Reviews with content warning for Violence - Iron Flame - Flammengeküsst

This second installment was just as enjoyable and fun as the first, though slightly darker thematically. The narrator, Rebecca Soler, made the characters come to life. There's nothing deep or really unpredictable about this story, but I highly enjoy the world-building and characters. The random steamy scenes did make me blush while I was participating in my usual audiobook activities of cleaning my house or driving, but they were few and far enough between that I did not feel they detracted from the plot.

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violetlei's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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sshirkey's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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flyingryndeer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense

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

3.75

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robotnik's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

3.0

I don't really know how I feel about this, lol.

I didn't hate it, don't get me wrong. I did enjoy it. Most of it. Parts of it. You know. But it feels that special something that made me read Fourth Wing in a matter of days isn't in this one. In Fourth Wing, it felt like any flaws were easy for me to overlook but they stood out in glaring detail in this one.

This book could have benefited from being as much as 200 pages shorter. It was very long and I felt fatigued trying to read it that I would set it down and go do something else for a bit before going back to it. I feel like the beginning of this book happened so long ago, like it was another book or two ago. It just felt like there should have been some split somewhere or some of the bulk trimmed down.

I really loved Violet as a protagonist in Fourth Wing, but she came across acting much more immature in this one. Her entire focus was on Xaden and she related everything to him to the point that it felt like this was just a romance playing at fantasy and the actual plot didn't matter so much as her and Xaden getting to touch each other. It really made her less likable overall.

Speaking of less likable, I shipped the shit out of Violet and Xaden in Fourth Wing, but I guess getting the enemies to lovers bit out of the way in book one meant they needed some manufactured conflict between them because the plot wasn't enough drama, and the one they had in this one was absolute beyond stupid. It was exhausting having to read about them and their trust issues. In Fourth Wing, they had toxic traits but it was fun from a narrative standpoint and worked for the whole enemies to lovers thing they had going on. Now, they just feel toxic and not in a fun way.

The ending was... I don't know. I don't know if I would call it shocking or suspenseful or what. I'm just really torn because Violet and Xaden's romance is such a big part of this book, that I somehow doubt anything extreme is going to happen to Xaden and he's going to make it out of the book series just fine. You know, because Xaden called them endgame and all. Which was cringy, let's be honest. I don't think Yarros has the guts to actually kill him or turn him evil permanently and make him a real villain. If she does, I'll be surprised, but also be unimpressed because it's annoying when I'm given all this time to get to like a love interest and I do, only for them to get axed, particularly in a romance like this. I digress.

I do like parts of this. I didn't really get super fatigued with it until halfway when

they left Basgiath behind, even if this part of the book might be better than the first half

. I love the supporting cast with the exception of Catriona. I do hope she becomes a better character later on because everything about her in this book was eyeroll-inducing and seemed entirely unnecessary and just to cause relationship drama, which I'm so over.

I'm going to keep reading this series to see where it goes and hope that this is just some second book syndrome because I had such high hopes of this series.

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nina_bookkura's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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

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kimblah's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

We are thrown in where we left off at the end of Fourth Wing, with Violet getting some answers as to what the fuck is going on. As she finds out about the revolution, Brennan, & whatever else they’ll tell her — she heads back to Basgiath, forced to figure out how to lie her way through the year.

When they (Violet, Xaden & the other marked ones) get back to Basgiath they shock everyone, but life goes on in the riders quadrant, & the school year begins. With a host of new characters that range from absolutely deplorable to the kind you end up loving, Yarros does another great job of immersing you in the world Violet is forced to live in.

Oh yes, the dragons — they just got better this book, if that was even possible. Tairn is probably one of my favorite characters ever & Andarna is a QUEEN. I am beyond excited to see where the next book takes her after all that was revealed about her at the end of this one.

Shout out to Lilith Sorrengail for winning the award for making me sob the hardest. You’re a real one.

Most generals dream of dying in service to their kingdom.
But you know me better than that, my love.
When I fall, it will be for one reason only: to protect our children.

Intense battle scenes, heartbreaking losses, empowering triumphs, & an earth-shattering ending left me reeling when I finished this book. I’m still not okay & I am not sure if I ever will be. I am impatiently waiting the release of Onyx Storm, hoping that I will have processed what happened at the end of this book by then.

Please read this series, okay thanks.

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cayde_starkiller's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

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