【 IRON FLAME 】

book #2 in the Empyrian
my review of book one

A really solid sequel.

Genre: Fantasy
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Published: November 2023
Publisher: Entangled
Pages: 623 (paperback)

There’s nothing scarier than reading a sequel and being worried that it won’t live up to your expectations after how much you enjoyed the first one.

But I thought that this was just as good as book one!

Jam-packed with action, this is practically non-stop for all 600+ pages that it goes on for. It’s just as tense, brutal and unforgiving as book one. It certainly delivers on epic fantasy vibes, yet is an easy, page-turning read – not at all bogged down by world-building or politics.

I liked the degree to which Yarros expands the plot/world in this instalment without leaving it overwhelming, and I’m SO glad that this stands strong as a continuation of the series (and not suffering the ‘filler’ vibes that sequels often have).

In short, if you liked book one for the fun it was, you’ll like book two, as well.

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Title: Iron Flame
Series title: The Empyrean
Author: Rebecca Yarros
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“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.