Review: Iron Flame ~ Rebecca Yarros

 Click on this image to learn more about this book on Goodreads
 
 
Format I Used: Physical Book/Audiobook
Pages: 624
Running Time: 28h:16m
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Publication Date: November 7, 2023

 

A review. FINALLY.

This is a belated kind of a review for Iron Flame but also an explanation behind why I DNF'd Fourth Wing. 

It's long, it's ranty and rambly and there WILL BE SPOILERS for both books. So click AWAY from this review if you are currently reading or planning on reading this series, and don't want things ruined.

 

 **Picture not mine. it's from Seventeen Magazine.**

Here's a picture of BTS for you to look at to give you more time to CLICK AWAY FROM THE REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS.

This was Hunger Games x Divergent x Vampire Academy, BUT! with Big, Scary, Dragons. So if you love any or all of the aforementioned items, you'll probably like this one. Is it the best book ever written? No. But I was there for the vibes only and was enjoying reading it until I wasn't anymore.

I'm trying to be fair, and not let my grudge against Fourth Wing color my review. 

"Grudge? What grudge?" you may ask. I'd love to tell you. If you would like to skip past most of the grumbling about Fourth Wing and get straight into the review, please jump down past the picture of the beautiful BTS

Hello, my name is Kait, and I DNF'd Fourth Wing at 57% but still read the entirety of Iron Flame.

Why? Well, I was minding my own business reading, IMMENSELY enjoying myself when Tik Tok decided to throw a big bad spoiler at me. And not just ANY spoiler. It was about Liam dying. And not just a "oh how sad, he died" it was an Illustration of Violet sitting there holding onto Liam as he died, with his dragon kind of wrapped around them both, ALSO dying. 

I closed the book and walked away.

I was LIVID.

Why? I have literally no idea.

My friend who had already finished was giving me a bad time about it.

J: Kait, do you KNOW how many books you've recommended to me where someone has DIED and I kept reading it?!

Me: I DO know, because I also read those books AND kept reading them even after someone died. So that tells you how much this shook me up.

Fantasy books are my favorite, I KNOW how many side characters die. I stay caught up on Jujutsu Kaisen chapters, and we all know how many people get killed in that (which is a whole other post) and I KEEP READING IT. I don't know why Liam dying got me in such a tizzy, but here we are.

And I did have a feeling that Liam would die, it's right there in my Kindle Highlights and Notes:

I did in deed riot... Well, in my own way.

I have not finished it, but I have looked at all the spoilers and I know enough about what happens to not feel bad about just jumping straight into book 2.

This (book 2) keeps teeter-tottering between a 3 and a 4 star read for me. So I'll go ahead and stick it at a solid 3.5

I LOVED the dragons. Tairn was the main character, you can't tell me otherwise. His commentary and back and forth with Violet had me cackling. I also loved how FIERCE and protective he was over her and the way he got back and Varrish for trying to punish Violet, was *chef's kiss*

I'm trying not to get attached to any more characters, but man do I love Violet's squad, and all her other friends that she's managed to make along the way. The found family trope is one of my favorites to read about.

Rhi, Jesinia, Imogen, Sawyer, Ridoc, Bodhi, Garrick, and I know I'm probably forgetting someone. They're all just so amazing, and ugh. They all deserve the world, and I hope they all make it out alive and end up happy ish (even if some of them aren't all in one piece anymore). I'm also curious to find out more about Aaric...

And let's not forget the ACTUAL family relationship. loved the Sorrengail siblings. I can't wait to see more of them in the next few books.

I had mixed feelings about Violet. I liked how strong she had the potential to be and I can appreciate the fact that she wants to protect the people that she loves, but holy moly she was reckless so many times for no good reason. And the whole NON COMMUNICATION I refuse to sit down and have a conversation with you, even though you told me I could ask whatever I wanted to because I can't trust you thing had me wanting to tear my hair out. 

Xaden. I do love Shadow Daddy Xaden. Which should come as no surprise, because Shadowsinger Azriel is my favorite from ACOTAR (You may compare him to Rhys, but I compare him to Az) I also liked some of the back and forth between Violet and Xaden, but some of it was exhausting. And he was taking his protectiveness a little too far at times. I get where he was coming from, but I agreed with Violet when she accused him of acting like Dain (as far as being too overprotective.)

I never really hated Dain as much as everyone else did. On a scale of Adam Kent to Tamlin, he was more on the Adam side. He still did some crappy things, but not all the crappy things that so many people thought that he did. And he understands what he did and is working on making up for it. He left against orders and didn't read her mind a few times, and he eventually helped her escape. I think that he thought that he was truly doing the right thing at the time in Fourth Wing.

I thought it was interesting to see the difference between the Gryphon riders and the Dragon riders and how aghast the Gryphon riders were at some of the things (mainly the fact that so many dragon riders get unalived) that happen at Basgiath.

I didn't like that there was a whole lot of nothing happening for a long time. A big majority of the book was just Violent and Xaden flying back and forth to see each other. I didn't feel like anything really important was happening during any of that.

The A U D A C I  T Y that the author had to bring back Jack mother fluffing BARLOWE. I was livid, because WHY?! (I suppose, given the circumstances with Xaden it makes sense. ugh.) Do we get a Liam back? NO. What do we get instead? Violet hallucinating him (or maybe seeing his ghost) while she's being held and TORTURED! He's there for her offering comfort and telling her that she's so strong and none of it's her fault, and doing everything that sweet Liam would do.

I didn't appreciate that. At all. And there were other mentions of Liam spread throughout the book (which I get. They're all mourning Liam) I just really really didn't like that they pulled him back in the way they did. It was painful (to me) and felt unnecessary. I had JUST finished mourning over him and now all of a sudden he's back but not really, and then we lose him all over again.

Was I surprised that Dimitri Xaden got turned into a Strigoi? Venin? No. I was not. I think by the time I got to this point I was still focused on being upset about Liam, and it really just didn't faze me. Also, I read this exact same thing in Vampire Academy, so I figure it will end similarly to Rose and Dimitri's story, so it's FINE.

I will probably read the next book, just because I feel like I have to know what's going to happen.

 

Did It Make Me Cry? Lol. SO Many times. And it was every single time something came up about Liam. I have a problem.

 

Favorite Notes and Highlights (96 total but most of them were involving Liam, so..)

“Ugh. Let’s go throw knives at shit.”

“I’m not wandering, Violet. I’m exactly where I need to be.” (one of the quotes that actually made me cry)

 

“You’re all right.” Liam steadies my shoulder. “I’ll be right here. I’m not going to leave you.” 

 

“Your father will be so disappointed,” Varrish hisses through bloody, clenched teeth. Coughing up blood means he doesn’t have long. “If he already knows what Violet showed me, then I’m the one disappointed in him,” Dain counters, picking up his sword and raising it at Varrish.

 

“But he didn’t break you, Violet,” Liam says softly from the corner of the room, and my chest squeezes tight as he takes a step back toward the shadows. Then another. “How about this—I promise the next time I’m beaten for five days straight, I’ll let you carry me out of the prison,” Xaden says, sheathing his swords behind his back. “Thank you,” I say—to both men.

 

“So what are the Sorrengail siblings going to do now that you’re all reunited?” Xaden asks, lifting his head to look at my family. “We’re going to beat the shit out of our brother,” Mira answers with a smile. “Survive,” Brennan chimes in.

 

“Good. That hilt is eight inches—” “Seven,” Dain corrects. “Imagine a man actually shortening a girl’s estimate,” Maren teases.     

 “About Riorson—” My entire body tenses. “Be very careful with your words.” “Are you in love with him?” he asks, his voice breaking on the last word as he pivots to face me fully. “Because Garrick and I heard the end of what he said in the interrogation chamber, and trust me, I might be in love with him after that declaration, but are you? Really and truly?” “Yes.” I hold his stare long enough that he knows I mean what I say. “And that’s never going to change.” Dain’s jaw flexes and he nods once. “Then I’ll trust him as much as you do.”

 “We get both of you?” Ridoc offers a quick smile. “Maybe we have a shot of lasting an hour.” “My money’s on two,” Sawyer chimes in with a nod. “Both of you shut up before I knock your heads together,” Imogen warns from a seat behind us. “Anything less than four hours is unacceptable.”