Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

17 reviews

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

So in this sequel, Violet and Xaden are preparing to set up their rebel base and start their new year training. Violet struggles to control her signet and emotions following Xadens new assignment. After the trauma in Fourth Wing, Violet struggles to cope with Liams death and the revelation of her brother. To start on a positive note, I love that this was more like a spy novel with all the sneaking around and secrets. The increase in communication between Violet and Xaden is so needed and well handled. Onto the negatives, giving Xaden a crazy ex is so incredibly unnecessary emotionally that it makes me mad. This has almost no combat or actual training in it despite being a book set in a war college where soldiers train to fight. The lack of raw emotion that emanated from the first book is also pretty disappointing. I just feel like this was good conceptually but so rushed and under edited it loses all the charm that was present in book 1. Overall it was fine and I will read the next book but for me this is trending towards From Blood and Ash (great first book and terrible sequels). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

grayscale08's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol

fraugremlin's review against another edition

1.0

I bought this book this month and havent been able to bring myself to finish it because of one huge glaring issue... The "relationship crisis" filler.

Basically, MC has it in her head she cant trust Love interest because,,, he lied to her? REMINDER they are military and he is literally commiting treason and she has a mind reader childhood friend that betrays her trust in the previous book. He offers his life story to her and willingness to be open about himself but puts his foot down on revealing any secrets that could get him, his family and friends and even her killed. Seems reasonable, right?

Well, apparently, to Violet, its not. its an extreme breach of trust and she breaks off the relationship with him because "how can i be with someone who cant trust me?"

THEN we discover the entire plot of book 2 is around them going through POW scenarios about being interigated and not breaking to reveal secrets. ALL THE MORE REASAON HE IS BEING REASONABLE AND SHE IS NOT. But no, the author thought that because, oh well every book ever has a toxic relationship dynamic, that there needed to be uneccesary padding because reasons.

Extremely stupid and arbitrary BS that perpetuates Toxic relationship culture and needs to stop.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War

stitchbooks22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

anilein's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

tuc39033's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Kidnapping

Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Absolutely mind blowing sequel! I loved seeing more of the character development and story progression! This book had me hooked from the start, just like Fourth Wing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

cmason101's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War

bzbookie's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

cait's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism