Chapter 16.
We’re back in the flight field and the Generals are arguing about Violet bonding 2 dragons. Funnily enough, it’s not their concern, it’s up to the Empyrean, the dragon leadership. We find out that Jack’s running away allowed him to not only survive but to bond with an orange scorpion tail. Jack is jelly that Violet has bonded with Tairn. Dain does the dick-dain thing again and tries to force Violet to choose between dragons, even seemingly ordering her to choose Andarna. The longer this goes on the more dickish Dain acts. He accuses Xaden of manipulating threshing and Xaden has play a card that deals a blow to Dain. Xaden spouts off in defense of Vi and then asks Dain if he would’ve bent the rules to protect Vi and Dain like an asshat says no. So now Dain is on the outs and Xaden is on the ins? Because Tairn and Sgayel are mated, Xaden’s survival is chained to Violet’s. We get our first taste of Dain’s lips and Vi nets one of the coolest markings ever!
Chapter 17.
Welcome to the morning after, and Rhi ups her body count with Sawyer for funsies. We hear the fall out of Dain’s kiss and it’s lack luster. The result of threshing is a remarkable powershift. All of a sudden Vi is the feared one, Jack has fallen from grace, and the Xaden can’t kill Violet, he has to keep her alive. That means that Violet has to trust the marked ones, including Imogen. Tairn reminds her that she’s worthy. Dain addresses the “kiss” and tells Vi that it’s frowned upon to have a relationship with anyone in our chain of command. #policyboy. And now we have frenemies, as Imogen is tasked with training Violet.
Chapter 18.
Violet gets reassigned to make the archive run for her squad. She gets to see some old friends in the archives, specifically Jessinia. She finally comes to terms with the idea that the rider’s quadrant is her new home. Sawyer’s signet manifests, and we hear a bit more about how they develop and what happens if they don’t. Violet’s figuring out that she’s never alone as her scalp starts to tingle again only to find Xadey Pants is looking her way. Tairn issues a standing warning to dickhead Dain. Then She lays into DD and rips him a new one. We’re also introduced to an inntinsic as Xaden indirectly teaches Violet how to protect her thoughts. Then Professor Carr pops up to end the cadet’s life with a swift neck snap. Violet is deemed #1 target for unbonded riders and finds herself in the midst of a 2 am attack.
Chapter 19.
We pick up where we left off in Violet’s room. There’s some confusion as to what just happened to buy Vi some time. But tada!!! Xadey Pants has arrived and is ready to bat cleanup making quick work of the attackers. Xaden examines and assesses Violet before marching her through a secret tunnel to the flight field. Xaden tells her that he’s not going to baby her like DD. Xaden’s organized a meeting with their dragons to figure out what happened. Turns out that Ardarna’s just a baby and gave Vi the power to pause time. #secretsuperpower. We find out that Xaden can talk to Sgayel and Tairn but can’t hear Andarna.
Chapter 20.
Violet compares Xaden to the most effective poison in a pretty bottle. Xaden brings extra protection for Violet. Then Xaden goes all in and accuses a wingleader of orchestrating the attack. Dain commands Violet to put a stop to and adds that Wingleaders are beyond reproach. Then he orders her to give him the memory. Violet lets sDD know that touching her without permission will end badly for him. Violet asks Tairn to share her memory with the other dragons. They find Amber guilty, and she’s left in a pile of ashes.

Welcome to Tread Talks: A Bromance.
This is the podcast where 2 bros choose to read romantasy based on the direction of their spouses. Thoughts and views expressed in the pod are our own. We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time.

In this week's episode we dive into chapters 11-15 with a short synopsis before taking a deeper dive.

Chapter 11.
It’s game day baby! We’re headed to the gauntlet! Vi wrestles with what she wants to do and what’s safe. There are 2 ways off the Gantlet, success or death. She has a choice, run and hide in the scribe's quadrant or find out if she’s got what it takes to make it as a rider. Rhi picks up on the tension between Vi and Blind Dick Dain. Dain applies more pressure and begs Vi to change her mind, she says No. His boy ears don’t listen and he still won’t give her credit for what she has and might accomplish. Vi chooses to stay, Dain pouts like a toddler. Vi is starting to give herself credit. She uses her head and bends the rules to her will. She conquers the gantlet and scores some power points with Xadey Pants.
Chapter 12.
Now that we’re passed the gantlet we’re headed to presentation where the dragons that agreed to bond this year will get their first look at the potential riders. There’s a twist this year, a feather tail is in the mix and it’s sending up some odd vibes. The plan is to parade past the dragons and act natural, so they get a feel for who you are. Tynan and Luca chat about killing the feather tail, Pryor gets smoked for being indecisive, and Vi gets the equivalent of the puppy butt sniff because of her dragon scale corset. Also, karma is a dragon fed up with Luca’s backtalk.
Chapter 13.
October 1st is threshing, by this time it’s possible to have some sense of which dragon you’ll bond to. A dragon may have chosen you in presentation and started sending you their dragon vibes. Vi is feeling a bit like she won’t bond and will be forced to repeat next year. She overhears Tynan, Jack and Oren conspiring to kill the gold feathertail. Violet decides she can use her speed to go warn the feathertail. She gets there first, twisting her ankle along the way and tries to warn the feathertail. The dragon seems to not want to participate and just kinda stands there. Jack takes the opportunity to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and just before he attacks, Violets scalp prickles and guess who’s there with a word of warning, Xadey Pants!
Chapter 14.
Jack and his pals the Jack-offs finally get their chance to attack Violet. The best part of this is that they get a shot at killing Violet, offing the feathertail, and Xadey Pants can only watch. Turns out that Violet might be a medium to ok fighter after all. She claps back pretty well with her daggers. Jack retreats like a coward, Oren takes a nap, Tynan gets a good flame job from Tairn, the big AF black dragon. Tairn asks Vi to kill Oren while he’s knocked out and she declines, message! Vi finally arrives at the realization that the badass black dragon has chosen to bond with her…
Chapter 15.
The last part of Threshing is the flight back to the field where she can record her bond with Tairn. Dragons don’t come with seatbelts and it’s a riders job to survive the flight. Vi is definitely struggling to keep her seat and Tain is forced to use his magic to help her keep her seat. When we land in the flight field we discover that Vi has bonded not 1 but 2 dragons. Or in this case 1.25 dragons. Turns out Tairn was a bogo and she’s now bonded with him and Andarnum, the feathertail.

Fourth Wing | Rebecca Yarros

Welcome to Tread Talks: A Bromance.
This is the podcast where 2 bros choose to read romantasy based on the direction of their spouses. Thoughts and views expressed in the pod are our own. We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time.

In this week's episode we dive into chapters 6-10 with a short synopsis before taking a deeper dive.

After being injured, Violet is taken to the Healers Quadrant by Dain. She learns about the powerful mending signet and receives a survival guide from her sister Mira.
Violet gathers ingredients for poisons and overhears Xaden and the Marked Ones. She gets caught by Xaden, who has shadow powers, and he nicknames her “Violence.”
Violet’s attraction to Dain grows thin as she starts poisoning her sparring opponents, leading to a winning streak. More details about dragons and Brennan’s death are revealed.
Violet overdoes her poisoning, making her opponent sick. Xaden steps in to teach her a lesson, and they share a moment of attraction.
Violet faces the Gauntlet, an obstacle course for riders. Jack’s lackeys get a reality check, and Violet has another encounter with Xaden

Fourth Wing | Rebecca Yarros

Welcome to Tread Talks: A Bromance.
This is the podcast where 2 bros choose to read romantasy based on the direction of their spouses. Thoughts and views expressed in the pod are our own. We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time.

In this week's episode we dive into chapters 1-5

Violet Sorrengail is forced by her mother to join the dangerous Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College, despite training for the Scribe Quadrant. Her sister Mira tries to argue but fails, and prepares Violet for the parapet, warning her about Xaden Riorson. Violet crosses the parapet, making a friend, Rhiannon, and an enemy, Jack Barlowe, who she manages to outsmart. Violet reconnects with her childhood friend Dain,but ends up in the 4th wing under Xaden’s leadership. The chapter explains the process of bonding with dragons and introduces the concept of magic and signets. During assessment day, Jack kills another cadet and threatens Violet. She faces Imogen, who seeks revenge, and ends up severely injured.

Fourth Wing | Rebecca Yarros