Key Takeaways:

• We get insight into the Sorrengail family dynamic, with how Lilith is the spine of the family and Asher is the heart
  • Brennan is his mother’s favorite and he feels the weight of her expectations
  • However, we see ON THE PAGE, how Brennan’s very close and the most himself around his father
  • There’s so many breadcrumbs about Papa Sorrengail’s research and how he’s often gone on secret missions for months at a time
  • Papa S also gives a bracelet to Brennan that contains a black bead—this is a bracelet that Asher has apparently worn since… Forever
• Papa Sorrengail’s advice to Brennan about maybe bonding an orange dragon would be good balance for his eldest
  • How ironic, that the best advice Brennan got for Threshing Day came from his scribe father
  • Because, yes, as Marb says—Brennan is boring, and needs a little unpredictability in his life
• Brennan has the idea to write the book of Brennan for Mira while he’s climbing a tree looking for a dragon!
  • He gets the idea from reflecting how his mom didn’t tell him anything about what to expect, and how that would have been nice

Key Takeaways:

• This feeling of not belonging in her family is a theme throughout Mira’s POV
  • Brennan is her mother’s, Violet is their father’s, and Mira is no one’s
    • Telling herself instead, all three other Sorrengails are hers
• With Mira’s story being at the beginning of the Rebellion, it’s really interesting to get her POV on Tyrrendor wanting to separate from Navarre
  • She mentions that she sees where Fen Riorson is coming from but succeeding and breaking apart their kingdom is nothing short of pure evil 
  • But from this we also learn that Brennan and Lilth are on the front lines (despite Brennan having just graduated, it’s because he is a powerful Mender and very needed) 
• We get a peek into the signets to Sorrengail generations
  • Mira, Violet and Brennan’s grandmother controlled fire, and their great grandfather wielded the tides

Key Takeaways:

• We see from Xaden’s POV the scene with Alic and witness just how big of a dick the Tauri prince is
  • He beat up and tried to kill Garrick in his sleep, knowing that as the King’s son, he was safe from the Codex’s strict rule against that
  • With these marked ones, Alic had all the “na na na, my father squashed your father’s rebellion” vibes
• in Xaden’s POV is Sgaeyl has a reputation so fierce that on Kaori’s notes in the compendium of Dragonkind, she is the only dragon we know of who has a note next to her name.
  • “DO NOT APPROACH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES”
  • She was also not at Presentation because that’s not her thing
    • Sgyael is known to have 3 previous riders:
      • One she left for dead
      • The second, allegedly killed
      • And the third died before graduation
• Xaden doesn’t know that dragons are seeking out the marked ones
  • He’s quite surprised when Sgyael bonds him and drops the bomb that he is the grandson of Maxim Riorson
    • Which confuses Xaden because he was under the belief that Maxim Riorson was his Great Uncle
    • He tells Sgyael that his grandfather was Corbin Riorson
      • To which, Sgyael says “If your grandmother said so, I suppose.”
      • Which sends Xaden spiraling about what that means, with his father being the oldest twin

Key Takeaways:

• During her Threshing Day midnight release interview, Rebecca said Chradh is not to be underestimated
  • Cradgh is most definitely not his real name
  • He is an older dragon who hints at how he’s been waiting for Garrick and that he previously bonded a direct descendent of Garrick’s family
  • But he does not reveal his true name… or any other details
• Garrick and Imogen
  • While she’s not physically on the page, we learn that Garrick has been in love with Imogen ever since she punched him in the face at 9 years old
    • And he would do ANYTHING to be able to travel to her
    • Aka he developed his second signet out of the need to see her

Key Takeaways:

• The biggest takeaway from Dain’s POV is his relationship with his father
  • We see how much Daddy Aetos smothers his son, the pressure he puts on him, and his manipulation
  • We also get backstory on Dain’s mother, who left her son behind and he wonders if it’s because he’s the spitting image of his dad
    • She stopped writing to Dain a year ago (so, 2 years ago at the start of Fourth Wing) – and it hurts Dain that he’ll never know what really happened
  • According to Daddy Aetos, she took off because he wasn’t able to protect her with the Tyrish rebelling
• We’ve known since the end of FW and especially IF how much of a snake Daddy Aetos is
  • In this POV we see just HOW manipulative he has been toward his son
    • Daddy Aetos telling him to watch the marked ones like a hawk
      • Telling his son that they are up to know good and that Dain needs to watch and report anything they do that is out of Codex
• It’s also very significant that Dain “chooses” a red dragon, instead of the green right there
  • He’s pulled in two directions, and goes against his father’s wishes – following his gut instead

Key Takeaways:

• Throughout Bodhi’s POV, we get a front row seat to how he feels inferior to Xaden
  • Most days, he’s content with his role as a balance to Xaden, but today he just wants to be seen as his own person and not Xaden’s cousin
• Because Bodhi is in the first unbonded marked ones group who is being mentored by Rider Marked Ones group
  • We get to see what has changed in the last year for marked ones
    • While for Xaden and Garrick, their dragons sought them out 
    • Bodhi’s year (and most years after this) are told who they are going to bond 
    • Which doesn’t sit right for Bodhi
      • Which is why he goes after Molvic at first
        • BUT because Cuir has waited to bond BODHI SPECIFICALLY

Key Takeaways:

• Glane was Imogen’s grandmother’s dragon, who Imogen immediately recognized when “Glane” was projected in Kaori’s class
  • Imogen got her dragon relic soon after Presentation, revealing the dragon went ahead and bonded her
• We’ve known from Violet’s POV that Imogen has had it bad for Garrick, and saw in his POV that he’s had it bad for her
  • But now we get to see WHY Imogen believes they cannot be together 
  • Because Imogen believes that everyone who is close to her ends up dead and she refuses to have Garrick be on that list 
• We also find out that Imogen was one of only three marked ones fostered alone (Sloane being another)
  • And it has strongly impacted her view on self preservation and love

Key Takeaways:

• Her POV shone as a future leader, and especially squad leader
  • We also learn that first-year repeats have to be willingly taken in by a squad leader
    • which means Rhi takes Visia in next year, like Dain took Sawyer in this year

Key Takeaways:

• Sawyer’s POV gives us a glimpse into his previous year – and how, at threshing, he got swatted by a green’s scorpiontail tail and we can presume he was too injured to continue, winding up in the infirmary for 2 weeks
  • And he carries so much resentment about having done everything right only to fail and need to redo his first year
• We know Sawyer as a very level headed person from the main story line
  • But here we get to see a little more of his anger and embarrassment that has been festering for a year since the last unsuccessful threshing day
    • We learn from Sliseag that it is BECAUSE of his anger in Sawyer that Sliseag matches within himself
      • And he has one rule for the rider: Sawyer can present himself however he wants to everyone else, but he will NOT mask the anger or anything else within him to Sliseag
• After they bond, Sawyer finally understands this concept of both dragon and rider needing to be ready to bond at the right time
  • And thinks how he would have waited another year if it meant Sliseag was waiting for him at the end of it

Key Takeaways:

• Ridoc’s POV hints how he’s learned to leverage his humor as a tactic to cut the tension between his parents constantly fighting
• Ridoc is also convinced he should have a dragon more mature and put together to balance him out and guide the way
  • In fact, he really doesn’t want a dragon that matches his personality – but Aotrom believes they “share a kinship in being underestimated by those around them”
  • Instead of being with a dragon that tries to mold him into something he’s not, Ridoc bonds a dragon who considers him his equal

Key Takeaways:

• Like Imogen, Liam doesn’t receive notice from an older rider who he is going to bond
  • He already knew it was going to be Deigh, so much so that he’s already started carving his dragon
  • While Deigh openly admits that he’s had a previous rider, and that his line has always favored Mairis, we don’t know who exactly Deight has previously bonded
• Important to remember that Deigh’s dragon line is deeply connected to the Mairi family
  • And Deigh is ready for him and Liam, together, to take on the evil that plagues the continent

Key Takeaways:

• Sloane has given up on the will to live, and she hates the fact that the riders quadrant creates weapons
  • She does not want power whatsoever
• DAIN BREAKS THE CODEX FOR HER!!
  • He shares how he hates himself for what happened with Liam more than Sloane could ever hate him
  • He seized the moment to save a Mairi, instead of not interfere and feel a sense of responsibility for another Mairi death
• Imogen informs her that Thoirt is already searching for her, that their dragon line favors the Mairi family

Key Takeaways:

• Aaric is no nonsense and won’t back down until Molvic agrees to bond him
  • He proves his worthiness by his determination and preservation
• What’s interesting about this POV is that Molvic is in almost every. Fucking. Threshing story
  • There is some mention of a blue clubtail out in the valley looking around 
• Last but not least, we learn that Aaric’s mother saw to his tutelage
  • She has since passed away, but we can guess she is the reason Aaric is so smart with politics, culture, and languages
  • Aaric also does not use the Tauri name – Molvic calls him Camlaen Aaric Baran