Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsMiscommunication trope overshadowed the strong storyline
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2023
— 3 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️
❝The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.❝
📖 | 623 pages
👤 | author Rebecca Yarros
🏢 | publisher Piatkus, Little Brown
📅 | release date 7 November 2023
What you can expect:
— New Adult Fantasy Romance
— Book two in a series
— First-person POV
— The stakes are higher than ever
— Dragons (each with their own distinctive personalities and voice)
— Unique magical system based on dragon bonds
— Some OWD (other women drama)
— Miscommunication
— Disability rep
— Found family
Trigger and content warnings include: elements regarding war, psychological and physical torture, imprisonment, intense violence, brutal injuries, perilous situations, blood, dismemberment, burning, murder, death, animal death, adult language/profanity, loss of family, grief and sexually explicit content.
Iron Flame is the second instalment in The Empyrean series by bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Everybody at Basgiath War College expected Violet Sorrengail to die within her first year, including Violet herself. After the events at the end of Fourth Wing leave Violet and co. reeling and in recovery whilst battling the grief for those they lost, the stakes are higher than ever before. Violet is now in the midst of the revolution alongside her lover and her betrayer, Xaden Riorson, as we follow her on her journey filled with discovery and revelations. Violet's return to Basgiath finds her with a bigger target on her back than before from the new vice commandant who has made it his personal mission to show Violet just how breakable she really is. But the deeper Violet becomes into the revolution, the more alone she begins to feel. Harbouring secrets she cannot share and feeling unable to trust the man that she loves, Violet continues to question all that she has been led to believe to be true. The severity of training in her second-year finds Violet questioning if she'll make it through she relies on her wit and will of iron to prove her superiors wrong, but a determination to survive won’t be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
❝Violence, remember it’s only the body that’s fragile. You are unbreakable.❞
I was really nervous going into Iron Flame as it can be difficult for a sequel to measure up to the strength of its first instalment. What I immediately enjoyed about this book was how it managed to stand out and set itself apart from Fourth Wing. I often find that sequels often relay back into the events of book one to support the progression of the storyline being set in its predecessor. However, we pick up Iron Flame almost immediately where Fourth Wing left with that jaw-dropping cliff-hanger and I was relieved to see the storyline progress immediately. I appreciated the extension to the world-building and lore that was pre-established in book one, along with the continued development of our main and side-characters. This book delivers in every way that Fourth Wing did with it's plot-twists and quick-pace. There was definitely moments throughout this story that left me jaw-dropped and reeling from what I had just read. I understand that the extension of this world is vital to progress into future instalments, however, I must admit that I'm nervous about the planned length of this series. I found most of the new information provided to beneficially support the development of the story, however there was definitely small moments of filler that had this book dragging longer than it had to. By the 50% mark I still had well-over 8 hours of reading time ahead, so I genuinely hope that The Empyrean series won't lose its momentum from the over-use of filler in a planned five-book series.
❝Because love, at its root, is hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for what could be. Hope that someone you've entrusted your everything do will cradle and protect it. And hope? That is harder to kill than a dragon."
Unsurprisingly I've continued to love Violet as a main-character. Faced with more responsibility than she was ever prepared to handle, we get to explore a new side of Violet as she acts under pressure and begins to ultimately make the wrong decisions with well-meaning motives. I understood why Violet made the decisions that she did. After the traumatic event that she endured at the end of Fourth Wing, Violet is a changed person that is going to do whatever it takes to not lose anybody else. Violet is head-strong and a natural leader amongst her friends and squad, but we really get an opportunity to delve deeper into Violet as a character when faced under pressure. This poor angel suffered so much throughout Iron Flame, and at some points I found myself begging for it to be the end. Violet didn't deserve any of what she endured during this book, but I'm still so proud of her for staying true and loyal to the people that matter. I particular enjoyed seeing Violet embrace her more violent-side as I, as a reader, love nothing more than to read about feminine rage. I was constantly rooting and cheering for her, and I'm glad to see that Violet was able to maintain her close-knit group for love and support. The side-characters were more present within this book in comparison to book one and I loved it. Rihannon, Imogen, Bodhi, Riddoc and Sawyer. The dynamics within this group are effortless and engaging, and it was a lot of fun to read as they battled friend and foe alike.
❝But I'm begging you, Violet. Don't offer me your body unless you're offering me everything. I want those three little words back.❝
I really enjoy Xaden as a main character and also as a love interest. He's complex and multi-dimensional and is unapologetic in who he is, in what he wants and what he does to achieve that. Xaden is very flawed as a character and there were times that I felt so frustrated with what he was saying and doing. I found his character to be very rigid and inflexible when it came to his conflict with Violet, and whilst I do agree he had very valid points, I believe Xaden put too much pressure on Violet to be the one to "fix" the relationship. Both were at an impasse and struggled to navigate past that, but once that development began to grow as did the tender moments. Xaden's love for Violet is absolute and is his most redeeming quality. Throughout the drama that occurred during this story I never once questioned his love and devotion for her. Xaden is a brilliant character with a strong page-presence, so I definitely hope to see more with his development in book three.
❝I love you,❝ I whisper. ❝You could throw my entire world into upheaval, and I would still love you. You could keep my secrets, run a revolution, frustrate me, probably ruin me, and I would still love you. I can't make it stop. I don't want to. You're my gravity. Nothing in my world works without you.❝
I genuinely enjoyed the vast majority of the dialogue within this book... however there one was part that had me cringing and wishing it never made it past the editing stage. Why, just why, did Xaden have to reference to Violet that they were "endgame." I found that really one word to cringe and unnecessary, particularly within the dystopian world-setting that we are in. There are far better and eloquent ways for Xaden to proclaim to Violet that her his future is his as much as his future belongs to her. The love declarations took their time in this one and I often felt frustrated by the circle of miscommunication that Xaden and Violet found themselves in, but overall I found (and hope) that the pair have managed to push past that barrier and largely solve their issues. I can take one book in a series being used to focus on the angst and conflict of a developing relationship, but I desperately need Rebecca Yarros to not drag this on into further books. After that cliff-hanger of an ending poses a bigger problem and an even bigger threat, I desperately need Xaden and Violet to be on the same page and no longer within such a toxic relationship dynamic in book three. I genuinely love Violet and Xaden as a couple as I feel they compliment one-another well, but they've have difficult hurdles to overcome and I think once they better settle as a couple we will truly begin to see them thrive. Violet and Xaden's dynamic is raw and full of passion. There is also security and gentle intimacy that can be found between the pair that acts as a perfect balance. Their relationship isn't perfect and that adds an authenticity to their development. I'm truly rooting for Violet and Xaden to make it through to the end. Please Rebecca, don't put us through this for them to not make it.
Overall Iron Flame was a really strong sequel after a strong beginning with Fourth Wing. I went into reading this book with nerves as I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype, however I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience and I cannot wait for what comes next. Unfortunately this book does contain tropes that I personally absolutely abhor: miscommunication and OWD. The OWD wasn't even so bad as it's rooted in jealousy of a past relationship rather than current events, but it made it really difficult for me to get through as I just found it overall unnecessary for the plot. In my personal opinion, there could have been better ways to establish conflict within the growing relationship between Violet and Xaden, and a better situation for Violet to acknowledge and address the insecurities she harbours. There was a couple of twists that I happily predicted to happen, however I was also happily left stunned and in-shock multiple times during events that I did not see coming. So if you liked book one then don't hesitate to pick up its sequel.