Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Iron Flame

I just finished the book and I am in utter shock with the ending. Without spoiling anything, Iron Flame fell a little flat for me compared to Fourth Wing. The story felt really rushed and vague in some spots, and then other chapters felt like they dragged on for no viable reason. It also felt a lot like a repeat of Fourth Wing in some spots.

This book read more like a fan fiction than the second installment in the series. I'm hoping that Yarros doesn't rush the 3rd book and really puts more time into flushing out the important details and skipping over some of the lighter chapters. It also felt like there were a few plot holes in the story and some of the scenes were a bit difficult to imagine based on the description that Yarros gave.

Overall, I ADORE this series and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the Romantasy genre. I cannot wait to read the next book! It's so easy to fall in love with the characters and get drawn into their world. This book was a lot heavier for me than Fourth Wing was. I think it's because of how attached I am to the characters already.
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SPOILERS

I am absolutely not okay with how Iron Flame ended. It absolutely destroyed me that Xaden turned Venin. I feel like there has to be some sort of cure since there has been such a huge emphasis on how Violet and Xaden's power combined is "deadly." I'm really hoping that the 3rd book centers around a cure for Xaden and then the 4th and 5th books can be more about rebuilding Navarre and the rest of the country.

Content Warnings

scarlettereads's review

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Second read: 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉 Five dragons

Equally as fantastic upon second read. Though I have to say it:

I think it's wild that Imogen isn't a lesbian. She has the same hair and attitude as my beloved Undercut McQueer (Vi from Arcane), and personally I think she has better chemistry with Quinn—whose weapon of choice is the symbol of Lesbianism, by the way—than with Garrick (no offence, buddy). ~~I put it down to coercive heterosexuality, but I don't think this series is going there.~~ It's frankly ludicrous that Imogen isn't at the very least bisexual. Then again, Violet and Xaden aren't canonically bi, but umm yes they are. I said what I said. I'm gay and I'm right.

On to Onyx Storm 😱

First read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars

Iron Flame is a fantastic book, and I loved almost every second of it. You know, until that bit at the end.

I’m mourning the loss of a character who didn’t even die. Feeling physically ill. I’m never going to emotionally recover from this.

Still it’s somehow even funnier than Fourth Wing was, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t half because of Ridoc. Because it was.

Don’t read this book if you value your sanity because the end is almost as brain-breaking as the end of House of Sky and Breath. I need to lie down now.

Content Warnings

sophia_teknoe's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

eviethebookworm's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While I enjoyed the magic system, the dragons, and the lore in Iron Flame, I definitely found the cyclic arguing between the main characters to be repetitive. Also, Xaden’s story arc is giving Anakin vibes, and we don’t stan a self-righteous anti-hero who sacrifices sanity for… whatever he has for Violet.

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