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A review by shayna_hadassah
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
tense
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
3.75
If I have to continue to be subjected to Gen Z slang I'm going to actually lose it.
"You're more important to me than this revolution and everyone here."
"Same."
SAME????? Are you kidding????? S A M E. Fucking SAME???????????
Listen. I use this slang. If it were used in a joking context, or when the characters were goofing around, sure. I could let it slide. But you're going to just drop it on me out of nowhere? I'm immediately drop-kicked out of the narrative.
The characters and relationships were stronger in this book than in the previous one, which was nice. We had some depth and nice world-building. Certain parts felt like more of the focus was on being complex just for the sake of it than for adding anything meaningful.I think the biggest offender of this was when Violet had the opportunity to actually ask Xaden the questions she had, and then didn't. You built up to so much being hidden and then just. didn't ask most of the questions that Violet had. She literally said, "I'm going to ask you all the questions." and then didn't!
I very much did enjoy the reveal about Xaden! That felt like Violet being the intelligent heroine we keep being told she is. She figured out his secret, and then figured out what the secret actually was, on her own. That had foreshadowing! We were given clues! But they were subtle enough that she figured it out without the narrative holding her hand about it. Excellent set up.
Seeing them have the same fight over and over again got old really quickly. That argument happened just about the same way three or four times. Violet even said they kept having the same argument. Finally they got through it but boy was that painful.
I really enjoyed how Violet's mother was fleshed out! She had a very small part but it really built her up and made her much more complex. I felt like throwing Xaden's ex in there as bait for Violet was incredibly cheap, but her power is cool, so half a point. Can we make a decision about Dain though?He was a friend, then he was a love interest, then just a friend, then an antagonist, then an enemy, then an ally, then a friend again? It isn't even that he's moving between categories, it's that he isn't really being fleshed out in any of those roles. Of all of the characters, he's the one who feels most like a character, i.e., he's just being moved to where he's most convenient for the narrative without enough depth to make me really care about his motivations. He needs to be there, so he's there, and we'll build the reasoning later.
The dragon lore continues to be the coolest part of the story.The bit about the ward stone really bothered me with Violet's character though. She's supposed to be so intelligent, but not reading "the six and one" as "seven" really made me question why she gets to be the main character. Obviously no one else put it together either but to read "the six and the one" and not bother to question the "one" at all until another translation literally has the number seven in it was ridiculous. The interactions between the dragons and how they fight feel real in the world and have rules that they follow. I appreciate that the rules of the universe stay consistent and the struggles of the characters don't get hand-waved away because of magic.
The fact that the characters have to train and plan and take time to come to decisions is a huge selling point for me; magic just changes their world, it doesn't automatically make it easier. Different languages being something they have to learn is nice too, instead of having them magicked into a lesser problem.
Fight scenes are still punchy and fast-paced. Descriptions are vibrant without being overwhelming. The explicit scenes were a little cringy and exhibitionist, which I did not appreciate, but that could very well just be a me thing. I did find some of the phrasing to be pretty repetitive, which just sounded like lazy writing to my ears; there are plenty of ways to describe the fact that things are happening quickly without using the phrase "in the span of two heartbeats" three times in the same scene.
I do want to know more about this world. The conflict itself is interesting and I enjoy having this hidden information that needs to be sussed out.
The twist at the end was less enjoyable than in the last book and, I thought, felt too much like having a twist for the sake of having a twist. There wasn't any build up. There was one line that could clue you in that something might happen, but no indication that something like that would happen. Honestly I think it's Andarna that will make me read the next installment more than the twist with Xaden. I thought his decision was unnecessary. Maybe kinda stupid. I think she's cool as hell.
And if I have to listen to some kind of intense declaration followed by "same" again I'm going to blow a gasket.
"Same."
SAME????? Are you kidding????? S A M E. Fucking SAME???????????
Listen. I use this slang. If it were used in a joking context, or when the characters were goofing around, sure. I could let it slide. But you're going to just drop it on me out of nowhere? I'm immediately drop-kicked out of the narrative.
The characters and relationships were stronger in this book than in the previous one, which was nice. We had some depth and nice world-building. Certain parts felt like more of the focus was on being complex just for the sake of it than for adding anything meaningful.
I very much did enjoy the reveal about Xaden! That felt like Violet being the intelligent heroine we keep being told she is. She figured out his secret, and then figured out what the secret actually was, on her own. That had foreshadowing! We were given clues! But they were subtle enough that she figured it out without the narrative holding her hand about it. Excellent set up.
Seeing them have the same fight over and over again got old really quickly. That argument happened just about the same way three or four times. Violet even said they kept having the same argument. Finally they got through it but boy was that painful.
I really enjoyed how Violet's mother was fleshed out! She had a very small part but it really built her up and made her much more complex. I felt like throwing Xaden's ex in there as bait for Violet was incredibly cheap, but her power is cool, so half a point. Can we make a decision about Dain though?
The dragon lore continues to be the coolest part of the story.
The fact that the characters have to train and plan and take time to come to decisions is a huge selling point for me; magic just changes their world, it doesn't automatically make it easier. Different languages being something they have to learn is nice too, instead of having them magicked into a lesser problem.
Fight scenes are still punchy and fast-paced. Descriptions are vibrant without being overwhelming. The explicit scenes were a little cringy and exhibitionist, which I did not appreciate, but that could very well just be a me thing. I did find some of the phrasing to be pretty repetitive, which just sounded like lazy writing to my ears; there are plenty of ways to describe the fact that things are happening quickly without using the phrase "in the span of two heartbeats" three times in the same scene.
I do want to know more about this world. The conflict itself is interesting and I enjoy having this hidden information that needs to be sussed out.
The twist at the end was less enjoyable than in the last book and, I thought, felt too much like having a twist for the sake of having a twist. There wasn't any build up. There was one line that could clue you in that something might happen, but no indication that something like that would happen. Honestly I think it's Andarna that will make me read the next installment more than the twist with Xaden. I thought his decision was unnecessary. Maybe kinda stupid. I think she's cool as hell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Death of parent