SPOILERS FOR FOURTH WING AND IRON FLAME

Do you ever think of why Lilith was fine with Violet going to the Scribe's Quadrant as long as Papa Sorrengail was alive? Yeah? No? Well I do.

This. This right here speaks volumes about how good of a mom Lilith actually is. She may not outright show it but after reading Iron Flame, I think that she has done a great job as a protector and a provider.

THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE.

Violet may not know her mother well, but her mother knows Violet in and out. You think her mother does not know about her and Xaden? She does. You think she has not kept tabs on her whenever she was at Basgiath? She has.

Now, to the main question.

I believe that the parent Sorrengails knew that they can hide the truth from Mira and Brennan, but never from Violet.

Lilith was ok with sending Violet to the Scribes Quadrant because Papa Sorrengail was there to make sure she stayed safe.

After his death, Violet was tutored by Markham. Markham wanted Violet to be the head of the Scribes, which she definitely qouldve become, had it not been for Lilith.

But Violet would not lie. Violet, as awesome she is, would always voice out her opinions. She would not be afraid to do that in front of Markham and would've ended up dead.

Lilith sent Violet in the Rider's Quadrant because she hoped that in this way Violet would stay safe. That she would never know about the venin and live a happy life.

Lilith asked Xaden to look after Violet, to ensure that she stays alive is because she knew Xaden is a man of his words. And powerful. He was the wingleader for God's sake.

Lilith Sorrengail isn't winning any Parent of the Year awards, but she's like Xaden in that she'd burn the world down (or in this case, lie about venin) to keep her kids safe. She's living in a time of active war, so she can't guarantee their safety (see Brennan), but she can give them every possible opportunity to survive. Violet in the scribe quadrant would have spelled certain death. Like the marked ones, Violet gets a chance at life instead of the guarantee of death.

Spoiler alert: she was not, in fact, wrong.

***Iron Flame SPOILERS****

I am so incredibly disappointed with what everyone is choosing to talk about with this book. Everyone is concentrating on what happens with Xaden but you know what to me was the absolute most gut wrenching storyline in the whole book? General Lilith Fucking Sorrengail.

From the moment we see her again in the beginning of the book she is nothing but supportive and proud of her daughter. Yes, she absolutely made the wrong decision where she stands in the war, and what she did to Xaden was absolutely inexcusable. (Although I do think if she hadn’t done that they would have killed all the marked ones.) But she made all those decisions for her children. Because she did what she needed to to keep them safe. You can’t convince me that even after Violet leaves, that even after Mira leaves, that she wasn’t incredibly thankful for the fact they were together and with Xaden who would never let something happen to Violet.

Lilith went into the dungeons to get her daughter out of there and I am not unconvinced that had Violet not already been mid rescue the General wouldn’t have turned traitor right there to get her out. The scene when Brennen reveals himself to her?? She’s cracking and can hardly hold herself together and my heart felt so sorry for her in that moment. It made me mad at Brennan because he threw it in her face like ammo when Violet spent all of fourth wing describing how his death ruined their mother.

One of the most heart breaking quotes in the whole book is at the beginning of chapter 65:

“Most generals dream of dying in service to their kingdom. But you know me better than that, my love. When I fall, it will be for one reason only: to protect our children.”

General Sorrengail didn’t support the war, she didn’t fight for Navarre she made it clear fron the beginning that she was just a mom protecting her kids, and she did so without second thought. Without hesitation. She didn’t do what she did for the war effort, or even to help everyone on the battlefield. She did it for Brennen, and Violet, and Mira.

Lilith Sorrengail was just a desperate mother and everyone glossing over her sacrifice is bullshit.

FW/IF spoilers : I can't help but wonder about the sorrengail signets

Brennan is a mender, at his core he wants to fix things. It makes me think about how conflicted or guilty he must feel about things in his life - to an absurd amount. Also, as an older brother with the weight of protecting and being a model to two sister makes me think the family dynamic was very complicated. Sometimes, us older siblings want to fix everything at home.

Mira is a shield, which means her need to protect is her core. And a part of me really tears up thinking that most of her protective feelings come from her love for her siblings. As much as she is a proud navarrian, Mira was quick to abandon everything to be by her sister's side when the venin shit broke out.

Violet's signet depends if the theory of her being actually a power wielder is correct, but one way or another it means she is non conforming force, never accepting to be contained or stopped. No matter what is expected of her, she is going to navigate the world in her own way and convictions.

Lilith is a storm. Destructive but also a bringer of life and balance for the nature. Much like Violet, she is a force of nature, unstoppable. As much as her actions are heinous, she was very similar to Violet's non conforming persona (though this trait might have dulled due to Lilith's career and all the political shit involved in it).

I think there's something to be said for both Brennan and Mira developing signets that reflect their feelings towards Violet

Brennan mends because he cannot fix the one thing he's desperate to fix: his sister's condition.

Mira protects because, especially after Brennan's death, all the responsibility of looking out for Violet fell to her.

And I agree about Violet wanting to not conform, but if we take Felix at his point that it's not lightning itself but power that is Violet's signet: what is a better way to break past the limits her own body puts on her than to wield power, the one thing she has never really had.

One thing that’s so interesting to me and that I hadn’t noticed until now, is that although Violet and her mother always seem to clash in the books, Lilith being cold and distant, Violet feeling resentment towards her mother because of this, they are two of the most similar characters in the books.

They are both stubborn and intelligent and care about protecting the people they love more than anything else. Not to mention their signets complement each other perfectly: Lilith summoning storms to enhance Violet’s power. Violet is more alike her mother than either of her siblings which I think says a lot about Lilith’s actions towards her in the books.