Hello everyone!
Oh you all knew I'd be going there, particularly after being LATE as all get-out for Fourth Wing thanks to my laptop issues back in the day.
I have no such ones now.
And I have a physical copy for the book to boot!
Ahem.
So let's not chatter too much and waste time while we have it, because there are a bunch of impatient dragons waiting, one of which is probably the biggest, grouchiest, sarcastic Dragon Dad of all time, and who needs to hang with Optimus Prime just so they can compare experiences.
I bet that would make for an awesome conversation.
But without further ado - ladies and gentlemen: Iron Flame.
To recap briefly, however: Fourth Wing is where we meet our heroine Violet, our anti-hero Xaden, and watch their slow-burn love story unfold against the backdrop of a military college where you either survive whatever the hell they throw at you, or die a painful death. Combine this with some secret that their kingdom somehow managed to wrap up and erase from their history books, and you've got yourself a big ass mystery to solve.
Now, in Iron Flame, we finally get back to the cliffhanger of the first book in which Violet gets to actually spend some time with her previously-thought-dead brother Brennan, but while most of this rebellion or revolution (whichever you want to call it) assembly wants to lock her up and throw away the key, Xaden thinks they should fly straight back to Basgiath and put everyone to the test.
Eventually, they do in fact return, with Andarna heading into the Dreamless Sleep to finish growing into the dragon she should be, and with the ranking people all gawking at the survivors of what was supposed to be a sure death for the lot.
This is also the first that Violet's mom happens to hear about the machinations, though, and she makes quick work of the man who nearly got one of her daughters killed (among others, and other transgressions betide), then proceeds to make it business as usual.
Basgiath therefore needs a new vice commandant, which is where our not-so-beloved Varrish comes in, the man we love to hate ... who makes sure to let everyone know HE wields the power and they should all remember it.
Between all the petty annoyances he springs up and actual brutal punishments (that I still don't know who even allowed, because, do they want Violet for a weapon or do they want her dead?), it's hard for our two star-crossed lovers to keep track of one another, especially as they're only given permission to visit once every week, alternating so it's a leave each two weeks, for the sake of their dragons.
Throughout all of this, Violet is researching the potential resurrection of wards, wanting to supply some for Aretia so they wouldn't have to worry about weapons and their mortal enemies, the venin.
And oh yeah, she and Xaden keep on keeping on with the usual fight because she's being an idiot and he's ... I'm not sure what he's being, actually.
Point of the matter being this: while she manages to evade punishment one time she and Tairn RACE to Xaden's military posting without permission or being given leave after there's insinuation that Xaden's badly wounded, she doesn't quite manage it during the secret mission op she and the gang launch to retrieve some diaries from the founders of Navarre to figure the wards out.
Yes, her squad mates are in on this by the time that rolls around, because unlike Xaden, who keeps everyone out, Violet needs people around her and, c'est la vie.
She's the one to get caught, though, and the one to get locked into a cell and tortured, visited by a hallucination of Liam's to get her through everything. Just long enough for Varrish to miscalculate when Dain, of all people, refuses to go along with the torment, and Xaden arrives to rescue her (after dropping wyvern carcasses all around the border for the military to scramble and try to keep them a secret).
Violet's mom also makes an appearance, showing she knows all about the venin and the biggest kept secret of Navarre, but that she pushed Violet into the Rider's quadrant precisely because she knew the scribes would get her killed. At least as a rider, she stands a chance.
So, Violet offers the cadets a chance, and she and Xaden take roughly half of Basgiath with them back to Brennan during this revolution, dragons (and eggs) included.
This is where the book switches into its second portion, during which Brennan needs to remember how to be a teacher, Violet unsuccessfully tries to raise the wards at Aretia, and she and Xaden CONTINUE being idiots. Or teens. I don't know which, but it ain't appealing or cute, trust me.
All the while, though, she's also learning to be more precise with her lightning powers while she's at it.
See, she learns that all this time, she's been taught the wrong things: she doesn't need to be fast and have multiple strikes, if she can be direct and hit it with one.
But also, she realizes she messed up with the wards and so their only other option is to go beg for what they need to forge more weapons, which is where she meets the woman Xaden was supposed to marry as per the arrangement between the families, but he definitely assures her that ain't happening.
And since he brought her Mira, her sister, as well as her squad, of course the Sorrengail siblings would face down a venin together and Violet would fry the thing while she was at it.
They get what they ask for - and Violet actually figures out what they need for the wards, which is not humans but dragons, and the wards do WORK, to a degree - but not entirely, so something is still wrong in her theory when put to practice.
They don't get much time before the kingdom's first general, Melgren, is calling for a meeting though and begging for help against all the venin supposedly gathered to decimate the kingdom's forces, which of course turns out to be a ruse because, they aren't after the army.
Violet figures out the ruse - they're after the wards at Basgiath college.
Ergo, back to school they all go, where JACK FUCKING BARLOWE, the guy Violet dropped a mountain on in the last installment and who was somehow brought back from the dead, reveals that he's venin, kills his own dragon, and uses her blood (and weight) to break the wardstone and let the venin army across the border to fight them all.
Again, it's Violet who has the solution: her brother COULD mend the wardstone, but how would they raise it all?
Turns out, very easily in the end: because the translation was wrong all along.
It was never six and the one, but SEVEN, and Andarna, the special dragonchild that she is, who's been changing colour all book long (including but not limited to when she fought Varrish's dragon when the thing was trying to eat them all in a series of caves), reveals she's a forgotten, SEVENTH dragon breed, and with her help they restore the wards, after Violet's mother sacrifices herself to imbue the stone with her power.
But there's a big problem.
It's name is Xaden.
Xaden, who was keeping the venin leader at bay, and who, hitting rock bottom of his power, reached for power that didn't come from Sgaeyl, his dragon, against her wishes, but to the magic flowing through the very earth beneath him.
Xaden Riorson, who did the one thing no one should do, channeled the unnatural power to protect and save the ones he loves (mostly just Violet, tbh) - and turned venin.
DUN DUN DUN!
Tune into book three, whenever we get it, to see how THAT all gets worked out!
I'm rating this one 5 stars despite there being elements I disliked because, frankly put it's been a minute since I've read a book that gripped me as much as this did.
Now to be clear: it is WILDLY obvious it was meant to be a two-books thing that got pushed into one to ride the Fourth Wing high. I can see it clear as day, but to everyone complaining about sentences and structure, I unfortunately have to say: you need to read more. Nothing in the book was as incomprehensible as some reviews make it sound, and even the obvious errors can be understood in wider context.
Onwards.
Plot: a little wobbly. The main vein is clear enough - revolution and the wards and venin - but several others are muddied. Like, why does Varrish hate Violet so much and has it in for her? Where is this specified exactly? Does he hate her mother, is he acting for Melgren, is he ... what? He pops up as the first half's antagonist but his motives aren't explained well, if at all. The plot also suffers from the too-slow reveal of information or no reveal at all but conjecture from the snippets at the start of each chapter. OVERALL it's fine but, that's it. Just fine.
Worldbuilding: is getting better but we have too many questions still unanswered, see above.
Romance: god don't get me started. Violet and Xaden do work - and I'm happy they're working through things - but in all seriousness what anyone sees in Violet is beyond me. Which leads me to,
Main characters: Xaden bares his throat metaphorically in this one and I feel like we get a really good idea of him. To counterpose however Violet Sorrengail is up there with Alina Starkov for me at the moment. Considering I never read more than 1 book with Alina because of her, this should tell you something. Somehow, Violet just becomes stupider as the book goes on. And for a purportedly smart character defined by asking questions, her lack of that is dramatically ridiculous.
Side characters: Dain managed to earn his redemption, which surprised me, and I've enjoyed the addition of the fliers. I can't wait to meet more of them.
Magic: is getting better as it's been addressed more but I'd still like some further digging.
Ending: cliffhanger, and I called it. Vampire Academy readers have been here before; you'll know what I mean if I say Shadow Kiss. But even without that it should be predictable that it's either Melgren or venin.
Overall this is an engaging book that lives up to some of the hype, but I think it's smart that 3 is still a ways out. Yarros should be given the time to really flesh and pad out the bridge of this 5-book series, and to work on incorporating more Xaden/Violet bonding on the actual page versus just letter snippets.
I wonder if there could be a chance for a sort of Warm Bodies type of ending ... but probably it'll be Vampire Diaries eventually, cure included.
Either way, I'll read!
Now to be clear: it is WILDLY obvious it was meant to be a two-books thing that got pushed into one to ride the Fourth Wing high. I can see it clear as day, but to everyone complaining about sentences and structure, I unfortunately have to say: you need to read more. Nothing in the book was as incomprehensible as some reviews make it sound, and even the obvious errors can be understood in wider context.
Onwards.
Plot: a little wobbly. The main vein is clear enough - revolution and the wards and venin - but several others are muddied. Like, why does Varrish hate Violet so much and has it in for her? Where is this specified exactly? Does he hate her mother, is he acting for Melgren, is he ... what? He pops up as the first half's antagonist but his motives aren't explained well, if at all. The plot also suffers from the too-slow reveal of information or no reveal at all but conjecture from the snippets at the start of each chapter. OVERALL it's fine but, that's it. Just fine.
Worldbuilding: is getting better but we have too many questions still unanswered, see above.
Romance: god don't get me started. Violet and Xaden do work - and I'm happy they're working through things - but in all seriousness what anyone sees in Violet is beyond me. Which leads me to,
Main characters: Xaden bares his throat metaphorically in this one and I feel like we get a really good idea of him. To counterpose however Violet Sorrengail is up there with Alina Starkov for me at the moment. Considering I never read more than 1 book with Alina because of her, this should tell you something. Somehow, Violet just becomes stupider as the book goes on. And for a purportedly smart character defined by asking questions, her lack of that is dramatically ridiculous.
Side characters: Dain managed to earn his redemption, which surprised me, and I've enjoyed the addition of the fliers. I can't wait to meet more of them.
Magic: is getting better as it's been addressed more but I'd still like some further digging.
Ending: cliffhanger, and I called it. Vampire Academy readers have been here before; you'll know what I mean if I say Shadow Kiss. But even without that it should be predictable that it's either Melgren or venin.
Overall this is an engaging book that lives up to some of the hype, but I think it's smart that 3 is still a ways out. Yarros should be given the time to really flesh and pad out the bridge of this 5-book series, and to work on incorporating more Xaden/Violet bonding on the actual page versus just letter snippets.
I wonder if there could be a chance for a sort of Warm Bodies type of ending ... but probably it'll be Vampire Diaries eventually, cure included.
Either way, I'll read!
xx
*image not mine
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