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Book Review: Iron Flame and Onyx Storm (The Empyrean Books 2 and 3)

At the end of 2024, I read Fourth Wing, the first book in The Empyrean series. While I no longer like to read books in a series until it’s completed, I can’t get enough of the world in this series and found myself wanting to continue with these books anyway. I know after the two books I’ll be reviewing here there are going to be two more in this series, and I have accepted that I’ll have to wait until they are also released before I check them out. But for now, since I’ve finished reading these books, I would like to share my thoughts on Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, the second and third books in The Empyrean series.

Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars

“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.

As the second book in The Empyrean series, Iron Flame does a marvelous job of picking up where Fourth Wing left off. And just like with its predecessor, I found myself immediately hooked on the story and wanting to find out what happened next with Violet, Xaden, her squad, and their dragons. I felt like there was a lot of world-building in this book, but I was perfectly fine with it as I felt like I was learning more about the vast world all of these characters inhabit.

What I also enjoyed about the story here is that I felt like there were quite a bit of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. From finding out the truth about the real threat in their world to the introduction of new characters and bringing back certain characters, Iron Flame was a page-turner for me from beginning to end. I found myself continuing to read this book wanting to find out what happened next because for me I enjoyed the world and these characters and wanted to see where the story was going.

Iron Flame is full of so much action that I found myself heavily engaged in the story and the choices these characters make when the truth is revealed to them regarding the threat to their world. I also enjoyed seeing the character development of these characters as they navigate the different challenges they experience while at Basgiath and whenever they leave their school. I was especially happy to see that Violet’s friendship with Dain changes in this book once he finds out the truth of what’s going on. While the way he treated Violet in Fourth Wing irked me, I felt like he does a better job here realizing she’s more than capable of taking care of herself which made him a more likable character for me.  

Even the ending in Iron Flame was enjoyable to read for me. It was tough to read because of what happened and I was sad about the events that transpired too. But with the amount of twists and turns that happened in this book, I figured the ending would have some sort of twist I wasn’t expecting that would make me want to read the next book in the series. And it didn’t disappoint, even if aspects of it were sad to read.

If I had to choose anything with this book in The Empyrean series I didn’t enjoy it would have to be some of the new characters that were introduced and the problems in Xaden and Violet’s relationship that occurred here. The new characters I wasn’t particularly fond of here were Varrish, Sloane and Cat. Varrish was an interesting character to have as an antagonist in most of the book but I wasn’t particularly fond of him because all he did was do things to make Violet’s life at Basgiath difficult, but there really wasn’t all that much to his character that made the story interesting. As for Sloane and Cat, while I understood their reasons for not being fond of Violet here, I also felt like they were mostly unfounded too, and were the result of things that were out of her control. And even when these two characters get to a point in the story where they no longer dislike her, I find myself still not too fond of either of them.

I felt like the drama that happened in Violet and Xaden’s relationship in this book was completely unnecessary. I understood in the beginning Violet being upset with Xaden for keeping things from her that he should’ve told her. But at the same time, I also understood his perspective and why he felt like it was truly necessary. I also understand feeling a sense of jealousy when encountering someone from someone you love’s past. But I felt with the way Xaden acted towards his ex, there was truly no reason for Violet to be jealous here. So to me, I felt like there was a lot of drama between the two of them here that wasn’t at all necessary for their relationship that irked me.

However, despite these two aspects of the story, I really enjoyed reading Iron Flame. I felt like I was right back to where its predecessor left off and when it finished it made me all the more excited to read the next book in the series, Onyx Storm to see what happened next with this series I’ve been enjoying.

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3)

Rating: 3.5 stars

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

I feel like in comparison to the rest of the books in this series, Onyx Storm was my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but in comparison to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, it wasn’t as enjoyable a read for me.

What I enjoyed about Onyx Storm though was that I felt like I learned more about the world outside of Navarre. There were a lot of places that Violet and members of her squad went to in search of allies and I enjoyed learning about these different isles and what those who ruled over them were like. The amount of detail that went into creating such a vast world that has so many unique places some of which resulted in their group being unable to use their magic and communicate with their dragons or griffins is incredible. I felt like I was reading a story with a cast of characters on a quest because of what Violet and her group were in search of and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

I also enjoyed the relationship of the characters here better than I did in Iron Flame. With everything serious that was going on in this book, I felt like there was a lot of witty banter in this book in comparison to its predecessors which made some of the serious moments seem not quite as serious. There were a lot of moments when reading Onyx Storm where I found myself giggling at something that happened because of these moments in the story. The characters that annoyed me in Iron Flame didn’t annoy me as much in this book too, which helped. I especially enjoyed seeing the relationships between the dragon riders and griffin riders and how they all worked together in this book. I also enjoyed finding out more about the characters that had a second signet. I thought that was an interesting piece of information to include in the story and I was excited when I found out what Violet’s ended up being even though I felt like it ended up being an obvious signet for her to have.  

While I enjoyed seeing the dynamic of Violet and Xaden’s relationship in this book more, certain aspects of their relationship annoyed me. While I understood Xaden’s actions regarding their relationship, Violet was the one who annoyed me a lot with the way she acted about Xaden trying to keep himself in control. I also feel like with Violet, there wasn’t a lot of character development for her in Onyx Storm. Yes, I feel like she did a lot of badass things when it came to what they were doing on the islands to secure an army. But I also feel like at this point in the book, she wasn’t as strong as she could’ve been. I think I’m at the point where I feel like while she has a very powerful signet, she should have a grasp on how to use it by now in this series, but she still doesn’t. And it’s annoying to me because I feel like it’s going to continue causing more harm than good for her and those around her that she’s trying to protect.

Another aspect of Onyx Storm that I wasn’t particularly fond of was the overall plot. I understood why the things that were going on happened, but I felt like there was a lot of filler in this book too. Yes, I thought the islands that Violet and her group went to were interesting, but there were a lot of details that weren’t necessary as well. And while I enjoyed their journey, I also felt like it was kind of pointless too. Especially because it felt like a majority of it was for nothing due to the events that transpired as a result of it. I also felt like learning about the world outside of Navarre was interesting, there was also too much information for me to remember with all of the places they ended up traveling to.

I also found myself annoyed by it because of all the mystery surrounding Violet’s father regarding the information he left for her to find. I didn’t understand why he went to all this trouble to hide this information for only her out of the members of her family to find. I understand not keeping the knowledge he had somewhere leadership at Basigath could easily find it, but I felt like how he hid the information he had was too much. Especially because I felt like it didn’t contribute much to the story of what was going on and made me dislike her father even more than her mother.  

But if I had to choose anything with this book I disliked the most, it was the way the antagonist in this book is brought into the story and the ending. While I think Theophanie was an interesting antagonist to introduce into the story to show how their enemies have similar powers to them, I thought she would end up playing a bigger role in this series moving forward than she does. I felt like she was just introduced as this powerful character for Violet to take down to show how much Violet has grown throughout the series. But I feel like in a lot of their fight Violet struggled and very easily could’ve ended up killed herself. What I didn’t like about the ending was that there were multiple points of view from different characters that could’ve very easily happened throughout the book instead of at the end. Also felt like the ending left me with way more questions than answers as there’s a lot that’s mentioned but no real explanation for it. It also made me feel like everything that happens in this book was for nothing and that things are about to get bad for Violet and everyone else. It was my least favorite ending out of the books in this series so far.

As a whole, I enjoyed reading Onyx Storm but in comparison to the rest of the books in the series, it wasn’t my favorite as I felt like a lot of the plot was filler. And while I plan to continue reading the rest of the books in the series, I’m hoping they won’t be like this one for me.

As a whole, I’ve enjoyed reading both Iron Flame and Onyx Storm and am excited to continue reading the rest of The Empyrean series when the books come out to see what happens next now that I’ve finished reading both these books.               

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Book Review: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders…

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

I was immediately hooked on Violet’s story from the first page of Fourth Wing. As someone who enjoys reading fantasy, especially fantasy books that have a strong female protagonist, I found that I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. I enjoyed learning more about the college Violet attends with her ruthless classmates and learning more about the world of Navarre.

From the first page, I was captivated by the world Violet lives in. While I know it’s a world I personally wouldn’t want to be a part of, I enjoyed seeing the story told from her eyes and what her day-to-day life was like surviving in a world where everyone saw her as weak. I enjoyed learning more about her college, the different cadets and the signets they each developed once they bonded to their dragons, and everything else this world in Fourth Wing had to offer. It’s a very captivating world that as a reader I was easily able to get myself lost in.

What I also enjoyed about this book was the story itself. I enjoyed that the story centered around a protagonist like Violet who’s had to overcome so much to get to where she is and isn’t done overcoming obstacles. Violet is put through a lot in this book because of the number of other dragon riders who want to get rid of her, and who see her as the weakest one among them. I feel like she does a wonderful job repeatedly proving that she belongs here with them when she very easily could’ve given up. I also enjoyed that the story had a lot of fantasy elements to it, such as the dragon riders each developing a signet ability once they were connected with the dragon that chose them, the dragons themselves, and the fantasy within the world Violet and the other characters live in.

I also enjoyed seeing the different relationships between characters in Fourth Wing. Especially the relationship between Violet and Xaden, her friendship with Rhiannon and other members of her squadron, and the dynamic between Violet, Xaden, and their dragons. I felt like all of these different relationships had a great dynamic. And I enjoyed seeing how each of them separately was developing as the book went on.

If there was anything with Fourth Wing I didn’t like it was certain characters in the story and the way this book ends. The characters I’m talking about here are Jack and Dain. Disliking Jack in this book shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to those who’ve also read it because he’s one of the main people in Basgiath War College who wants Violet dead. But he’s also a threat to most of the other dragon riders in this book and I feel like is one of the main antagonists here up until a certain point in the story. I feel like he’s a threat to the other characters in the story and not just Violet because from the beginning he shows he has no hesitation in killing anyone at the college that stands in the way of him getting what he wants. Violet just happens to be who he wants to kill the most out of the characters in the book as he’s wanted her dead since the beginning. Dain on the other hand, is a character in the story I originally was hoping to like in Fourth Wing. Violet describes him as her best friend since childhood whom she’s had feelings for. But since the beginning of the book when he finds out that Violet is going to be attending Basgiath War College at her mom’s insistence, he is nothing but overprotective of her throughout this book. I understand he’s worried about her safety and cares about her, but it’s to the point where even when she proves she’s more than capable of taking care of herself here he’s still in an overprotective mode when it comes to her. To the point where it’s more of a detriment to her and it feels like he’s not being a supportive friend to her even when she’s shown what all she’s capable of. I feel like he basically does a shitty job of being a good friend in this book and understood completely when Violet had moments where she wasn’t on speaking terms with him. I’m hoping that as this series goes on their friendship ends up better than it was here because as of what I’ve read, he’s done a terrible job at being a good friend for her.

As for the ending in this book, I wouldn’t say I necessarily hated it though I was sad regarding certain things that happened. What I didn’t like about the ending is that there’s a lot that happens with it about Xaden and other characters and Violet becoming aware of creatures she thought weren’t real existing that doesn’t get fully explained. I feel like there’s a lot that happens in the end that needs a lot more explanation than what we’re given. I don’t necessarily see this completely as a bad thing since this is a book series so I’m sure the things that weren’t fully explained I’ll find out more about as the series goes on. I just don’t like the way it was done because there’s room for people to be confused about what happened.

As a whole though, Fourth Wing was such an enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed the world these characters are in even if it is not one I’d want to be in myself and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series Iron Flame to see what happens next to Violet, Xaden, and everyone else who’s played an important role in the story so far.            

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Book Review: In the Likely Event

Rating: 3 stars

When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. It’s the usual holiday travel experience: busy, crowded, stressful.

Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.

With this being my first Rebecca Yarros read as I have yet to read Fourth Wing, which is on my TBR list, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was… okay. I admit I thought I really liked it at first. But as I think more and more about the storyline and romance, I realize it was actually just an okay read for me overall.

So what I enjoyed about In the Likely Event was the idea of meeting someone, forming a connection, then running into said person throughout points in life. Which is basically what happened to Izzy and Nate throughout this book’s storyline. There’s just something about that idea that appealed to me and seeing it happen with these two characters was interesting considering their different backgrounds. Like these two characters were destined/fated to meet each other because of the connection that becomes apparent to me when they meet on their flight. That concept is what intrigued me into giving this book a read and what made me continue reading to see what would happen next.

What I also liked about this book was seeing the chapter’s switch between these two characters and from present to past. Seeing Nate and Izzy’s interactions with each other in the past verses present was interesting. As a reader, seeing them in the present was especially interesting because you don’t yet have the full story of what happened to cause the two of them to be acting the way they did ten years after first meeting each other. I feel like you get some clues whenever they both interact with each other, but you don’t know the complete story until you read the last chapter from the past. However, if I had to choose which chapters I liked better, it would have to be the chapters focused on the past as I learned more about these characters and found out how everything unfolded between the two of them over the years.

What I also enjoyed with this book was some of the topics discussed. Mostly with regards to Nate who’s in the military but also has a rough home life/past due to his abusive father. I feel like as a reader, there isn’t a lot we know but it becomes apparent that he develops PTSD from his time serving. I enjoyed how this was showcased throughout because I saw how his years of serving was impacting his everyday life and it made me feel for him as I read this book.

However, I have several criticisms for In the Likely Event too. My biggest one being the characters themselves throughout this book. There were a lot of times when reading this book where I didn’t see any character development with Izzy and Nate along with these characters annoying me. I feel like for this book, both of these things are one in the same just because of the way these characters interacted with each other throughout this book but also because I didn’t really see much change with either of these characters in the story either. I saw their connection when they first met but felt like at times their relationship fizzled out. I don’t know if it’s because they weren’t willing to give their connection a chance because Nate was always deploying, and he wanted Izzy to have the chance to live her life without waiting on him. And that annoyed me a lot because you could see how much Izzy and Nate cared about each other. But they were never truly together because of Nate always being away when I feel like they should’ve given themselves a chance to be together. This annoyed me in the book because it made me feel like they actually didn’t want to be together even though it becomes apparent that being with anyone else didn’t work out for either of them.

Another criticism of this book that I have is the storylines for the past and present. While I did enjoy them because it was interesting to see Izzy and Nate in the past and present, I felt like there were details in the story that were missing to me. It felt like the overall storyline of their relationship was rushed, including how they both met, which was one of my favorite moments in the story. I especially disliked the present storyline because of how unrealistic it felt to me. Not only because of Izzy going to the exact same country Nate happened to be deployed in because of her sister, but also because of what all happened while she was there. I felt like she didn’t do much in the way of helping and felt like there was no real reason for her to even be there. If anything, I felt like she was just there for Nate to continuously save her from dangerous situations so the two of them could actually be together. And it annoyed me because I felt like she shouldn’t have been there to begin with anyway.

What I also disliked with this book was I felt like with the story there was more telling about what happened verses showing the reader. Like I knew there was a connection between Nate and Izzy from their interaction with each other on the plane. But I felt like from there, I was told there was a connection instead of the characters showing how they felt about each other in the story. The best example that comes to mind for me is what happens that ends up ruining what could’ve been a good relationship. We get told what one of the characters did very early on before we actually get the chapter in the past that shows it unfold. Another instance of this to me is how when both of them try to date other people, it never works out. But I feel like we get told this more instead of seeing either of these characters interacting with someone else and it not working out.

Overall, I did like reading In the Likely Event because the story’s concept interested me and enjoyed the way the themes in this book were covered. But because of the reasons I’ve listed, I felt like there was a lot about the book that could’ve been better that would’ve made it a more enjoyable read for me. This won’t stop me, however, from reading other books by this author as I might possibly enjoy them more than this one.

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