Fans of the Empyrean Series Are Fired Up About Book Two — What Is 'Iron Flame' About?

The Gist:

• Iron Flame is the anticipated sequel to Rebecca Yarros's book Fourth Wing.
• Fans flooded stores on Nov. 7, 2023, for the book's release.
• You can purchase Iron Flame wherever books are sold.

It didn't take long for fans of the romantasy genre to latch onto Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing, which was published in May 2023. It's the first book in the Empyrean series, and follows Violet Sorrengail the 20 year-old daughter of General Sorrengail. As the highest ranking officer in Navarre’s military, he has been leading a war that has lasted for years.

The group responsible for keeping enemies at bay are the dragon riders, but Violet wants no part of that. She longs to join the Scribe Quadrant, but the death of her father alters Violet's future as her mother forces her to become a dragon rider. Violet is described as having something similar to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which makes the training even more deadly but she perseveres. The follow up to the successful first book is Iron Flame, which was released in November 2023. Here's what we know.

At the end of Fourth Wing, Violet has been rendered unconscious after being run through by a poisoned blade. When she comes to she realizes her brother is actually alive and is part of the rebellion. All of this leads into her second year at Basgiath War College where no one, especially Violet, thought she would survive. Not only is she surviving, but Violet is thriving despite the messy kiss she shared with Xaden brought on by their dragons getting it on. It happens!

In a June 2023 interview with TODAY, Rebecca told the outlet that Iron Flame "deals with fallout of what Violet’s discovered in the first book, and we can expect the world to expand and for the mysteries to deepen." What she discovered was Xaden, along with the marked ones, has been aiding the enemy in a fight with the venin and wyverns creatures who aren't actually real. Also her best friend Dain is actually a bad guy.

As if training and subterfuge weren't difficult enough, Violet has to deal with a new vice commandant who seems determined to make her life a living hell. In an excerpt obtained by TODAY, Rebecca lays out a particularly grueling training session that ends with the deaths of one first year and half of the Third Squad. Hopefully year two won't break Violet, and we don't just mean her spirit.

Fans of the series flooded TikTok with videos featuring fellow Fourth Wingers anxiously waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they could snag their copy of Iron Flame on Nov. 7, 2023. Not since the release of the final Harry Potter book have stores seen such obsessed fandom over a book's publishing day. "It's Iron Flame release day," said @steffski_11 in a TikTok, "and we are door busting Walmart like it's Black Friday 1999."

Her journey was a success! It seems as if one can purchase Iron Flame just about anywhere. Obviously Amazon is always an option, but please check your local independent bookstores or order it from another independent bookstore via IndieBound. You can also make a run to old favorites like Target or your local library. Good luck out there! Hopefully nothing out there will end up dragon you down. Get it?