By Bailei Burgess-Simmons
Staff Writer
It’s been almost a week since I completed “Fourth Wing” and it still lives rent free in my mind. The book, written by Rebecca Yarros, was released in hardcover on May 2, 2023. This review comes in light of the cover debut for the second book of the series.
To understand the excitement surrounding the release of “Iron Flame,” the sequel to “Fourth Wing,” one must first understand Yarro’s first work of art.
From its very first day in stores, “Fourth Wing” flew off of shelves, and with good reason. The first of the five-part “Empyrean” series is 528 pages of an epic fantasy adventure complete with a badass heroine, a dynamic plot and an enemies-to-lovers trope — the best trope of course.
I can only describe “Fourth Wing” as a love child between “Game of Thrones” and “Divergent.” Those who are not familiar with fantasy reading might initially be put off by the idea of dragons, a war college and a romance happening simultaneously. However, Yarros proved exactly why fantasy books should reign superior.
The book follows Violet Sorrengale, a young scribe, as she is forced to join the riders quadrant, a three-year war college. If death doesn’t claim her first, she is meant to become a dragon rider. This means joining the war effort, following in the footsteps of her war hero older siblings and her mother, the general.
The process by which one becomes a dragon rider, however, is very dangerous. The walk into the institution itself took out nearly 70 of her class, and with every day that remained, more and more.
Should one make it across the parapet and into the riders quadrant, they are then put through several months of near-death experiences. They compete through severe training, where it's quite literally kill or be killed. They take military strategy courses, complete airborne courses fit with spinning, blade-like obstacles and lessons on wielding magic — all with the hope of getting a dragon.
This is where Yarro's dragons differ from those in “Game of Thrones.” Dragons are neither a weapon nor a servant to humans. They are wise, sentient and ancient beings. They fight in the war, not to save humans but to protect their own home; and so, one must be chosen by a dragon.
The bond that results from a dragon choosing a rider results in the manifestation of a signet — a unique power. As a result, dragons choose riders based on their strength and ferocity, hoping to manifest the strongest possible signets.
The dragons, however exciting, are just a part of the profound and intricately woven plot. Sorrengale’s long lineage of powerful riders makes her everyone’s biggest threat, and more importantly, a huge target.
Lacking basically every qualifying skill for becoming a rider (aside from speed and wicked accuracy with daggers), Sorrenagale relies on her truest gift to survive: her mind. At every turn, when all looks hopeless, Violet defies all reason and wins through tricks and cunning maneuvers.
The strongest? Maybe not, but definitely the smartest, which prepares her well for all that is thrown her way.
Throughout the country, there are whispers of rebellion, a polarized political climate and hints that those leading her country — her mother included — are nothing close to the nobles they would like everyone to believe they are.
The tide of the war is turning against their favor and it is becoming more and more evident that Violet is what stands between everyone she loves and their enemies.
Ending on a wild cliffhanger, it is with great relief that it has been announced that the second book of the series, “Iron Flame,” will be released on Nov. 7, 2023.
And so the countdown begins, as I wait for the sequel to what might be the best new addition to the world of fantasy reading.
