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Kristīne Spure's Reviews > Iron Flame
Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
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** spoiler alert **
As I’m writing this review, I can’t help but rub the bridge of my nose in mild annoyance. I was so excited to pick up the novel and find out the next challenges of Violet and her aching joints, Xaden, and the lot. But gods be damned – the story went on and on, not going anywhere for about 3/4s of the entire book. It took forever to finish.
I already didn’t really like the development of Violet, and in this book, I believe it even less. Why is she supposed to be the best rider of the century? I don’t get it, she has neck and knee problems all the time and others seem more powerful and masterful than her.
There were also too many relationship issues between Xaden and Violet, ones they could have solved in a day and one conversation. They just kept on fighting for no apparent reason whatsoever, citing that “they need to know each others’ secrets”, but not revealing any, then fighting again. Talk about much ado about nothing.
Next up, tediously cliched promises of “I will love you until the end, you are my gravity, my home is not worth anything if you are not alive”. Ick. Not to mention them having sex at inapropriate times, like, right after Violet is badly beaten or hurt. Borderline SM.
While the first book painted an exciting picture of what the riders are and how Basgiath functions, the second book added some detail on flyers, gryphons, and new types of magic, like runes. But instead of giving me a deep dive into this magical realm, I felt like everything got jumbled together in a rushed pace and in the end, I couldn’t care less, I just wanted to finally be able to get through the book.
And if you think about it, how come the leaders of Navarre are so obtuse that they can’t find a proper way to deal with the venin and wyvern, but a bunch of twenty-year-olds can? And a half of the riders fly away in protest, and the leadership does… nothing? It just doesn’t seem realistic.
The ending was interesting and the final Basgiath scenes quite vividly painted. Although it did seem cut a bit short and rushed. Readers are put through 580 pages of nothing major happening and then everything is squished together into the last twenty-or-so pages. For example, I wonder how come it was so easy for Xaden to finish off the Sage just like that (even with his new-found power), and finding no explanation as to how it happened. Like, the Sage just fell into a ravine and that’s it? I thought he was supposed to be the super villain and the general of the evil army haunting Navarre and Xaden and Violet’s dreams. If every venin is as powerful as the Sage, and it is as easy to deal with them, the good guys should have no problem in the future.
That said, I roll my shoulders and can honestly say that I am still devoted to learn what will happen in book 3 and if Xeiden will turn full-on baddie with Violet coming to get him. But I might just wait for the Latvian translation by Ieva Melgalve which was so masterfully executed in the first book.
I already didn’t really like the development of Violet, and in this book, I believe it even less. Why is she supposed to be the best rider of the century? I don’t get it, she has neck and knee problems all the time and others seem more powerful and masterful than her.
There were also too many relationship issues between Xaden and Violet, ones they could have solved in a day and one conversation. They just kept on fighting for no apparent reason whatsoever, citing that “they need to know each others’ secrets”, but not revealing any, then fighting again. Talk about much ado about nothing.
Next up, tediously cliched promises of “I will love you until the end, you are my gravity, my home is not worth anything if you are not alive”. Ick. Not to mention them having sex at inapropriate times, like, right after Violet is badly beaten or hurt. Borderline SM.
While the first book painted an exciting picture of what the riders are and how Basgiath functions, the second book added some detail on flyers, gryphons, and new types of magic, like runes. But instead of giving me a deep dive into this magical realm, I felt like everything got jumbled together in a rushed pace and in the end, I couldn’t care less, I just wanted to finally be able to get through the book.
And if you think about it, how come the leaders of Navarre are so obtuse that they can’t find a proper way to deal with the venin and wyvern, but a bunch of twenty-year-olds can? And a half of the riders fly away in protest, and the leadership does… nothing? It just doesn’t seem realistic.
The ending was interesting and the final Basgiath scenes quite vividly painted. Although it did seem cut a bit short and rushed. Readers are put through 580 pages of nothing major happening and then everything is squished together into the last twenty-or-so pages. For example, I wonder how come it was so easy for Xaden to finish off the Sage just like that (even with his new-found power), and finding no explanation as to how it happened. Like, the Sage just fell into a ravine and that’s it? I thought he was supposed to be the super villain and the general of the evil army haunting Navarre and Xaden and Violet’s dreams. If every venin is as powerful as the Sage, and it is as easy to deal with them, the good guys should have no problem in the future.
That said, I roll my shoulders and can honestly say that I am still devoted to learn what will happen in book 3 and if Xeiden will turn full-on baddie with Violet coming to get him. But I might just wait for the Latvian translation by Ieva Melgalve which was so masterfully executed in the first book.
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