Iron Flame

3,5/5⭐️
Ik vond dit boek mega verwarrend. Het was net alsof ze 100.000 onderdelen in dit boek wilde proppen. Familiedrama, draken, de boeken, relatie met Xaden, school en nog veel meer. Het was echt een infodump op sommige momenten waardoor de chaos nog erger werd. Super jammer.
Het einde was zowel een cliffhanger als een verwarrend einde. Ik heb zo veel vragen...
Ik vraag me af wat ze in de aankomen 3 boeken wil gaan bespreken als deze al zo chaotisch was...

Struggling to gather my thoughts after that ending – it's left me in quite a whirlwind. Admittedly, it's been a few weeks since I turned the final page of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. Yet, despite the passage of time, I've found myself unable to muster the energy to pen a review devoid of my frustration with its conclusion. However, I'll strive to offer a balanced perspective.

Let me begin by acknowledging that Iron Flame serves as a commendable sequel to Fourth Wing, earning a solid 4-star rating akin to its predecessor. I approached this book with deliberate pacing, opting to immerse myself fully by simultaneously listening to the audio version while reading. Additionally, a physical copy of Iron Flame is needed to grace my shelf.

The dynamic between Violet and Xaden, while captivating, also incited a fair share of exasperation. Their love is undeniable, yet their constant skirmishes grew wearisome. Amidst the fiery passion, the abundance of arguments overshadowed the narrative's enjoyment. While a couple of discussions about trust would suffice, the repetitive nature of their exchanges became draining, detracting from the story's allure.

Furthermore, my admiration for Violet waned throughout the novel. In Fourth Wing, she epitomized strength and resilience, employing her intellect to navigate challenges. However, in Iron Flame, her character seemed diminished, particularly in her inability to grasp Xaden's predicament. Despite his efforts to elucidate his constraints, she remained obstinate, a trait that proved irksome and diminished her appeal.

Violet's vacillation regarding her role compounded my frustrations. Oscillating between self-blame and a sense of inadequacy, she struggled to find equilibrium. While burdened with immense responsibilities, her inconsistency and emotional volatility detracted from her character's depth, at times rendering her portrayal somewhat grating.

The narrative's exposition occasionally overwhelmed, bogging down the initial chapters. While essential for world-building, the deluge of information proved taxing, leading to a sluggish start that hindered engagement.

However, amidst these criticisms, Iron Flame's merits endure. Its intricate plot and unique storytelling captivated my imagination, ensuring my investment in the characters and their tumultuous journey. Despite my grievances, the novel's twists and turns continue to intrigue, underscoring its compelling narrative.

As a final plea to the author, I implore an end to cliffhangers, as they only compound the emotional toll of prolonged anticipation

Violet thought that surviving the first year in Basgiath was going to be difficult. Little did she know that surviving the second year after finding out life-changing secrets at the end of Fourth Wing is going to be even more difficult. Between discovering new enemies, more hidden secrets, and making new allies, the second year is going to be more interesting, but definitely more difficult than the first.

This book was a journey to read! For one thing, I am happy that the Sorrengail siblings got back together. I kept expecting Mira to pick the wrong side of the conflict, so I was thrilled she showed up at Aretia.  I loved seeing the growth in Xaden's character and his relationship with Violet. However, his insistence on her asking questions to receive information felt unfair. If these two communicated better, maybe things wouldn't have ended the way they did. Oh, and that ending! It HURT!  Oh, and I love adolescent Andarna more than I love teenage Groot, and that's saying a lot. And Tairn rules!

I don't often theorize about where the stories I am reading will go, but I have a theory for this I want to share.  I felt a lot of betrayal from Markham, having been Violet's mentor before she joined the riders. There was a mention that the leadership positions used to be occupied by members of the different quadrants. I think the scribes did not like this, and, not being able to face the riders, they needed someone stronger, so they dug up the knowledge to create the venin and wyverns. I am also worried the venin's leader will be Xaden's mom!

Uhh, pretty mid read. Story could have been great, so many missed opportunities. Everyone LOVED Liam, why would we not have gotten to read those letters and watch Sloane stop hating violet? Just more weird pacing and immature writing, 700 pages of the same juvenile fight between MCs, just, meh. But apparently all it takes for me to like a book is personified dragons 🤷

I didn't not like this book. It felt longer than the Bible. It just went on and on. I didn't mind the world building, I didn't mind the final battle at the end, loved a lot of the secrets, but it just took forever to end. It was like walking uphill, in the sand, during a storm with too much downward wind. It dragged. Still will finish the series, but ugh....

I finished Iron Flame last night, and while I usually write my reviews right after I finish, I needed to sit with this for a bit. This book made me feel lots of things! Iron Flame picks up right where Fourth Wing left off, which I was so glad for (IYKYK)! This book is FULL of details and information— literally so much to remember and process— and lots of new characters. I feel like some of the details could have been better fleshed out, and I hope that comes later in the series. There's alliances and betrayals and secrets. I had a pit in my stomach most of the book because I didn't know where the story was going. We still get that great banter between the characters especially Xaden and Violet, which I loved. I also loved the found family within of their squad. The romance and spice were definitely there but not the highlight of this book, which felt to me more plot driven. Iron Flame is an adult fantasy, 18+ for sexual content

I expected more resolution in this book but it was just filled with more loose ends.

The late nights Violet spent researching solutions were tedious and really slowed the overall pace of the story. Apparently, we couldn't find this information out any other way, even with a mind reader on the home team. (More on that later.) Despite all that time together, Dain and Violet's relationship remained unresolved.

Aretia and the warding component was an interesting world-building addition. The dragons and gryphons coming together was also interesting enough. Cat and Violet spent a while trying to kill each other with some brutal emotional manipulation, so their beef was resolved way too easily.

Then, Xaden disappeared for huge sections at a time and the reasoning seemed weak. Maybe his character was inconvenient to the plot with his ability to read minds? Once a character becomes too powerful, some plot twists don't hold water. Extra note: Violet has two signet because she has two dragons, but why does Xaden have two signets if he only has one dragon? Violet spent so much time wondering about Xaden that I almost put the book down.

Finally, the change in POV in the end was so jarring left on a terrible cliffhanger. All I wanted was some modicum of closure for something, anything.

Despite the all the unresolved things, I enjoyed seeing Violet and her siblings come together, charging totems, and every scene with Andarna.

This book was entertaining enough but I won't be reading the next one.

I enjoyed this a bit more than the first book, but it certainly wasn't perfect. Mainly because I was not as annoyed with Violet in this book (emphasis on the “not as”). I had fun with this plot, as it focused more on the conflict and answering some of the questions left unanswered in the first book. The action scenes were riveting and the book's ending delivered equal parts hope, sadness, and anger. I was sobbing by the end of the book. The romance part was the weaker point compared to the fantasy elements, even if I do overall like Xaden and Violet together. It's just not executed as well as it could be.

Some minor complaints (no plot spoilers):

-Violet, Violet, Violet. I liked her a lot more this book, but the conflict with Xaden felt much more forced this time. Her trust issues are so bad that I genuinely think the Healers Quadrant should dedicate a few healers to her therapy. She was being pretty unreasonable, but part of the reason it didn't bother me as much is that I knew that's how she was going to be. I tuned her out when she was being annoying. Our boy Xaden was trying his best and she was not making it easy.

-Side characters: Rebecca is trying to create a big world with this series. I get it. But there are SO MANY side characters I'm supposed to care about that most of them feel very underdeveloped. A more focused approach to side characters would probably make them more compelling.

-The writing: It's not that different from the first book, but I still some of the dialogue and themes feel quite superficial. Some people say it felt rushed, and that could very well be it. After all, both of these books being released the same year is a good indicator of this.

If you enjoyed the first book, I would absolutely recommend reading this. I had a very good time reading it and found a lot of the plot points very compelling and interesting. I didn't pick up this series expecting perfection, just a fun time. And it mostly delivered. I am invested in this storyline and will be picking up the next book.

Note: I read this book while also listening to the audiobook. I feel like it enhanced my reading experience and the emotions felt much more palpable. Take this into account as the medium one consumes a book can make the experience very different from others.

While I did enjoy this, for nearly the entire book I was wondering how this was going to be a 5 book series. It had a ‘middle book' feel but it's only book 2, then the ending happened. Such a good ending and massive twist for the next book.

I will say that the arguments  between Violet and Xaden became annoyingly repetitive but I do like both characters together and and apart so hopefully that doesn't continue in the next book.

Well THAT is a cliffhanger. I'm just so irritated at one of the main characters now that I'm not sure I'll be able to judge this book until the next one comes out. This is still like the first, though - fast-paced, and fun. I hope Yarros' popularity doesn't lead to the two main issues I sometimes see in later books in a series: overly complicated plots and not enough editing!

So this one was a tough read for me. I felt like it dragged on and it took me so long to finish because I kept putting it down because I was bored. That being said, I'm glad I stuck it out and finished it. I was sobbing like a baby during the final scene with her mom, I was surprised that Andarna was a different breed, even though there were a lot of little hints kinda sprinkled throughout that I didn't pick up on, and obviously the ending with Xaden. Still don't love Violet, she annoys me.