A review by ko_rax
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

Iron Flame is the sequel of Rebecca Yarros' romantasy, preceeded by Fourth Wing, featuring further development of the revolution and conflicts arising in Violet's interpersonal relationships.

First things first: I cannot stand the protagonist, Violet. I have not liked her in Fourth Wing, either. Violet portrays toxicity for me, something I can do well without. Even so, I was hoping for her to have some character development (that proves good character building) and am troubled to find that I cannot discern much of it here.
Her conflicts dragged to a point that I feel like her slow-paced inner work does not match the high-strung tension of a fast-paced plot
that only ever took a breather during smut scenes
. That is not to say that inner work should be quick: Her disagreements felt repetitive -
a point that Violet herself acknowledges
- and it took away from the quality of the rushed plot, instead adding value by pushing lacklustre character development. Also, I wish 
Xaden took back saying that Violet is a rational being - she is not.


For a novel focused on romance, I dare say that it was lacking heavily in the romance department. I can only hope for The Empyrean series to improve from now on.
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