Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

236 reviews

emmanem_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Violence, Grief, and War

amy_in_the_city's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book was such a slog to get through. It was like a third-act breakup stretched across hundreds of pages because Violet and Xaden spent most of the book fighting. They were hardly ever together and when they were, they were having the same argument over and over. It was extremely tiresome, and I felt this romance novel was missing the romance. A lot of their issues seemed very contrived, like Violet was just looking for things to be mad or insecure about. She makes a whole issue about Xaden not saying he loves her, only that he's fallen for her. What does she think "fallen for" means exactly? I understand she was still upset with him for not telling her some big secrets in the first book, but I think it was way overblown and drawn out. It was also a bit hypocritical of her to be upset at Xaden for not telling her all the super-secret mission details while she was also not telling everything to her loved ones and was going behind Xaden's back on her own mission. All of the internal conflict was exhausting, and I kind of just wanted them to break up already so I wouldn't have to read about it anymore.

I also really didn't like that they had Violet and Xaden's ex fighting over him. It was childish, and I'm just done with books pitting women against each other because of some guy. 

Xaden was just kind of there, without much personality. All of the side characters were also lacking development. I couldn't remember much about the friends and professors from the first book despite reading it only 4 months ago and was always mixing the characters up in my mind, but it didn't matter much as they weren't very present in this book. 

I did like the non-relationship parts of the book, for the most part. I thought learning about the wards and more about Andarna were both interesting, as was the final part of the book. Even during the really exciting plot stuff happening, I was still easily able to put the book down and not feel the need to pick it up again for another day or two.

Just when I thought I was ready to give up on this series, that cliffhanger ending happened. I might give the next book a chance, but I'm really not interested in reading 3 more long books if they're like this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Ableism and Animal death

lynx9010's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Absolutely loved it book. Only issue I had was

Violets constant complaining about trust every other page

it got annoying after while until it was resolved closer to the end of the book. But still it was worth the read.

I absolutely cried when Liam came back during the interrogation/torture scene. I cried in Fourth Wing when he died and then now his ghost is here helping Violet.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

grosemareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This book is huge, and moves slower than fourth wing, but it’s just as dense if not more so. The length and density makes it difficult to binge read, it’s easier to read in smaller chunks. Can’t wait for Onyx Storm!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, War, and Vomit

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Physical abuse, Grief, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and War

stitchbooks22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Body shaming, Genocide, Medical content, Death, Abandonment, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, War, Chronic illness, Grief, Violence, Bullying, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Murder, Torture, Medical trauma, Ableism, Animal death, and Gaslighting

lorraine19's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I put this on par with the first book. Definitely more heavy on the trigger warnings. There are some absolutely brutal scenes that make deaths from the first book seem tame. Don't take that warning in the beginning of the book lightly. That being said, this book plays on all the emotions and is just wonderfully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, War, Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Violence, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Gore

Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Drug use, Vomit, and Alcohol

bethann_coleates's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Gore, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, War, Grief, Confinement, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

spaghettii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Gore, Kidnapping, Blood, Drug use, Genocide, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, War, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

greentayshot's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

wow wow wow WOWWWW SO GOOD!!!!!!! when i finished fourth wing i had some doubts on how the second book would go, but i really loved the pacing

and how half the book is at basgiath w violet playing spy / navigating the new dangers and then half the book is after they stop pretending and fully leave navarre and go to aretia! it was the best of both worlds, even if the first half of the book was hard to get thru jus bc of of varrish’s BULLSHIT he should’ve SUFFERED MORE!! literally my only complaint w the book is that he got a quick death 😤

so much happened in this book i feel like a different person than i was when i started it, so many crazy twists and reveals but also very fun bc a lot of my theories came true, even stuff i had been sus of since book 1, so many amazing payoffs!!

i never expected i would cry over

general sorrengail’s death, in fact at times i was begging for her to die bc she pissed me off but DAMNNN!!! i totally thought she was sacrificing sloane so i was already crying, but then the siblings’ reactions and seeing them all affected by the grief differently BROKE ME!!! GOD!!!

 

i have so many theories about

violets second signet

and so many questions about

andarna’s species and why she hatched for violet AND what the hell the fuckin venin want with violet and xaden!!

so i will be going absolutely CRAZYYYYYY until january!!! onyx storm cannot come fast enough!!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, War, Violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Grief