Iron flame by Rebecca Yarros

The second in the series following The fourth wing and a massive 623 pages, Iron flame continues the saga of Violet Sorrengail and her trials as a cadet at Basgiath War College. She is now in her second year and faces brutal training with a commandant who makes her life hell. She must use all her wits to stay alive and at the same time research ways to increase the wards and keep her country safe.

Violet may be physically frail, but she is strong and determined, and knows that dragon riders make their own rules. She uses her intelligence instead of brute strength to overcome obstacles and her training as a scribe becomes very useful as she researches the secrets that the leaders of the country have been keeping.

The story is not as action packed as The fourth wing, with Violet spending much of her time trying to work out whether she can trust Xaden and wondering why he will not confide in her. This made it a less exciting read than the first book, although the romance does heat up with some very explicit sex scenes between the two.

The dialogue in the book is very modern and detracts from the fantasy setting but is sure to appeal to its intended  audience.

The pace and interest picks up once the action gets going towards the last third of the book, with some scenes leaving the reader with heart in mouth and the final twist will ensure that the next in the series is picked up. The explicit sex and torture scenes make it unsuitable for younger teens, who may find the Prison healer trilogy by Lynette Noni more suitable.

Themes: Fantasy, Adventure, Dragons, Secrets, Magic, Conspiracies.

Pat Pledger