How far will you go to save someone you love? And if you save them, will they forgive you?
That’s the question swirling in my head after speed-reading Fourth Wing and Iron Flame this past week. I admit I was influenced by seeing everyone talk about it on Threads and decided to check it out. And I am glad I did.
The premise of Fourth Wing isn’t an uncommon one in fantasy fiction. We’ve come across many versions of the coming-of-age story happening in an academic setting to learn about magic and fighting combat. Sometimes the story is more focused on magic, such as the shining example by She Who Will Not Be Named. Other times, it is more war-oriented, as in the Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Fourth Wing starts out war-oriented and carries that theme throughout, even when the dragons are bonded and magic does come into play.
“But I will not run. I wouldn’t be standing here if I’d quit every time something seemed impossible to overcome. I will not die today.”
Fourth Wing
What sets it apart is that the main character, Violet, has extra physical struggles to overcome and proves again and again that she won’t let them hold her back. Also, her struggles can’t be fixed away by magic. They are her, and she is more than them. And you know what? I appreciate seeing it in a story. I have my own physical health conditions that have made my life more difficult than it would be for most. But that doesn’t mean I just accept it. I adapt and work with it, as does Violet.
Unfortunately the ending to Fourth Wing let me down a tiny bit. Somehow, it felt like Fourth Wing ended too abruptly to leave it at a cliffhanger. I can see the reasoning, but in my opinion, it ended up hurting the beginning of Iron Flame. Now, time had to be spent in Iron Flame wrapping up the events of Fourth Wing before the story could truly start. This resulted in the pace shifting and being slower to get through for the first part of Iron Wing.
There are some other issues with the first part of the second book, but eventually, things shift, and the story continues.
“An emotional inconvenience? Is that what I am to you?” – Violet
“You’re currently a prized annoyance.” – Tairn
Iron Flame
I will say, though, that the dragons and their sass (when their humans are doing dumb shit) absolutely make the story even better. 😆
But back to the question I have swirling in my head.
How far will you go to save someone you love? And if you save them, will they forgive you?
I admit I did not see the ending of Iron Flame coming, and it definitely sent my head spinning and thinking about the ramifications. Throughout, we see Violet and Xaden work to build something that will last. It is clear they will do anything to save each other. They need each other. They love each other. But can they go too far and end up losing each other?
How long do you think it takes for someone to fall out of love? A day? A month? I’m asking because I don’t have any experience with it.
Iron Flame
Or will they work through it?
I guess I will now join many others in eagerly anticipating book 3 of The Empyrean.
Digital Herstory 