By about half way through Fourth Wing, I had already downloaded book two, Iron Flame. I instinctively knew that I would need the second book immediately following Fourth Wing and I was absolutely not wrong. I was thrilled when we got snow/iced in for almost a week too so that I could spend all my snow days reading! I was so happy the both myself and husband were home from school along with our seven year old. My husband and son thankfully watched movies while I was able to curl up on the couch and read this book. I finished it in about two days which is saying something considering this book is over 600 pages long. I could have read it in one day I think but I did take a few more breaks with this one than I expected to. But still—-record reading time for me.
I am sure you are well aware, this book is all over the blogosphere and reading recommendation lists. I have also seen multiple posts and reviews claiming to be ‘ruined’, ‘gutted’ and simply ‘not ok’ once they completed this book. So naturally I was expecting to be all of those things as well. In fact I was ready to feel all the things with this book……until I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong this was still a good book and like many other fans, I am anxiously waiting for the next book but I don’t know that I feel ruined or ‘not ok’ after finishing it. It was good, but I was expecting to feel more.
With a second book, it’s always difficult to recapture the same magic of the first book. It’s almost always the ‘necessary book’ to bridge the early lot points and characters to the larger narrative and growth. And I think this book did that very well, it certainly provided a bridge and new characters to keep things interesting, but I didn’t feel the same investment in this book as I did with the first for a couple of reasons. Don’t mistake me, this was absolutely a fie star read, but it wasn’t without issues—-mainly it was too long.
Summary
“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. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
Generally I don’t mind if a book is long so long as the larger story is progressing. For example, Game of Thrones third book is 1100 pages but you have about 6-7 different plots going so while long and a lot going on you are seeing the larger narrative through the lens of multiple POVs. In this book you basically have one POV and a lot going on. There were so many things that happened in this book. The series was originally billed at three books but the author has since said that it’s more like a five book series which I think makes more sense. I would have like this book to have focused on one maybe two parts of the larger narrative instead of multiple. For example, we see Violet in her second year at Basgiath War College which comes with it’s own issues but then you add in this brewing rebellion, new challenges, the complicated romance between her and Xaden, raiding the wards, multiple missions, the adolescence of Adarna, not to mention the torture and governmental control. I don’t want to spoil anything but there was a lot of things that Violet’s character had to focus on and it felt like the book went in a lot of different directions.
I found myself needing to take quite a few breaks and try to gather my thoughts about what was happening in the story and the last 100 pages I was like what’s going on again? How did we get here? Oh ya the journal—-but how??? Honestly I feel like I need to go back and re-read parts of this one because I cannot remember how we arrived at certain plot points. Personally I would have liked to see this one focus on obtaining the journal and then end it there with the third book focusing on raising the wards. I think timeline wise that would have made more sense and easier to digest for readers. The relationship between Xaden and Violet was still on point and sexy spicy. I enjoyed watching them try to work thing out and I thought that Xaden (while more controlling in this book) was patient and didn’t push Violet to be something she wasn’t. But that said I would have liked to see them get past the ‘lying’ thing and just move forward without always dwelling on the past. Either she forgives him or she doesn’t. But over all I love their romance and and looking forward to seeing how their relationship moves forward in future books because—-DAYUM that ending. Yikes.
As I said, this is absolutely a five star read and no doubt I will be reading the next book at midnight with every other fan but I just think mechanically this book needed some refining. I think a lot of the issues is this series was meant to be three books so naturally it makes sense that this book would be extra long with a lot packed in but knowing it’s now a five book series I think this book should have been broken up a bit more so that readers had time to digest all the amazing and rich world building in this book. There is so much detail and nuance in this book that I loved and am so excited to see play out in the future books (especially the lore and the dragon history). This is one of the hottest books on the market right now and with good reason, this is one you don’t want to miss! This series is excellent!
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Book Info and Rating
Format
624 pages, Hardcover
Published November 7, 2023 by Entangled: Red Tower Books
ISBN 9781649374172 (ISBN10: 1649374178)
Review copy provided by personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: fantasy
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