The Iron Witch (The Iron Witch Trilogy) [Paperback]

I rarely pick up to read fey novels, but for once I am glad I started The Iron Witch - it turned out to be so bloody good it was impossible not to love it. As it turns out, this is the only book that has a fey element that worked for me. Surprisingly, it doesn't even revolve much around it; I was surprised and intrigued to find dark elves instead! What a phenomenal debut this book is - truly a pleasure to read.

Donna Underwood is a reserved sort of character. Inherently isolated from the rest of her contemporaries, it is easy to see that her character is born out of her experiences and difference from the norm. She is very observant and is weary of many things; at times even paranoid of what might crawl out of the darkness. Her longing for the parents she has lost and the happiness she had to give up is so palpable in her words it is easy to sympathise with Donna. It is also apparent that she holds many secrets and is yet to discover more, so readers are drawn to her very nature.

There are not many secondary characters in The Iron Witch but Navin and Xan are both (HOT - I mean...) noteworthy and will clearly play bigger roles in the succeeding books. Nav is Donna's best and only friend, and between them is a friendship that is tiptoeing on something more. Although we do not actually see literal proof of this, Donna and Navin share such a comfortable, secure relationship with each other, that is quite difficult not to draw any conclusions. Donna is very expressive of how important Nav is to her - which is why when gorgeous half-fey Xan enters the picture, the tension becomes immediately clear. How to balance two gorgeous boys? Xan is both strong and yet vulnerable. Head strong and willing to take chances, I feel that Xan is a worthy choice for Donna, although we can never truly rule out Nav. It would be interesting to see how the romance sparks further in the series, and for the record I am unequivocally team Xan!

The Iron Witch is written very eloquently and never beats around the bush. It is very good in setting up the mystery early on in the book and is equally good in parting with the answers in a controlled way - much like enticing readers with deliberate gaps in the plot and then filling them out afterwards. It has a clever way of ensnaring its readers into the dark and twisted plot. It is also a book with a touch of magic, alchemy and steps into the realm of supernatural. The Iron Witch felt like an adventure book, an action book, a magical fairy tale and a romance book all rolled together as one.

Like I said - a phenomenal debut from Karen Mahoney!

I started reading this book despite the fact I really don't like books about fairies and am pleased to say that I did enjoy it.

I don't like fairy books on the whole. I've tried reading Melissa Marr's fairy books and a variety of others but usually they don't work for me. They tend to be a bit too airy fairy (excuse the pun) and either sickly nice and freakishly evil and I generally just don't get them. What I liked about this book is that the fey involved are only a tiny part of the bigger world which is established.

The thing that did it for me in this book were the characters. I loved all of them and I really wanted to both know what was going on with them and find out more about them and their background. I thought Donna was really sweet as a main character and really felt for her in how her life had panned out. I also loved both of the boys in her life: Nav (the best friend) and (the love interest). I can't wait to see how things pan out between the three of them and sense some sparks flying in future boys. Please don't ask me which one I like best because I don't think I'd be able to choose.

The other thing I really liked about this book was its pace. All the way through things were happened that kept me really engaged in the story. I am really fed up with books that are the first in a series that spend the entire book just slowly introducing to the world and characters and therefore contain very little action. I enjoyed following the story and this meant I finished the whole thing within a few hours because I had to keep reading.

For me the thing that will make or break this series will be how the story continues to play out in future books. There are loads of ideas and lore being thrown around and I just hope that they are put to go use and make this series as awesome as it has potential to be.

all in all finally a fairy book that doesn't drive me crazy. faced paced with engaging characters and a storyline that has left me wanting more!

I had seen quite a few posts about this one and thought the cover looked very eye catching and different so I decided to give this one a go. I actually lent it to a friend before I got round to reading it, but she returned it quickly and said she couldn't get into it. I lowered my expectations but thought I would still give it a go.
I read this very quickly, in a couple of hours, but it was mainly because i wanted to get through it. The story starts off quite well paced and draws your attention in. the world is created well and there is an air of mystery.
Donna is branded a freak by her peers, forced to wear gloves that cover her arms up to her elbows, the other kids think she is weird, but she needs to hide the strange markings on her arms - after an attack in the woods when she was seven which resulted in her father's death and her mother losing the plot, Donna got seriously injured and so Iron tattoos were crafted in her skin to heal her, these resulted in super strength and other powers, but also strengthened her connection to the fey world. Surrounded by Alchemists and secrets Donna really just wants a normal life.
Xan is a college drop out, attractive, secretive and something about him draws Donna in. With his own connection to Fey, they work together to solve some mysteries.
Navin is Donna's best friend, yet he knows nothing about her world or her past, but all that will change. Navin was probably my favourite character, he was different - but even so there were moments when I expected him to react or turn out the hero or something and he would just say 'OK' and walk off. His best friend reveals all sorts of strange truths and he hardly bats an eye.
I found the concept intriguing and parts were well done, however I'm not sure why, but I was bored at points throughout, I only kept reading because I hate to give up on books.
As it is part of a trilogy some things may be expanded in the later books, but it seemed like we were told facts/information that had no real use at the time.
There wasn't a lot of action in the book and Donna felt a bit whiny at times, but I didn't hate the book either. It was an OK, one time read and I think many others would love it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea, I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series. Just wasn't for me.
I feel a bit conflicted with this book as I felt it had great potential but fell a little bit flat. I would recommend you try it for yourself though.