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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
It's not as good as Fourth Wing, but still fun. Will be reading the 3rd one.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
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
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
Great story telling and building of characters. There was a lot of change and growth for character in book 2. The villain is only just starting to appear and I'm liking where its going. The people will unite or fall and the dragons will need to reveal some secrets or die with them. Book 3 should be interesting and quite twisty considering where book 2 left us. Here's to a happy ending or destruction.
adventurous
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
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
I only read this because of the plot twist at the end of the Fourth Wing. I really felt like the quality of writing diminished in this book compared to the first.
This left me exhilarated, exhausted, or both.
Man do I have words to say. Will it be as long as my review for the first book? Unsure. But the ending did things to me. Though, I won’t deny that the whole book, and not just the ending, did things to me.
Truthfully, I was scared to read this. I read up on reviews on Onyx Storm (by accident, might I say) in which they heavily reacted to this book’s ending and cliffhanger (though without spoilers). So I was on edge when I was in the final clutch, terrified out of my mind. But I did read this immediately after finishing the first book.
Here is another word vomit. Spoiler free from what I can handle, enjoy vague mentions and insinuations.
To start with, I consumed this book in one sitting. Was that good for the psyche? We’ll never know. But there were definitely more plot points than I thought (I read this through an eBook and I hardly notice page count so there was no other way for me to have known how big this was), despite a bunch of filler content here and there, which made it feel slower in terms of plot progression.
I like lore, I won’t lie about that. I like understanding the world better. And I got massively lore-dumped (positive), which helped me map out the story. However, I did feel like I lacked information about some very specific plot relevant things. There was definitely a lot of time being spent trying to figure out information that they needed which felt like it went out the window when it was actually time to make use on it. I had many questions about them and from what I can tell, others share the same sentiment.
The Scribe Quadrant! I was super excited when we got to know more about them. I loved learning about the intricacies of the scribes as well as their way of living. An odd part of me wanted to see more of Violet stepping back into routine as a scribe (I mean, she was trained for this quadrant most of her life growing up), but I’m not sure she needed more pepper and spice in between all her inner struggles. But every scribe cadet that we met was interesting and had their own depth, though I hope to get to see them more.
Aforementioned Violet’s inner struggles. My heart bled for her. She was being pulled in every direction and she felt like a ticking time bomb. She couldn’t confide in her compatriots for most of the time while dealing with a lot of responsibility that a 21-year-old should not have to deal with.
Now when I say a ticking time bomb... while I understand that most of her reactions could be warranted– there were definitely times in which I believe she definitely overreacted. And a lot of things were drawn out because of how she reacted to certain things, which made for a hard read.
Haha, speaking of a hard read. Violet and Xaden’s relationship. I’ve been in very toxic relationships before and they did many things to me as a person. Reading all this miscommunication and toxicity was just hard to swallow, which definitely affected my enjoyment of the book. A lot of things also were drawn out because of how often Violet jumps to conclusions or chooses (?) not to ask Xaden about certain things. Xaden, especially, felt like the most passive boyfriend in the world. Violet doesn’t ask before she acts, so why would Xaden believe that the “If you ask, I’ll answer” deal would be a good idea? It would have been great if both characters actually took initiative to communicate, but no, the misunderstandings just seem to pile until it blows up. They had their moments, sure. But my problems with this aspect kind of outweigh my enjoyment of them.
Let me talk about the biggest unnecessary splice of flavor and spice that was sprinkled on their already rough relationship. She did not need to show up and wreak havoc like this. All she did was make Violet look more impulsive and emotional than she already was. I will admit Violet putting her down was satisfying, and her finishing quote definitely was fun to read. But I hate this trope in all sorts of media, and am only able to endure it in minimal amounts.
Character development. It was weird. It felt weird. I'm not entirely sure. Some of this felt realistic (for example, Violet as she went through things), some of it felt rushed and out of the blue. I felt like some characters were more out of character than I felt comfortable with.
Sloane. I was excited when she was introduced. I was prepared for a lot of angst and I guess I did get angst. I liked that she didn’t like Violet immediately. It wouldn’t have made sense if she did. What I can say is a bit blackmail-ish is the withholding of the certain thing until she needed to convince her of something. If I were in that position, I would be more resentful that these weren’t given to me immediately.
Liam. My Liam. He made my heart hurt. He made me feel things. Many things (I like angst, so this is positive).
Tairn and Andarna. I will stand by my Fourth Wing review that the dragons were my favorite characters in this entire series. Their interactions with each other + Violet was amazing. And honestly, one of the few things I could peacefully enjoy all throughout my reading it.
Ah this is getting long. The plot. Like I said, there were multiple unnecessary subplots and stories that made the book feel longer despite nothing actually ever happening. And a lot of them don't really bring it back up because of all the things that's actually happening. Fourth Wing kept you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns, and Iron Flame wouldn’t disappoint. I never felt bored anywhere in the plot, though I can say this is paced more normally than Fourth Wing. It felt a bit slow during the first half, but not much of a problem unless you were hoping for the first book’s original pacing.
The ending. Okay, so I genuinely had no idea how or what to feel after reading this. I actually had no words for this. I finished the book and just sat there in either sheer disbelief or exhilaration or even exhaustion. In fact, I still don’t. But I definitely know I’m sitting here anxiously waiting for the aftermath of these events that will (hopefully) be dealt with on Onyx Storm.
Overall rating it at a strong 3. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did Fourth Wing, but I will say it's a good sequel. I feel I wrote about my dislikes more than my likes, but when I went through it, it felt like a somewhat balanced review. There were too many things I wanted to enjoy but couldn’t because of its delivery. Or the lack of a follow-up to the whole overall story. But that doesn’t mean that this whole book was a shitshow. I still have parts I enjoyed. The quotes were a hit-or-miss, either I got obsessed with them or felt a shudder go through me (not the good kind). I stand by my opening line, I wasn’t sure what I expected going through this book but it wasn’t this. It can be perceived as good or bad, to be really honest. But I definitely finished the book and will be waiting for the next!
Man do I have words to say. Will it be as long as my review for the first book? Unsure. But the ending did things to me. Though, I won’t deny that the whole book, and not just the ending, did things to me.
Truthfully, I was scared to read this. I read up on reviews on Onyx Storm (by accident, might I say) in which they heavily reacted to this book’s ending and cliffhanger (though without spoilers). So I was on edge when I was in the final clutch, terrified out of my mind. But I did read this immediately after finishing the first book.
Here is another word vomit. Spoiler free from what I can handle, enjoy vague mentions and insinuations.
To start with, I consumed this book in one sitting. Was that good for the psyche? We’ll never know. But there were definitely more plot points than I thought (I read this through an eBook and I hardly notice page count so there was no other way for me to have known how big this was), despite a bunch of filler content here and there, which made it feel slower in terms of plot progression.
I like lore, I won’t lie about that. I like understanding the world better. And I got massively lore-dumped (positive), which helped me map out the story. However, I did feel like I lacked information about some very specific plot relevant things. There was definitely a lot of time being spent trying to figure out information that they needed which felt like it went out the window when it was actually time to make use on it. I had many questions about them and from what I can tell, others share the same sentiment.
The Scribe Quadrant! I was super excited when we got to know more about them. I loved learning about the intricacies of the scribes as well as their way of living. An odd part of me wanted to see more of Violet stepping back into routine as a scribe (I mean, she was trained for this quadrant most of her life growing up), but I’m not sure she needed more pepper and spice in between all her inner struggles. But every scribe cadet that we met was interesting and had their own depth, though I hope to get to see them more.
Aforementioned Violet’s inner struggles. My heart bled for her. She was being pulled in every direction and she felt like a ticking time bomb. She couldn’t confide in her compatriots for most of the time while dealing with a lot of responsibility that a 21-year-old should not have to deal with.
Now when I say a ticking time bomb... while I understand that most of her reactions could be warranted– there were definitely times in which I believe she definitely overreacted. And a lot of things were drawn out because of how she reacted to certain things, which made for a hard read.
Haha, speaking of a hard read. Violet and Xaden’s relationship. I’ve been in very toxic relationships before and they did many things to me as a person. Reading all this miscommunication and toxicity was just hard to swallow, which definitely affected my enjoyment of the book. A lot of things also were drawn out because of how often Violet jumps to conclusions or chooses (?) not to ask Xaden about certain things. Xaden, especially, felt like the most passive boyfriend in the world. Violet doesn’t ask before she acts, so why would Xaden believe that the “If you ask, I’ll answer” deal would be a good idea? It would have been great if both characters actually took initiative to communicate, but no, the misunderstandings just seem to pile until it blows up. They had their moments, sure. But my problems with this aspect kind of outweigh my enjoyment of them.
Let me talk about the biggest unnecessary splice of flavor and spice that was sprinkled on their already rough relationship. She did not need to show up and wreak havoc like this. All she did was make Violet look more impulsive and emotional than she already was. I will admit Violet putting her down was satisfying, and her finishing quote definitely was fun to read. But I hate this trope in all sorts of media, and am only able to endure it in minimal amounts.
Character development. It was weird. It felt weird. I'm not entirely sure. Some of this felt realistic (for example, Violet as she went through things), some of it felt rushed and out of the blue. I felt like some characters were more out of character than I felt comfortable with.
Sloane. I was excited when she was introduced. I was prepared for a lot of angst and I guess I did get angst. I liked that she didn’t like Violet immediately. It wouldn’t have made sense if she did. What I can say is a bit blackmail-ish is the withholding of the certain thing until she needed to convince her of something. If I were in that position, I would be more resentful that these weren’t given to me immediately.
Liam. My Liam. He made my heart hurt. He made me feel things. Many things (I like angst, so this is positive).
Tairn and Andarna. I will stand by my Fourth Wing review that the dragons were my favorite characters in this entire series. Their interactions with each other + Violet was amazing. And honestly, one of the few things I could peacefully enjoy all throughout my reading it.
Ah this is getting long. The plot. Like I said, there were multiple unnecessary subplots and stories that made the book feel longer despite nothing actually ever happening. And a lot of them don't really bring it back up because of all the things that's actually happening. Fourth Wing kept you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns, and Iron Flame wouldn’t disappoint. I never felt bored anywhere in the plot, though I can say this is paced more normally than Fourth Wing. It felt a bit slow during the first half, but not much of a problem unless you were hoping for the first book’s original pacing.
The ending. Okay, so I genuinely had no idea how or what to feel after reading this. I actually had no words for this. I finished the book and just sat there in either sheer disbelief or exhilaration or even exhaustion. In fact, I still don’t. But I definitely know I’m sitting here anxiously waiting for the aftermath of these events that will (hopefully) be dealt with on Onyx Storm.
Overall rating it at a strong 3. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did Fourth Wing, but I will say it's a good sequel. I feel I wrote about my dislikes more than my likes, but when I went through it, it felt like a somewhat balanced review. There were too many things I wanted to enjoy but couldn’t because of its delivery. Or the lack of a follow-up to the whole overall story. But that doesn’t mean that this whole book was a shitshow. I still have parts I enjoyed. The quotes were a hit-or-miss, either I got obsessed with them or felt a shudder go through me (not the good kind). I stand by my opening line, I wasn’t sure what I expected going through this book but it wasn’t this. It can be perceived as good or bad, to be really honest. But I definitely finished the book and will be waiting for the next!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No