11
Feb042011
BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Iron Witch’ by Karen Mahoney
by Carolyn • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews, Authors M-P, Book Reviews, Corgi YA, Reviews by Carolyn, RHCB, Urban Fantasy
Title: The Iron Witch (The Iron Witch Saga #1)
Author: Karen Mahoney
Publisher: Corgi Children’s/RHCB (UK) / Flux (US)
Publication Date: Jan 2011
ARC: 290 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Young Adult
Source: Review Copy
Reviewed by: Carolyn
RATING: 7/10 – very good
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Freak. That’s what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna’s own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.
When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.
REVIEW:
I am not usually a fan of faeries, or shall I say I haven’t found a book that I have enjoyed enough to think of this otherworldly creature as one of my favourites, but I wanted to read ‘The Iron Witch‘ because, shallow as it may seem, I adored the cover and also because of the buzz I’d seen around the blogosphere. I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. ‘The Iron Witch‘ is a wonderful debut full of interesting characters and an intriguing plot.
The main protagonist is Donna who is an interesting character. She’s been through a lot in her seventeen years, but it’s her best friend, Navin, who keeps her grounded and moving forward. He cares for her and they are very close, although he has no idea of the world Donna really lives in. As the story begins Navin is taking her to a party, which she really doesn’t want to attend but it’s there she meets the mysterious Xan, who has his own secrets and story to tell. These three are central to the story and although there are other characters such as Donna’s Aunt and the head of the Order, Simon and Quentin, the book mainly stays with Donna and her two friends.
Donna’s iron tattoos are an interesting and original addition. When Donna and her father were attacked by the evil wood elves she lost both her arms, but the alchemists created new ones and the tattoos are not just skin deep and are made of iron and silver. I loved the fact they made her stronger and yet were also a hindrance, and of course Donna is embarrassed by them and keeps them hidden by wearing long gloves. The family she lives with are alchemists and have been looking after her since her father’s death and while her mother lives in an institute for the insane. But things are not what they seem, as Donna begins to find out.
I was sucked into Donna’s world from the first page. The characterisation is great, although I did feel that the prose was more for the younger teen, even though Donna is seventeen. ‘The Iron Witch‘ isn’t a particularly complex story and things are accomplished a little easily, such as when Donna and Xan have to steal a potion to save her friend from the Wood Queen and her evil elves. However, this didn’t deter me from thoroughly enjoying this book. The relationship between Donna and her two boy friends is sweet and I can’t wait to see how the dynamics between all three develops.
VERDICT:
‘The Iron Witch‘ is an interesting story filled with magic, romance and intrigue. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys young adult urban fantasy and I’m looking forward to reading book two!
You can find out more about the author here:
This book counts towards the following BCC reading challenges:
11 Comments
I have heard the buzz and definitely can't wait to read it.
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I've been interested in this book but haven't actually read a lot about it. Like you, the cover is what continues to grab my attention. It sounds like it will be a good read, especially if it's caught the attention of someone who doesn't typically read faerie stories.
Jennifer (An Abundance of Books)
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I've seen a lot of the buzz about this book too, it looks great & I do like books about faeries. So I shall be reading this one.
Agree on the cover – gorgeous!
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I want to read as well, and hope the author doesn't fall into the "I've known him forever and he's been my backbone, i love him as a friend; but this new guy is so hot" cliche. Bleh-that's my biggest issue w/ YA these days.
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Vivienne – It's a good YA read, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did
Jennifer – It is a good read, a tad young in tone, even thought the main character is 17 it does read as though it's aimed at the younger end of YA, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
Laura – It's a quick read and a lot of fun, I'm sure you'd like it.
Jazz – I know what you mean, but that doesn't really bother me – if the story is written well and the characters are interesting, I don't mind where the romantic element goes, but we will have to wait and see
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I think I'll pick it up, then. Thanks.
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I've been seeing the buzz on this one as well, and have added it to my wishlist. Agree with you about the cover! Very eye-catching!
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The cover definitely is beautiful! I've heard a lot about this book, it's been on my wishlist for a while. Thanks – I'll try to bump this up to the top of my reading pile!
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I've seen this book around and it definitely sounds interesting. The youngish tone puts me off a teeny bit though. But I can't resist a great cover either, so adding it to my TBR pile too!
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I'm reading this at the moment, and I love it!
Thanks for saying which challenges it counts for – I'm doing the urban fantasy challenge, and I'm there's several books that I've read/am reading that I don't know whether they'll count or not.
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Thank you for the fantastic and well-written review!
~Sherry
Sherry Soule Website
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