Iron Flame audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
Violet Sorrengail’s second year at Basgiath War College is even more dangerous than her first. The longest book in the Empyrean series is a strong listen.
Listen on Audible
Listen to Iron Flame for Rebecca Soler’s Violet: Library Journal calls it “an expressive performance”, and Teddy Hamilton steps in to read Xaden’s final chapter. At 800 pages it is the longest Empyrean book, and 28 hours of audio gets through it faster than you might on the page. Kirkus notes some small distractions in the recording, and the map is only in print.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK and US edition, our verdict |
|---|---|
| Narrators | Rebecca Soler (Violet) and Teddy Hamilton (Xaden’s final chapter) |
| Length | 28 hours 16 minutes (28h 16m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 18h 51m |
| At 2x | about 14h 8m |
| Audio publisher and date | Recorded Books, 7 November 2023 |
| Audiobook price | £22.28 on Audible UK; $31.64 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £5.99 on Amazon UK |
| UK paperback, 800 pages, November 2024; UK hardback, 640 pages, 2023; US Red Tower hardback, 623 pages | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.72 from 4,458 ratings (UK); 4.73 from 44,085 (US) |
The same Recorded Books recording is sold on Audible UK and US, so the UK listing is the one scored. GraphicAudio’s full-cast version comes in two parts (21h 5m in all), but it is a dramatised adaptation, not the full text, so it isn’t scored.
The November 2024 UK paperback adds a bonus chapter from Xaden’s point of view. The audiobook’s length hasn’t changed since 2023, so as far as we can tell the bonus chapter is print only. Ratings and prices checked 5 November 2026. Prices change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 5 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Iron Flame
Rebecca Yarros
- Genre
- Romantasy
- Series
- The Empyrean, book 2
- First published
- November 2023
- Length
- 800 pages (UK paperback)
- On audio
- 28 hrs 16 mins, Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (8)
The two-narrator split (10), praised narration (6) and the book’s length (3) give listening 19 points, while Kirkus’s criticism of the narration (5) and the map (3) give reading 8. That puts it at 70%, leaning to audio.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 5 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton, Recorded Books, 2023, 28h 16m, unabridged
- Critic review
- Library Journal: Soler “gives an expressive performance”
- Alternatives
- GraphicAudio dramatised adaptation, two parts, full cast (not scored)
- What you miss
- The map in the UK hardback, and the bonus Xaden chapter in the 2024 UK paperback
What this book actually is
Iron Flame is the second book in Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series, after Fourth Wing. Violet Sorrengail, now a dragon rider, starts her second year at Basgiath War College, where the training is even harsher and a war is coming.
Violet tells the story for all but the last chapter, which is Xaden Riorson’s. Amazon MGM Studios is making a Fourth Wing series for Prime Video, cast in October 2026, with no release date announced.
The case for reading it
The UK hardback has a map and illustrated endpapers, and no PDF comes with the audiobook, so you only get the map in print.
Kirkus, though positive overall, says “mouth noises and subtle voice confusion slightly detract” from the recording. If small things like that pull you out of a story, reading avoids them. The UK paperback also adds a bonus chapter from Xaden’s point of view that the audiobook doesn’t appear to have.
The case for listening to it
Rebecca Soler is Violet. Library Journal says she “gives an expressive performance”, and Kirkus calls her narration “captivating”. Teddy Hamilton reads Xaden’s final chapter, so his point of view gets its own voice.
At 800 pages, Iron Flame is a big book, and the audiobook makes it easy to keep going through the training, the battles and the slower stretches in the first half.
The audiobook in detail
Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton read the Recorded Books audiobook, unabridged, in 28 hours 16 minutes. It came out on 7 November 2023, and the same recording is on Audible UK and US. Listeners rate the performance 4.72 on Audible UK and 4.73 from over 44,000 ratings on Audible US.
GraphicAudio has also made a full-cast dramatised adaptation in two parts, which is not the full text.
Who should ignore this verdict
If you want the map to hand, or the paperback’s bonus Xaden chapter, read it in print. Otherwise, Soler’s performance and the sheer length make this one to listen to.
Kindle
- 800 pages (UK paperback)
- Includes the bonus Xaden chapter (UK paperback)
- About 13½ hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
Fourth Wing
Book 1, with the same narrators.
Onyx StormRebecca YarrosSame authorOnyx Storm
Book 3, with four narrators.
Threshing Day
Empyrean stories with 14 narrators.
A Court of Mist and Fury
A long romantasy sequel told by its heroine.
House of Flame and Shadow
As many as six characters share the story, sometimes switching within one chapter, and Elizabeth Evans reads every one of them, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page you can see each change as it happens, and the print edition has a map.
Red Rising
Another war school series with a long audiobook.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Iron Flame audiobook?
Rebecca Soler reads almost all of Iron Flame as Violet Sorrengail. Teddy Hamilton reads only the final chapter, which is told from Xaden Riorson’s point of view. There is also a separate GraphicAudio dramatised version in two parts with a full cast.
How long is the Iron Flame audiobook?
28 hours 16 minutes, unabridged: about 18 hours 51 minutes at 1.5x and 14 hours 8 minutes at 2x (calculated). It is the longest audiobook in the Empyrean series.
Is the Iron Flame audiobook abridged?
No. The Recorded Books edition read by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton is unabridged. The GraphicAudio version is a dramatised adaptation in two parts, not the full text.
How many pages is Iron Flame?
The current UK paperback (November 2024) has 800 pages. The UK hardback has 640 pages and the US first edition has 623.
Is there a male narrator for Xaden in Iron Flame?
Yes, but only for the final chapter. Teddy Hamilton reads that chapter, which is told from Xaden’s point of view.
Is the paperback bonus Xaden chapter in the Iron Flame audiobook?
Not as far as we can tell. The UK paperback from November 2024 adds a bonus chapter from Xaden’s point of view, but the audiobook’s length hasn’t changed since its 2023 release and Audible lists no added content.
Is there an Iron Flame TV show?
Amazon MGM Studios is making a Fourth Wing series for Prime Video, announced on 11 May 2026, with Esther McGregor as Violet and Emilio Sakraya as Xaden. As of November 2026 no release date or Iron Flame season has been announced.
Do I need to read Fourth Wing before Iron Flame?
Yes. The series is best enjoyed in order, starting with Fourth Wing.
Should I read or listen to Iron Flame?
Listen, at 70%, leaning. Rebecca Soler’s Violet is praised, Teddy Hamilton reads Xaden’s final chapter, and 800 pages go further on audio. Read it if you want the map or the paperback’s bonus Xaden chapter.
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