Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros: My Review of the Much-Anticipated Fantasy Romance
It’s here folks! For everyone waiting for the much-anticipated, second book in the Fourth Wing series, it is out and I’m sharing my review of Iron Flame below so you can get all of my thoughts on this fantasy romance by Rebecca Yarros.
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Iron Flame
by Rebecca Yarros
Category: Fantasy Romance
Tags: Fantasy, Romantasy, Dragons, Suspense, Strong Heroine
Series: Fourth Wing/Empyrean
Published November 2023
Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★
Book Boyfriend: ★★★★★
Iron Flame Summary:
No one expected Violet Sorrengail to make it through her first year at Basgiath—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 —and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
Iron Flame: My Review
I only want more of Violet and Xaden!!
OMG I’m so glad that Rebecca Yarros didn’t make us wait too long for the next book in the Fourth Wing series because Fourth Wing was just so freakin good and that cliffhanger!
Iron Flame proves that Yarros can write fantasy romance because this book only added more to the series and made me hungry for the rest of the series.
Where Fourth Wing set up life as a dragon rider and the truth that is being hidden in Basgaith, Iron Flame gave us more world-building and the first test to Violet and Xaden’s budding romance.
They already have so much stacked against them and life didn’t get much easier for the two connected lovers.
While the beginning did feel a bit long for me, it was also an OK long feeling because when you fall for a series and two characters like I have with these two, you want as much as you can get so I was happy with the 600+ pages! And since this is set to be a five-book series, you have to have room for greater world-building, I get it, but I was a bit anxious for more Violet and Xaden scenes which took a while to get to.
They had a lot of back and forth about being able to trust one another and while I could see Violet’s side of the argument, it went on and on. For the second thing they argued about I was totally on team Xaden’s side for why he didn’t disclose a certain something to Violet.
You knew that this book was building to something equally as big as Fourth Wing’s ending and it sure did. It built to TWO big OMG discoveries, one that I sort of saw coming and one I absolutely did not.
While I missed the contests of the first-year Rider Quadrant, this book gave more tests of strength to Violet, especially with the new commander. Those scenes didn’t hold back and I really got sucked into the dubious world she was trying to maneuver in.
I also liked the addition of the other fliers and the tension that a certain character brought to Violet.
While Violet is obviously the heroine of the story, it seemed like EVERYTHING was on her shoulders. I did like how Dain stepped up to the plate though with his help but it seemed like all the pivotal scenes depended on Violet’s decisions.
While I enjoy the world-building and overall story of what is happening in the world and the cover-ups at play, at the heart of this book is the romance between Xaden and Violet and I ate up every moment with those two.
I fell hard for Xaden in Fourth Wing but man did he step up and become one of my favorite book boyfriends of 2023 in this one. The moment when he finally voiced his feelings to her was epic and I was a total goner.
I know we will have a bit to wait for book three in the series, but I am so eagerly awaiting it as I am so in love with this series.
Book Lists With this Book:
- Most Anticipated November 2023 Romance Books
- Best Book Boyfriends of 2023
- Fourth Wing Series: The Complete Guide
- Rebecca Yarros Books: The Complete List
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