Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved everything about this book except the ending, what a cliffhanger, and I sincerely hope there is a solution.
Andarna is the key to so much, I can't help but wonder if Andarna has one more miracle up her dragon scales.
Violet is a second year but the repercussions from Resson are still playing out. Most of the book is consumed with Violet trying to find a way to raise the wardstone in Aretia. She asked her friend Jesinia (scribe) to help her find books on the wardstones and sneak them to her. A student (Navil Jacek) who asked for a book about something he shouldn't have was found beaten to death in his room after Violet and Jesinia saw him hauled away by Markham. Jesinia felt guilty because she reported his request like she was supposed to and had to admit to Violet that she failed to report Violet's request for a book about the first six riders. Violet is avoiding her four squadmates/friends (Ridoc, Sawyer, Riannon and Nadine) because she can't tell them about Resson if she does their lives will be in danger so she grows closer to Imogene who is helping her train now that Xeden has graduated (and has been posted to Samara where her sister Mira is), all the cadets that survived Resson are being targeted. Because their dragons are mated Violet and Xaden are supposed to get to see each other every week but Varrish tries his best to prevent Xaden and Violet from spending time together and whenever Violet leaves Basgiath War College, Varrish has her searched. Luckily the contraband is on Tairn (and nobody is searching him without his permission). Professor Carr is also punishing Violet because Andarna can't show up (she is no longer a feather tail and to protect the other youngsters they can't reveal that she isn't an adult or that she is basically in a coma while she is growing). So between Varrish and Carr Violet's life is pretty miserable. Dain tries to apologize for reading her memories without permission and telling his Father what he saw but she still blames Dain for Liam's death and isn't ready to forgive him. Cam aka Aaric the King's third son has somehow found out about venin and wyverns and disagrees with his Father's policies. He is determined to become a rider to help stop them. And Liam's younger sister Sloane is a first year. Both manage to survive and bond with dragons.
Jesinia and Violet conclude that the information Violet needs to create a wardstone is in the Diaries of the Six Original Riders hidden in the King's private vault the only way to get in is with Aaric's help and she also decides to confide in her squadmates. The two diaries are recovered and one is sent off with Xaden (he is supposed to give it to Brennan to translate) and Violet has the remaining one. Before she can get it to her room she is taken prisoner by Nolon ( a meander she trusts) and Varrish and thrown in the dungeon to be tortured. When they can't get the information from her by torture they bring Dain in, but Dain attacks Varrish and attempts to rescue Violet, luckily Xaden has been formatting his own rescue plan and arrives in time to help get them out. Violet insists on telling the entire school the truth about Venin and wyverns and gives them a choice to stay at Basgiath or join the rebellion. The entire 4th Wing joins the rebellion, and some of the teachers come too.
Viscount Tecarus agrees to give them the luminary they need to make weapons in exchange for taking his fliers to Aretia and training them. Cat is furious that Xaden is with Violet and causes problems but eventually Violet earns her respect and they become allies. Violet's first attempt to arm the wardstone fails as she thinks they need the blood of the six most powerful riders but eventually realizes she is wrong it is the breath of six dragons from each den. But they can only do it once Tairn and Sgaeyl use their breath to power the wardstone in Aretia and it works long enough to stop the attack, but there is something wrong and Violet asks Jesinia to translate the second diary and see what is different, so she can fix the wardstone before it fails. Violet learns that Xaden can read intentions, if anyone else finds out they will kill him.
Melgren sees losing the battle at Samara and asks the rebels to help, they at first refuse but when Violet realizes that Samara is a distraction and the real target is Basgiath they fly to their rescue. unfortunately, they are too late Jack Barlow (who turned Venin when Tairn chose Violet) destroys the Wardstone and kills his own dragon. This explains how Jack survived the rock slide Violet brought down on him and why he saved her life (the Venin General wants her alive) when she was attacked on the tower. Brennan can mend the wardstone, but doing so completely drains him. Jesinia realizes the other diary says seven dragons but thinks it must be wrong because there are only six breeds of dragons but Violet realizes that Andarna has another secret. Realizing she will need another black dragon to breathe fire on the wardstone (Andarna isn't one) she breaks all the rules to ask Codagh (Melgren's dragon) if he will and he agrees. She also asks him to confirm what she suspects about Andarna. Andarna actually told Violet and Tairn when they were trying to boss her around but they thought she was just being an adolescent when she said "she was the head of her own den"
(Violet)I should have listened when you said you were the head of
your own den. That's why no one could fight your Right of Benefacation
last year. Why the Empyrean allowed a juvenile to bond. Your scales
aren't really black.
(Andarna) No. But he is, and I so badly
want to be just like him. Tairn doesn't know only the elders do. They
revere him, he is strong and loyal, and fierce. I waited six hundred and
fifty years to hatch. Waited until your eighteenth summer, when I heard
our elders talk of the weakling daughter of their general, the girl
forecasted to become the head of the scribes, and I knew. You would have
the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider. You would be mine.
(Violet) You are not a black dragon, or any of the six that we know of. You're a seventh breed"
Violet sets to work imbuing the wardstone with her power but realizes it will cost her her life when her Mother realizes what she is doing she stops Violet and uses Sloane (siphon) to transfer her power to the Wardstone resulting in the death of General Lilith Sorrengail. Violet gets the wards raised but not before Xaden has to turn Venin in order to buy them the time they need.
*I reread that part and it seems that it may have been Violet that made the choice without realizing it for Xaden to become Venin. When her Mom was trying to talk Sloane into siphoning her power into the wardstone and Aaeric was holding her back Violet tried to reach Xaden and realized he was dying and she shouted at him to fight.
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Triple Cross by James Patterson
