Iron Flame

Don't miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the U.S. and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover.

Discover the instant #1 New York Times bestseller! TV series now in development at MGM Amazon Studios with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.

Accolades for Fourth Wing
Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 • Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 • Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 (Fourth Wing and Iron Flame) • NPR “Books We Love” 2023 • Audible Best Books of 2023 • Hudson Book of the Year • Google Play Best Books of 2023 • Indigo Best Books of 2023 • Waterstones Book of the Year finalist • Goodreads Choice Award, semi-finalist • Newsweek Staffers’ Favorite Books of 2023 • Paste Magazine's Best Books of 2023

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” ―Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College―Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits―and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College―and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Fourth Wing
Book #2 Iron Flame
Book #3 Onyx Storm

Rebecca is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over fifteen novels, including FOURTH WING, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She's also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence in New Adult for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for twenty-one years. She’s the mother of six children and lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, feisty chinchillas, and Maine Coon cat who rules them all. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.

Visit her website at www.RebeccaYarros.com for more!

“Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the rest in Yarros’ Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure filled fantasy.” ―Booklist, starred review, for Fourth Wing

“Fourth Wing will have your heart pounding from beginning to end... A fantasy like you’ve never read before.” ―#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, for Fourth Wing

“Readers will be spellbound and eager for more.” ―Publisher’s Weekly, starred review, for Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros’s "Iron Flame," the breathless sequel to "Fourth Wing," picks up in the immediate, staggering aftermath of the battle at Resson. Violet Sorrengail has barely survived her first year at Basgiath War College, but the physical injuries pale in comparison to the emotional shock she faces. She has just discovered that the Navarrian leadership has been lying to its citizens for centuries about the existence of venin—dark magic users who drain the earth's energy—and their monstrous, dragon-like wyvern. Even more world-shattering is the revelation that her older brother, Brennan, whom she mourned for six years, is not only alive but is a leading figure in a secret revolution based in the ruined city of Aretia. Grappling with this immense betrayal, Violet struggles to trust Xaden Riorson, the man she loves, because of the massive secrets he kept from her regarding Brennan and the marked ones’ rebellion. Despite the fractures in their relationship, Violet and Xaden know they must return to Basgiath for her second year to maintain their cover and gather weapons for the coming war.

Returning to Basgiath, the atmosphere is more suffocating and dangerous than ever. The Navarre leadership suspects that Violet and the surviving members of her squad know too much about what truly happened beyond the protective magical wards. To break Violet and uncover Xaden’s secrets, the military command appoints Vice Commandant Varrish, a cruel, sadistic leader who takes an immediate and terrifying interest in her. Varrish systematically targets Violet, subjecting her to impossible physical trials and continuous psychological torment. Violet is forced into a grueling game of survival, hiding the truth about the venin from the rest of the college, including her former best friend, Dain Aetos. Dain, whose signet allows him to read memories through touch, had unknowingly betrayed Violet in the previous book by passing her memories to the leadership. Now, Violet must constantly guard her mind and physical space, trusting almost no one within the stone walls of the college.

Amidst the constant threat of Varrish, Violet must also navigate the profound changes in her dragon bonds. Her massive black dragon, Tairn, remains her fierce protector, but her smaller dragon, Andarna, enters a mysterious "Dreamless Sleep" to undergo a rapid growth cycle. When Andarna finally wakes, she is no longer a golden feathertail but a grumpy, adolescent dragon of a completely unknown, shimmering black breed. Because Navarre command monitors the dragons closely, keeping Andarna's new form and breed a secret becomes another deadly burden for Violet. Simultaneously, Violet struggles to master her devastating lightning signet, which is hampered by her physical exhaustion and the emotional strain of being separated from Xaden, who has graduated and been stationed at a distant border outpost. Their romance becomes a high-stakes, long-distance struggle, tied together only by their mental bond and desperate, stolen moments, as they try to rebuild their fractured trust through a promise of absolute honesty.

The tension at Basgiath reaches a breaking point when Varrish orchestrates a scenario to isolate Violet, throwing her into the college's dreaded interrogation chambers. For days, Violet endures horrific physical torture and mind-breaking interrogations, yet she refuses to utter a single word about Xaden, Brennan, or Aretia. Her unwavering resilience buys enough time for a rescue mission. In a massive turning point, Dain finally realizes the horrifying extent of Navarre’s corruption by reading Varrish’s memories. Horrified by the leadership's complicity in the deaths of innocent civilians outside the wards, Dain switches sides, helping Xaden and the marked ones rescue Violet and execute Varrish. This bloody confrontation sparks a mass defection. Violet, her entire squad, and a significant portion of the cadet body abandon Navarre, flying their dragons away from Basgiath to officially join the rebellion in Aretia.

In Aretia, the refugees must adapt to a completely new reality. The dragon riders are forced to integrate with the Poromish gryphon fliers, their historical enemies. Violet takes on the monumental task of translating the ancient, heavily redacted journals of the First Six riders, hoping to figure out how to raise the ancient wardstone in Aretia to protect the city from the venin. The puzzle of the wardstone is immensely complex, requiring the fire of the six known dragon breeds to activate. However, when they attempt the ritual, the wards only partially hold, leaving the city vulnerable. Violet eventually realizes the critical missing piece: Andarna is a seventh, hidden breed of dragon, and true wards require her fire. Unfortunately, Andarna is still too young to produce fire, leaving the rebellion in a precarious position as the venin army marches closer.

The climax of the novel is a masterclass in tension and heartbreak. The rebellion intercepts intelligence revealing that the venin are not marching on Aretia, but are instead bypassing the rebel stronghold to launch a massive, surprise attack directly on Basgiath War College. Their goal is to drain the Vale, the sacred valley where dragons hatch and draw their magic. Despite Navarre's betrayal and cowardice, Violet, Xaden, and the rebels refuse to let the dragons and innocent cadets be slaughtered. They fly back to Basgiath, initiating an apocalyptic, multi-front battle against an overwhelming swarm of venin and wyvern. Inside the college, they face a horrifying betrayal: Jack Barlowe, a vicious cadet who survived the first book, is revealed to have turned venin himself, destroying the Basgiath wards from the inside and letting the dark army in.

In the desperate, bloody battle that follows, Violet pushes her lightning signet to the absolute limit, nearly burning out her life force to fight the venin sage. In a shocking moment of redemption, Violet’s cold, commanding mother, General Sorrengail, sacrifices her own life to imbue the failing wardstone with enough raw power to restore the protective magical barrier. However, the victory comes at a devastating personal cost. As the wards go up and the battle turns, Violet realizes that Xaden, who was fighting the venin sage to protect her, was losing. To save Violet's life and prevent the sage from killing her, Xaden made the ultimate, unthinkable sacrifice. He reached beyond his dragon magic and drew raw, corrupting power directly from the earth. The novel concludes with a crushing cliffhanger as Violet wakes up to find Xaden in bed beside her, only to look into his eyes and see the chilling, telltale red rings—the man she loves has become a venin.