This is not the way to go about things, let's be rational and restore GR to a loving community. I just want to read in peace. Varrish then uses the excuse of the RDS class to capture Violet and nearly torture her to death. He wants answers about Xaden, where they really were after the war games, and wants to know about Andarna. Dain is called in to read Violet’s mind and she shows him the torture she just endured. Just when she thinks, Dain will sentence her to death, he saves her just as Xaden comes. Violet and Xaden kill Varrish and the story is non-stop from this point on!!! General Melgren is the commanding General of all Navarre. Melgren has nothing but cold calculation in his beady eyes. He executed the rebellion leaders, and his dragon created the rebellion relics on the marked ones.I love Violet so much, but I think she struggled a lot in this book with her position in this world and what her purpose is. Violet has the best intentions at heart, but feels like she is failing everyone and I just wanted to give her a hug this whole book 😭 when she said that she never failed anything in her life but now she keeps failing and making the wrong decisions I felt for her!! Just let others do their thing and remember that everyone's most likely living a reality you know nothing about. I also would like to take advantage of this topic to admit I never really hated Dain. I'm pretty passive when it comes to him, but I swear to god, if RY takes that direction, I'm gonna throw a fit. The Riders Quadrant is dangerous in and of itself, with many students not surviving their training or even bonding with a dragon during a process called the Threshing. Apologize,” Tairn demands, his voice low and sharp. “I’m sorry!” Varrish’s voice breaks. “Apologize to the one Andarna deemed worthy of her bond."

to the rest of the side characters: you were either irrelevant, i couldn’t remember you’re names or i refuse to remember to name, cause you going to die either way in this book or later. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College―and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Violet bonds with two dragons during the Threshing

Unlike the other candidates who have worked towards this their whole lives, Violet is small and brittle and never meant for this to be her path. And other candidates do not have the children of rebel leaders waiting to take revenge. Another thing I really appreciated, aside from the chef's kiss perfect action scenes and THE SASSY DRAGONS (omg my baby Andarna!!!), were the secondary characers. Violet and Xaden's friends deserve their own books - Rhi in particular <3<3<3< - and I definitely hope the sequels will focus on them more, especially because some characters are only now starting to blossom and they seem particularly interesting. Liam Mairi is Violet’s friend and protector, but also Xaden Riorson’s foster brother. He is a tall man with a spiky-blond hair. Liam has strong features, a prominent nose and sky-blue eyes. He has a dimple when he smiles. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them. This is 100% in my top 3 books I have ever read . . . If I can convince you to read one book I recommend it would be this one' Netgalley - five star review

Rhiannon Matthias is a first year in the Riders Quadrant and Violet’s friend. Rhiannon is from the Morraine Province. She has dark skin, high cheekbones and an oval face. Rhiannon has brown eyes and dark brown hair worn in several rows of short braids. In the new incoming class are King Tauri’s son, Aaric Graycastle who changed his name for anonymity, and Sloane Mairi, Liam’s younger sister. Before he died, Liam made Violet promise she would watch over Sloane when she became a cadet. Her chronic illness is mine, look at it that way. I have Ehlers Danlos, and my sons do too. So it was important to me when I brought the project to my editor, I said, “I would like to include this in there.” And we had a big talk about how representation works, especially because EDS has 13 subtypes. So we wanted to make sure that everyone felt represented. … I knew it’d be relatable because it’s her wits that make (Violet) strong — but I think what surprised me was the number of readers that came to me and said, “Thank you. I feel represented.”

Violet and Xaden end up in a trap that puts their lives at risk

How Rebecca Yarros' Novels Became a Romantasy Booktok Phenomenon". Time. November 8, 2023 . Retrieved November 21, 2023. We have beautiful characters, chronic illness representation, a lot of steamy tension and one of the hottest guys ever. (I’m not joking, look at the fan art online).

The epic tale of a reluctant dragon rider's coming-of-age with a sexy dark academia aesthetic in her astounding debut fantasy . . . Readers will be spellbound' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)That connection makes Violet's preexisting attraction to Xaden nearly impossible to ignore, especially when she realizes Tairn and Sgaeyl's urges impact their own. The pair eventually give into it, becoming an item shortly before the end of the school year. This works for the plot as well. In the first half, I wasn't really enjoying myself and could count on one hand the moments I actually found interesting. Green dragons from the Uaineloidsig lineage are highly intelligent and make excellent siege weapons. Submission and patience are essential when approaching green dragons.