Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Iron Flame

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

21 reviews

musicmagician823's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

ladypalutena's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really feel like the relationship between Violet and Xaden regressed in this book. They're keeping secrets, but the secrets that Xaden is keeping could kill him and his dragon, while the "secrets" Violet thinks she's keeping would just make Xaden roll his eyes at her. They're truly not comparable. Violet is insufferable, and I do not like her as a main character. Just like the first book, I would much rather read this book from Xaden's point of view. I hate to say it, but this makes it out to be that there is very little character development from Violet in the entire book.

The book is also really, really long. I feel like the book could have ended after

Violet was sprung from the interrogation chamber

and nothing would have been any different. There's a definitive mark of the "before" and the "after" after that scene, and ending the book there would not have hurt it.

At this point, also, I feel like the author is just killing people for shock value. I do like the Gryphon riders' reactions to the Dragon riders, though - one of them says something along the lines of "The way you kill your recruits/cadets is staggering." If a potential Gryphon rider fails their mounting challenge, they just pick themselves up and choose a different service branch. If a dragon rider fails ANY of their stuff, they die. Quick, but not always painless. Some of the deaths seem warranted, but a great many feel as if they are only to shock the reader.

And let's not even get started on the ending of this book.

Turning Xaden into the enemy? I knew that General Sorengale would have to die at some point, especially because she had just learned that her oldest kid Brennan was still alive, but at least her sacrifice appears to have been for the greater good. What is the point of turning Xaden? I'll read the next book, but to end the book on a cliffhanger like that seems like a step too far, again.

Content Warnings

mzquirk's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

As long as this one was compared to Fourth Wing, I felt the length was a bit much compared to the meat we actually got. Did I like it, yes. But there's some things in there I could've done with out. But I also understood what we needed to get out of this book as well, to help set up what is to come. And I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Things I could do without - Violet's wishy/washy "I'm made, I'm not mad, he's gorgeous and I hate him"-ness. ...and that is it. That's all. I was annoyed by that and only that.

Content Warnings

cait's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

rhiwind93's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Content Warnings

natashareadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What the ffff-!!

Ok, so I am still processing, trying to figure out what I just read and how I am feeling about it 😂😂.

Iron Flame follows the events of Fourth Wing.

Everyone including Violet expected Violet to die during her first year at Basgaith- but it turns out that Threshing was just the first test to weed out the weak-willed and unlucky.

Now the real training begins. But it's not that it is malicious and brutal, or that it is designed to stretch a riders pain capacity beyond endurance. No it is the new Code Commandment who has made it his personal mission to teach Violet how powerless she is and to betray the man she loves. The man who broke her trust.

Even though Violet's body might be frailer than everyone else's, her will is iron.

But determination to survive won't be enough.

Soooo, where do I begin?

Let's start with the issues- I feel like the release was somewhat rushed. It seems sooo many people have had issues- from businesses that were promised the black pages for preorders, having those cancelled, to the wrong title being on the covers, to the missing dragons on chapter 17 (which include my copy I got from Indigo/Coles in Canada, to the lone copy I found in NYS- but I will take the missing dragon over any other issues), but I've even heard missing pages/chapters. Honestly, I don't know where the problem was, it shouldn't have en this big of an issue to begin with.

Now that that is out of the way, let's continue onto the story within the book.

I still love this world, and these characters.

I get the conflict between Xaden & Violet, but felt like it dragged on a bit longer than it should have. The biggest issue being trust & communication after the events of Fourth Wing continued on through the whole of Iron Flame.

I also feel like the book was longer than it needed to be- I get that it was building up the story & the ending conflict/battle, but there is also a whole lot of nothing happening too. So it could have been condensed some.

But besides those, like I said, I LOVED the world, and the characters.

Even despite Violet's weaknesses she is still strong. And I absolutely love that strength about her.

And I still love Xaden- for everything he has been through and everything he is. All his lies and secrets. He is still my favorite character.

I still love Rhiannon, Ridoc, Sawyer, and all the other characters too.

And WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?! I am going to lose my mind until I get the next book, because well, as always, I need answers, i need conclusion, and i need more 😂😂. I loved this book, and cannot wait for more from this story.
4⭐ out of 5⭐.

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. Multiple scenes throughout in detail.

Tropes:
→ fantasy romance /romantasy
→ enemies to lovers
→ forced Proximity
→ academy (war college)
→ New Adult romance
→ chronic illness (h) representation
→ morally gray H
→found family
→ slow burn
→ overcoming adversity/underdog
→ dysfunctional family

Content Warnings