The Haiku Review

Wings cut through the dark,
truth burns hotter than dragon’s
flame—love or duty?

Rebecca Yarros’s Iron Flame, the second installment in The Empyrean series, surges forward with even more intensity, heartache, and fire than its predecessor. Picking up where Fourth Wing left off, this sequel drops readers back into the ruthless, dragon-ruled world of Basgiath War College—where loyalty is tested, secrets fester, and no one, not even the strongest rider, is truly safe. With high-stakes battles, political intrigue, and raw emotional weight, Iron Flame is a sequel that not only deepens its fantasy world but demands more from its characters—and its readers.

At the core of the book is the theme of resilience in the face of betrayal and internal conflict. Violet Sorrengail, still grappling with revelations from the first book, is no longer just fighting for survival—she’s fighting to understand what kind of leader, warrior, and woman she wants to become. The story pushes her through emotional and physical crucibles, especially as trust becomes a rare commodity and alliances blur. Yarros explores the tension between personal conviction and communal duty, weaving in questions of justice, sacrifice, and the painful cost of power. Violet’s struggle is not just against external enemies, but the quiet unraveling of relationships and beliefs she once held sacred.

Yarros’s vision for Iron Flame is ambitious, and she largely delivers. The book is longer, darker, and more complex than Fourth Wing, reflecting a growing world that demands deeper consequences. Her writing is propulsive and immersive, with richly imagined settings, visceral combat scenes, and emotionally charged dialogue. While the pace sometimes barrels forward with relentless speed, she manages to balance adrenaline-fueled action with quieter, character-driven moments that give the story heart. Violet’s voice remains sharp and vulnerable, anchoring the reader in a world full of chaos. Yarros also expands the lore of the dragons and magic system in meaningful ways, layering the fantasy elements with more political tension and mystery. Her greatest strength, however, continues to be the emotional stakes—how love, grief, and courage play out when nothing is guaranteed.

Iron Flame is perfect for fans of fantasy with a romantic edge, readers who devour stories of strong heroines and high-stakes training grounds, and anyone who loved the fusion of romance and battle from books like A Court of Thorns and Roses or The Hunger Games. It’s an ideal book for long weekends, vacation binge-reads, or rainy afternoons when you want to fully escape into another world. Given the emotional rollercoaster and cliffhangers, it’s also a great one to read with a friend or book club—because you’ll want to talk about it the moment you’re done. Yarros has delivered a second book that doesn’t just continue the story—it raises the bar, demanding that both her characters and readers dig deeper into what they’re willing to risk for truth, love, and freedom.