The Empyrean Series- Iron Flame Review
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Currently Available on Kindle Unlimited
What is Iron Flame?
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, is the sequel to the insanely popular romantasy book, Fourth Wing. With more than 2,000,000 ratings and an average of 4.37 stars on Goodreads, it’s safe to say that Iron Flame has kept the Empyrean Series as a genre favorite. While Yarros’ has written many books in the past (primarily contemporary romance), Fourth Wing was her debut fantasy book. However, as Yarros stays true to her herself as a romance author by allowing the romance to remain the central point of the series.
Iron Flame is the second of the planned five book Empyrean series. The first three books (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm) are currently available, with no release information for book four. (Rebecca Yarros, herself has said in interviews that she will begin writing book 4 after this summer). There is no confusing reading order for this series- read them in publication order!
Be sure to subscribe to Yarros’ newsletter to receive THREE Fourth Wing bonus chapters from Xaden’s point of view.
*** It is important to remember that this is an adult book with graphic content that may not be suitable for everyone.
Iron Flame Official Blurb
““The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.
Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.
Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.
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.”
What did I like/not like about the book?
Honestly, I have very mixed feelings about this book. Did I like it? Yes. Was it addicting? Definitely. I could not put it down. Will I continue reading the series? Absolutely! I’ll probably even reread it and watch the show, when it comes out. Did it break my heart? So much.
But, despite all of these things, the writing in this series is not my favorite. Sometimes it’s very hard to look past- it can be a little cheesy. But more importantly, my memory is not as good as the author wants it to be. Minor characters and places are often brought up without any explanation other than a name and I can’t remember who/what they are or where they’ve been mentioned before. Additionally, I have a hard time visualizing many of the characters because their appearances are only briefly mentioned when they are introduced. Again, my memory isn’t this good. The action scenes often feel choppy, like we’re missing pieces of information. But because this is from a first person point of view this doesn’t bother me too much.
Aside from the writing, the most prominent issue I had with this book was the dynamic between Violet and Xaden. Everything fun about their romance was left behind in book 1. Instead we are given an immature relationship where she’s mad he’s keeping secrets and he’s mad she’s not asking the right questions. (This lasted about half the book and drove me nuts).
However, the second half of the book was much more fast-paced and fun. I enjoyed meeting new characters, learning more about my favorite characters, seeing the dragons, and overall learning more about the world. It was a little predictable, but at the same time had me on the edge of my seat. And the last few chapters were an emotional rollercoaster.
Overall, I enjoyed Iron Flame a lot despite its flaws and immediately dove into book 3!
