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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Blood
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Torture, Violence, War
Minor: Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really Entertaining :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - phenomenal. highly recommend to all
I just finished the book and I am in utter shock with the ending. Without spoiling anything, Iron Flame fell a little flat for me compared to Fourth Wing. The story felt really rushed and vague in some spots, and then other chapters felt like they dragged on for no viable reason. It also felt a lot like a repeat of Fourth Wing in some spots.
This book read more like a fan fiction than the second installment in the series. I'm hoping that Yarros doesn't rush the 3rd book and really puts more time into flushing out the important details and skipping over some of the lighter chapters. It also felt like there were a few plot holes in the story and some of the scenes were a bit difficult to imagine based on the description that Yarros gave.
Overall, I ADORE this series and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the Romantasy genre. I cannot wait to read the next book! It's so easy to fall in love with the characters and get drawn into their world. This book was a lot heavier for me than Fourth Wing was. I think it's because of how attached I am to the characters already.
-
SPOILERS
I am absolutely not okay with how Iron Flame ended. It absolutely destroyed me that Xaden turned Venin. I feel like there has to be some sort of cure since there has been such a huge emphasis on how Violet and Xaden's power combined is "deadly." I'm really hoping that the 3rd book centers around a cure for Xaden and then the 4th and 5th books can be more about rebuilding Navarre and the rest of the country.
This book read more like a fan fiction than the second installment in the series. I'm hoping that Yarros doesn't rush the 3rd book and really puts more time into flushing out the important details and skipping over some of the lighter chapters. It also felt like there were a few plot holes in the story and some of the scenes were a bit difficult to imagine based on the description that Yarros gave.
Overall, I ADORE this series and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the Romantasy genre. I cannot wait to read the next book! It's so easy to fall in love with the characters and get drawn into their world. This book was a lot heavier for me than Fourth Wing was. I think it's because of how attached I am to the characters already.
-
SPOILERS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, War
Minor: Chronic illness
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Second read: 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉 Five dragons
Equally as fantastic upon second read. Though I have to say it:
I think it's wild that Imogen isn't a lesbian. She has the same hair and attitude as my beloved Undercut McQueer (Vi from Arcane), and personally I think she has better chemistry with Quinn—whose weapon of choice is the symbol of Lesbianism, by the way—than with Garrick (no offence, buddy).
On to Onyx Storm 😱
First read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars
Iron Flame is a fantastic book, and I loved almost every second of it. You know, until that bit at the end.
I’m mourning the loss of a character who didn’t even die. Feeling physically ill. I’m never going to emotionally recover from this.
Still it’s somehow even funnier than Fourth Wing was, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t half because of Ridoc. Because it was.
Don’t read this book if you value your sanity because the end is almost as brain-breaking as the end of House of Sky and Breath. I need to lie down now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Torture, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I enjoyed the magic system, the dragons, and the lore in Iron Flame, I definitely found the cyclic arguing between the main characters to be repetitive. Also, Xaden’s story arc is giving Anakin vibes, and we don’t stan a self-righteous anti-hero who sacrifices sanity for… whatever he has for Violet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Suicide attempt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Total rating: 3.75
Overview:
I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good follow-up to the first book, Fourth Wing. I am happy with the development of the plot and its pacing, but was disappointed in the amount of time spent on some aspects that felt like a waste of pages. I am looking forward to continuing the series, but I do hope Yarros takes her time with this next book, as there were aspects of this one that felt rushed and unrefined.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot commentary:
Great pacing. The characters' world is thrown into disarray at the end of Fourth Wing, and the fast-paced chaos of Iron Flame is exactly what one should expect to follow that. I was engaged the entire way, eager to see what would happen next. I found the duration of the book to be acceptable, though there are certainly a handful of repetitive scenes regarding Xaden and Violet's dynamic, as well as those involving Cat, that I feel were not necessary/took up too much time. The conflict in this book was complex, looking at the internal conflicts within both Violet and Xaden throughout the whole book as well as the conflict between them, the greater conflict of Aretia against Basgiath/Navarre, the conflict-turned-alliance between Aretia and Poromiel, and the big-picture conflict of all of these parties against the dark wielders. There were a variety of dynamics and plot points to pay attention to, and I feel all of them were adequately addressed, even if certain aspects could have been developed a bit more clearly and others may not have needed as much attention as they received.
Character commentary:
The vast majority of the characters felt that they were in the midst of an evolution, which is what I would expect in a second book of a series. While some characters felt a bit overdone, such as Cat, I found all of the characters that carried over from the first book were facing new and continued challenges that, while developing their character, posed significant moral questions for the characters to work through. I found the characters to be consistent, nothing felt extremely out of place for any of them. I found general relatability in the character, though it is always a challenge when your main characters, in this case Violet and Xaden, are being stubborn and make you want to yell at them. I found the character development of the dragons, as well as the relationships between the dragons and their riders, to be one of my favorite aspects. Learning more about this dynamic certainly influenced my rating of the book.
Setting/World-Building commentary:
The one significant flaw with this book, likely due to the speed at which it was released, is that I found myself having to go back to earlier sections of the book, as well as all the way back to the first book, to better understand new developments in the magic system and the world. While I was still engaged, there were definitely moments where things that were likely obvious to the author were lost in translation to the reader. I could have used a bit more re-contextualizing at the beginning, and I would have appreciated some of the new discoveries made by Violet, Jesinia, Dain, Rhi, and Xaden being expanded upon.
Misc./Other commentary:
I did need to reread paragraphs, or even pages, multiple times along the way because they were not written in the most digestible way. Once again, this is likely due to the fast pace at which the book was published, and I think it would be valuable for Yarros to take her time on the rest of the series to ensure readability and flow is a bit stronger. I did not have these issues with the first book, so I'm optimistic that they won't continue. I'm eager to see where she takes the rest of the series, especially given the fact that she has once again served us a cliffhanger ending, in multiple regards this time.
Overview:
I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good follow-up to the first book, Fourth Wing. I am happy with the development of the plot and its pacing, but was disappointed in the amount of time spent on some aspects that felt like a waste of pages. I am looking forward to continuing the series, but I do hope Yarros takes her time with this next book, as there were aspects of this one that felt rushed and unrefined.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot commentary:
Great pacing. The characters' world is thrown into disarray at the end of Fourth Wing, and the fast-paced chaos of Iron Flame is exactly what one should expect to follow that. I was engaged the entire way, eager to see what would happen next. I found the duration of the book to be acceptable, though there are certainly a handful of repetitive scenes regarding Xaden and Violet's dynamic, as well as those involving Cat, that I feel were not necessary/took up too much time. The conflict in this book was complex, looking at the internal conflicts within both Violet and Xaden throughout the whole book as well as the conflict between them, the greater conflict of Aretia against Basgiath/Navarre, the conflict-turned-alliance between Aretia and Poromiel, and the big-picture conflict of all of these parties against the dark wielders. There were a variety of dynamics and plot points to pay attention to, and I feel all of them were adequately addressed, even if certain aspects could have been developed a bit more clearly and others may not have needed as much attention as they received.
Character commentary:
The vast majority of the characters felt that they were in the midst of an evolution, which is what I would expect in a second book of a series. While some characters felt a bit overdone, such as Cat, I found all of the characters that carried over from the first book were facing new and continued challenges that, while developing their character, posed significant moral questions for the characters to work through. I found the characters to be consistent, nothing felt extremely out of place for any of them. I found general relatability in the character, though it is always a challenge when your main characters, in this case Violet and Xaden, are being stubborn and make you want to yell at them. I found the character development of the dragons, as well as the relationships between the dragons and their riders, to be one of my favorite aspects. Learning more about this dynamic certainly influenced my rating of the book.
Setting/World-Building commentary:
The one significant flaw with this book, likely due to the speed at which it was released, is that I found myself having to go back to earlier sections of the book, as well as all the way back to the first book, to better understand new developments in the magic system and the world. While I was still engaged, there were definitely moments where things that were likely obvious to the author were lost in translation to the reader. I could have used a bit more re-contextualizing at the beginning, and I would have appreciated some of the new discoveries made by Violet, Jesinia, Dain, Rhi, and Xaden being expanded upon.
Misc./Other commentary:
I did need to reread paragraphs, or even pages, multiple times along the way because they were not written in the most digestible way. Once again, this is likely due to the fast pace at which the book was published, and I think it would be valuable for Yarros to take her time on the rest of the series to ensure readability and flow is a bit stronger. I did not have these issues with the first book, so I'm optimistic that they won't continue. I'm eager to see where she takes the rest of the series, especially given the fact that she has once again served us a cliffhanger ending, in multiple regards this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Animal death