Iron Flame: DISCOVER THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON THAT EVERYONE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT (Empyrean The) (International Edition)

I still haven't reviewed Fourth Wing, but decided to go ahead and write this one while the story was still fresh on my mind. I was already late to the game with this series, but I put myself on the waiting list for an audiobook at my library as soon as I was able to after falling in love with these characters during Fourth Wing. Additionally, Rebecca Soler is one of my absolute favorite narrators and she does an amazing job with this series. Yarros not only makes me fall in love with Violet and Xaden, but every secondary character is beloved as well. Losing any of them would be devasting to my heart, so that final battle in Iron Flame had my pulse racing right along with Violet's. I was already worried about finishing the book since everyone said they literally stared at a wall for 20 minutes afterwards, but I still wasn't expecting the cliffhanger we're left with. Haven't we been through enough by now? I will say that I didn't like how long it took Violent and Xaden to work through their issues. A lack of communication between characters is a huge turn off for me in books, especially when they're romantically involved. Violet knew who he was before she fell in love with him, yet she made demands and put expectations on him that were a bit unfair. She didn't completely trust him because he wouldn't tell her everything, but everyone in this series has secrets, including her. She kept demanding total honesty and full disclosure despite other lives being at risk if she knew. Yarros managed to address these issues in a way that wasn't cringeworthy, so at least that aspect of the book was tolerable and didn't ruin everything else for me. The dragons are still my favorite part of these books. I love their sarcasm and menacing attitudes, especially when directed towards their own riders. Their personalities are perfection. Adolescent Adarna is an absolute delight to read about, and her getting on Tairn's nerves never fails to make me smile. I'm really happy we learned more about them in Iron Flame because so much is still a mystery. Love, betrayal, unexpected plot twists, new friends and frenemies, dragons and gryphons, riders and flyers, war, loss - Iron Flame has all that and more. I highly recommend this series if you enjoy fantasy and fast-paced adventure stories. (★★★★★)

📖 Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros ★★★★★ In the hollow aftermath of turning the final page, I sit with the beautiful wreckage of what Rebecca Yarros has done to my soul. Iron Flame doesn't merely continue a story—it carves itself into your bones, leaving echoes that reverberate long after you've set the book down. The evolution of Violet Sorrengail haunts me still. No longer just surviving, she now chooses her path with a fierce intentionality that transforms her fragility into something formidable. Her journey isn't just about physical strength but emotional fortitude—the kind that blooms in darkness, that knows pain intimately and chooses to stand anyway. Through her eyes, we witness the cost of becoming, and it is gloriously, devastatingly human. And Xaden. Oh, Xaden. His complexity deepens like a shadow at dusk, revealing layers that both terrify and captivate. When he says, "I'm not sweet or soft or kind, and you fell anyway. This is what you get, Violet—me. The good, the bad, the unforgivable. All of it. I am yours," it resonates not as romantic fantasy but as raw confession. Their relationship breathes with authenticity—messy, magnetic, maddening in its truth. What makes Iron Flame transcendent is how it refuses simple morality. The lines between right and wrong blur into watercolors of gray, asking us not who is good or evil, but what price we're willing to pay for what we believe. Every character stands at this precipice, making choices that ripple through the narrative like stones cast into still water. Andarna emerges as a brilliant counterpoint to the darkness, her cleverness and heart providing moments of light when the shadows threaten to consume. She isn't just Violet's dragon but a character coming into her own power, reminding us that strength wears many faces. If there's a flaw in this diamond, it's that the relentless pace occasionally steals moments that deserve more breath, more space to fully absorb their weight. Some revelations come so quickly that their emotional impact doesn't fully land before we're swept into the next storm. Yet even this feels intentional—a mirror of Violet's world, where pause means vulnerability, where reflection is a luxury rarely afforded. The book demands you keep up or be left behind, much like Basgiath itself. Iron Flame doesn't just continue a story, it elevates it. It transforms what could have been simply entertainment into something that feels necessary, vital. It leaves you hollow not from emptiness but from having been filled to breaking with something too vast to contain. 📦 What to Expect ✨ Epic Fantasy 💖 Slow Burn Romance 🔥 Grumpy/Sunshine Dynamic 🤯 Complex Politics & Power Struggles 💔 Deep Emotional Growth 🦴 Magical Beasts or Sentient Magic ⚔️ A Lead Who Fights for More Than Survival 📚 Book Tags Keywords: Dark Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Political Intrigue, Found Family, Survival, War Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Enemies to Reluctant Allies, Found Family, Mentor/Protegé, Slow Burn, Power Couple Triggers: Slavery, Violence, War Themes, Grooming (discussed), Sexual Assault (mentioned, not shown), Emotional Abuse, PTSD 🎯 Final Thoughts Some books entertain. Some books transport. Iron Flame transforms. It asks not just what you would die for, but what you would live for—broken, scarred, and still standing. This isn't just fantasy; it's poetry written in fire and blood.

11/13 FULL REVIEW: I don't even know where to begin. That ending has left me reeling. And I thought I knew what was coming because some *lovely* person on Goodreads thought to retaliate against the author by dropping a major spoiler with no warning to people like me, who were aimlessly scrolling, so for me to still be shocked and surprised is saying something. And just word to the wise: Be careful out there, folks! There are spoilers everywhere. 😒 Anywhoo...that's my rant. Now back to my review! Look, there's no surprise Fourth Wing and Rebecca Yarros has taking the book world by storm these past few months and I am LOVING it, okay? This love/ obsession/ hype is giving me all the nostaglia and throwing me back to my Harry Potter days twenty-six (🤯‼️) years ago. With me trying to get my hands on the physical books, the fandom going crazy over the series, the midnight release parties, and all the conversations spurred between readers and friends, it has been amazing to watch and to be apart of, and I am in love with the Fourth Wing Era we are in right now. There was something ✨️magical✨️ about my reading experience with Fourth Wing earlier this year. It was a combination of right book at the right time and it had me hooked. I was excited to get my hands on the sequel, but went into the book nervous it wouldn't hold a candle to the first one and I would be left disappointed because of my high expectations. Sadly, this book didn't give me that all consuming, unputdownable feeling I had with FW for the first 25% of the book and that is where my 4 star rating comes into play. I was easily able to read it, because I just think Yarros has this easy, flowing type of writing that even though not alot might be happening on the pages, I am still able to continue on without many delays in my reading time and I was reading this section of the book like I do a normal book. It just wasn't making me abandon all of my responsibilities and make it a top priority to read like FW did, if that makes sense. I think we could have shortened the first 200 pages to make the pacing of the book better overall. However, let me tell you! Once you get about a fourth of the way through, we get that spark and the twists start dropping and then I became hooked til the final page. And whew, that ending! I was on an emotional rollercoaster for the last 50 pages or so. I'm so paranoid about spoilers with this series, especially after my horrible experience,so I don't even want to say anything else about how I feel or what I am expecting from this series as we continue on this journey for fear of spoiling anything. Let's just say there are lots of theories and it has been fun being able to safely navigate through Instagram, Goodreads, and TikTok without fear of the book being ruined now, and I'd recommend if you want to read book 2, you better do it asap before something gets spoiled for you! P.S. Still loving the dragons. They are seriously one of the best parts of these books and world. I love their sass, their snark, and just overall, what they bring to the table. 🐉 I love Ridoc's sarcasm and it helped bring levity to the book in general. I really enjoy the side characters in this series and you get really attached to everyone making it enjoyable, but also nerve-racking. 😅 I can't wait for news of book three's release and I've seen articles stating she would let us know 2 weeks after Iron Flames release date, so one more week hopefully and we will know how long we will have to wait for it. Here's hoping it'll only be another 6 months or so and we can have book 3 in our hands by spring. 🤞 I know I'll be pre-ordering multiples this time around and not from just one site, because I don't want the stress of what I went through waiting on Iron Flame to arrive on my doorstep. 🤣 ****************** 11/12 : 🤯🤯🤯 I need some time to gather my thoughts. I did NOT see that coming.

Iron Flame (The Empyrean Book 2) Kindle Edition by Rebecca Yarros (Author) I blame Anne McCaffrey for my love of dragons and their riders. Rebecca Yarros, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons had a lot to live up to, in fact, the entirety of Pern! And Ms. Yarros does live up to Ms. McCaffrey. Where, at times, the first book in the Empyrean felt like a young adult book that had spice added in to move it from the young adult shelf, Iron Flame is fully rooted in adult fantasy, with just the right amount of spice and the perfect measure of angst and pathos. The relationship between Violet and Xaden sits in the center of the story, but there is so much more. We have siblings with a reason for vengeance, a hidden royal heir, jealous love rivals, and a race for a magical solution. It's all in there. All of the feels and all of the tension. The only issue I had was that about ¼ of the book could have been shaved. In the realm of fantasy and fantasy romance, many authors seem to be in a race to see who can write the longest book. Yes, SJM, JLA, and now Ms. Yarros, I am looking at all of you. Apparently, they are all racing to take the tile of the biggest book away from the Giga Codex. That said, I am in love with the world that Ms. Yarros has created. It feels very concrete, as if I could smell the dust on the trails that the dragons and the griffins climb, the sweat under the flight leathers, and the spice of the lust that seems to be in the air. It is a real world, tangible, and fascinating. Ms. Yarros is the new queen of the Shadow Daddy (if you don't know, go look it up). Xaden is not morally grey, so much as he is morally flexible. He is willing to burn the world... heck, he'd burn the universe for Violet, but he is also full of honor and strength. Violet is not the paragon of virtue or the slightly insane fantasy heroine we are used to. She is very clearly, a fighter – not only of her very real enemies, but also the illness that she must overcome every day to be a rider. One of the stand out part of Iron Flame is the dialogue. Ms. Yarros is a master of using dialogue to move the story along and to further character development effortlessly. Unless the reader takes a step back from the story (which is as difficult as climbing Everest barefoot!), it isn't easy to see the masterful techniques she utitlizes. The plot,which at times (as I said before), is a bit overloaded, moves along as fast is possible in this height of book! To be completely honest, I received this book as a gift (the hardback) from the husband, and also borrowed it from KU when it was available, because I needed them both to finish. If Fourth Wing lived up to the hype, Iron Flame went beyond the hype into a completely different universe! Complete with a masterful use of technique, a beautifully built world, and an intricate woven plot, Iron Flame, in fact the entire Empyrean series, is a modern classic that will go down in literary history with the Lord of the Rings, the Dragon Riders of Pern, and the Witchworld stories. 4.75 stars out of 5 (a .25 deduction because some of the book could have been shaved) rounded up to 4 stars out of 5

Epic fantasy Romantasy War college Dragons Dragon riders Magic Cutthroat Battles Secrets Touch her and die Smart FMC Gryphons FMC living with physical disorder High stakes Found family Corruption Betrayal Torture Morally gray MMC Shadow Daddy Cliffhanger Second book in a series Spice: 2.75/5 FMC: Violet Sorrengail MMC: Xaden Riorson Did I enjoy the book? Yes Would I read this book again? Yes Will I continue the series? Yes, can’t wait Will I read from this author again? Yes I am all about escapism and this story does just that. For a little while, I can escape to this beautifully crafted world full of action packed adventure, love, and fantasy. I don’t care what anyone else says, this story checks all my boxes. That being said, I loved the whole cast of characters. The deaths of some characters were shocking and some others were surprising. It felt very GOT in the fact that I didn’t want to love a character too much because I wasn’t sure if they were going to survive. Violet kind of started to annoy me with the whole tell me all your secrets and do it right now to Xaden. They just started a relationship. No one tells all their secrets right away in a new relationship. They come out gradually and over time. That’s a natural progression. Other than that, loved Vi. Xaden was amazing as always. Just loving Violet and doing everything he can to protect her and tell her what secrets he could. The letter passing back and forth was so romantic. He became overprotective at one point, but Violet put him in his place. Loved that scene. I love that she never backs down when she feels she is right and is passionate about something. I missed that he didn’t call her Violence much at all. This book had its spicy moments but wasn’t all that spicy which was fine with me. They were in the middle of so much war and action that who would have the time. When they did find the time is was Hawt. Honestly, this book is so good I could have gone spice free and still been 5 stars. The plot was action packed, constantly changing and new revelations being made. So much happened I’m still wrapping my mind around it. One plot hole that bugged me and it may be *spoiler* so stop reading here if you don’t want to know. The wards were failing in Aretia and they fell in Basgiath and Vi said she could only save one of them. Why? Why couldn’t Andarna do both with her fire? Basgiath was chosen. So what happens to Aretia? Since some dragon hatchlings chose to hatch there it has restored the magic there. What is going to happen to the hatching grounds at Aretia now that the wards will fail? This is just a huge plot hole to me and I will definitely be disappointed if it isn’t covered in the next book.

I am so in awe of both "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame" that I thought I would sit here staring at a blank screen for a long time while trying to find words to express my respect for Rebecca Yarros, author of both books. I just spent 3 days reading them and the only reason it took so long is that one still has to bath, eat, water plants, feed pets and sleep though I did not do much of the latter. What writers call voice in both books is so very perfect that I immediately want to reread both books! The voice is fresh and up-to-date and modern even for the dragons yet fits perfectly into whatever period of time this fantasy took place but clearly when there were dragons! Before proceeding, however, I need to hyperventilate briefly. First of all, it is totally immature and so unnecessary for anyone to post a critical plot point in a review especially on purpose and without first posting a spoiler alert. This happens not only with these books but others as well. Doing so is just another, although minor, example of how Homo sapiens have free will which they unfortunately can and often do waste on trivialities. So, then, here is how I deal with the review situation. I do not read them until after I read the book, then I read them to see how others felt about the book. Since one needs to know what the book is about before purchase, then reading the descriptive paragraphs at the listing along with reading the free chapters Amazon thankfully offers at the listing itself will provide that. Thanks Amazon. Reading those chapters and the description plus checking the star/purchase numbers are good steps to take to avoid learning too much in a review prior to reading the book. The second rant has to do with plot. Let me assure everyone there are NO NEW PLOTS. People have been murdering people since the beginning of time. It is how the author takes a plot(s) and makes it her/his own that matters to the reader. It is doubtful anyone knows how many dragon/people/rider fantasy books are out there so in the end it is a personal opinion as to which book(s) one chooses to like. Having so many to choose from means some plot points will seem similar. For instance how many ways are there to shove a dagger into someone's ribs, a plot point in a massive number of books? This author knew how to handle the plot she chose and then developed with aplomb. Both books kept my attention fully--page after page after page. I so love both books. What is so outstanding about both is that we learn most everything we need to know about each well developed character, not by telling, but by showing through their actions and their sharp and sometimes witty dialogue. It is beyond skillful at how on point the conversations are not only between the humans but the humans and their dragons especially Tairn and Violet and with Andarna--such a cutie and definitely my favorite dragon. The growing relationship between Violet and Xaden is razor sharp and on point. Violet gets wonky with her "having to know all the truth up front demands" regardless of how Xaden has put forth so much effort to show her he cares. Everyone has secrets but a book needs tension to advance so whoa and hold on the tension builds and builds between those two. Xaden is my favorite character out of many favorites. Their arguments are worth "eavesdropping" on and their love scenes are well done (Chapter 48 is mentioned by some reviewers). In this book Violet, in spite of her fragile bones and smaller size but because of her iron will and cleverness, and all those who made it through First Year at the Basgiath War College (covered in Fourth Wing") are now Second Years. Third years like my favorite character, Xaden, have graduated out and been assigned to outposts outside Basgiath. Thus begins an every other week trip for Violet and Xaden, him with her one weekend, her with him the next weekend. This is so their mated dragons can have time together each weekend. It is also in this book that Basgiath and all the outposts are put in perspective regarding the coming battle. The 'revolution' becomes a much larger focal point and Violet learns about Xaden's connection to the estate in Aretia. One can already see by this point how hard it is to give this book the 10 star, 100% review it deserves! Just read it and see what I mean. It is one well-done, well written heck of a book and do not forget "Fourth Wing first!! This book covers in more detail wards, the reason for them and the ins and outs of setting them up and what happens when they do not work (descriptive details I liked BTW). Details regarding the approaching battle then the battle itself are incredible. I am skimming plot points here since others have covered them very well but there is a lot of stuff left hanging at the end of this book and the end itself will floor you. It is like learning to fly on your own and suddenly losing that ability and plopping onto the ground and then fighting to just take a breath. It is shocking, promise. When an author has done their job, the reader will fantasize about what may happen next but this book leaves so much stuff hanging that there has to be another book. My favorite character deserves a better ending--the last two chapters still has me plopped on the ground breathless. So here's a partial list of the left-hanging questions. What happens between Violet and Xaden after the battle's aftermath? What happens to Aretia? Will Andarna's newly acquired fire play a role in the future especially in helping to set up wards? What happens to Basgiath after the war? What happens about the new dragon hatchlings? Will Cat's crew of riders play a future role? And, BTW, how did Jack get the way he turned out? So very many unanswered questions in addition to many, many not covered here. So, then, Rebecca Yarros, listen up: We readers have to have another book--please, please and thank you!!

Iron Flame was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. I didn't know I was anticipating it until the fall when I read Fourth Wing, but I would have picked it up immediately upon finishing Fourth Wing if it had been released. I did purchase it on the release date which is rare for me to do these days. *And I've been holding this review for about a year waiting for my "All Things Halloween" event to publish it. Violet and Xaden start off in a bit of a rough place where Fourth Wing ends and Iron Flame begins. They'd just survived the attack at Resson and Violet was dangerously injured. Xaden brings her to a safe place where he reveals that her brother, who she thought dead, is in fact, alive and he's known about that the entire time. Violet feels utterly betrayed on all sides. Her mother is a leader in a corrupt government, hiding creatures, the true enemy, from an entire society. Her brother has let her believe he's been dead for years. Xaden has kept the truth from her on so many issues that it's hard to keep count. Dain was her best friend growing up and he sent her on a mission that was near suicide, where some of her friends didn't survive. Her own bonded dragons kept information from her that influenced her thoughts, feelings, and actions. She feels alone like never before. But she doesn't stay there. She rallies. Because she has to. Evil is coming for them and they have to do what they can to prepare, to stop the slaughter of everyone they know and love. Violet and Xaden then proceed to have the same argument throughout the entirety of the book. All 884 pages seem to revolve around this argument. He wants her to ask him questions, especially the hard questions. She wants him to volunteer information that affects her without having to play games or know the right questions to ask. At times, I wanted to laugh. I've seen my parents who have been married 50 years have the same argument over and over that it's totally relatable. And yet, I wanted to bang my head against a wall. How can Xaden expect her to know which questions to ask if she doesn't? Of course, I can see his point of view that if she wants to know something about him or if she has a conflict, don't avoid it, just ask. Do the work to find out what you want to know. But sheesh this kind of got old and frustrating. I did like that Violet had a realization that the trials they're put through in the dragon rider's quadrant aren't without purpose. The teachers and leaders aren't simply cruel. And they aren't even trying to weed out the weak in the barbaric way that it appears. The purpose is to harden these warriors into steel so that they can face battle, evil really, and not flinch. Even the constant death of cadets serves a purpose. This realization was profound in a way that I don't think most readers would have been expecting--I wasn't expecting. I was also glad that Violet called Xaden on acting like Dain. I was feeling that way myself about how he was treating her, but I wasn't sure if the characters would address it or not. Xaden has also been keeping a pretty ginormous secret beyond all the others. Favorite quotes: -They seem to form a pattern, but I'm too close to see the whole of it. There's no perspective, which pretty much feels like a metaphor for my entire life right now. Perspective is so important, I've found. So many times I've found myself in a valley, but if I can remember to change my perspective, even if my circumstances do not change, the way I see them does and that can make all the difference. -"Stop bringing logic into an emotional argument." -Love doesn't even have the decency to die. It just transforms into abject misery. That's what this ache in my chest is: misery. -"We'll get back there. The anticipation is good for us." -I stumble on a rock, or my feelings, but manage to catch my balance. Physically, at least. -"You need to trust me even with secrets for this to work." -"I'll be here when you're ready because your friendship is precious to me. But please, for the sake of that friendship, don't insult me by lying." -"Trust has to go both ways to mean anything." -"You want to know something true? Something real? I love you, I'm in love with you. I have been since the night the snow fell in your hair and you kissed me for the first time. I'm grateful my life is tied to yours because it means I won't have to face a day without you in it. My heart only beats as long as yours does, and when you die, I'll meet Malek at your side. It's a ... good thing that you love me, too, because you're stuck with me in this life and every other that could possibly follow." -"You raged today because you were angry. ... You got jealous because you were jealous. You grappled with inferiority because for some reason I can't understand, you feel inferior. And you lashed out with insecurity because I think both of us are just figuring this out as we go. Own your feelings like you did last year and be honest with me." -"How long do you think it takes for someone to fall out of love? .. A day? A month? I'm asking because I don't have any experience with it. ... I'm asking ... because I think it will take you all of a heartbeat once you know." -"My love isn't fickle. ... So you'd better live, because I'm ready to ask you all the ... questions." -I'm quickly learning it's possible to love someone and not want to be with them at the same time. -"I love you enough to bear the weight of your disappointment." Man, just re-reading my highlighted sections of Iron Flame has me reliving this rollercoaster. I felt all the feelings during this book. I felt what Violet felt: sadness, betrayal, fear, love, sacrifice, work, jealousy, inferiority, power. I felt what Xaden felt: fear, love, pressure, responsibility. Even the side characters. Sloane reeling from her brother's death. Rhi feels like Violet is shutting her out. Man, I could keep going. Everything Violet goes through in just this book is mindblowing. This review will not measure up to this book. And I took too long to sit down to review it. And that ending...Man, I do not know how we're going to move forward with that ending. I have to say that I want to read the next book because I NEED to know how things wrap up, but I'm also dreading starting the next book because I don't love it when characters I've grown to love are facing such adversity. This is the kind of cliffhanger that leaves you feeling hopeless instead of all positive and tingly for what might be to come. Sheesh, I think I've rambled all over the place trying to describe Iron Flame and how I felt about it. I can't say that I'm hopeful for where our characters left off, but this rollercoaster ride was nothing short of 4.5 Stars. It would have been 5 Stars without that ending. Sheesh. Have you read Iron Flame? What did you think? Let me know!

Iron Flame is a solid second book in the series—but wow, it is slower than Fourth Wing. That said, the slower pace felt purposeful. The world-building was necessary and helped answer many of the lingering questions I had after the first book. I really enjoyed learning more about the larger world beyond Basgiath, especially the introduction of the griffin riders and the realization that things are not as they originally seemed. The shifting perspectives on the war added depth, and the venin continue to be fantastic, truly threatening enemies that raise the stakes in a big way. While this book leans more into politics, strategy, and emotional tension than nonstop action, it lays important groundwork for what’s to come. And just when the pacing feels the heaviest, the ending completely delivers. That twist had me on the edge of my seat and immediately desperate for the third book. I could not wait to see what would happen next. Overall, Iron Flame may be slower, but it’s a necessary and impactful bridge in the series—one that makes the anticipation for the next installment even stronger.