The addiction is real so here I am with the second book in The Empyrean series. I don't like thinking about how I have to wait until December this year for the 3rd book, but I am comforting myself with the thought that I will buy these books in physical format and I will reread them in November and annotate the hell out of them!
Since this is the second book... well, there will be spoilers. I will try my best to keep it to spoilers from the first book online, but alas, my memory is chaotic. Read at your own risk!
PS: Spoiler-free review of Fourth Wing here!
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| ★★★☆☆ |
Iron Flame starts exactly at the end of Fourth Wing: Violet finds out her dead brother is actually alive, well he was resurrected, and that Xaden is indeed the leader of the revolution. But it's okay! Because a lot of the things she thought were true turned out not to be.
Most of the book is spent with our endgame ship (THEY HAVE TO BE ENDGAME) apart as Xaden graduated and Violet is still at the war college, but because their dragons are mated and cannot go without being near each other for more than a week, they meet often. But alas, Violet is still dealing with what Xaden hid from her and with the new truths she's learnt and on top of that protecting her friends because as we know from the first book, a snake used his signet to ambush our Scooby-gang!
"Because love, at its root, is hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for what could be. Hope that the someone you’ve entrusted your everything to will cradle and protect it. And hope? That shit is harder to kill than a dragon."
As Unbalanced as Violet Climbing Off Her Dragon
It's not a bad sequel, but the quality is shaky compared to the first book. It feels like a lot of things are happening in this book but at the same time it's like not much happens. It's not balanced - there are too many chapters where not much happens, too many repetitive scenes without the characters growing from them and then a lot of fast-paced action-packed chapters.
It's 150 pages longer than it should be and there are things that I am trying to justify because I am enjoying this series too much, but they are actually just poorly written. As much as I complain about waiting for the next book, I'd much rather wait for it and get a good book, than a rushed book (this does not apply to George R.R. Martin).
"The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity."
New School Year, Same Characters
Character wise... as I already said I am justifying a lot of things and I am trying to make sense of things. I liked following Violet's struggle with her emotions, all the secrets and her relationships. But at the same time it was a bit like the girl lost a few neurons and was no longer as smart as in the first book.
The book also stagnates when it comes to side-characters. We are getting a lot of new characters and there were some relationships that I was excited to see develop - even though the trope used is not one of my favourites, I have hope, ok? But overall everyone pretty much stays the same and... and a lot of change is happening around them. I wanted to see those changes reflected in our side characters too.
“I think I liked you better before you decided that feelings were something we need to discuss.”
“Sorry to inconvenience you, but this year the role of Violet Sorrengail”—he points to me—“ will be played by Xaden Riorson”—he taps his chest—“ who will drag her, kicking and screaming if he has to, into a real relationship with real discussions, because he refuses to lose her again. If I have to evolve, you do, too.”
Am I Excited for the Next Book?
You bet I am! As with the first book, Iron Flame draws inspiration from a lot of other fantasy novels and I couldn't help but draw a lot of parallels between the Venins, which we find out at the end of Fourth Wing that they are real - not just creatures from fables, and the White Walkers. Even the Wall and the wards are similar in a way. But surprisingly, my enthusiasm for this series is still going strong, even after a not so strong sequel.
I cannot help it, I am attached to these characters now - especially the dragons, but even some of the new ones from this book. And the story is addictive. I read in a review on GR that Yarros is not a good writer but she is a damn good storyteller and I agree with that statement 110%.
To continue our tradition and end it on a spoilery note... The throne room scene is living rent-free in my mind!
"My house. My chair. My woman."
Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros was first published in November 2023.
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