I probably shouldn’t have picked up Iron Flame right after Warbreaker. But I did. Let’s talk about it.
Synopsis
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.
My Thoughts on Iron Flame
Iron Flame was fun and that is what I was looking for. It still had the wit and spice of Fourth Wing. However, there were a couple of things that pulled me out of the story.
First off, there were times that it felt info dumpy, but then there were times where I felt lost because information was withheld. That drove me a bit crazy and really slowed down the pacing of the book. I think this could have used another edit to slim things down a bit.
And the next thing was that a few of the characters didn’t act like the characters in Fourth Wing. Specifically, Dain and Violet’s mom. I understand character growth and I loveeee great character development. Looking at you Brandon Sanderson. You set my standards way too high. But from the beginning they felt like totally different people. And those changes especially came through when it was convenient for the plot.
But despite my issues I still had a fun time reading it. And I will probably continue with the series because that ending left me with soooo many questions.
My Rating: 3.5/5
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Funny, I just posted a review of this one too — although I think you liked it more than I did. 🙂 Absolutely agree with your points about Dain and Violet’s mom, and the weird info-dumping but also not actually providing enough information. I think this book needed serious amounts of editing! I don’t think I’ll continue the series after this.
I’ll have to check out your review! This reminds me of the books I fell in love with as a teenager so I think nostalgia is the only reason I’m continuing. I do hope they take the editing reviews into consideration for the next one!