this book was a really great continuation of fourth wing but i felt like there was a lot of repetition. violet and xaden are separated so now they have to fly back and forth to see each other which gets dull about halfway through the book. the conflict between some of the characters was also confusing as well. however, i do really like the relationship between violet and her dragons, and i do like the new characters introduced. the ending was the most exciting part and left me wanting more! i'm interested to see what the vibe in onyx storm will be.  

These characters are A PART OF MY LIFE.

I understand the many critiques of this book (perhaps unnecessarily long, with some plots that feel like they are simply there to cause drama; and fantasy readers, as opposed to romance readers, may not be as satisfied with the world building), but since reading the first book, Violet and Xaden just feel so real to me, and they wriggled their way into my heart. I’ll follow them on their journeys, whatever those paths look like (and I’ll love it. I’m definitely biased because this series made me fall in love with the romantasy genre to begin with).

I really enjoyed Iron Flame as a follow-up to Fourth Wing, but I do wish there were more spicy scenes (even though I love a good lead-up). This is 4 stars for me because I definitely love the first book more. I have mixed feelings about this author but am so connected to this world/protagonist and am really excited to see where this series goes in Onyx Storm. GAGGING!!!

Read my review of the first book here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/68198216-10f8-489a-aa83-e2058a794347

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️/5 
Holy crap, that ending is insane but I loved it! Not as much as the first book because some of it was a little slow but still amazing. 
Tropes: 
War College 🏫
Enemies(ish)-to-Lovers ❤️
Mind Connection 🧐
Found Family 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒
Dragons 🐉

A fantastic sequel. I went into this concerned about some of the negativity I'd seen regarding Violet and Xaden's relationship, and honestly yeah, I did get a bit sick of the same old 'I don't trust you? You don't trust me!' back and forth, but that only dropped it half a star. Once I accepted that they were just dumbasses, it got more bearable. That being said, part 2 is definitely the star of the show (or maybe that's when I decided to dub them dumbasses). 

The plot and the pacing was fantastic. It was action packed. I guessed several of the twists and it didn't even matter because I still was left reeling at the execution of them, and there were some twists I didn't guess at all. Onyx storm comes out in 6 days and it doesn't feel soon enough. I have thoughts and theories and also a lot of stress. 

Iron Flame is the build up to Onyx Storm that took me on a rollercoaster that left me standing up and screaming, crying, and shutting the book with a “wtf was THAT ENDING”. The stakes raise further in Iron Flame, diving deeper into the consequences of the secrets Xaden has harbored from Violet.

Over all a fun read, though a little long and a little slow, the battles are thrilling and the sex is steamy. I found this to be akin to books in the middle of most fantasy novels where I sometimes sigh as we build the world and explore tensions and our main pairing argue in circles, but the pay off at the end was worth it. Overall I think I like Iron Flame more than Fourth Wing because we get to see more of the continent and we learn more about our characters and the politics (or the secrets leadership is keeping) of Navarre.