October 1st is always Threshing Day. And for fans of Rebecca Yarros’s The Empyrean series, this year’s Threshing just got a whole lot more exciting!
*This review contains spoilers for The Empyrean series.*
This new addition to the series, Threshing Day – neatly labelled “not book 4” – has thirteen new stories that follow beloved characters and their Threshing Day, and what exactly happened when they entered the bowl-shaped valley and bonded their dragons. Across multiple years, this novella follows Xaden Riorson, the powerful leader; Rhiannon Matthias, the clever friend; Dain Aetos, the dutiful rule-follower; Liam Mairi, the kindhearted protector; Ridoc Gamlyn, the jokester; Sawyer Henrick, the underdog; Garrick Tavis, the dependable aide; Imogen Cardulo, the impulsive fighter; Bodhi Durran, the second-in-command; Mira Sorrengail, the fearless rider; Brennan Sorrengail, the brilliant tactician; Aaric Graycastle, the restless royal; and Sloane Mairi, the determined sister. Each story features a beautiful illustration of the individual dragons by artist Joe Requeza.
Review
On Threshing Day there is only one rule: don’t die.
Once inside that valley, the rules of the Rider’s Codex don’t apply and all bets are off. Dragons are unpredictable and so are the other cadets. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the novella, because in all honesty I haven’t given the other characters’ Threshing Day much thought, aside from Xaden’s – which is already hinted at in the books. But I loved seeing the world from their perspective, especially as the series is told through Violet’s eyes, so this gave an additional insight into their characters. I just know the dramatised version of Threshing Day is going to be impeccable when it’s released on 13th October!
When reading, there were obviously certain POVs that felt a little more fleshed out than others and gave a lot of insight into the characters – particularly the marked ones – such as Imogen and Garrick’s romantic tension and exploring their backstory, and even what really happened during Xaden’s Threshing Day. I loved reading about the Iron Squad and I found Sawyer’s story particularly heartwarming. But as always I’m left with more questions than answers, like: why were the dragons specifically seeking out the marked ones? Was that by choice, or were they told to bond a particular cadet? Why was Molvic just hanging around at every Threshing? And I’m still none the wiser who the new brother is (hinted at in Onyx Storm). I was stupidly hoping we might have had a little easter egg, but for now I will continue to theorise. I was secretly hoping to read about Jack Barlowe’s threshing, I know we see that in Fourth Wing up until he runs away from Violet when Tairn appears, but there is something definitely suspicious about how he bonded his orange dragon, Baide.
Out of all the POVs, I really loved Liam and Sloane’s stories and it made me a little sad (but in a good way) when I discovered their dragons were siblings. I also found Bodhi’s story really interesting, especially in relation to him being Xaden’s balance, and I wonder if this will have a bigger part to play in Book 4, especially now Xaden is fully venin. I found it clever how many of the POVs are happening simultaneously and slide into one another, so it felt more cohesive than just “separate stories”. Even though the stories were short, I really enjoyed entering back into the world of The Empyrean and I cannot wait to listen to the dramatised adaptation to have the full immersive experience.
Another exciting addition to this year’s celebration is the opportunity for readers to try their luck at bonding their own dragon through “Dragonkind.com,” found on Yarros’s website. It’s been so much fun seeing the response online and how many countless times we’ve all met Malek trying to save our fellow cadets, mount dragons and even trying to avoid offending those pesky greens found in the clearing. And how we were all counting the seconds until we could log in again and try our luck every four hours. This really brought the fandom together and I found this really wholesome.
I must admit it did take me about four tries to bond a dragon, which basically meant minding my own business, not running towards any screams, hopping over wounded squad mates and even hiding from volatile orange dragons. Essentially, Threshing Day is brutal! I loved the whole concept of the interactive game that really shows that the dragons are in charge and the riders are just along for the “ride” – so to speak. I’m now a proud member of Third Wing, Tail Section, Second Squad with a brown scorpion tail. I also hear that we might be getting signets in May – watch this space! What I found equally enjoyable and frustrating was how difficult bonding with a dragon actually was because it made the experience so much more intense – mirroring the brutal nature of the book. I also have a new-found respect for Sawyer, because it’s not easy braving Threshing again – at least we didn’t have to face the Gauntlet!
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and her action-packed debut novel, CORNELIA FAIRFIELD AND THE DARKENED HEART is available in paperback from WATERSTONES and independent bookshops, and ebook (with an exclusive bonus chapter only on Kindle / Kindle Unlimited AMAZON).
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