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A review by writerres27
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Total rating: 3.75
Overview:
I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good follow-up to the first book, Fourth Wing. I am happy with the development of the plot and its pacing, but was disappointed in the amount of time spent on some aspects that felt like a waste of pages. I am looking forward to continuing the series, but I do hope Yarros takes her time with this next book, as there were aspects of this one that felt rushed and unrefined.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot commentary:
Great pacing. The characters' world is thrown into disarray at the end of Fourth Wing, and the fast-paced chaos of Iron Flame is exactly what one should expect to follow that. I was engaged the entire way, eager to see what would happen next. I found the duration of the book to be acceptable, though there are certainly a handful of repetitive scenes regarding Xaden and Violet's dynamic, as well as those involving Cat, that I feel were not necessary/took up too much time. The conflict in this book was complex, looking at the internal conflicts within both Violet and Xaden throughout the whole book as well as the conflict between them, the greater conflict of Aretia against Basgiath/Navarre, the conflict-turned-alliance between Aretia and Poromiel, and the big-picture conflict of all of these parties against the dark wielders. There were a variety of dynamics and plot points to pay attention to, and I feel all of them were adequately addressed, even if certain aspects could have been developed a bit more clearly and others may not have needed as much attention as they received.
Character commentary:
The vast majority of the characters felt that they were in the midst of an evolution, which is what I would expect in a second book of a series. While some characters felt a bit overdone, such as Cat, I found all of the characters that carried over from the first book were facing new and continued challenges that, while developing their character, posed significant moral questions for the characters to work through. I found the characters to be consistent, nothing felt extremely out of place for any of them. I found general relatability in the character, though it is always a challenge when your main characters, in this case Violet and Xaden, are being stubborn and make you want to yell at them. I found the character development of the dragons, as well as the relationships between the dragons and their riders, to be one of my favorite aspects. Learning more about this dynamic certainly influenced my rating of the book.
Setting/World-Building commentary:
The one significant flaw with this book, likely due to the speed at which it was released, is that I found myself having to go back to earlier sections of the book, as well as all the way back to the first book, to better understand new developments in the magic system and the world. While I was still engaged, there were definitely moments where things that were likely obvious to the author were lost in translation to the reader. I could have used a bit more re-contextualizing at the beginning, and I would have appreciated some of the new discoveries made by Violet, Jesinia, Dain, Rhi, and Xaden being expanded upon.
Misc./Other commentary:
I did need to reread paragraphs, or even pages, multiple times along the way because they were not written in the most digestible way. Once again, this is likely due to the fast pace at which the book was published, and I think it would be valuable for Yarros to take her time on the rest of the series to ensure readability and flow is a bit stronger. I did not have these issues with the first book, so I'm optimistic that they won't continue. I'm eager to see where she takes the rest of the series, especially given the fact that she has once again served us a cliffhanger ending, in multiple regards this time.
Overview:
I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good follow-up to the first book, Fourth Wing. I am happy with the development of the plot and its pacing, but was disappointed in the amount of time spent on some aspects that felt like a waste of pages. I am looking forward to continuing the series, but I do hope Yarros takes her time with this next book, as there were aspects of this one that felt rushed and unrefined.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot commentary:
Great pacing. The characters' world is thrown into disarray at the end of Fourth Wing, and the fast-paced chaos of Iron Flame is exactly what one should expect to follow that. I was engaged the entire way, eager to see what would happen next. I found the duration of the book to be acceptable, though there are certainly a handful of repetitive scenes regarding Xaden and Violet's dynamic, as well as those involving Cat, that I feel were not necessary/took up too much time. The conflict in this book was complex, looking at the internal conflicts within both Violet and Xaden throughout the whole book as well as the conflict between them, the greater conflict of Aretia against Basgiath/Navarre, the conflict-turned-alliance between Aretia and Poromiel, and the big-picture conflict of all of these parties against the dark wielders. There were a variety of dynamics and plot points to pay attention to, and I feel all of them were adequately addressed, even if certain aspects could have been developed a bit more clearly and others may not have needed as much attention as they received.
Character commentary:
The vast majority of the characters felt that they were in the midst of an evolution, which is what I would expect in a second book of a series. While some characters felt a bit overdone, such as Cat, I found all of the characters that carried over from the first book were facing new and continued challenges that, while developing their character, posed significant moral questions for the characters to work through. I found the characters to be consistent, nothing felt extremely out of place for any of them. I found general relatability in the character, though it is always a challenge when your main characters, in this case Violet and Xaden, are being stubborn and make you want to yell at them. I found the character development of the dragons, as well as the relationships between the dragons and their riders, to be one of my favorite aspects. Learning more about this dynamic certainly influenced my rating of the book.
Setting/World-Building commentary:
The one significant flaw with this book, likely due to the speed at which it was released, is that I found myself having to go back to earlier sections of the book, as well as all the way back to the first book, to better understand new developments in the magic system and the world. While I was still engaged, there were definitely moments where things that were likely obvious to the author were lost in translation to the reader. I could have used a bit more re-contextualizing at the beginning, and I would have appreciated some of the new discoveries made by Violet, Jesinia, Dain, Rhi, and Xaden being expanded upon.
Misc./Other commentary:
I did need to reread paragraphs, or even pages, multiple times along the way because they were not written in the most digestible way. Once again, this is likely due to the fast pace at which the book was published, and I think it would be valuable for Yarros to take her time on the rest of the series to ensure readability and flow is a bit stronger. I did not have these issues with the first book, so I'm optimistic that they won't continue. I'm eager to see where she takes the rest of the series, especially given the fact that she has once again served us a cliffhanger ending, in multiple regards this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Gore, War, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Animal death