REVIEW: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

OUR REVIEW:

This series is going to be the death of me...the wait alone is for book 3 may end me. The way that book two ends ...I just.... ugh. I can't wait for Court to finish it so we can both speculate on all the things. In the meantime....Violet and Xaden's story picks up right where we left off in Fourth Wing. We get more answers about Brennan. We get more intrigue. More history. More evil. More romance. And the beauty of it is that we get all of that from the comfort of knowing these characters, so you get to settle in and just enjoy the interactions, while deepening knowledge of who they are, which means that when new characters are introduced, it's not overwhelming because you already feel so comfortable with the characters from book 1. 

Violet seems stronger than ever and Xaden seems more human and their relationship? More complicated than ever. Each of them contribute to the complexity and it's kind of infuriating, even though there are times when you get why they're each dug into their positions.

I'm loving getting to know the secondary characters, too. They add humor and conflict and tension and relief and enrich and already engaging read--you can't help but root for all of them. And don't even get me started on the dragons--their snark and commentary is perfect.

This review kinda sucks but I'm realizing how hard it is to write without spoiling too much (but I will say that I accidentally happened on some HUGE spoilers for this book and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading, at all), so I'll just end with a huge, gushing READ THIS SERIES. IT'S SO GOOD.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/41qsur7

SYNOPSIS:

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Fourth Wing
Book #2 Iron Flame