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Summary
Chapters 1-4
Chapter 1
On Conscription Day, Violet Sorrengail prepares—despite her protestations— to attend Basgiath War College. On the insistence of her mother, the general Lilith Sorrengail, Violet is to join the deadly Riders Quadrant, where she will train to become a dragon rider. Unlike most cadets who have trained for years, Violet has only had six months to prepare, because she had always planned to follow in her now-deceased father’s footsteps and join the Basgiath Scribes. Her sister, Mira, confronts their mother about forcing Violet to join the deadly Riders Quadrant, and later prepares Violet with advice for surviving her first day. She warns Violet to avoid Xaden Riorson, son of the infamous “Great Betrayer” Fen Riorson, who led a failed Rebellion against Navarre and killed Violet’s brother Brennan during the Battle of Aretia. Fen Riorson was executed by Violet’s mother as a rebel, so Xaden likely hates Violet.
As Violet waits to check in for the opening test that new cadets must face, she has a tense encounter with Xaden. After check-in, Violet offers another cadet, Rhiannon, one of her boots to wear, as she sees that Rhiannon doesn’t have the right shoes for the Parapet Run. In a test of nerve and balance, cadets have to cross a dangerous, narrow parapet in order to pass the first obstacle of becoming a Riders Quadrant cadet. Many do not survive. Dylan, a friendly cadet in line ahead of her, steps onto the parapet and almost immediately slips and falls to his death.
Chapter 2
Violet begins crossing the narrow parapet when Jack Barlowe, another cadet, shoves someone off the ledge and tries to attack her. Although the parapet is soaked with rain and very treacherous, Violet manages to avoid falling off and makes it to the Riders Quadrant. Jack catches up and threatens her again, but she holds a dagger to his groin. She reminds him that he cannot kill her in the presence of other riders because they’re technically “in formation.” Though he grudgingly backs down, Jack swears to kill her later. Violet knows she’s a target.
Chapter 3
Violet is troubled by her horrible exchange with Jack and feels sick from the adrenaline coursing through her. She's nauseous and has injured her knee, and she feels her panic escalating. She is relieved to see her childhood friend Dain Aetos, now a leader in the Second Wing and one of the people Mira had told her to find when she arrived. Rhiannon and Dain help her out of the crowd, and Dain tells her wrap up her injured knee. He is horrified to see her in the Riders Quadrant and insists she switch to the Scribe Quadrant. Violet explains that she can’t, and Dain frustratedly sends her off to rejoin the other first-year riders. In the courtyard, a professor named Commandant Panchek addresses the survivors. 301 cadets completed the parapet test, and 67 died. Violet and Rhiannon are first assigned to Dain’s squad, but Xaden insists on intervening, reassigning them to his own Fourth Wing. During this disturbance, a group of dragons appears in the air. Violet stands her ground, but one terrified boy breaks and runs and is quickly burned alive. Xaden scoffs at him and reminds the cadets that to the dragons, cadets are hardly more than prey.
Chapter 4
The next day Violet dons her black cadet uniform and joins the other riders as the squad leaders take roll and divide them into groups. Dain explains to Violet that Xaden likely orchestrated her squad’s transfer to Fourth Wing in order to kill her. She also learns about Dain’s “signet” power, a magical ability granted by his dragon which enables him to see a person’s recent memories and feelings. Violet is terrified of Xaden, but Dain reminds her that he has to stick to the College’s rules and probably can’t kill her at Basgiath. She heads to class, but Xaden is in hot pursuit.
Analysis
As Fourth Wing opens, Violet Sorrengail is plunged headlong into the deadly environment of Basgiath War College. In the first few chapters Violet almost dies several times, which foreshadows the extreme danger and the lack of sympathy her highly militarized world offers. In these early chapters, Violet’s struggle to decide which sacrifices are worth the cost, and her rapidly changing stance on whether or not to accept her fate, establish the foundation for her character development.
From the very start, Violet’s situation challenges her sense of personal agency. On Conscription Day at Basgiath, she faces a path she never wanted and is unable to diverge from. Unlike most cadets, who train for years before attending Basgiath, Violet spent most of her life preparing to become a Scribe. This seemed like a far more suitable path for her than a life spent on the back of a dragon, especially as she’s comparatively small and frail next to powerful riders like her sister Mira. She resents her mother Lilith for forcing her to become a cadet, which she knows will demand more of her physically than she can offer. Violet has seen her brother and her sister go through rider training, and she knows it requires immense physical strength and carries a high risk of death.
Her mother’s decision to force her to become a rider pushes Violet toward a fate she initially rejects. Yet, she must reconcile her personal desires with the brutal reality in front of her: becoming a Scribe is no longer an option, and she must become a rider or die in the attempt. Her struggle with her mother’s expectations versus her own wishes lays the groundwork for her curiosity and the unwillingness to accept conventional power dynamics. Even at this point, it’s clear that Violet is a woman with her own mind, though she’s not quite sure how to advocate for herself yet.
The Parapet Run is the first of the grueling gauntlets Violet must complete in order to prove she belongs in the Riders Quadrant. Her determination to cross it, despite the foul weather and her lack of preparation, shows her unwillingness to accept defeat. She trades her previous identity—as someone who was dedicated to a life of learning and nonviolence— for a chance at survival, even though it means watching other cadets die. The parapet represents more than a physical barrier to the Riders Quadrant: it also symbolizes the obstacles that stand between Violet and the power she must attain to survive. She has to let go of her former ambitions of a quiet life as a Scribe, and step into a role that demands more than she ever thought she could give. Her grim decision to sacrifice her safety for the chance at survival and acceptance by her family underscores the theme that in Navarre, power comes at a steep cost and never without sacrifice.
Complicated mixtures of desire and hatred also start to surface in these chapters, albeit in ways that complicate Violet’s journey rather than providing much comfort or pleasure. Her initial encounters with Dain Aetos and with Xaden Riorson demonstrate the tension between her personal desires and the danger that surrounds her. She and Dain flirt explicitly when he takes her to his rooms and helps her get her knee wrapped; even when she’s injured, Violet is still a sexual person who’s looking for companionship. She sees Dain as a soft place to land as Basgiath, and is willing to use her sexuality as a way of forming an alliance with him.
By contrast, she knows she should avoid Xaden as much as possible, but she is immediately drawn to his good looks and raw magnetism. His rude, standoffish aggression, his reputation as the son of a traitor, and the warning from Mira that he’s a threat put Violet on high alert. Her undeniable attraction to Xaden is immediately mixed with fear and mistrust—a dynamic that makes her first days at Basgiath even more difficult. Her desire for connection and understanding clashes with the reality of Xaden’s longstanding grudge against her family.
The uncertainty of her new environment means she needs to find allies quickly. It’s clear that she’s going to struggle with keeping her desires in check while remaining vigilant in an environment where her life is constantly at risk. Violet’s journey doesn’t exactly kick off the way she had planned, but she learns very quickly that she can’t succeed by acting like other cadets. She goes out of her way to act with kindness, even when it’s risky for her. For example, because she helps Rhiannon, she ends up running the parapet only wearing one boot. Cadets don’t usually help each other at this stage, preferring to treat their classmates as competition, which cements Rhiannon as a friend and ally. When Jack threatens her on the parapet and later during formation, Violet chooses to fight back. These choices and others like them illustrate her transition from a passive participant in her own life to someone willing to assert her agency.
