Iron Flame

by Rebecca Yarros ★★★★★

Like with previous reviews of books in a series, I will start with a warning:

If you have not yet read Fourth Wing, STOP READING THIS NOW!

My review below is of its sequel, Iron Flame, which will contain major spoilers for Fourth Wing, but not for Iron Flame. And if you're curious about what's sparking all of that Fourth Wing hype, my review of that first book in the series is here.

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Iron Flame picks up immediately where Fourth Wing ended. Our heroine, Violet Sorrengail, has just survived a battle with venin — wielders of dark magic she (and most of the rest of the population) grew up thinking were purely myth — losing classmates from Basgiath War College in the process and nearly losing her own life. Injured in the battle, she has been brought to a remote location, where she was healed by none other than her brother, Brennan, who she believed had been killed six years prior.

We learn that Brennan is part of a secret rebellion, a group of people hiding out in the Tyrrish capital city of Aretia, fighting to smuggle weaponry to fighting squadrons who guard the lands outside the wards of the kingdom and keep the venin at bay. With the knowledge that the venin are real, they’re infuriated that the kingdom continues to allow innocents outside the protection of the wards of the kingdom to fall victim while its citizens naively believe that venin are nothing but myth. As Violet regains her strength, she and the surviving members of Fourth Wing find themselves at a crossroads. Do they stay and fight with the rebels? Or do they return to Basgiath, fabricate a story about how they survived, and continue with their studies as they work to secretly support the rebels from within Basgiath? They choose the latter option, and to the shock of those Basgiath leaders who never expected them to survive, they return just in time for graduation and to start Year 2.

As their studies and training continue, the stakes rise. A new vice commandant, Major Varrish, is introduced. Varrish has a reputation for violence and a history of torturing people to death under interrogation, and he has his sights set on exposing Violet to be the traitor he believes she is. Violet’s relationship with Xaden continues as well, but it is strained. Violet is frustrated that Xaden had previously (and continues to) withhold information from her. As she says, “Xaden may be gorgeous, and powerful, and terrifyingly lethal — which shouldn’t be the turn-on it is— but I can’t trust him to tell me the truth about…well, anything. Which really hurts, considering how pathetically in love with him I am.” Violet demands complete openness, and when Xaden refuses, explaining there are certain secrets that could get her (and others) killed if she knew and he’s not willing to risk that, Violet responds in the most potent way she can fathom: she cuts Xaden off from any sexual contact.

With neither willing to budge from their positions, they find themselves stalemated and separated. Since Xaden is now a lieutenant, he is sent on assigned, and his takes him to the remote outpost of Southern Wing, meaning he and Violet only see each other for 48 hours each week. With their contact limited and their relationship stalled — Xaden determined to protect Violet, and Violet willing to accept nothing less than complete transparency — the amount of lightning-creating sex in this sequel is limited. But for those that are fans of that component of the books, fear not -- you know eventually one of them will relent. As I said in my review of Fourth Wing, I could take or leave the romance; it really doesn't improve the book, and at times it's almost comic relief. After all, this is a book that includes the sentence “I wrap my fingers around him, bringing the head of his cock to my entrance.” Someone had suggested to me that there was even more sex in Iron Flame, but I don’t think that’s the case. The most that I can recall are two or three scenes — across 900 pages — and so while it’s amusing, it is only occasionally present.

Many of the components I appreciated about Fourth Wing are present in Iron Flame, but author Yarros also expands on what she started in the series. The plot evolves, broadens, and builds on the foundation of the first book. New groups are introduced — we get to meet the infantry students of Basgiath, for example, plus a new crop of first year dragon riders -- and an ever-broadening landscape expands the canvas on which the story is told, from a first book that was almost entirely set at Basgiath War College to a story that spans several locations in book two. A particularly entertaining sub-plot emerges when an old flame of Xaden’s — who, of course, is drop-dead gorgeous — finds her way into the story, making for several juicy scenes that drip with Violet’s jealousy. The book is long, but aside from Violet’s interminable stubbornness about Xaden’s secrets, it never felt burdensome, and once it hits its stride about a third of the way through it barrels ahead to a satisfying conclusion. Like with Fourth Wing, the book concludes at a natural breaking point, but also leaves you with a finishing cliffhanger.

Yarros has accomplished what so rarely happens — a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that is just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better. It's unlikely those who enjoyed Fourth Wing waited as long as I did to continue Violet’s journey, but if you’re on the fence, fear not — Iron Flame does not disappoint, and it seems as though this series is on track to become a must-read for fans of fantasy, romance, and everything in between.