Iron Flame Book Review

If you’re part of the bookstagram or booktok communities, you’ve likely seen this book talked about every time you turn the corner.  It’s an extremely popular book right now.  And there are a ton of differing reviews out there.  This is my spoiler free take on this viral sensation.

Iron Flame, written by Rebecca Yarros, is the second book in the Fourth Wing series.  If you haven’t read Fourth Wing yet, please read that one first. See my review of it here.  Within minutes of finishing Fourth Wing, I was on my phone, ordering Iron Flame, and not patiently waiting for its arrival.

The first book hooked me, but Iron Flame, the second book destroyed me.

It has been a couple of weeks now since I have finished this one, and I have thought about it every day since.  Throughout the book I experienced a roller coaster of emotions.  Which is one of the reasons I gave it a 5 star rating.  It had me on the edge of my seat, crying, laughing, excited, angry . . . seriously, all the emotions.  I couldn’t put it down.

The story is about Violet, a dragon rider, at Basgiath War College as she continues into her second year.  Her journey doesn’t get any easier than her first year.  In fact, some might say it’s gotten considerably harder.

The first year is when some of lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.

- Xaden Riorson

And a lot happens in this book.  Like every chapter, something is happening.  Some say they wished the book was split into two.  I rather liked it the way it was.  It was definitely a LONG book and could it have been split?  Yea, but in my opinion, the book was based on a certain period of time, like Fourth Wing.  So splitting it would have messed with that, I think.    

I hate to give spoilers, so I won’t say much.  But I am not happy with how we were left hanging at the end.  I went into it knowing, as many of you who are on the same side of BookTok know, the ending is a major cliff hanger.  Still, I was honestly not prepared.  I was so angry with the ending I almost threw my book across the room.  If it hadn’t been after 11:00PM, I probably would have.  Days later, weeks later, Im still not happy about it.

Im emotionally invested in the characters, so you better believe that I’ll be first in line when the third book comes out.  I need to know what happens!  Until then, I’ll be scheming up different possible outcomes and scenarios.

Have you picked up this series yet?  What were your thoughts on Iron Flame?