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brandypainter's review against another edition
2.0
Originally posted here.
I very nearly stopped reading after the third chapter of this book because it looked like Mahoney was using the same recipe as everybody else for writing a YA paranormal: take one lonely practically friendless angst ridden girl, add two boys (one should be a good friend who is supportive of her and been there with her through thick and thin, if this one can be of some other ethnicity so much better; the other should have a dangerous air, beautiful eyes that speak to the heroine without words, and also be friendless and angsty, if this one could be ridiculously rich and yet choose to drive a Volvo so much the better*), when you have these three sufficiently stirred up add in a whole mess of supernatural shenanigans for them to bond/fight over and watch as people become ridiculously interested in which boy the heroine should live happily ever after with once the bodies are counted. That is what it looked like I was in for, the first three ingredients were all in place. I forced myself to keep reading though because I have given up on several books in the past month. Turns out that while Mahoney used all the typical ingredients, she mixed them together differently and I was pleasantly surprised by those differences.
First off, this really doesn't look like there is a love triangle brewing to me. I think Donna and Navin actually really are just friends and both of them are on the same page regarding that. There are a couple of times Donna thinks Navin might be jealous of Xan and that makes her uncomfortable so she tries not to dwell on it, but it seemed to me that he was just honestly concerned about her safety. The interactions between Donna and Navin are very brother/sister like and not at all romantic. Xan and Navin act around each other a lot like a guy with a crush on a girl and that girl's brother act when they are sizing each other up. The book has its share of angst but none of it is romantic. (Well, except for the regular sort felt when two people are attracted to each other and starting a relationship.) Second, while Donna and Xan have one of those insta-lust connections that are oh so common neither of them confuse it as a sign that the other is their one true love for all time. Their relationship consists of one date, one kiss, quite a bit of conversation (gasp!), and then a lot of working together to foil the forces of evil.
Third, and to me the most important, Donna is nobody's doormat. Xan is not the super dangerous one in this YA paranormal. He does have something special about him, but Donna is the one with the super human strength and ability to kick monster butt. When either one of the boys try to order her about she tells them where they can stuff it. In the end Donna knows she is the only one who can face down the evil elves and save the day, and the boys know it too. They are not super happy about the idea of leaving her but they realize heroic intervention will only mess things up and they TRUST HER AND LEAVE HER TO DO HER THING WITHOUT INTERFERING. YAY!! It is really sad that this is so rare that it made me that excited.
I was also happy with the way the alchemists and their quest for immortality were portrayed. There are shady things going on and Donna's coming to realize she wants little to no part of it.
Given all that I might have really liked the book but for some things about the writing that didn't work for me. There are quite a few information dumps. They are disguised as journal entries and, once, as a conversation between Donna and Navin (12 pages long!), but info dumps are what they are and I found myself skimming a lot. The overall style was awkward for me to read as well. I had a hard time settling into the flow of the book.
While not something I would go back to again I would certainly recommend it to others who are fans of YA paranormal. The second book in the trilogy, The Wood Queen, is scheduled to be released in February of 2012.
I very nearly stopped reading after the third chapter of this book because it looked like Mahoney was using the same recipe as everybody else for writing a YA paranormal: take one lonely practically friendless angst ridden girl, add two boys (one should be a good friend who is supportive of her and been there with her through thick and thin, if this one can be of some other ethnicity so much better; the other should have a dangerous air, beautiful eyes that speak to the heroine without words, and also be friendless and angsty, if this one could be ridiculously rich and yet choose to drive a Volvo so much the better*), when you have these three sufficiently stirred up add in a whole mess of supernatural shenanigans for them to bond/fight over and watch as people become ridiculously interested in which boy the heroine should live happily ever after with once the bodies are counted. That is what it looked like I was in for, the first three ingredients were all in place. I forced myself to keep reading though because I have given up on several books in the past month. Turns out that while Mahoney used all the typical ingredients, she mixed them together differently and I was pleasantly surprised by those differences.
First off, this really doesn't look like there is a love triangle brewing to me. I think Donna and Navin actually really are just friends and both of them are on the same page regarding that. There are a couple of times Donna thinks Navin might be jealous of Xan and that makes her uncomfortable so she tries not to dwell on it, but it seemed to me that he was just honestly concerned about her safety. The interactions between Donna and Navin are very brother/sister like and not at all romantic. Xan and Navin act around each other a lot like a guy with a crush on a girl and that girl's brother act when they are sizing each other up. The book has its share of angst but none of it is romantic. (Well, except for the regular sort felt when two people are attracted to each other and starting a relationship.) Second, while Donna and Xan have one of those insta-lust connections that are oh so common neither of them confuse it as a sign that the other is their one true love for all time. Their relationship consists of one date, one kiss, quite a bit of conversation (gasp!), and then a lot of working together to foil the forces of evil.
Third, and to me the most important, Donna is nobody's doormat. Xan is not the super dangerous one in this YA paranormal. He does have something special about him, but Donna is the one with the super human strength and ability to kick monster butt. When either one of the boys try to order her about she tells them where they can stuff it. In the end Donna knows she is the only one who can face down the evil elves and save the day, and the boys know it too. They are not super happy about the idea of leaving her but they realize heroic intervention will only mess things up and they TRUST HER AND LEAVE HER TO DO HER THING WITHOUT INTERFERING. YAY!! It is really sad that this is so rare that it made me that excited.
I was also happy with the way the alchemists and their quest for immortality were portrayed. There are shady things going on and Donna's coming to realize she wants little to no part of it.
Given all that I might have really liked the book but for some things about the writing that didn't work for me. There are quite a few information dumps. They are disguised as journal entries and, once, as a conversation between Donna and Navin (12 pages long!), but info dumps are what they are and I found myself skimming a lot. The overall style was awkward for me to read as well. I had a hard time settling into the flow of the book.
While not something I would go back to again I would certainly recommend it to others who are fans of YA paranormal. The second book in the trilogy, The Wood Queen, is scheduled to be released in February of 2012.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
3.0
Donna is different from other teenagers. After being attacked by wood elves, her arms are repaired by an alchemist using metal which gives her great strength and a hint of magic. Expelled from school for using her strength against a school bully, her only friend is nerdy Navin who she keeps all her secrets from until the wood elves start to appear again. Now Donna has to put her faith in Xan, a young man with his own secrets who also wants to defeat the wood elves.
I first read this years ago and liked it and I wanted to go back and read it again before deciding whether or not to continue with the series. My tastes have changed quite a lot in the last three years and I am staying away from young adult books for the most part now so it was going to be interesting to see if my opinion of the book changed. In fact, my opinion didn't change that much from my first experience.
I liked Donna. She has been through a lot of trauma, losing her father and watching her mother go mad, raised by her strict aunt who wants her to join the alchemists, which she doesn't want to do. She has to hide her magical scars and strange talents from everyone, which marks her out as a freak, leaving her bullied and miserable. Her only friend is Navin, who is such a lovely guy, the kind of person you would want as your friend. I liked him and a part of me thought that he and Donna would have made a good couple if she had opened her eyes to the prospect, instead of her obsession with Xan. I didn't dislike Xan but he wasn't as interesting as Navin was. I know that this sounds like horrible love triangle territory but it doesn't really feel like it when you're reading it, compared to other YA books. It is vital in a book for me to like my MC and I certainly liked Donna and felt sympathy for what she has gone through.
The plot was interesting. I'm not a huge fan of the fae in books but I did find the evil wood elves interesting, and it didn't go overboard with the fairy court stuff that I generally get tired of! There was enough for the story to work and that was ok with me. I think the book had a good balance of action and information, to give you what you needed to know and to provide the entertainment. The book had good cohesion and the story flowed nicely. I also liked that there wasn't a heavy overdose of romance as that is part of what is putting me off YA paranormal these days.
I still enjoyed reading this book second time round. I do feel that I have moved beyond the YA zone with my reading and went on to more action based books in the apocalypse genre. However I can still appreciate this as one of the best examples of its genre and I would recommend it to the fans of YA paranormal.
I first read this years ago and liked it and I wanted to go back and read it again before deciding whether or not to continue with the series. My tastes have changed quite a lot in the last three years and I am staying away from young adult books for the most part now so it was going to be interesting to see if my opinion of the book changed. In fact, my opinion didn't change that much from my first experience.
I liked Donna. She has been through a lot of trauma, losing her father and watching her mother go mad, raised by her strict aunt who wants her to join the alchemists, which she doesn't want to do. She has to hide her magical scars and strange talents from everyone, which marks her out as a freak, leaving her bullied and miserable. Her only friend is Navin, who is such a lovely guy, the kind of person you would want as your friend. I liked him and a part of me thought that he and Donna would have made a good couple if she had opened her eyes to the prospect, instead of her obsession with Xan. I didn't dislike Xan but he wasn't as interesting as Navin was. I know that this sounds like horrible love triangle territory but it doesn't really feel like it when you're reading it, compared to other YA books. It is vital in a book for me to like my MC and I certainly liked Donna and felt sympathy for what she has gone through.
The plot was interesting. I'm not a huge fan of the fae in books but I did find the evil wood elves interesting, and it didn't go overboard with the fairy court stuff that I generally get tired of! There was enough for the story to work and that was ok with me. I think the book had a good balance of action and information, to give you what you needed to know and to provide the entertainment. The book had good cohesion and the story flowed nicely. I also liked that there wasn't a heavy overdose of romance as that is part of what is putting me off YA paranormal these days.
I still enjoyed reading this book second time round. I do feel that I have moved beyond the YA zone with my reading and went on to more action based books in the apocalypse genre. However I can still appreciate this as one of the best examples of its genre and I would recommend it to the fans of YA paranormal.
emma211's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the book. great story line, fast-paced enough etc. i didn't like that the main character had such an old name 'Donna' really. (no offense to the name but it is a little old for a 17 year old in a novel).
literaryanna's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting take on faeries with the addition of alchemy. I enjoyed the characters and everything was pretty fast paced. Excited to read the next one.
libertyskies's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't finish this one. I'll attempt to read it again later.
namaria's review against another edition
2.0
Okay writing style, very unoriginal story line. On to the next book...
kristid's review against another edition
3.0
How GORGEOUS is this cover, people!!! I love it! I just want to pet the pretty.....
The Iron Witch is a wonderfully crafted novel, with an original depiction of the fey, an unexpected incorporation of alchemy and incredibly awesome characters.
I'd like some more, please!
This novel is quick... it's fun and it's engaging. With just enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages and get me salivating for the next novel. There wasn't a lot of emotional investment for me.. I liked the characters and cared what happened to them, but I didn't feel like I know them enough yet. Which is something I am expecting to change within the second book.
There were a lot of aspects in this novel that were just merely scratched on the surface... but I think it worked nicely in this story, because it felt as though as the reader we are just as naive as Donna. What does she really know about the Order? Not very much... and I'm thinking as she continues to delve into the inner workings we are going to discover a whole can of worms right along with her.
Do I hint the possible workings of a love triangle... I sure hope so! I know there are the haters of the love triangle... but this reader, for one, cannot get enough of them!
If you're looking for a different kind of paranormal, you might want to start with The Iron Witch.
The Iron Witch is a wonderfully crafted novel, with an original depiction of the fey, an unexpected incorporation of alchemy and incredibly awesome characters.
I'd like some more, please!
This novel is quick... it's fun and it's engaging. With just enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages and get me salivating for the next novel. There wasn't a lot of emotional investment for me.. I liked the characters and cared what happened to them, but I didn't feel like I know them enough yet. Which is something I am expecting to change within the second book.
There were a lot of aspects in this novel that were just merely scratched on the surface... but I think it worked nicely in this story, because it felt as though as the reader we are just as naive as Donna. What does she really know about the Order? Not very much... and I'm thinking as she continues to delve into the inner workings we are going to discover a whole can of worms right along with her.
Do I hint the possible workings of a love triangle... I sure hope so! I know there are the haters of the love triangle... but this reader, for one, cannot get enough of them!
If you're looking for a different kind of paranormal, you might want to start with The Iron Witch.
lunaseassecondaccount's review against another edition
2.0
A waste of time.
This book is fast, confusing and I have absolutely no connection to any of the characters because Mahoney doesn't allow us any time to get to know them.
The blurb discusses how Donna's best friend, Navin, gets kidnapped by the evil wood elves, but this happens in the last third of the book. The rest of the set up smashes us from scene to scene where little to nothing happens. There's some set up of a love triangle, but given we know nothing about Navin or the mysterious Xan, there's no reason to feel compelled to side with either of them. Points for having an Indian love interest, but given it seems Donna picks white-boy Xan, it doesn't really matter.
Needless to say, I won't be reading anything else.
This book is fast, confusing and I have absolutely no connection to any of the characters because Mahoney doesn't allow us any time to get to know them.
The blurb discusses how Donna's best friend, Navin, gets kidnapped by the evil wood elves, but this happens in the last third of the book. The rest of the set up smashes us from scene to scene where little to nothing happens. There's some set up of a love triangle, but given we know nothing about Navin or the mysterious Xan, there's no reason to feel compelled to side with either of them. Points for having an Indian love interest, but given it seems Donna picks white-boy Xan, it doesn't really matter.
Needless to say, I won't be reading anything else.