Iron Flame — Rebecca Yarros

Summary

• Violet struggles with her brother Brennan's surprise return, now disguised as a lieutenant colonel to keep his survival a secret.
• At an Assembly meeting, Brennan and Xaden discuss the need for a luminary for their forge, complicated by past conflicts with Viscount Tecarus, the luminary's holder.
• The Assembly decides to send cadets back to Basgiath, where they must conceal their encounters with wyverns and venin.
• Violet discovers Aretia's inoperative wardstone and seeks information in the Basgiath Archives to reactivate it.
• In Basgiath, Violet encounters threats from Colonel Aetos and Vice Commandant Varrish, escalating tensions and discipline at the school.
• Professor Grady introduces a harrowing Rider Survival Course, teaching students survival and resistance to torture.
• Violet forms a contentious relationship with Liam's sister, Sloane, and keeps her brother's and Aretia's secrets from her friends.
• Amidst assassination attempts and espionage, Violet balances complex relationships, notably with Xaden, and investigates Navarre's past for warding knowledge.
• Significant incidents include Violet's kidnapping, a revolt against Major Varrish, and Violet's ultimate torture and escape with Dain's unexpected help.
• Violet and her allies decide to leave Basgiath for Aretia, rallying others to join the revolution.
• In Aretia, tensions rise with the Assembly, and Violet undertakes the translation of an essential journal for ward activation.
• Violet navigates new challenges, including a failed attempt to raise wards and a complex mission to acquire a luminary from Viscount Tecarus.
• As Violet deals with the dynamics of merging dragon and gryphon cadets, she faces personal trials and revelations about Xaden's secret powers.
• The story culminates with a significant battle to protect Basgiath, discoveries about Andarna and the wards, and Xaden's transformation into a venin.
• The narrative ends on a cliffhanger, with Xaden seeking a cure for his venin state and no clear resolution in sight.