147 Fun Facts About Fourth Wing

What must every candidate cross on their first day to reach the Riders Quadrant?

The parapet is a narrow stone bridge high above a river valley, and wind and wet stone send candidates falling to their deaths before their training has even begun.

Which branch of Basgiath had Violet trained her whole life to enter before her mother intervened?

The Scribes: Violet had prepared all her life for the Scribe Quadrant, but General Sorrengail refused to see any of her children there and ordered her to become a rider.

In which of Violet's texts do the venin appear long before she meets one?

A book of fables: Violet takes The Fables of the Barren's tales of the venin for folklore until the creatures attack for real.

Why does Violet expect Xaden Riorson to want her dead?

Her mother had his father executed: General Sorrengail captured rebel leader Fen Riorson and saw him put to death, yet Xaden ends up protecting Violet instead of killing her.

What kind of dragon is Tairn?

A black morningstartail dragon, Tairn is a behemoth among Navarre's dragons, and his choice of the frail Violet at Threshing defies everyone's expectations.

What colour is Andarna, the small dragon Violet saves and bonds with?

Golden: Andarna's gleaming scales mark her out among the dragons, and when cadets hunt her at Threshing Violet stands guard over her until Tairn arrives.

What power does Violet manifest through Tairn?

Lightning wielding: the rare signet first bursts out of Violet uncontrolled during a War Games exercise, when Jack Barlowe goes after her friend Liam.

What signet does Xaden Riorson, wingleader of Fourth Wing, wield?

Shadows: Xaden Riorson can make them solid enough to kill, and when cadets break into Violet's room at night he uses them to cut her attackers down.

What is Dain Aetos's power?

Retrocognition lets Dain read a person's memories by touch; using it on Violet without her consent betrays Xaden's secret and costs Dain her friendship.

Which dragon is the mate of Violet's dragon Tairn?

Sgaeyl and Tairn are a mated pair who cannot bear long separations, which keeps forcing their riders, Violet and Xaden, into each other's company.

How does Violet gain an early edge over her stronger sparring partners?

She poisons them beforehand: Violet learns who she will face on the mat, then slips each opponent a dose so they arrive too sick or weak to beat her.

What does each of the many scars across Xaden Riorson's back stand for?

A rebel's child he answers for: Xaden took personal responsibility for all the rebels' children, a bargain that let them enter the Riders Quadrant instead of being executed.

What does Violet's newly manifested signet set off that seems to kill Jack Barlowe?

A landslide buries Jack Barlowe when Violet's power first erupts, and everyone believes him dead until he walks back into Basgiath in Iron Flame.

What does the returned Jack Barlowe do in Iron Flame that baffles Violet?

He saves her life: the cadet who swore to kill her cuts down an assassin as she hangs over a drop, yet by the end of the book he is exposed as a venin.

What are the venin?

Magic-wielders who drain the earth: venin take power straight from the ground instead of channelling a dragon's, and Navarre's leaders hide their attacks from their own people.

What is the profession of Violet's father, Asher Sorrengail?

A scribe curator: Asher Sorrengail kept Basgiath's Archives, and the research he hid before his death becomes the trail Violet follows across the isles in Onyx Storm.

Who is the sadistic vice commandant who tortures Violet in Iron Flame?

Major Burton Varrish, whose signet reads a person's weaknesses, tortures Violet for days until Dain Aetos finally turns on him.

The first-year cadet calling himself Aaric Graycastle is really who?

A prince of Navarre: he is Cam Tauri, King Tauri's third son, who enrols under a false name because he wants to fight the venin threat his family ignores.

Who were the First Six?

The riders who built Navarre's wards: the wardstone the First Six raised at Basgiath has shielded the kingdom ever since, and their lost journals hold the only instructions for making another.

What must a person have to open the Archives vault that hides the journals Violet needs?

Royal blood: only someone of the king's line can enter the vault, so Violet's squad needs an unlikely accomplice for the theft, and the journals they steal show how to raise new wards.

In Iron Flame, what does Warrick's journal lie about?

The number of dens: the journal says six, but the truth is seven, and the missing fire has to come from a dragon den nobody knew existed.

What does Xaden reveal about himself at the very end of Iron Flame?

He has become venin: to kill a venin Sage and save Violet in the battle for Basgiath, Xaden reached for forbidden power, and curing him becomes her secret mission in Onyx Storm.

Who is Cat, introduced in Iron Flame?

A flier and Xaden's ex-fiancée: Cat rides a gryphon, and her uncle's bargain with the rebels brings her to their base to train alongside Violet.

Iron Flame's release was marred by what?

Widespread misprints: many first-run copies of Iron Flame shipped with printing defects such as wrong spines and upside-down pages, and Entangled arranged replacements.

What has Xaden been secretly smuggling to the gryphon fliers across Navarre's border?

Weapons: Xaden and his fellow rebels arm the fliers because Navarre refuses to help its neighbours, a treason Violet uncovers on the flight to Athebyne.

What is the name of the silver-haired venin woman who is Onyx Storm's main antagonist?

Theophanie, a venin who commands storms, captures Violet's sister Mira to force the final battle, where Violet kills her.

What is Andarna unable to do after her sacrifice in Violet's first battle with venin?

Carry a rider: the power she spends there harms the young dragon for good, and in Iron Flame Violet is left with the guilt of knowing what saving her cost.

What does Mira give Violet to protect her before she enters the Riders Quadrant?

Dragon-scale armor: Mira has a vest made from her own dragon's scales, and it turns aside a blade meant to kill Violet during Threshing.

What surprise does Violet wake up to at the very end of Onyx Storm?

A wedding ring: Violet wakes with hours of memory gone, a ring on her hand and papers saying she has married Xaden, and Imogen admits she wiped the memory at Violet's request.

Which cadet's hidden signet is revealed as precognition in Onyx Storm?

Aaric turns out to be a true precog; he hid the signet, but his foresight delivers the very weapon Violet needs to win the final battle.

Why do the irids at first turn Andarna away?

She was raised as a weapon: the irids are dismayed at how Navarre's fighting has shaped Andarna and send her away, though one later returns to strengthen Tyrrendor's wards.

How many copies did Onyx Storm sell in its first week?

2.7 million copies went in Onyx Storm's first week, helped by midnight release parties that drew thousands of fans to bookshops on both sides of the Atlantic.

In Fourth Wing, what is the Empyrean?

The dragons' ruling body: when two dragons choose Violet, it is the Empyrean, not Navarre's generals, that rules the double bond may stand, and the humans have to accept it.

Which imprint published Fourth Wing?

Red Tower Books was a brand-new Entangled imprint, announced only months before Fourth Wing came out, yet its dragon-rider novel soon topped the bestseller lists.

Which social-media community is credited with driving Fourth Wing's viral success?

BookTok, the book-lovers' community on TikTok, drove Fourth Wing's word-of-mouth explosion in 2023, turning a new imprint's title into a bestseller within weeks.

Which genetic disorder, shared by Yarros and her sons, inspired Violet's fragile joints?

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Yarros has the connective-tissue disorder herself, and she gave Violet its joint instability so a chronically ill heroine could be heroic too.

What did Yarros's husband fly, experience she drew on for the aerial combat scenes?

Her parents were both lieutenant colonels, which she credits for the series' unflinching death culture.

What does Violet discover when her longtime crush Dain Aetos finally kisses her?

Her feelings are gone: Dain has kept pleading with her to quit the quadrant instead of believing in her, and when he kisses her after Threshing she feels nothing.

Why do Jack Barlowe and his friends try to kill the small feathertail at Threshing?

They think she is too weak: the cadets see the little dragon as unworthy, yet she goes on to choose Violet.

Who founded Entangled, the publisher of Fourth Wing?

Liz Pelletier founded Entangled, and when the screen rights to its biggest hit were sold she became an executive producer of the series alongside Yarros.

Which NHL team from Yarros's home state scheduled a 'Fourth Wing Night' for November 2025?

Colorado Avalanche: Yarros, a Colorado Springs hockey mom whose four sons all played, is a devoted Avs fan, so the team invited her to sign books at a home game.

Which college major does Yarros credit for the Empyrean series' theme of who gets to write the record?

History: Yarros majored in it at college and says the Empyrean books ask what happens when only the people in power record the past.

What happens to wyvern when the venin who created them is killed?

They die as well: Violet finds this out in her first battle with venin, when she kills one and every wyvern it made falls out of the sky.

What can Violet and Xaden do once their bonded dragons' mating bond links them?

Speak mind to mind: because their dragons are a mated pair, the two riders can talk silently, a private channel Xaden uses in the War Games to tell Violet what is really going on.

Who narrates the Fourth Wing audiobook?

Rebecca Soler reads Violet's chapters, but one chapter switches to Xaden's point of view, so Teddy Hamilton steps in to narrate it.

What do Violet and Rhiannon swap on their first day so that both have better grip?

One boot each: Violet notices Rhiannon's smooth soles, so they trade left boots before the crossing, and Rhiannon later says the borrowed boot kept her from falling.

What is the day candidates enter Basgiath called?

Conscription Day can be fatal for would-be riders: Violet is nearly thrown to her death by Jack Barlowe on her way into the college.

What are the brands on the rebels' children called?

Relics: the swirling marks single out the rebels' children wherever they go, so Violet can tell at a glance which cadets have reason to hate her family.

How far along at Basgiath is Dain Aetos when Violet arrives?

Second-year: Dain is a year ahead of his childhood friend, already a squad leader, and he spends her first weeks urging her to leave the Riders Quadrant.

What does Xaden promise Violet in exchange for keeping his secret meeting quiet?

A future favor: Xaden says he will owe her one if she keeps quiet about the meeting she overheard, and soon afterwards he starts showing her how to fight smarter.

What is the rulebook of the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath called?

The Codex opens with the rule every cadet learns first: a dragon without its rider is a tragedy, but a rider without their dragon is dead.

How is Liam Mairi related to Xaden Riorson?

Foster brother: after the rebellion their families led was crushed, the two boys were fostered together, and Xaden taught Liam to fight before Basgiath.

How does Violet escape when Jack tries to kill her during sparring?

Triggering his allergies: Violet has learned that Jack Barlowe cannot tolerate oranges, so she uses the fruit against him and wins the bout.

During which exercise does Violet's signet first manifest?

Capture the flag: in this first round of War Games, Jack Barlowe goes after Liam, and the power that tears out of Violet to stop him nearly kills Jack.

How is Bodhi Durran related to Xaden Riorson?

His cousin: Bodhi Durran, a marked one like Xaden, is family as well as an ally, and once Xaden takes his father's title Bodhi becomes heir to Tyrrendor.

Which country is under attack by the venin, a secret Navarre's leaders conceal?

Poromiel: its people have been fighting the venin beyond Navarre's wards, a truth Violet only learns when she flies out with Xaden to an outpost near the border.

Which officer led the cadets into the Athebyne trap?

Colonel Aetos, Dain's father, sends Xaden's squad to Athebyne as a War Games mission intended to get the marked ones and Violet killed outside the wards.

What nearly kills Violet in the battle with venin that ends Fourth Wing?

A poisoned blade: a venin stabs her with it in the fight, and Xaden has to fly her, slipping in and out of consciousness, to a hidden rebel city to be healed.

What breed of dragon is Sgaeyl?

Navy-blue daggertail: Sgaeyl is known as a vicious dragon, yet at Threshing she and her rider can only look on, barred from stepping in, while three cadets attack Violet.

What is Rhiannon Matthias's signet?

Retrieval: Rhiannon can summon objects to her hand, and in Iron Flame she pulls Violet's contraband blade through a wall before a search can find it.

Which cadet's signet is metallurgy?

Sawyer Henrick failed to bond a dragon on his first attempt at Threshing, but on his second he bonds Sliseag and manifests metallurgy, the power to reshape metal.

What is Ridoc Gamlyn's signet?

Ice-wielding: Ridoc Gamlyn is the joker of Violet's squad, and in Iron Flame he is one of the friends she finally trusts with the truth about the venin, agreeing to help her dig further.

What is Liam Mairi's signet?

Farsight lets Liam Mairi see over great distances; after cadets attack Violet in her room, Xaden makes him her bodyguard, and he stays at her side from then on.

What is General Lilith Sorrengail's signet?

Storm wielding: General Lilith Sorrengail's signet lets her command the weather, summoning wind and storms, a power that made her one of Navarre's most feared riders.

What is Mira Sorrengail's signet?

Ward extension: Mira can stretch Navarre's wards to shield nearby riders, and in one fight against a venin she even throws one up outside the kingdom's borders.

Under what condition does General Melgren's battle-foresight fail?

Three or more marked ones gather and Melgren can no longer foresee the battle; gatherings of the rebels' children are banned, which makes Xaden's secret meetings a serious crime.

What is the name of Melgren's black swordtail dragon?

Codagh, General Melgren's dragon, carried out the executions of the rebellion's leaders with his fire, the moment the rebels' children received their marks.

What is Brennan Sorrengail's signet?

Mending: Brennan Sorrengail can repair what is broken, objects as well as bodies, and in Iron Flame he restores Basgiath's shattered wardstone.

How did Violet's father Asher die?

A heart attack: Asher Sorrengail died soon after his son Brennan was reported killed in the rebellion, a loss that proves false when Brennan turns up alive.

Which uprising did Fen Riorson lead?

The Tyrrish rebellion: Fen Riorson, Xaden's father, led Tyrrendor's uprising against Navarre six years before Fourth Wing and was executed when it failed.

Which first-year cadet, like Jack Barlowe, makes it his mission to kill Violet?

Oren Seifert first joins Jack's hunt for the smallest dragon at Threshing, then leads the cadets who break into Violet's room at night, where Xaden kills him.

Publishers Weekly praised Fourth Wing for pairing a dragon rider's coming-of-age with which 'sexy' aesthetic?

Dark academia: the review used the label for a romance set at a war college where cadets die in training, and called the book an astounding fantasy debut.

Which fandom controversy did The Mary Sue write about regarding Xaden?

Fan art depicting him as white: the book describes Xaden as dark-skinned, and Yarros herself replied to a fan's question to confirm he is not white.

Which Breaking Bad writer was named the Fourth Wing TV series' first showrunner in 2024?

Moira Walley-Beckett, who went on to create Anne with an E, was hired in July 2024 but left the project a year later.

Which Westworld co-creator was named to direct the first episode when Prime Video ordered Fourth Wing to series?

Lisa Joy, whose Kilter Films co-produces the series, was introduced onstage at Amazon's May 2026 upfront by Michael B. Jordan as the first episode's director.

In 2025 Yarros announced that the Empyrean books would be adapted into which format?

Graphic novels: Yarros said she would adapt the text herself, working alongside a team of comic creators.

Which company produced dramatised audiobooks of the Empyrean series?

GraphicAudio adapted the novels with a full cast, sound effects and music, so every character has a voice of their own instead of one narrator reading them all.

What second signet does Violet discover in Onyx Storm?

Dream-walking: Violet can step into other people's dreams, and she works it out only after she keeps turning up in Xaden's.

What rank does Brennan hold in the secret rebellion in Iron Flame?

Lieutenant colonel: Brennan Sorrengail, long believed killed in battle, is alive in Aretia and serving the revolution under the alias Aisereigh.

In Iron Flame, what do the Resson survivors falsely claim attacked their squad?

Gryphons: to keep the venin secret, the Resson survivors tell Basgiath that gryphon fliers ambushed their squad, the cover story the rebellion requires of them.

Where is Xaden stationed as a lieutenant in Iron Flame?

Samara: the border outpost separates Xaden from Violet, but their dragons are a mated pair, so the two riders are allowed to meet once a week.

Whose death does Sloane blame Violet for?

Her brother Liam's: Sloane Mairi arrives at Basgiath hating Violet, who still vows to keep her alive because she promised him she would look after his sister.

What growth phase does Andarna enter in Iron Flame?

Dreamless sleep: young dragons finish growing in this long slumber, and Violet takes the vice commandant's punishments rather than bring the sleeping Andarna to flight lessons.

Which scribe illegally smuggles books to Violet?

Jesinia Neilwart slips Violet restricted texts from the Archives, and siding with the rebels later costs her a place on the adept path.

Who tricks Violet into drinking a serum that suppresses her signet?

Nolon, the healer who has patched Violet up since her first year, hands her the drink himself, and she realises the betrayal only when she can no longer reach Tairn.

What can Violet do in Fourth Wing by borrowing the young Andarna's power?

Stop time: Andarna lends the gift so Violet can save Liam in mid-air, but it belongs only to juvenile dragons and is gone once she matures.

Why did Lilith force Violet into the Riders Quadrant, per Iron Flame?

To keep her from Markham: Lilith believed he would bring Violet into the secret of the venin as she rose in rank, and that she would expose it and be killed.

What does Xaden have dropped at outposts to expose the venin?

Wyvern carcasses: the dead beasts are proof the riders at the outposts see for themselves, and riders who learn the truth leave to join the rebels in Aretia.

What device does Viscount Tecarus hold that the rebels cannot smelt their alloy without?

A luminary: only the device makes dragon fire burn hot enough to smelt the alloy that kills venin.

What do the rebels promise Viscount Tecarus in return for the device their forge needs?

Train his gryphon flier cadets: about a hundred of them hike to Aretia with the riders, so old enemies end up learning side by side.

What is Xaden's illegal second signet?

Inntinnsic: Xaden's hidden second signet lets him read people's intentions, an ability Navarre outlaws and executes riders for, which is why he conceals it.

Why does Xaden have a second signet?

His dragon bonded his grandfather: a dragon that takes a second rider from the same family line passes on a second signet, and Violet is hurt that he hid it.

Which signet does Sloane Mairi manifest after a vengeful dragon attacks her, Violet and Cat?

Siphoning: Sloane Mairi discovers it when she drags Violet out of the cave after the attack and finds she has drained Violet's power.

Who was Tairn's rider before Violet?

Naolin burned out and died trying to save the gravely wounded Brennan Sorrengail, and Tairn refused to take another rider until Violet.

Why did Warrick lie in his journal about activating the wards?

He wanted only Navarre to have them: the flaw he wrote into his instructions is why the wards Violet raises over Aretia from his journal do not hold.

What does Jack sacrifice to destroy Basgiath's wardstone?

His bonded mount: Jack kills his own dragon, Baide, beside the wardstone, and the kingdom's wards fall just as an enemy army closes on the college.

Which Goodreads Choice Award did Fourth Wing win in 2023?

Best Romantasy: Goodreads called Fourth Wing the year's most unstoppable book and credited it with helping to popularize the word romantasy itself.

What does Violet's squadmate Sawyer lose in the battle that ends Iron Flame?

His leg: Sawyer is still recovering in the infirmary when the next book opens, yet he later flies his dragon Sliseag again with a prosthesis.

Which bookstore chain hosted the midnight Iron Flame release party that Yarros attended in New York?

Barnes & Noble: Yarros arrived amid a backlash, after readers online criticised how she pronounced her books' Gaelic words in interviews before the launch.

Which industry has the quick Iron Flame turnaround been compared to?

Fast fashion: a Bloomberg column argued that social-media hype was pushing publishers to rush books out, pointing to a sequel that arrived the same year as the original.

What nickname does Xaden give the heroine of Fourth Wing?

Violence: when Xaden teases her with 'Going for blood today, are we, Violence?', she snaps back, 'My name is Violet.'

Why was there a longer gap between Iron Flame and Onyx Storm?

Yarros's health limitations: she said writing the earlier books so quickly in the middle of touring was really hard on her body, so she slowed down for the next one.

What prize does Violet's squad earn by winning the Squad Battle in Fourth Wing?

A visit to a front-line outpost: the squad flies to Montserrat, where Violet finds her sister stationed, and an enemy raid cuts the trip short.

Which rank does Dain Aetos hold in Fourth Wing during Iron Flame?

Wingleader: Dain rises from squad leader just as Violet ends their friendship, blaming him for betraying her trust.

What post at Basgiath does Xaden take in Onyx Storm, putting Violet off-limits under the riders' rules?

Professor: Xaden is brought in to teach cadets to fight signets like his own, and the ban on instructors courting cadets forces the couple to sneak around.

Which pink-haired rider breaks Violet's arm in an early sparring match?

Imogen Cardulo blames Violet's mother for her family's deaths and snaps the arm after the match is stopped, yet she later trains Violet and becomes an ally.

Which god do Navarrians invoke as the god of death?

Malek: riders commend their fallen to him, and Xaden vows to Violet that when she dies he will meet Malek at her side.

Whom does leadership first appoint to lead the search for Andarna's kind?

Captain Grady leads the first mission, but he and a cadet are killed on it, and Violet then demands to pick her own squad.

In Onyx Storm, what treason do Violet and her friends commit to advance the alliance?

Altering the wardstone for fliers' magic: they do it the night before a pardon for past treason is signed, so the charge against Violet cannot stick.

Which ruling council does Xaden join in Onyx Storm when his family's title is restored?

The Senarium: the same council soon puts Violet on trial for treason and has to free her, because its own pardon covers what she did.

Which member of the Deverelli mission wrecks the talks by sending a guard to steal from King Courtlyn?

Halden: the crown prince's guard is caught in the royal treasury and killed, and he is dropped from the mission before it reaches the next isle.

In the Empyrean series, Zihnal is the god of what?

Luck: cadets pray to Zihnal when they need fortune on their side, and on the isle that worships him guests must accept whatever chance hands them with thanks.

Which animals does King Courtlyn keep as pets?

Panthers: the king feeds a captured guard to his three white cats, and Andarna then picks one up in her mouth while Violet sets new terms for the deal.

Which gryphon flier on Violet's squad is killed by an arrow on the isle of Zehyllna?

Trager: the islanders kill him as the 'gift' chance assigns him, his gryphon dies with him, and Violet has to thank them for it to keep the alliance alive.

On which isle, named for the goddess of war, does Violet notice temple attendants with hair like hers?

Dunne: its kingdom of Unnbriel prizes combat so highly that the opponent Violet beats in the trial for an audience turns out to be the queen herself.

Which long-lost relative of Xaden's does the squad find living on the isle of Hedotis?

His mother: Talia left when Xaden was a child, and he finds her remarried on Hedotis with two young sons, half-brothers he never knew he had.

On the isle of Zehyllna, how is the 'gift' each member of Violet's squad must accept decided?

By drawing a card: most of the squad get trinkets, but one flier's card shows an arrow and he is shot on the spot, yet the isle still agrees to an alliance.

What price does the queen of Unnbriel name for sending her army to the Continent?

Dragon eggs: the queen wants hatchlings her isle could raise to obey, a demand Violet bristles at, and the squad leaves without an alliance.

Which irid arrives during the attack on Aretia and fires its wardstone to full strength?

Leothan fires the wardstone and turns the battle, yet he still refuses to join the war against the venin.

Which professor kills cadet Jeremiah on the spot when his signet turns out to be mind-reading?

Professor Carr acts within seconds, because a cadet who can hear every thought around him could expose any secret in the quadrant.

Which professor runs Battle Brief at Basgiath?

Professor Devera leads the daily briefing on attacks along the border, then walks out with the rebels in Iron Flame, saying she has waited for that moment.

What is Cat's full name?

Catriona Cordella can heighten whatever emotions people already feel, and she turns the gift on Violet to feed her doubt and insecurity.

Which dragon bonds Ridoc Gamlyn at Threshing?

Aotrom: the brown swordtail later carries Ridoc on the search of the southern isles, one of the few friends Violet picks for the mission herself.

Which two franchises did Screen Rant compare Onyx Storm's release parties to?

Harry Potter and Twilight: Screen Rant read the midnight parties as booksellers showing the kind of faith they once put in those two franchises.

By Basgiath custom, what happens to a fallen cadet's belongings?

They are burned: the fire is an offering to the god of death, which is why Violet rushes to Liam's room to save his letters before they go into the flames.

Where was Yarros's husband deployed when she began writing?

Afghanistan: Yarros began writing fiction during her husband's deployments, and her early novels were romances with military heroes before she turned to dragons.

The nonprofit OneOctober, co-founded by Yarros and her husband in 2019, works to help which children?

Children in foster care: Yarros and her husband fostered and then adopted their youngest daughter, the experience behind their decision to start OneOctober.

What does Tairn call Violet?

Silver One: Tairn names her for the silver ends of her hair the moment they meet, as he orders her aside and burns the cadet attacking her.

Which professor teaches hand-to-hand combat to the riders at Basgiath?

Professor Emetterio runs the sparring mats at Basgiath, then sides with the rebels in Iron Flame and goes on training their cadets at Aretia.

At which event do first-years walk past the dragons to be inspected?

Presentation: the dragons are sizing up the cadets ahead of Threshing, and they can incinerate on the spot anyone they dislike or think weak.

What does Violet's squad steal from General Sorrengail's office to win the Squad Battle?

A military map: the task was to bring back whatever would help the enemy most, and an up-to-date map of Navarre's forces fit the bill.

Which British bookshop chain said Iron Flame was its fastest-selling pre-order in a single day?

Waterstones: its special edition sold out online in seven hours, nearly four months before the book was published.

What is the name of the guarded home of Basgiath's dragons, where their young hatch?

The Vale holds the dragons' hatching grounds, and guarding it is the reason they bond human riders and lend them the magic that powers the wards.

How does General Sorrengail die at the end of Iron Flame?

She powers the wardstone: Violet is burning out trying to charge it, so her mother stops her and gives up her own life and power to raise the wards instead.

What is the Gauntlet that first-years must complete before Threshing?

A cliffside obstacle course: Violet cannot finish it on strength alone, so she uses a rope and wedges a blade into the final ramp to haul herself over.

Which weapon does Violet Sorrengail favour in a fight?

Daggers: Xaden later gives her a black alloy one of her own, telling her to carry it in case she ever has to fight venin herself.

Which friend of Xaden's is revealed in Onyx Storm to cross vast distances in a single step?

Garrick Tavis has kept the second signet secret, and gives it away by appearing at Violet's side in a battle far from where he was posted.

What rune-etched orb does Violet carry from Iron Flame onward to control her power?

A conduit: Felix, who trains Violet in Aretia, gives her the orb to bleed off power that threatens to overwhelm her while she learns to aim.

Who is executed by dragon fire for letting the attackers into Violet's room?

Amber Mavis denies it until Tairn shares Violet's memory of her with the other dragons, and the wingleaders then condemn her to die by fire.

Paste's review said Fourth Wing's love triangle at first recalls A Court of Thorns and Roses, a series by which author?

Sarah J. Maas wrote the series, and Paste's reviewer added that Yarros soon steers her love triangle away from that template.

What do riders call the list of names read aloud at morning formation?

The death roll is the only memorial fallen cadets receive: once the names are read, the quadrant simply carries on with the day's training.

What is the name of Dain Aetos's red swordtail dragon?

Cath carries Dain on the search of the southern isles, where his rider is one of three picked to fight in the trial for a queen's audience.

Tairn's full name, Tairneanach, comes from a real-world word meaning what?

Thunder: the name belongs to a dragon who refused every candidate for years after his first rider died, until he chose Violet.

Mira Sorrengail's dragon Teine is of which colour and tail type?

Green clubtail: Teine is seized by wyvern along with his rider when a venin takes Mira hostage to lure Violet into Onyx Storm's last battle.

What is the name of General Lilith Sorrengail's brown dragon?

Aimsir: the name later works as a password, when Violet guesses her father locked his research with the name of his wife's first love, her dragon.

Which dragon is Brennan Sorrengail bonded to?

Marbh: his rider was believed killed in the rebellion, yet Brennan turns out to be alive and well at the end of Fourth Wing.

Which rank stands at the top of the venin hierarchy, above initiates, asims and Sages?

Maven: the most adept venin can hide what they are, which is why a captured one warns that some may be living undetected among the riders.