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brittbee07 's review for:
Iron Flame
by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
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
Wow! What a ride! Just like with Fourth Wing, I struggled to put this one down each time I had to stop reading. I continue to find the characters engaging and am invested in their survival. Unfortunately, I had to take a long break in the middle of reading this book due to a busy schedule, so I'm not sure if I'm deducting a star solely because of the book itself or the interruption. As with my Fourth Wing review, there will be spoilers ahead.
Does this book suffer from being a sequel? Yes. Even more so because the first was so good - this one had big shoes to fill. I did get a little tired of Violent's relentless attitude toward Xaden. He has good reason to keep certain secrets to himself. I get where he came from on many of the secrets and I felt like Violet should have understood, too. (Not that Xaden was entirely in the clear, however). I did still appreciate that, once she uncovered a secret, Violet processed it instead of immediately writing Xaden off for holding something back. She was hurt but used her "Scribe's brain" to come to a logical conclusion.
I so appreciated Yarros giving Andarna her due. What a spunky little dragon. It was obvious she was different, and I liked how Yarros built that into her descriptions of Andarna so the reader had just a little more knowledge than Violet. And the continued growth that Andarna, Tairn, and Sgaeyl's relationship experiences make them all the more loveable.
I also loved that Dain got his chance to prove himself. Is he perfect? Absolutely not. But it says a lot about a person's character when they are willing to turn their back on everything they know and stand up for what they learn is right. Every character continued to grow into their own - even the new fliers that were introduced in Fourth Wing, but brought to light in Iron Flame. I really grew to love Cat, even if she was awful in the beginning. But that is something that Yarros has done so well in both books, she writes characters that grow and change. Even Violet's mother had her moment, even if it was utterly heartbreaking.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the next. Right now I'm afraid it may be hard, once again, to forgive Yarros for a decision. I hope it was actually necessary, because from this view, it wasn't.
Does this book suffer from being a sequel? Yes. Even more so because the first was so good - this one had big shoes to fill. I did get a little tired of Violent's relentless attitude toward Xaden. He has good reason to keep certain secrets to himself. I get where he came from on many of the secrets and I felt like Violet should have understood, too. (Not that Xaden was entirely in the clear, however). I did still appreciate that, once she uncovered a secret, Violet processed it instead of immediately writing Xaden off for holding something back. She was hurt but used her "Scribe's brain" to come to a logical conclusion.
I so appreciated Yarros giving Andarna her due. What a spunky little dragon. It was obvious she was different, and I liked how Yarros built that into her descriptions of Andarna so the reader had just a little more knowledge than Violet. And the continued growth that Andarna, Tairn, and Sgaeyl's relationship experiences make them all the more loveable.
I also loved that Dain got his chance to prove himself. Is he perfect? Absolutely not. But it says a lot about a person's character when they are willing to turn their back on everything they know and stand up for what they learn is right. Every character continued to grow into their own - even the new fliers that were introduced in Fourth Wing, but brought to light in Iron Flame. I really grew to love Cat, even if she was awful in the beginning. But that is something that Yarros has done so well in both books, she writes characters that grow and change. Even Violet's mother had her moment, even if it was utterly heartbreaking.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the next. Right now I'm afraid it may be hard, once again, to forgive Yarros for a decision. I hope it was actually necessary, because from this view, it wasn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Grief