Your favorite crazy book theorists Abby and Ronnie are back to dive DEEP into the character of Xaden Riorson in this wild first part of our two-part character analysis! Get ready for some serious theorizing about our favorite shadow daddy!

We start with some quick corrections from last week's episode - Abby points out that Violet can wield lightning in dreams (which might mean she'll face off against Berwyn there!), and drops the bombshell theory that Violet must be projecting her memories to Jesinia for the books to be written in first person. Meanwhile, Ronnie clarifies her stance on dragons as sources of magic - she's rejecting the propaganda that dragons are true sources and believes only the Source, ground, sky, irids, and Violet are ACTUAL sources!

Then we jump into our Xaden analysis, exploring what makes him so compelling as a character. We debate which book version of Xaden is our favorite (Iron Flame vs. Onyx Storm - we're divided on this one!), and discuss whether he had to turn Venin at the end of Iron Flame. Was it truly necessary, or could there have been another way?

We get into some shocking theories about Xaden's family tree, including the revelation that his grandfather was documented as his great-uncle and never made it out of the Rider's Quadrant. Could Xaden's grandfather actually be a certain sage?! The evidence is mounting - the tan arm, the youthful face, the sword of Tyrrendor... does this explain why the venin are targeting him?

We tackle the burning question: Is Xaden good? Abby speculates that Xaden hasn’t been entirely truthful about his second signet (with receipts from Fourth Wing!), and we explore the possibility that he blackmailed his way back into his title rather than reluctantly accepting it. But is this part of a larger scheme with Aaric to ensure Violet becomes Duchess of Tyrrendor? The plot is thickening!

Finally, we analyze whether Xaden has fully turned Venin or if he still retains his humanity. We examine the parallels between Andarna leaving Violet and Xaden turning, and how both were tethered back by someone they love. We conclude that while Xaden may be fully Venin, he's NOT beyond redemption - Violet's love has locked itself into his ice, keeping a piece of his humanity intact.

This episode got SO in-depth that we had to split it into two parts! Join us next week for the continuation of our Xaden deep dive!

Spoilers for the ENTIRE Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm)

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Time Stamps:

00:00 - 01:23: Corrections and omissions from last week

01:24 - 03:07: Violet projecting memories to Jesinia theory

03:08 - 05:19: Are dragons true sources of magic?

05:20 - 08:34: What we think of Xaden as a character

08:35 - 16:29: Which book version of Xaden is our favorite?

16:30 - 19:41: Did Xaden have to turn?

19:42 - 31:10: Xaden's family tree and grandfather theories

31:11 - 44:38: Is Xaden good? Mind reading and blackmail theories

44:39 - 52:01: Xaden and Aaric's possible scheme for Tyrrendor

52:02 - 1:05:03: Has Xaden fully turned? Parallels with Andarna

1:05:04 - 1:09:36: Closing thoughts and announcement of part two