What Does Iron Flame's Ending Mean? Everything You Need to Know

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Plus, find out the best fan theories for future books

Co-authored by Frank DiLuzio and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: September 17, 2025 Fact Checked

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Iron Flame Ending

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Fan Reactions

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Is it a cliffhanger?

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Onyx Storm Plot

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Fan Theories

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Iron Flame is the second book in Rebecca Yarros’s popular Empyrean series. Just like the first book in the series, Fourth Wing, Iron Flame ends on a shocking cliffhanger that leaves fans desperate for answers. If you can’t figure out what to make of the ending, keep reading as we recap all the most important plot points. Plus, learn what other fans thought of the ending, as well as fan theories for future books. This article contains major spoilers for Iron Flame!

How does Iron Flame end and what does it mean?

Iron Flame ends with Violet’s mother, General Sorrengail, sacrificing herself to help Violet and the dragons restore the wards and defeat the venin. Afterwards, Violet goes to find her boyfriend, Xaden, only to discover that he turned venin in order to protect her.

Section 1 of 5:

What happens at the end of Iron Flame?

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Xaden turns venin. In the Fourth Wing universe, riders channel their magic from their dragons as drawing from the earth directly turns them into venin, dark wielders whose souls have been corrupted. At the end of Iron Flame, Xaden is desperate to save Violet and chooses to corrupt himself by channeling from the earth.^{[1]
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Frank DiLuzio
Literary Content and Podcasting Expert

Expert Interview} Xaden’s eyes have a tinge of red, a trademark sign of the venin.^{[2]
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- What this could mean for future books: The future books in the Empyrean series will likely explore the consequences of Xaden’s decision and how it affects him and his relationship with Violet. It’s also possible the venin will be portrayed in a more sympathetic light as Xaden is torn between his love for Violet and his pull toward the venin. It will likely also cause tension between Tairn and Sgaeyl, as Sgaeyl will be torn between her mate and her rider.
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Andarna is revealed to be a seventh type of dragon. Throughout most of Iron Flame, Andarna is asleep as she grows from a Feathertail into what Violet assumes will be an adult black dragon. However, at the end of the book, we find out Andarna is actually a rare seventh type of dragon whose scales change color. As the seventh breed, she is the final piece needed to resurrect the ward stones.^{[3]
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- What this could mean for future books: Because Andarna is the only known dragon of her breed, this will likely put a target on her back as others find out about her existence. Future books will likely explore more about what her breed is and what unique traits she possesses.
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General Sorrengail sacrifices herself. Though General Sorrengail didn’t act very motherly toward Violet or her other children throughout Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, she proves her love for her children at the end of the book by sacrificing herself for Violet.^{[4]
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Frank DiLuzio
Literary Content and Podcasting Expert

Expert Interview} Violet was determined to burn herself out in order to raise the wards and save her friends, but General Sorrengail took her place, knowing it would kill her.^{[5]
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- What this could mean for future books: We will likely see Violet and her siblings grieving the loss of their mother and coming to realize General Sorrengail was more than she seemed. We may also learn more about General Sorrengail’s personal life, such as her relationship with Violet’s father, which hasn’t been explored much.
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The venin are temporarily defeated. Because of General Sorrengail’s sacrifice, she, Violet, and the dragons are successfully able to restore the wards and temporarily thwart the venin’s plans. However, because Xaden and Jack Barlowe are revealed to be venin, we know we haven’t seen the last of them.^{[6]
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Frank DiLuzio
Literary Content and Podcasting Expert

Expert Interview}^{[7]
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- What this could mean for future books: Because the venin were kept secret for the majority of the first two books, we will likely see the fallout now that more people know they exist. The venin have a larger plan in the works, and we can assume the wards won’t be enough to stop them forever.

Section 2 of 5:

Fan Reactions to Iron Flame

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Fans were mad at the cliffhanger and immediately wanted more. Many readers are obsessed with Fourth Wing and impatiently await the next book in the series. After the ending of Iron Flame, fans flocked to social media sites like TikTok and Reddit to discuss the cliffhanger and shocking plot twists. Most fans agreed that they liked the ending, as they could speculate until the third book was released.
- Not all readers liked the ending, however. Some felt that the cliffhanger with Xaden seemed “hopeless,” especially after he and Violet fought to overcome so many obstacles.

Section 3 of 5:

Does Iron Flame end on a cliffhanger?

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Yes, Iron Flame ends on a cliffhanger. If you hate cliffhangers, you’d better have the third book, Onyx Storm, ready! After a climactic battle, Violet discovers her boyfriend, Xaden, has turned venin after channeling magic to save her. This and many other plot points are left unresolved, as Jack Barlowe tells Xaden there is no cure and that he’ll only grow more power hungry. This leaves readers wondering what will become of Xaden and his relationship with Violet in the next book.^{[8]
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Section 4 of 5:

What is Onyx Storm about?

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Onyx Storm follows the events of Iron Flame. The third book in theEmpyrean series, Onyx Storm, follows Violet as she journeys beyond the failing Aretian wards to search for allies to stand with Navarre against the venin.^{[9]
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Frank DiLuzio
Literary Content and Podcasting Expert

Expert Interview} We won’t go into spoilers here, but expect many cliffhangers from Iron Flame to be addressed!^{[10]
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- Already read Onyx Storm? Check out this article for an explanation of the ending.

Section 5 of 5:

Fan Theories for Future Books

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Xaden will destroy the venin from the inside. Some fans speculate that Xaden will work as a double-agent, trying to destroy the venin from within. Fans think this is likely because, after everything they’ve been through, it is doubtful that he’ll turn on Violet and their friends.
- Keep in mind, these are all fan theories from before the release of Onyx Storm. These are not spoilers and may not be accurate at all.
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Violet might turn venin. Some readers theorize that Violet will also turn venin and join Xaden. This theory comes from the fact that while Violet was charging the wardstone, she thought about how she could pull the magic out, and that she’d be willing to do it if it meant saving Xaden.
Inntinnsics, or mind readers, have been heavily featured throughout the first two books in the series. While this could have just been foreshadowing for the reveal of Xaden’s second signet, some fans think it could be Violet’s second signet as well. Readers speculate that the reason Violet keeps having nightmares is because she’s actually reading Xaden’s dreams as he unintentionally lets his shields down while he’s asleep.^{[11]
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Violet can speak to the dead. Other fans theorize that Violet’s second signet allows her to speak to the dead. This idea comes from the fact that Violet saw and spoke to Liam when she was being interrogated. Fans think it would be interesting if Violet could speak to the original six or her dad.^{[12]
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The Sage is Violet’s father. So far, we don’t know much about the death of Violet’s father, but we do know that he studied the venin for years. A sage is someone known for their wisdom, so fans speculate the Sage could be Violet’s father because he was a scribe. If not the Sage, many fans believe Violet’s father was a venin in general.^{[13]
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- Others theorize the Sage could be one of Xaden’s parents or Tairn’s former rider.