Clare L. Deming

I picked up the second book in The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros after I finished book #1 (Fourth Wing). The sequel – Iron Flame – picks up immediately after the events at the end of the first book. Read on below to see what I thought (paid links).

Here is my review of Fourth Wing (Empyrean Book #1).

Here is the blurb:

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.

While the first book in this series ended with an exciting action sequence, the aftermath of the battle also led to the revelation of some long-held secrets that threw Violet’s world into chaos. As this book opens, she struggles to reconcile this new information, while wondering whether her relationship with Xaden can survive any more secrets.

If you liked the first book, you’ll probably like this second installment. If you weren’t a fan of the first book, then you probably won’t like this one either, since it features the same characters and style of story-telling.

The book takes us back to Basgiath, where Violet reunites with her friends and the dangers inherent to their education. However, the plot finds new twists that kept me engaged with the larger story. Like in the first book, not everyone survives. And also like the first book, the ending leaves the world and the characters changed, adding to my anticipation for the third and final book, Onyx Storm, due out in January 2025 (paid link).

Have you read any books in this series? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.