*Review* Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

 

Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Published: November 7, 2023

Pages: 926

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.

I joined a new book club that was reading Onyx Storm for their January book, so I needed to read this first. I listened to the audiobook through my library. This is my honest review. 

I think listening to the audiobook may have been a mistake for me, because I never felt very connected to this story, and I'm struggling to remember most of the major plot points. But I also read Onyx Storm before writing this review, so the storylines are blending in my brain. I will probably reread this at some point when I'm not on a time crunch. 

I didn't feel nearly as invested in Iron Flame as I did in Fourth Wing, and I'm not sure if the story itself wasn't as compelling, or if I was just not in the right mood for it. In any case, I never felt the "just one more page" feeling I usually eventually get with books where I just don't want to put it down. 

Overall I give Iron Flame 3.9676 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Rebecca is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over fifteen novels, including FOURTH WING, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She's also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence in New Adult for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for twenty-one years. She’s the mother of six children and lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, feisty chinchillas, and Maine Coon cat who rules them all. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.

Visit her website at www.RebeccaYarros.com for more!