Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Hardcover, 623 pages

Published November 7, 2023

 by Entangled: Red Tower Books

3/5 stars

Please be advised, an unpopular opinion lies ahead.

I confess, I didn't love this book as much as I did Fourth Wing. In fact, I barely liked it. The only reason I trudged through this colossal tome was because I was genuinely curious about the ending. So, let's start with the ending. Yes, it did deliver an unexpected twist. Will it be enough to keep me invested in this series? Only time will tell.

Now, why didn't this book earn a five-star rating from me? Well, for starters, I found it to be slow-moving and often found myself bored, struggling to pick it up. Thankfully, the audio version was available through CloudLibrary, which proved to be a tremendous help.

I couldn't help but notice that Violet's character seemed to regress in maturity with her constant bickering with Xaden and her repeated displays of distrust. On the other hand, I yearned for more of Andarna, a snarky adolescent dragon with an attitude, I think it would have added a great deal to the story.

Additionally, I found the writing to be choppy, filled with excessive filler content. It would have been wonderful to have more backstory for the supporting cast, especially considering there are three more books to come in this series.

While there were a couple of twists, one of which I anticipated, so there was no surprise there, I couldn't help but wonder if the rush to publish this book so soon after Fourth Wing affected its quality, resulting in repetitive elements.

In conclusion, this book fell short of my expectations and the ensuing hype.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.