(Some Spoilers ahead… but only if you plan to read the book)

Violet survived her first year at Basgiath, proving not only to her mother General Sorrengail but to the entire Kingdom that she might be one of the most powerful riders. Though her loyalties are now divided – who will she chose to side with? Xaden or her country? It’s a question she’ll have to answer as he returns for her second year as a Dragon Rider with new enemies, old allies, and a whole host of new problems. 

I…have no excuses for enjoying this, I truly don’t. Like Fourth Wing, Iron Flame is far from the worst fantasy novel on the market. It’s also far from the best. Explaining how Rebecca Yarros somehow kept me reading write up until the last page full of eagerness might involve a bottle of tequila filled by many years of therapy that may or may not require a hypnotist. 

Yarros is undoubtably fantastic at big and surprising reveals which she already proved in book one – book two continues to demonstrate this with the surprise reveal of characters, motives, abilities and even some returning villains we’d thought dead (hint, hint). Although beyond this, it seems despite having a lovely map which beautifully depicts her fictional world Yarros doesn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of world building. 

Instead, the focus forever remains on Violet and Xaden, who by the way have way too many sex scenes in far too grotesque a detail. Also, an overuse of the world f***. Those who know me will find this hypocritical to say but the constant and unending repetition of the word f*** is having me at my nerves end. 

If a character says ‘no way’ they don’t say ‘no way’…they say ‘no f***ing way!’. If a character walking they’re walking with ‘f***ing vigour’. If characters are ‘making lov’- sorry forget, no class – they’re just f***ing. Honestly, it’s ‘f*** ‘this and f‘***’ that and f*** me am I sick of reading it I need a f***ing holiday. The book might as well be called Iron F***ing Flame.

In my review for the first book, I noted how Yarros succeeded in building tension by making you wonder which of the potential side characters would bite the bullet or be bitten in half by an angry Dragon. In book two, they’re basically ignored except when they’re needed to help Violet with whatever’s going in on with the plot. 

It’s a shame as well given the interesting new gallery of side characters that are added to the story. Sloane, sister to Liam, is introduced along with the Kings third son – they appear, again, sporadically and with very little focus on their own development. Perhaps the greatest side character story involves Xaden’s former partner Cait who is actually an interesting look into the Gryphon riders, rivals to the Dragon Riders. Of course, she’s basically immediately turned into the jealous ex who wants her former lover back and remains that way for most of the story. 

A story, which in itself, feels like two books shoved together for the sake of convenience which is not convenient at all. If anything, it removes the potential for some really interesting looks into the world that Violet inhabits. We get a nice little detour at one point where we meet several regular infantry men and get to see how different they are from the elite fighting forces of the Dragon Riders. We also hear, but never see, about the school where Gryphon Riders are trained. It’s first named appearance is its destruction. 

I hate that I keep up the kebab shop metaphor for my enjoyment of this, but honestly if it’s not in some part related to my years of gorging on fanfiction then I have no idea what drives my interest in this story. 

Maybe we all just like things that are bad for us, just a little bit. Some foodies that’s cheap and disgusting food, for drinkers it’s that two-pound bottle of wine you find in any old random corner shop, for readers its Rebecca Yarros. 

I could not in good conscience tell you that The Empyrean Series is a wonderful and fantastic series of books. I could not also tell you that they are lacking in enjoyment. Yarros will to be a generation of readers what Stephanie Myers was to the generation previous – absolutely terrible. And yet absolutely loved. 

Fourth Wing and Iron F***ing Flame are available to purchase now, but if you value your humanity and if you happen to believe that you have a soul then at all costs if you see this book RUN!