After the explosive plot and character depth stemming from the fantasy favorite “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros, the sequel, “Iron Flame,” notably fell flat. While it’s important to note that this book is the second in a planned five-part series, and thus was sort of expected to be less action-packed and leaning more towards world-building and development that is common to fantasy series, much of this development failed to occur within Iron Flame. 

This book, however, should not be characterized as a bad read or a poorly written book because it is still a book I enjoyed, simply not something I would enthusiastically recommend. Once released, this series exploded in fame amongst the world of readers, and nearly everyone had heard its name. However, that shock and demand simply wasn’t present for this sequel, and understandably so.

This book was well-written and flowed perfectly. Once I had picked this book up to read, I was unable to put it down. It was incredibly captivating and enjoyable, even though it lacked plot and character development. 

Yarros has a unique writing style and has created a world unlike any other. Rather than creating a harsh, difficult-to-understand fantasy series with complicated and intense worldbuilding, she created a fantasy world far simpler than most. It is a world that is easy to understand and easy to become captivated with. When reading this book, it is almost as though a movie were playing in my head, as her use of imagery is simply unparalleled. Every moment and every scene in this series is painted so meticulously, with so much thought and precision, that I can envision every detail within my mind.

Furthermore, I have to admit that I am quite a fan of the hidden “easter eggs” that Yarros has become known for. While this is common in most fantasy books, namely the Sarah J. Maas’ universe, I appreciate the subtle nature of Yarros’ foreshadowing. There are details one could not realize were incredibly crucial until rereading the book for maybe the fourth time. You just know, when reading, that every detail has its own meaning; everything even slightly out of place is as such for a reason.

Ultimately, while “Iron Flame” by Rebecca Yarros did fall flat in comparison to “Fourth Wing” and did not exactly live up to its’ very high expectations, it was still a good read. Rebecca Yarros is a fantastic author, and I look forward to reading future releases in this series.

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.