Book Review: Fourth Wing & Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros

Book Review: Fourth Wing & Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros - The Empyrean Series

I wasn't familiar with Rebecca Yarros prior to receiving the first two books in her Empyrean Series, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, as a gift. (Note: links will take you to the audible product page versions of the book on Amazon and are affiliate links. You should be able to find links to physical copies of the books from there if you prefer).

It's been a long time that I've read a book that I don't want to put down after the time I have to read for the day is over.

These two books, which are not insignificant in size at 498 and 623 pages respectively are page turners from beginning to end (almost but I'll get to that later).

The story is set in a fantasy mythical world where dragons and magic are common place.

Fourth Wing opens as Violet, the younger, weaker daughter of a fairly infamous general in a dragon riders army, is pushed into the first year of dragon rider school, rather than her preferred, and prepared for, path of scribe school.

Both her mother (the aforementioned general) and her sister are dragon riders, and, while her sister sees Violet should be in scribe school, her mother is having none of it.

From there we follow her path through her first year (in Fourth Wing) and second year (in Iron Flame) as Violet and her contemporaries train for an ongoing war to protect their lands from an invading force, that may not be what they've been led to believe by the leadership.

If that wasn't enough, Violet's Mother's reputation precedes her and will put her in harms way even from those who are supposed to be on her side. Can she even make it through one of the toughest military schools around where death is a regular part of training?

My biggest criticism of these books is that I don't yet have the third book in the series, Onyx Storm. (Available for pre-order at the time of this review... I must know what happens next!).

I'm probably not the first person to think these books are basically Harry Potter for adults with Dragons (I don't actually know if there were dragons in Harry Potter, I only saw the first movie and never read the books).

It's a similar premise, except we're talking a very hardcore military school, where there are rules for when it is or isn't okay to kill another student, and there's lots more, kind of graphic, sex scenes. This isn't a book series for your preteens no matter how advanced their reading skills are.

Speaking of sex scenes. I never thought I'd say this but that's my least liked part of these books. Possibly because the majority of the series is written from Violet's point of view, which is completely fine until you get to a sex scene, particularly one that spans more than a few pages.

I have no problems with sex scenes in books, movies etc. but these are written from a female point of view (as they should be). I never imagined I could find a sex scene tedious to read. I guess what turns Rebecca Yarros on is very different to my taste. I was tempted to skip them when they happen but you also get key character moments during them too - so read them I did.

I think they just went on for too many pages at times.

Beyond that, there are plenty of supporting characters with interesting character arcs of their own. And definitely a few surprises and plot twists you don't see coming.

Apparently Amazon has bought the rights to this series (for which there are five books planned - damn you Rebecca! I'm not a fan of jumping on a book series that is still being written!) for a TV show. I'll be interested to see how that goes considering they're going to need to put a considerable number of dragons on screen. I'm also curious if they make the dragons talk because so much communication in these books is telepathic.

If you are a fan of the fantasy/dragons/magic genre and you liked the story of Harry Potter but have out grown it, this series is probably right in your wheelhouse. I found it easy to read (sex scenes excluded) and always had something going on to keep you engaged - hence finding it hard to put down.

It feels like a fully realized world that could be something you'd want to revisit with new stories and characters in the future.

Purchase the Fourth Wing and Iron Flame on Amazon.

Comments

Bruce, South Australia - A Forgotten Aussie Town with Spectacular Landscape Views and Potential

The Bruce Railway Station. Now a private residence. V isiting the almost forgotten town of Bruce reminds me of visiting Silverton back in 2007, except Silverton has been revived into a kind of arts town with a very famous pub. Bruce, on the other hand seems a little too spread out, and a bit too out of the way to make a similar 'arts' kind of revival. Bruce's Pub appears to be an art studio with signs of restoration work in progress. The main part of town appears to be the Bruce railway station (now a private residence) and a pub, also privately owned and possibly was, or still is, and artist studio. Other buildings and homesteads are set fairly wide apart, and are mostly privately owned homes. You don't get much sense of being in a town as such. I'm told there are approximately 14 local residents/families? Once earmarked to be a commercial centre, Bruce fell by the wayside after successive floods and drought in its early years. Obviously the railway line is no lo...

Is AI Art 'Art'? The Say NO to AI Art Movement, and Why Human Artists Will Adapt

AI Art No T-Shirt by TET Also available on other items . Right now there is a big debate over not just whether AI art is 'art' but whether AI's are actually ripping off the work of actual human artists, without their consent, to create their images - particularly images 'in the style of' specific artists. From my own observations this debate started to get more traction when artist's signatures began appearing in the output of AI Art image generators. Is It Art? Cool Froyd the Cat Sketch by TET. My style is very much influenced by classic Disney and WB character styles. To get some clarity on how real human artists work (of which I am one)... we, that is all of us... take influences from the art that has come before. i.e. whatever artists we like, have studied, seen etc. we are influenced by. It shows up in our work, intentionally or not. If you really study my own cartoony art style you'll see I'm heavily influenced by early Disney and Warner Bros cart...

Kids today are smarter than their parents?

Mother's Bed Art Board Print by TET. Available from RedBubble . How often have you heard it said that kids today are smarter than their parents? I’ve heard it quite frequently in the media – even Dr Phil has said it. I say speak for yourself. It’s not true and don’t let the media fool you. Today’s kids may have access to more information that may give them more choices but in my experience, they only take in what they want to hear and still make stupid, uninformed decisions. Just like we used to at their age. Like any cross section of people there will be exceptions. There are kids that are genuinely smarter, more mature and responsible for their age. However the vast majority know everything they need to know by the time they turn fourteen. They’re ‘adult’ enough to be responsible for all their own decision making so parents should just let them do what they please…right? Just like we thought at fourteen. Don’t be fooled. Just because your son knows how to download MP3’s onto an i...

Embarrassing Yourself with Doof Doof Music

Ever since Spinal Tap popularized the notion of turning an amp up to eleven audio systems have been rising to the challenge of louder, more awesome sound. In particular, car audio systems have embraced the notion of the bigger the noise the better the sound must surely be. What I'd like to know is, if these sound systems are so good, why do they make all music sound the same... Doof, Doof, Doof? You've all heard them. Pimped up cars, with audio systems seemingly worth more than gold, volume blasting way past eleven. Sound waves booming long before you make a positive visual on the car... Doof, Doof, Doof. It has to be the audio system right? Surely all these people can't be playing the same tune? Doof, Doof, Doof. Could it be that the more money spent on a car sound system the less musical range it will actually play? Maybe these people can't afford to buy music after purchasing the audio system so they all play the same demo track? Doof, doof, doof. In my own car I hav...

Boom Crash Opera Born Classic But Not Again

Boom Crash Opera are an Australian Band that reached the peak of their popularity in the mid to late nineteen eighties. They are a band that I knew about at that time but was never really excited by until they released their ill fated double album Born and Born Again in 1995 (Album cover pictured). At the time of its release I was very much into emerging Australian musical acts and was also looking out for new sounds that were different and had kind of a futuristic/electronic sound. Artists that I was buying at the time included; Swoop , Nine Inch Nails and Pop Will Eat Its Self . As well as a really interesting release by David Bowie, the concept album, Outside . Born was a fairly radical departure for Boom Crash Opera (BCO). The first single, Gimme , was often compared to the sounds of Gary Glitter, particularly his single, Rock n Roll part 2 , because of the pounding drum loops. Watch the video below. My favorite single from the album is dissemble which probably went now...

James Gunn's Social Media Monkeys Joke Was a Highlight of His Superman Movie For Me

B efore James Gunn's Superman Movie was released there was a whole rumor going around that the movie would feature monkeys on computers trolling Superman's social media, sparking much outrage. #supersh*t. I didn't know this was even a thing until just prior to writing this article. I did a search to see if anyone had posted a clip of the monkeys scene from the movie and got pages of discourse featuring videos and articles prior to the film. Most of it from Gunn detractors (let's say) seeing it as some kind of childish swipe at them... well not them specifically but, you know, those other people who have every right to hate on anything sight unseen. Anyway, I'm not going to give even one such example a link or air because it's kind of sad watching someone devote so much commentary to a throw away gag that is absolutely a nod to James Gunn's Superman trolls. The whole reason this post exists, is to say I loved the joke, because fourteen years ago, and I...

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de...

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog