Summary

• Violet and Xaden's struggles with trust and communication feel somewhat forced throughout Iron Flame.
• The characters getting together too soon in Fourth Wing leaves Rebecca Yarros with limited options for the couple's storyline.
• Keeping Violet and Xaden's romance interesting in future Empyrean Series books could prove a challenge unless Yarros significantly raises the stakes.

Iron Flame does a decent job of raising the stakes of Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean Series, but Violet and Xaden's story in the Fourth Wing sequel highlights a challenge facing future books. Violet and Xaden start Fourth Wing as natural enemies, with Violet's mother being responsible for squashing the rebellion that Xaden's father once led. As Violet and Xaden come to know one another, however, their relationship swings in the opposite direction. Despite their best efforts to avoid falling for each another, Violet and Xaden get together in Fourth Wing.

Sadly, their romance is somewhat short-lived, as conversations centered on trust and dishonesty keep them apart for much of Iron Flame. And although Violet comes around by Onyx Storm and future sequels will need to overcome. Hopefully, Yarros can find a way around them.

Violet & Xaden's Iron Flame Story Feels Forced For The Sake Of Conflict

Their Trust & Communication Issues Are More Frustrating Than Tense

Violet is understandably angry with Xaden for hiding things from her in Fourth Wing, but the reality of Dain's betrayal highlights that he was right to do so. Until Violet can block Dain's mind-reading, it makes sense to keep critical plans and details of the rebellion from her. Unfortunately, she doesn't see it this way. Violet spends much of Iron Flame refusing a relationship with Xaden, insisting that she can't be with someone who doesn't trust her. As Xaden continues to keep things from her, the couple struggles with their romance.

If anything, the efforts to keep Violet and Xaden's relationship interesting in Iron Flame prove that they got together too soon.

It's only at the end of the book that both characters find trust and clarity. And while Yarros raises some interesting points with Violet and Xaden's narrative in Iron Flame, it does feel forced at times. It's almost as if the only way to keep things interesting is to continue stirring conflict between the characters. Keeping them apart is supposed to ramp up the tensions between them, but it only feels frustrating. If anything, the efforts to keep Violet and Xaden's relationship interesting in Iron Flame prove that they got together too soon.

Iron Flame Proves That Violet & Xaden Shouldn't Have Gotten Together In Fourth Wing

It Doesn't Leave Rebecca Yarros With Much To Do With The Couple

Many fantasy books feature slow-burn romances that develop over the course of a series, but things seem to move more quickly in romantasy novels. This includes Fourth Wing, which delivers on the tensions between Violet and Xaden relatively early. With Yarros planning to write five Empyrean Series books in total, it's somewhat surprising she allowed the main couple to get together so soon. The author could easily have dragged out the will-they, won't-they stage of their relationship — and judging by Iron Flame, she might have benefited from doing so.

With Violet and Xaden getting together so early in Fourth Wing, there isn't much left to do with the couple. This will likely lead to Yarros creating new conflicts to keep things interesting, and that could get old quickly. Although Iron Flame's ending reveal is likely to keep them apart in more interesting ways in Onxy Storm, it's hard to see how Yarros will keep readers on their toes for several more sequels. It doesn't help that Violet and Xaden feel like an obvious endgame. At no point in Iron Flame does their break-up feel genuine. It will take much higher stakes to worry readers.

The Main Couple's Relationship Could Become A Challenge For The Empyrean Series

Keeping Violet & Xaden's Romance Interesting Will Be Difficult

Unless Yarros significantly raises the stakes of Violet and Xaden's relationship, it could become difficult to keep their romance interesting in future Empyrean Series books. There's no denying that readers often enjoy the build-up to a relationship more than the actual thing. And any attempt to reignite their interest with miscommunication and forced conflict is risky. After all, there's only so long an author can keep their central couple apart before that also becomes frustrating. Needless to say, Onyx Storm and its sequels will need to do better than Iron Flame in this regard.

The second book's twist will complicate things in more intriguing ways, and the fact that it could put Violet's and Xaden's lives on the line might help Onyx Storm. And perhaps Yarros can keep the stakes steadily increasing until delivering a (hopefully) satisfying ending for the couple in the last Empyrean Series book. This won't be an easy feat, though, and it will force the author to move away from romantic subplots like Iron Flame's. If Violet and Xaden still aren't going to be together, the drama and heartbreak needs to be more intense than what readers are given in the Fourth Wing sequel.