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A review by dylanhenning
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Ok let’s talk about Iron Flame. Let’s start with what I did like because that’s always more fun.
• There was more world building and lore here and as a fantasy fan I really love that. Having rich lore and world building helps me feel more connected to the fictional world that’s being presented to me and make the characters struggles and challenges feel more relatable even though I will never experience these fantastical things in my real life.
• The cast of characters got more time to feel fleshed out and interesting. In Fourth Wing they largely felt like they were part of the background. Here they felt like they were part of the story. Injecting humor, drama, and emotional drama into the world helping it feel more real.
• The Ending. A book can be made or broken by how it sticks the landing with its ending. Especially in an ongoing series. I am happy to say that Rebecca Yarros delivers a satisfying ending that provides some answers but also sets some questions for additional books and leaving the reader wanting more.
Now for the things I didn’t like…
• Violet and Xaden have extremely bad communication in their relationship and it’s honestly toxic at times even though it’s often romanticized or sensationalized. They don’t communicate their needs or wants and then get mad at each other for not instinctively knowing the right thing to ask or knowing to volunteer certain facts and information themselves.
• This book suffers from bloat which is largely why I’m giving it a 3.5 rating. There’s a lot of fantastic story here but it’s weighed down by a lot of extraneous stuff that doesn’t matter to the overall plot or character development. This book came out just months after its predecessor Fourth Wing and it feels rushed. It feels like it didn’t have proper editing or else large chunks of inconsequential material would’ve been taken out or slimmed down to make the pacing and flow of the story smoother.
• There was more world building and lore here and as a fantasy fan I really love that. Having rich lore and world building helps me feel more connected to the fictional world that’s being presented to me and make the characters struggles and challenges feel more relatable even though I will never experience these fantastical things in my real life.
• The cast of characters got more time to feel fleshed out and interesting. In Fourth Wing they largely felt like they were part of the background. Here they felt like they were part of the story. Injecting humor, drama, and emotional drama into the world helping it feel more real.
• The Ending. A book can be made or broken by how it sticks the landing with its ending. Especially in an ongoing series. I am happy to say that Rebecca Yarros delivers a satisfying ending that provides some answers but also sets some questions for additional books and leaving the reader wanting more.
Now for the things I didn’t like…
• Violet and Xaden have extremely bad communication in their relationship and it’s honestly toxic at times even though it’s often romanticized or sensationalized. They don’t communicate their needs or wants and then get mad at each other for not instinctively knowing the right thing to ask or knowing to volunteer certain facts and information themselves.
• This book suffers from bloat which is largely why I’m giving it a 3.5 rating. There’s a lot of fantastic story here but it’s weighed down by a lot of extraneous stuff that doesn’t matter to the overall plot or character development. This book came out just months after its predecessor Fourth Wing and it feels rushed. It feels like it didn’t have proper editing or else large chunks of inconsequential material would’ve been taken out or slimmed down to make the pacing and flow of the story smoother.