The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest

The Black Witch Chronicles

The Black Witch * The Light Mage * The Iron Flower *

The Shadow Wand 

Publish Date: September 18th, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format Reviewed: eBook
Series: The Black Witch Chronicles
Author: Laurie Forest
Author’s Goodreads
Author's Twitter
Author's Website
My Review on Goodreads

Introduction

The rebellion is secretly trying to right various wrongs while Gardneria is busy forcing the Western Realm to their will. As much as she tries to save all of her friends against her own people, Elloren is running out of time. Society is volatile and politics are rapidly changing, creating a dangerous world. To top it off, Aunt Vyvian is closing in on Elloren to wandfast to Lukas Grey. While there is undeniable chemistry between them, Elloren does not know if she can trust him, or if she should dare to use him for her own gain. 

Love Triangle

I usually detest love triangles, but here, it's a bit different. Yvan is mostly distant and clearly on the side of morally good. Lukas clearly wants her, and he is on a murky almost darkside, temping her. In this book we get to know more about the two, and Yvan's mysteries are all laid out for the reader. Lukas, however, still remains a bit of an unknown. He isn't necessarily evil or an enemy, but he is not actively fighting against his country's atrocities. 

Final Verdict

This book is much like its predecessor, so if you enjoyed The Black Witch, you'll enjoy this one as well. Here there is more doing, as the rebellion is in full swing and Elloren is firmly enmeshed. However, I did notice that there is a lot of repeating themes that we have already hashed out, so I didn't have much patience for those passages. We also get to see more of the other cultures in this book, which fleshes-out the world some more. This installment also has some tearjerking moments as well, so don't expect everything to be all sunshine and rainbows.

Also, this was another instance of me finishing a book and getting up immediately to get the next one. IT ISN'T EVEN OUT YET.

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

The Black Witch Chronicles

The Black Witch * The Light Mage * The Iron Flower *

The Shadow Wand  

Publish Date: May 2nd, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format Reviewed: Hardback
Series: The Black Witch Chronicles
Author: Laurie Forest
Author’s Goodreads

Author's Twitter
Author's Website
My Review on Goodreads

Introduction

Elloren Gardner lives in a world that prizes those who can use magic, and she has no magic ability whatsoever. To make matters worse, she is the granddaughter of the famed Carnissa Gardner, the Black Witch with immense power who saved the Garderian people in a war. She goes to school that admits all manner of students, including those she was raised to have prejudices against. As the year goes on, she learns that what she, and all Garderians, have been taught is incredibly biased in favour of the belief that Garderians are the "pure" race. As the truth of their world's history is revealed to her and political tensions rise, she has to see past the discrimination she was raised with and stand with the downtrodden. 

Story 

This is a story of overcoming prejudices that one is raised with. The reader knows that it's racism and it is bad, but we get to see the MC and those around her unravel their previous preconceptions. We can see from the beginning of the book that she is a good person in other ways, and she slowly comes around, even when her circumstances are difficult. If you stopped reading 1/4 of the way through, you miss out on her growth and how she learns the truth. This isn't the first book ever written to have this plot. 

World Building/Characters

I greatly enjoyed being in this book's world. There are many different kinds of people from mythology with histories and religions of their own. The politics were a bit difficult for more to keep up with, but in the end, it isn't too complicated. There are a variety of lands that we hear about, but we don't see. I'm hoping that in the next installments we get to see some of the places that were mentioned. Magic is a key component in this book, yet we don't get to see much of it happening until the later bits of the book. Magic is facilitated with wands which I'm not the biggest fan of (maybe because it reminds me of Harry Potter). 

All of the characters in this book are so detailed. We are told about where they come from, some of their cultures, and then we glean their personalities from their actions/dialogue. There are a lot of flawed characters, which I appreciate. There is the standard "bully", who isn't going to learn anything at least in this book, but there are other characters who are also flawed and they grow. It is so heartbreaking when you learn that characters want something, but it cannot be accomplished because of a cultural/religious restraint.  

Writing

The only negative thing I can say about this is some of the writing. Everyone says Elloren Gardner's name in just about every third sentence. No one talks like this. The main character is also crying every five-ish minutes so the act of crying loses its impact. 

Final Verdict

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. This is a flawed fantasy world full of racism and dogma. We have young characters who get to know one another and who band together to make a difference before everything gets much, much worse. I'd run out and buy the next books that are already published, but pandemic. Now I have to wait. 

(extra gif below, if you dare.)

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