Iron Flame Review
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
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.
This book left me emotionally unwell to the point that I screamed and nearly threw my book at the wall after reading the ending. The cliffhanger was just as amazing as the one in Fourth WIng, if not better. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster that left me staring at the wall for 20 minutes to process what I had just read. It leaves so many different options for how the plot could go in book three.
I really enjoyed this book, but was it better than Fourth Wing? No. The plot was a bit slower, and there were fewer Xaden and Violet scenes than in book one; however, the scenes we got were top-tier.
Despite feeling like it had a slow plot, it was very action-packed, much like book one. There were battles, secret missions, risks, and lies upon lies that made the book so much more suspenseful.
I loved how much world-building we got. We uncover new information about the history and politics of the world and the revolution. For some people, the world-building might have seemed overwhelming, but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how much it set up the plots for the books to come.
The character dynamics were phenomenal. Xaden is still my #1 book boyfriend. In Iron Flame, Xaden showed how far he would go and what he would sacrifice to save Violet. We also saw a different side of him that we didn't see when he was Wingleader at Basgaith War College. Violet is still an absolute Queen but struggles a lot more internally in this book. She is just as strong and determined as in Fourth Wing, but bottling up her emotions, distancing herself from her friends, and taking on too much responsibility is taking a toll on her. She has had so much character development since book one, and I can't wait to see how far she will come at the end of the series.
I loathe to admit it, but I didn't hate Dain in Iron Flame. While I will never forgive him for his involvement in my favorite character's death, he redeemed part of himself, but he still has a long way to go before I ever consider him likable again.
The main thing I disliked about this book was the miscommunication trope. Most readers hate miscommunication, but it hurt so much more when it was between Xaden and Violet. It wasn't just a few chapters but most of the book. I can't go into detail about it because of spoilers, but it was aggravating, and both Violet and Xaden were guilty.
All in all, I loved this book! The dynamic of the characters, the banter, and the love confessions were all just so perfect. It wasn't as good as Fourth Wing, but it was such a fun read. I would definitely recommend reading Iron Flame before the release of the rest of the series.
Written by Carlie Renee
