Reviews with content warning for Blood - Iron Flame

My initial reaction after finishing this book is that I wish I'd had it available to read immediately after 'Fourth Wing'. Not because I couldn't bear the wait to find out what happened next, or because I needed another Xaden fix, but because the break between the two made this one so much more difficult to get into. I can remember the events of book one no problem, but the intricacies and niceties of dragon riding, Basgaith War College and the general detail of worldbuilding smack you between the eyes in this book. Without the context of 'Fourth Wing' fresh in your memory, you are definitely left trying to place certain people and events and it left me a bit lost and confused in places, which I don't think would have been the case if I had been able to binge read both. It feels very technical and, I suppose, like it's being taught as a Battle Brief lesson at Basgaith (which may be what the author is going for, given the intros of each chapter).

There were a few things I'd heard about this book that I was looking forward to discovering, but upon reading they didn't do as much for me as I'd hoped. The 'throne scene', I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was more than what I got. Not that it didn't make me a little hot under the collar, but it cries out for a comparison to the ACOMAF throne scene, and I know which I found sexier. Similarly, the ending... I can understanding why those that are full on fans are rocked by it, and it's certainly a great hook into the next book, but nevertheless I felt a little underwhelmed. I will absolute be reading Onyx Storm upon its release, but I'm just not feeling that dire impatience for January to get here. I'll add it to my reserve queue at the library and see when it arrives (and make sure I do a full reread before starting it!).

I wasn't a huge fan of Violet's character in this book either. She's just a bit hypocritical and cuts her nose off to spite her face, when the whole thing could have felt more cohesive with a bit of understanding rather than her abrasive stubbornness. It seemed to me that the author had possibly introduced too many characters, what with the number that seemed to fade in and out of the background, or have moments that don't really lead anywhere. I get that every hero needs a good foil, but both Cat and Varrish are wasted; I was just starting to lean into the violent disgust of them both when the author gave them an 'easy' out. Even Andarna, sassy adolescent that she is, only gets a few good lines and not much action. The only character that seemed to stay true to the one plotted out in Fourth Wing was Xaden, and he is by far and away the most interesting character in the cast. And I could definitely do with more Bodhi in my life - he needs to be more than a secondary character!

It is a solid story and the overarching vision is a masterpiece, but it didn't hit enough of my expectations to really shine.

Content Warnings