Violet has to use the abilities she learned during Threshing at Basgiath War College and achieve her true power, even though the vice commandant is determined to show her how weak she is.

[1][9][10] Set immediately after the events of Fourth Wing, Violet Sorrengail learns that her brother Brennan, operating under an alias, is alive and a lieutenant colonel in a secret rebellion headquartered in Aretia that is fighting against the venin threat that Navarre's leaders have been hiding for years.

Violet is hurt by Xaden's insistence that he cannot be honest with her and his refusal to involve her in the weapons smuggling ring that the other rebels at Basgiath are implicated in.

She grows a camaraderie with Imogen and Bodhi, two other marked ones who survived Resson with her, but becomes distant from Rhiannon and her other friends as she struggles to keep secrets from them.

On conscription day, Violet and Dain recognize Prince Cam, the youngest son of King Tauri, who is going under an alias - Aaric Graycastle.

Violet and her squad members are shocked when Jack Barlowe, whom she presumably killed in the previous book, returns to Basgiath, having been miraculously mended.

Believing that a pair of valuable journals written by Warrick and Lyra, two of the First Six, are hidden in a vault in the archives which can only be unlocked by someone from King Tauri's bloodline, Violet ropes Aaric into their mission.

Learning that Viscount Tecarus, a former ally of Fen Riorson, has a luminary that would allow the rebels to begin forging their own weapons, Violet flies to the province of Krovla in Poromiel to broker an alliance with him.

Tecarus agrees to give them the luminary in exchange for the rebels taking 100 gryphon fliers back to Aretia, so they can also train alongside the dragon rider cadets.

Violet realizes that Andarna, whose scales originally seemed black, has unique camouflage abilities and is from an unknown seventh den, gathering the seven dragons needed to activate the wards.

Yarros’ parents were lieutenant colonels, and her husband was in the United States Army, both of which inspired the death culture of the Empyrean series: “I can tell you: when you go to war, your friends don’t always come home.

And so, it was important to me to... keep that realism [in the Empyrean series].”[12][13] Her husband also aided in developing “aerial combat” scenes with his experience as an Apache pilot.

[15] Iron Flame generated significant buzz online and offline with 200 Barnes & Noble stores throughout the USA organizing midnight release parties for the book, including a notable event in New York City attended by Yarros.

[16] In addition to these official gatherings, independent bookstores hosted their own celebrations, quickly running out of tickets due to the high demand.

[2] This along with the speed at which Iron Flame was released following Fourth Wing and various misprint issues has led to comparisons between the current state of the publishing industry and fast fashion.

[1][2][3] On December 26, 2023, Yarros posted a reel to her Instagram profile showing her “head[ing] back to Basgiath” to begin writing the next book following Iron Flame.

[13] A week prior to Iron Flame’s release, Variety announced Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to adapt the entire series for streaming.