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.
Genre: fantasy / paranormal
Publication date: November 2023
Mature content: yes
Review: Iron Flame is book two in The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, and although I found it an absolutely amazing page turner, it's not a book to be read stand alone. You need to read the first one in the series (Fourth Wing), otherwise you'll lose a lot of context.
Iron Flame is also not an easy book to read. There's a violence (after all, the background is a world at war), suspense, and a lot of obstacles for Violet and Xaden to overcome in order to be together. As with the first book, I thought Violet was a bit too hard on Xaden sometimes - but when I got to the end of the story I realized there still must be one huge secret he has not shared with us.
Also, do not expect a happily ever after in this book. First, because there's a lot of pain and loss in this plot, and second because we are left at a sort of cliffhanger - anxiously waiting for the next book in the series (Onyx Storm).
In any case, this is a book (a series, really), that you will not be able to put down once the first pages hook you in.
Happy readings!
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