#53: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re covering chapters 40–52 of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros and BUNCHIES… the tension? The betrayals? The absolute chaos? We are so deep in it.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

We pick up with the aftermath of everything shifting, Andarna’s wing isn’t fully healed, Brennan is alive and thriving under a new identity, and Mira officially joins the rebellion after a very justified punch to the face. Family reunions here are… aggressive.

Violet realizes she might know how to raise the wards, but when it fails, she makes a bold move: Tecarus. Enter a literal palace, luxury vibes, and Xaden dramatically reappearing like the shadow daddy he is… only for things to spiral when we learn Catriona is his ex—and Tecarus’s niece.

Cue tension, jealousy, and THAT dress moment, when Xaden takes one look at Violet and says, "that dress… you’re playing dirty, Violence.”

But things turn deadly fast when Tecarus forces Violet to prove her power… by unleashing a venin. Casual. She survives, but at a cost: an alliance forcing riders and fliers together.

And spoiler... they hate each other.

On the journey back, everything goes wrong. A trap is triggered, Luella falls, Ridoc is injured, and wyvern close in, confirming the venin now know everything. The war isn’t coming… it’s already here.

Back in Aretia, tensions explode. Cat and Violet finally throw down, emotions are manipulated, secrets about Xaden’s past come out—and just when Violet is about to lose control…

Xaden steps in. And this man makes a statement.

After breaking up the fight, he takes Violet straight to the throne and reminds her exactly where he stands: “My house. My chair. My woman.”

Meanwhile, the bigger picture comes into focus: venin rankings, runes, rebellion relics, and the terrifying realization that this war has been building for much longer than anyone thought.

Then Violet cracks the code. The wards were never about riders, they’re about dragons.

And just when she’s ready to act—Xaden returns from battle barely alive… and immediately knows she’s figured it out. The question is… are they already too late?

Let's get into it, Bunchies!

#52: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re covering chapters 27–39 of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, and you guys… the emotional damage? The secrets? The chaos? We are officially in the deep end now.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

After the attack scare, Violet races to find Xaden, only to discover him completely fine and sparring like nothing happened… while she’s spiraling. What follows is an intense reunion where Violet finally lays her heart out, and while she still can’t say the three little words, she gives him three of her own: “I need you.” And let’s just say… the tension breaks.

But reality hits fast. The mission continues, and we meet Catriona—Xaden’s stunning, very not-over-him ex. The tension is immediate, and things escalate when we learn the truth about the luminary and the dangerous cost it would take to get it… a cost that centers around Violet.

Back at Basgiath, Violet finally tells her friends everything, and instead of betrayal, she gets loyalty. Together, they uncover a hidden vault tied to the First Six, leading to a high-stakes heist that ends in success… briefly.

Because Violet makes one fatal mistake—trusting Nolan.

She’s captured, cut off from Tairn, and thrown into a brutal interrogation where Varrish tries to break her, but she doesn’t. Somehow, Liam is there with her, keeping her grounded, until Dain steps in, sees the truth, and in a shocking turn… kills Varrish.

Chaos erupts. Xaden arrives. And in the aftermath, Violet takes her power back and for the first time, she and Xaden are fully aligned.

Then finally… he says it. He loves her!

But the truth about Violet’s mother changes everything, revealing deals and sacrifices that have been shaping her life all along. With secrets exposed, Violet shares the truth through Tairn, and dragons and riders choose sides, following her to Aretia.

And just when it feels like everything is shifting…

Andarna wakes up.

The war isn’t coming anymore—it’s here.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#51: This week on A Novel Bunch, we continue our deep dive, covering chapters 14–26 of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, where Violet Sorrengail’s second year at Basgiath escalates from stressful to straight-up sinister. Because the real enemy might not be across the border… but inside the Riders Quadrant itself.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Riders Survival Course kicks off with a twist no one sees coming. Violet and her squad are drugged with an herbal concoction that severs their connection to their dragons and signets, forcing them to survive the wilderness like ordinary cadets. No lightning. No dragons. Just a forest full of hunters.

It’s supposed to be a test.

But when infantry cadets start dying, it becomes clear this “exercise” is something else entirely.

Back at Basgiath, the questions keep piling up. Why are professors suddenly capable of cutting riders off from their dragons? Why are historical records about wyvern mysteriously missing from the archives? And why does it feel like the leadership of Navarre is hiding something bigger than anyone imagined?

Jesinia might be an ally… or she might be another loose thread in a system designed to bury the truth.

Meanwhile Violet finally gets the chance to visit Xaden, only for Varrish to sabotage the reunion before it even begins. Punishments are piling up. Surveillance is tightening. And the message is clear: someone powerful wants Violet under control.

Or dead.

When Xaden and Violet finally reunite, the tension between them explodes. The chemistry? Still undeniable. The trust? Completely shattered.

He wants three little words.

She refuses to give them.

And if fixing Aretia’s failing wards means digging into forbidden knowledge about the First Six, Violet may be forced to risk everything—including the people she loves—to find the answers.

But the real danger arrives when Varrish drags Violet and her friends into interrogation.

Poisoned drinks. Brutal beatings. Dragons cut off. Secrets demanded.

And just when it feels like things can’t get worse…

Jack.
Freaking.
Barlow.

The cadet Violet watched die is suddenly alive again—and Nolan looks like a man who’s been trying to resurrect the impossible.

As the chapter closes, another attack hits the border. Mira’s unit is involved. Xaden’s post is under fire. And Violet runs across Basgiath with one terrifying thought in her mind:

If he’s dead, nothing else matters.

The second year isn’t just testing riders.

It’s breaking them.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#50: This week on A Novel Bunch, we officially begin Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros and Basgiath isn't the only thing that's changed. The wards are cracking. The dragons know more than they're saying. And Violet Sorrengail wakes up to a truth that rewrites her entire life.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Violet is alive. Brennan is alive. Aretia is real.

Venin exist. Wyvern exist. And the war Navarre denies is very, very real.

Instead of returning to Basgiath as a hero, Violet walks back in as a secret. One of only a few who know the truth. And knowing the truth? It’s heavier than any weapon.

She’s still in love with Xaden—obviously—but she’s trying very hard to convince herself she’s not. Because how do you trust the man who knew your brother was alive this whole time?

Brennan isn’t exactly offering comfort either. To him, Violet looks less like a sister and more like Xaden’s greatest weakness. Brutal.

Back at Basgiath, the second year begins, and it’s clear this year isn’t about survival. It’s about control.

Dragons are bonding less. Assassination attempts are rising. Interrogations are coming. And leadership has shifted in dangerous ways. Dain is Wingleader. Rhiannon is Squad Leader. And Violet’s circle is smaller than ever... five survivors from eleven.

Andarna? Twice her size. No more time-stopping. Fully in her teenage dragon era. Moody. Defensive. Perfect.

When a first-year assassin snaps Nadine’s neck in front of Violet, something inside her fractures. This isn’t random. This is targeted.

Colonel Aetos wants her dead. Varrish is circling. Letters are redacted. Students are disappearing. And the Riders Quadrant feels less like a school and more like a trap.

Xaden returns—finally—but distance and secrets still stand between them. He’ll earn her trust, he says… but only if she’s brave enough to ask the questions she actually wants answers to.

And then there’s one name that shifts the air entirely:

Catriona.

The first year is when some riders lose their lives.
The second year is when the rest lose their humanity.

And we’re only thirteen chapters in.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#049: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re diving into Xaden Riorson’s BONUS CHAPTER (Chapter 9) from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros… and let’s just say, seeing the rebellion king’s POV? Life-changing. Jaw-dropping. Unwell.

Let's get into it, Bunchies!

#048: This week on A Novel Bunch, we are spiraling straight into the back half of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros—where lightning doesn’t just strike once, secrets fracture loyalties, and Violet Sorrengail realizes the war she’s been fighting… isn’t the real one.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Jack is dead. Fourth Wing is celebrating. Violet is not.

She thanks little Andarna—“worth it,” our tiny golden queen says—and then promptly spirals over what it means to kill. Violet doesn’t fear Jack’s death. She fears what it’s turning her into. She always thought she’d be a mender like Brennan. Instead? She’s becoming the weapon.

And according to Xaden and Tairn… she is the weapon.

What follows? Oh, just Violet telling Xaden to stop being honorable and ruin her life. Lightning answers the call. Curtains catch fire. Windows shatter. Shadows splinter wood. Their first night together quite literally shakes Basgiath as her pleasure triggers a storm over the Riders Quadrant.

Romance? Explosive.
Power control? Questionable.
Emotional restraint? Gone.

In the aftermath, Xaden reveals the truth behind the 107 scars across his back—one for each child of the rebellion he protected. If any of them betray Navarre, he dies. The weight he carries is brutal.

On the Parapet, Violet finally admits it first: she’s in love with him. He takes her to his room. Lightning strikes again—hard enough to blow out his window. And just as they’re mid-round-five chaos?

War Games begin.

But it’s not a drill.

At Athebyne, the mask drops. Xaden and the marked ones have been secretly supplying weapons to gryphon fliers to fight something Violet thought was folklore—Venin. Creatures who drain magic from the earth. Creators of Wyvern. The monsters Navarre insists aren’t real.

Her father’s cryptic note clicks into place: it only takes one desperate generation to erase the truth.

And Dain? He stole her memories. Told his father. Sent them into a trap.

The choice becomes impossible: obey command… or save 300 innocent civilians in Resson from four Venin.

They stay.

Dragons. Gryphons. Wyvern. Blue fire. Death rings. Chaos.

Liam dies. Deigh falls. Tairn is struck from the sky. Violet watches everything burn—and finally understands: kill the Venin, and the Wyvern fall with them.

With Andarna stopping time and Xaden’s shadows at her back, Violet unleashes everything. She kills the leader. Xaden destroys the last.

And then she falls. Poisoned. Dying. Too far from Basgiath.

Xaden risks everything and takes her somewhere forbidden.When Violet wakes, they’re not at Basgiath. They’re in Aretia. Rebuilt.

And standing in the doorway?

“Welcome to the revolution, Violet.”

Brennan.

The secrets were never small. The war was never simple. And Violet Sorrengail is officially on the wrong side of the kingdom—and the right side of history.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

#047: This week on A Novel Bunch, we are spiraling deeper into Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros—where secrets turn lethal, dragons guard dangerous truths, and Violet Sorrengail stops just surviving…and starts uncovering a war no one is talking about.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Andarna has stopped time. Our tiny golden queen proves “though she be but little, she is fierce,” and suddenly Violet is holding the most dangerous secret in Navarre. So this stays between Violet, Tairn, Sgaeyl…and Xaden.

“You’re all dead,” Xaden says calmly as his shadows snuff out everyone but Oren—before he finishes the job himself. Violet has never killed anyone. Xaden has. The contrast is sharp. Intimate. Unavoidable.

Amber’s betrayal explodes next. She orchestrated the Codex breach, and even when Violet begs for mercy, Tairn enforces dragon law. The cost of leadership is brutal. And Dain? Still choosing the rules over Violet.

Meanwhile, hostility toward the marked ones grows, Squad Battle looms, and Violet starts noticing something is very wrong with the war effort. Entire villages are being ransacked. Pleas for help sit unanswered on her mother’s desk. What exactly is Basgiath training them for?

Solstice brings chaos, oranges bring karma (bye, Jack), and Violet’s power finally begins to simmer under the surface. But the real storm? It’s Xaden.

The wall kiss. The snow. The thunder. The hands on her face. “You have incredibly touchable skin.” He stops it—because he refuses to act on desire that isn’t fully hers. The tension is unbearable. The restraint? Somehow hotter.

He gifts her a custom knife. Takes over her training. Sets a boundary that lasts approximately three seconds. And when their dragons can’t be separated for more than three days, he leaves his post to be near her.

At the front lines in Montserrat, Violet reunites with Mira, sees how broken the border truly is, and realizes the war they’re being taught about doesn’t match reality. Gryphons attack. Xaden kisses her as a distraction. And our jaws are on the floor.

Violet can speak to Xaden mind to mind. The secrets are stacking. The attraction is undeniable. The politics are rotten. And Andarna—sweet, darling baby—may be the key to everything.

Time can stop.
But this story? It’s accelerating.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies! 🐉🔥

#046: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re continuing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, covering Chapters 10–18—where Threshing Day tests every rider, the dragons make choices no one expects, and Violet Sorrengail learns that survival sometimes means breaking the rules…and trusting the impossible.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The gauntlet looms, and somehow, Violet Sorrengail’s squad is the only one without a single death since the Parapet. That luck doesn’t last long. As cadets face the obstacle course, Violet survives on grit, memory, and sheer will—only to watch Aurelie fall to her death. The brutality of Basgiath is relentless, and Violet learns quickly that surviving doesn’t mean escaping loss.

While burning Aurelie’s belongings, Violet has a rare, quiet moment with Xaden Riorson, one where shadows listen, truths slip, and he admits that every day he lets Violet live is how he proves to himself he’s still a good man. It’s intimate. It’s dangerous. And it changes everything.

Presentation Day arrives—the deadliest day of the year. Violet’s size nearly costs her everything, but she outsmarts the Gauntlet in a way no one’s seen before. Accused of cheating by rule-obsessed Third Wing cadet Amber Mavis, Violet survives only because her photographic memory saves her life. Again.

Then comes Threshing.

Dragons line the Vale. A rare golden feathertail appears. And when Jack, Oren, and Tynan decide the smallest dragon is expendable, Violet does the unthinkable—she steps in front of them. Broken, bleeding, and outmatched, Violet risks her life to save a dragon… and is chosen by the most powerful black dragon alive: Tairneanach. And as if that weren’t enough, the feathertail—Andarna—chooses her too.

Two dragons. One rider. Chaos ensues.

With Tairn bonded to Violet—and revealed as the mate of Xaden’s dragon, Sgaeyl—their fates are officially entwined. Violet survives another assassination attempt, earns her relic tattoo, and kisses Dain Aetos… only to feel absolutely nothing. The shift is undeniable. The bond with her dragons is changing her—making her feared, isolated, and powerful.

By the end of Chapter 18, Violet has bonded with legends, gained enemies, lost her childhood love, and discovered Andarna’s terrifying secret ability: she can stop time.

Basgiath is done playing nice. And Violet Sorrengail is no longer just surviving... she’s becoming something unstoppable.

Let’s get into it, Bunchies! 🐉🔥