The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Release Day: Feburary 8th, 2011

Publisher: Flux/Random House Children's Books

Pages: 289pgs

The Story

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, which branded her hands and arms with iron tattoos. 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 vicious wood elves - the darkest outcasts of Faerie - 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 fought to protect.

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The Review

For starters, can I just say what an awesome cover THE IRON WITCH has - the silvery tattoos and the girl hiding her face were very eye-catching, which was what had drawn me to the book in the first place. As for the actual book and its storyline, I have to say...despite the short length of the book, I really, really enjoyed it. The debut author had gotten straight to the point and the words flowed nicely, with a sweet little touch of romance and a little touch of interesting magic...which made it the perfect read!

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From the very moment I met the main character, Donna Underwood, I admired her completely because she was such a devoted friend and had a personality that you could easily relate to, like with her being a little insecure, a little kickass and yet she still had that innocence about her. What I really liked about Donna was how she came to get those "iron tattoos" on her hands and arms, and it was fascinating to read about the folklore and alchemy that was blended into the mix. It as quite refreshing, actually. As for the whole "love triangle" aspect, I can see a possibility of one happening in future books, but I think anyone who reads this can tell who Donna is more attracted to.

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Donna's best friend, Navin, was a good old friend in the book and like most guy best friends, he stood by Donna no matter what...so he definitely earned some points from me. However, when it comes to the alluring and mysterious Xan, now that guy was LOVED by me! I think the moment you meet him, you know there's something odd about him and it was kind of obvious by the way, but I didn't care because he was the sexy cool guy and everyone loves a sexy cool guy! And what I really appreicated, was that Xan and Donna's connection, you know...that spark between them seemed pretty believeable...so I can't wait to see what happens between the two of them in the sequel!

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To end this review on a high note and without saying too much, the story was told very well and I loved the fact that it talked about faeries and alchemy, and to have those two topics be woven together it was...well, quite a treat! The only problem I had with the book was that it was too short for my liking and the ending was a little abrupt...and perhaps had some loose ends - which I'm sure will be tied in the next book, but Xan makes up for that! So, for those who haven't picked up a copy of THE IRON WITCH...what are you waiting for?!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Note: I would've given it 3.5/5 stars, but the extra half of a star is for the love of Xan.