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The Iron Witch #3
The Stone Demon
After being tricked into opening the doorway to the Demon Realm by Aliette, the Wood Queen, Donna Underwood is faced with a terrible ultimatum from the newly released demon hordes. They demand that the alchemists deliver the Philosopher's Stone, or their reaper storm will plunge the world into a devastating modern-day Dark Age.
Donna is sent to London, England, where she must complete her alchemist's training and learn how to recreate the Stone. But time is running out. Between facing the vengeful demon king, Demian, and collecting the Stone's elements, Donna realizes she must give her own life in order to succeed. And this time, even braving death may not be enough to save the world.
Donna is sent to London, England, where she must complete her alchemist's training and learn how to recreate the Stone. But time is running out. Between facing the vengeful demon king, Demian, and collecting the Stone's elements, Donna realizes she must give her own life in order to succeed. And this time, even braving death may not be enough to save the world.
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
24 people are currently reading
3515 people want to read
About the author
Karen Mahoney
22 books876 followersBritish writer of fantastical things.
THE IRON WITCH, THE WOOD QUEEN & THE STONE DEMON make up my YA contemporary fantasy trilogy for Flux in the US and Random House in the UK. It's about alchemy, dark elves, and a girl with magical iron tattoos. FALLING TO ASH (September 2012), began a new series for Random House UK about an ass-kicking teen vampire called Moth. You can read more of Moth's adventures in her very own webcomic: www.mothtales.com
In my varied career I've been a professional Tarot reader, a college counsellor, a dating agency consultant and a bookseller. Ever since I was six years old what I really wanted to be was Wonder Woman, but have instead settled for being a writer which is the best job of all!
THE IRON WITCH, THE WOOD QUEEN & THE STONE DEMON make up my YA contemporary fantasy trilogy for Flux in the US and Random House in the UK. It's about alchemy, dark elves, and a girl with magical iron tattoos. FALLING TO ASH (September 2012), began a new series for Random House UK about an ass-kicking teen vampire called Moth. You can read more of Moth's adventures in her very own webcomic: www.mothtales.com
In my varied career I've been a professional Tarot reader, a college counsellor, a dating agency consultant and a bookseller. Ever since I was six years old what I really wanted to be was Wonder Woman, but have instead settled for being a writer which is the best job of all!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 28, 2014
Ms. Mahoney epitomizes the ideal conclusion to a trilogy with The Stone Demon. Thankfully void of loose ends, neither was each and every situation systematically closed out, as if checking off a list. Admittedly, some resolutions and explanations are needed; and answers were provided in a very satisfactory way, with any remaining questions providing excellent points to ponder long after the story has been told.
The first book, The Iron Witch, introduces Donna Underwood who wants nothing more than to be a regular teenager. Such a simple request, yet utterly impossible for her. She has been shrouded in mystery and secrets since she can remember. Flashes from her distant memory serve only to remind her that her father died trying to save her; the magical iron tattoos used to restore her arms will forever make her an outcast; her mother is in an asylum and she is left with only her aunt.
Further, Donna isn’t being raised as a typical teen. Rather, she is being “trained” for her rightful position within a Secret Order of Alchemists. So secret, in fact, that she knows almost nothing about the Order, which means she can’t really trust them. One more, tiny detail: Donna is being pursued by faeries and she has no idea why.
Yes, readers. I am telling you about a unique, intriguing story that features Fey, Alchemy, Demons and Ley Lines (oh, my)! Mixed in with the wizardry, and accompanying Donna on her journey of discovery we have her best buddy Navin. He is, hands down, one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. His sharp tongue, quick wit, and self-admiration make him amusing and delightful; particularly when situations are dark and dire. He provides the stability and balance Donna needs, and their friendship typifies the strength, support and unparalleled loyalty that so many teens sweetly maintain.
With a rich, compelling cast of characters, a tantalizing mystery unraveling, and just a dash of romance, The Iron Witch Trilogy is a must read for any fan of Fantasy, Mystery and/or YA. If you have a teen-aged reader in your life, turn him/her on to The Iron Witch Trilogy and you will be revered. You’re welcome.
The first book, The Iron Witch, introduces Donna Underwood who wants nothing more than to be a regular teenager. Such a simple request, yet utterly impossible for her. She has been shrouded in mystery and secrets since she can remember. Flashes from her distant memory serve only to remind her that her father died trying to save her; the magical iron tattoos used to restore her arms will forever make her an outcast; her mother is in an asylum and she is left with only her aunt.
Further, Donna isn’t being raised as a typical teen. Rather, she is being “trained” for her rightful position within a Secret Order of Alchemists. So secret, in fact, that she knows almost nothing about the Order, which means she can’t really trust them. One more, tiny detail: Donna is being pursued by faeries and she has no idea why.
Yes, readers. I am telling you about a unique, intriguing story that features Fey, Alchemy, Demons and Ley Lines (oh, my)! Mixed in with the wizardry, and accompanying Donna on her journey of discovery we have her best buddy Navin. He is, hands down, one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. His sharp tongue, quick wit, and self-admiration make him amusing and delightful; particularly when situations are dark and dire. He provides the stability and balance Donna needs, and their friendship typifies the strength, support and unparalleled loyalty that so many teens sweetly maintain.
With a rich, compelling cast of characters, a tantalizing mystery unraveling, and just a dash of romance, The Iron Witch Trilogy is a must read for any fan of Fantasy, Mystery and/or YA. If you have a teen-aged reader in your life, turn him/her on to The Iron Witch Trilogy and you will be revered. You’re welcome.
May 13, 2013
Quests are usually long-winded things. Heroes tend to find them difficult, often taking months, years; some pursue theirs for a lifetime.
Donna Underwood usually completes hers in 2 days or less.
It took me two books to figure this out, it was so well hidden, but I've figured out that Donna is a Mary Sue. It skipped over my mind because of the lack of emphasis on appearance that the author places on Donna, but when other things are put into consideration, that's what she is.
Donna is speshul. She has an innate essence that's one of a kind, that is the key to the creation of a special object; not only that, she possesses the power to open the door to the elven and demonic world. She's so special that her powers has to be contained, and the gorgeous demonic prince wants her as his consort.
She is stupid. Again, I didn't notice the Mary Sue because she is so goddamned well-meaning about it. She repeatedly puts the world in danger in order to save a few people who are special to her, only caring just a little bit that she's endangering the fate of the entire human race. Oh, and she really needs to stop using the word VIRIDIAN. We get it. His eyes are green. Stop it already.
She reacts like a child in difficult situations. She states the obvious.
Donna glared at him, anger winning over fear. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what?" the demon asked, still smiling that awful smile.
"Like you’re crazy. Or like you've already won. Or both."
So insightful...
She does stupid things with disastrous consequences without punishment. Being sent to London to study under an alchemist as punishment for unleashing demons into the world? Please. She should have been exiled.
She automatically knows what to do. No special task is too big for her. A deadline from midnight until dawn? No problem. Two days to solve a mystery and create an object that four orders of alchemists couldn't solve in their countless years of existence? Done. Impossible puzzles are put to her, and she solves them with a snap of a finger. Things that should take the plot of an entire book to solve, Donna does it unwittingly, or instinctively, or her mortal enemy just so conveniently hands it to her under the terms that it doesn't really matter that she holds the special weapon because the whole world is going to end anyway.
So many things get handed to Donna on a platter, it bothers me, it wraps the plot up too easily. It's impossible and unbelievable, and does not make for a complicated heroine nor a plausible plot.
The highlight of this book for me, was Navin. He is hilarious.
The only scenes which I found entertaining were the scenes involving him, and I love that he got his own segments of the book aside from Donna. The interaction between Xan and Navin were funny, too, here are two guys who don't usually get along, but they work together for the sake of their dear friend, and their awkwardness is sweet, endearing, and hilarious.
Navin ignored him. "Thanks for helping me."
"I'm not helping you, I'm helping Donna."
"But I know, deep down, your love for me is deep and pure."
Xan snorted. "Whatever, man." The door sprung open. "Come on. And seriously, can you shut up until we've grabbed the statue? Maybe just...you know...shut up in general."
Ah, you can just feel the love. Xan/Navin. So much better than Donna/anyone.
And you can just rely on him to cut the ice in a difficult situation.
"Do you think we can talk once we’re not in danger of drowning? Also," he added seriously, "if we stay in here for too long, you might start to rust."
Without a doubt, Navin is the best character in the book.
The plot was implausible and unrealistic, and as I've mentioned, things tied up too quickly and neatly. There were difficulties, but no challenges. Whatever impossible things Donna needed to accomplish, she does so automatically that there were no challenges whatsoever to overcome, even if things seemed impossible. I'm glad the ends tied up so neatly (and completely implausibly) here. With the current trend of my falling ratings for the book, the next one would have garnered a rating of one.
Donna Underwood usually completes hers in 2 days or less.
It took me two books to figure this out, it was so well hidden, but I've figured out that Donna is a Mary Sue. It skipped over my mind because of the lack of emphasis on appearance that the author places on Donna, but when other things are put into consideration, that's what she is.
Donna is speshul. She has an innate essence that's one of a kind, that is the key to the creation of a special object; not only that, she possesses the power to open the door to the elven and demonic world. She's so special that her powers has to be contained, and the gorgeous demonic prince wants her as his consort.
She is stupid. Again, I didn't notice the Mary Sue because she is so goddamned well-meaning about it. She repeatedly puts the world in danger in order to save a few people who are special to her, only caring just a little bit that she's endangering the fate of the entire human race. Oh, and she really needs to stop using the word VIRIDIAN. We get it. His eyes are green. Stop it already.
She reacts like a child in difficult situations. She states the obvious.
Donna glared at him, anger winning over fear. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what?" the demon asked, still smiling that awful smile.
"Like you’re crazy. Or like you've already won. Or both."
So insightful...
She does stupid things with disastrous consequences without punishment. Being sent to London to study under an alchemist as punishment for unleashing demons into the world? Please. She should have been exiled.
She automatically knows what to do. No special task is too big for her. A deadline from midnight until dawn? No problem. Two days to solve a mystery and create an object that four orders of alchemists couldn't solve in their countless years of existence? Done. Impossible puzzles are put to her, and she solves them with a snap of a finger. Things that should take the plot of an entire book to solve, Donna does it unwittingly, or instinctively, or her mortal enemy just so conveniently hands it to her under the terms that it doesn't really matter that she holds the special weapon because the whole world is going to end anyway.
So many things get handed to Donna on a platter, it bothers me, it wraps the plot up too easily. It's impossible and unbelievable, and does not make for a complicated heroine nor a plausible plot.
The highlight of this book for me, was Navin. He is hilarious.
The only scenes which I found entertaining were the scenes involving him, and I love that he got his own segments of the book aside from Donna. The interaction between Xan and Navin were funny, too, here are two guys who don't usually get along, but they work together for the sake of their dear friend, and their awkwardness is sweet, endearing, and hilarious.
Navin ignored him. "Thanks for helping me."
"I'm not helping you, I'm helping Donna."
"But I know, deep down, your love for me is deep and pure."
Xan snorted. "Whatever, man." The door sprung open. "Come on. And seriously, can you shut up until we've grabbed the statue? Maybe just...you know...shut up in general."
Ah, you can just feel the love. Xan/Navin. So much better than Donna/anyone.
And you can just rely on him to cut the ice in a difficult situation.
"Do you think we can talk once we’re not in danger of drowning? Also," he added seriously, "if we stay in here for too long, you might start to rust."
Without a doubt, Navin is the best character in the book.
The plot was implausible and unrealistic, and as I've mentioned, things tied up too quickly and neatly. There were difficulties, but no challenges. Whatever impossible things Donna needed to accomplish, she does so automatically that there were no challenges whatsoever to overcome, even if things seemed impossible. I'm glad the ends tied up so neatly (and completely implausibly) here. With the current trend of my falling ratings for the book, the next one would have garnered a rating of one.
April 25, 2013
2.5 stars - Spoilers
-Meh, it wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't good. I was bored through most of the book… Nothing interesting really happened, I found most of the characters dull — bar Navin and that statue demon who were rather entertaining.
-Anyway, Donna (the heroine) is with the Order (a secret society of alchemists that Donna is a part of) in London as punishment for unintentionally opening a portal/door between the demon realm and human realm.
Naturally, the evul demons who've been locked away for centuries used the door so they could chill in the human world and act appropriately menacing. Not only do the demons kill, destroy and generally act like dicks… They also throw cool fancy dress parties for everyone. Hey, what demon doesn't love a fancy dress party? Right?
-Donna spent a lot of her time moaning and acting like she knew it all - I hate it when teenagers in books think they know better than adults.
The demons and demon king (Demian) were cliched and not very impressive — they were just blah. I didn't understand Demian's fascination with boring Donna. Why was he wasting his time on her? Yea, I know she was speshul and had that first matter or whatever the hell it was inside of her but he genuinely seemed to like her outside of that. It was weird. Anyway, Demian threatens to destroy the world unless Donna and the Order make him the Philosophers Stone. Why does Demian want the Stone? Because it'll make his demons stronger. Why would the Order contemplate giving an already powerful demon something that'll give him more power? I don't know, it made no sense.
I was annoyed with how the whole demon situation was handled. I didn't get why the Order were so scared of Demian, they'd defeated him once before… Why couldn't they do it again? Why didn't anyone ask how they managed to fight him off last time? If they managed to imprison the demons once then why couldn't they just do it again? Shouldn't it have been easier since the demons as whole were weaker?
It was all a bit nonsensical.
-I thought it was daft that the Order had tried for centuries upon centuries to make the Philosopher's Stone without success yet as soon as they were given an ultimatum they suddenly found some magical way to make it within two days.
-Donna was a flat character. The worst thing about her though was her constantly chasing Xan all the time.
I did like Navin and Robert… I just wish there'd been a few female characters that Donna was friends with… Why must all YA heroines have only guy friends??
-The romance was flat and one sided - Xan showed little interest in Donna, it was hard to believe he even had feelings for her. I actually liked them in the first book but Xan was just so lukewarm about Donna in this one — he wasn't able to confide in her, he kept lying to her and he seemed more interested in himself when Donna needed help… I think the only reason he helped Donna at all was because he felt he had to rather than because he wanted to.
The relationship was left up in the air at the end, which was fitting. I would have hated if Xan declared his everlasting love for Donna - it would have been unrealistic since Xan didn't seem to even care about Donna all that much, let alone love her.
-Navin and Donna had a deeper and more believable relationship than Xan/Donna. I did like that there was nothing romantic between Navin/Donna… They had a great friendship and nothing more. It was refreshing to read about a guy best friend that wasn't secretly in love with the heroine.
-The end fight/action scene was poorly done… Most of it was done 'off-page' and what little there was of it was more or less tied up in a sentence or two.
The appearance of the dragon was rubbish — it felt like a deus ex machina. There was never any mention in previous books that dragons were real or could be real so the fact that a dragon popped up to save the day was disappointing.
-What the hell was going on with Simon/Quentin's age. How old were they?
-The story with Maker at the end was okay I guess. I didn't like the fact that Maker basically fell in love with a blow up doll he made.
A mediocre series at best. The heroine was too boring, the plot was dull and the romance was rubbish. It's not the worst YA series I've read — it's actually somewhere in the middle… But I doubt I'll read any of the author's future books.
-Meh, it wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't good. I was bored through most of the book… Nothing interesting really happened, I found most of the characters dull — bar Navin and that statue demon who were rather entertaining.
-Anyway, Donna (the heroine) is with the Order (a secret society of alchemists that Donna is a part of) in London as punishment for unintentionally opening a portal/door between the demon realm and human realm.
Naturally, the evul demons who've been locked away for centuries used the door so they could chill in the human world and act appropriately menacing. Not only do the demons kill, destroy and generally act like dicks… They also throw cool fancy dress parties for everyone. Hey, what demon doesn't love a fancy dress party? Right?
-Donna spent a lot of her time moaning and acting like she knew it all - I hate it when teenagers in books think they know better than adults.
The demons and demon king (Demian) were cliched and not very impressive — they were just blah. I didn't understand Demian's fascination with boring Donna. Why was he wasting his time on her? Yea, I know she was speshul and had that first matter or whatever the hell it was inside of her but he genuinely seemed to like her outside of that. It was weird. Anyway, Demian threatens to destroy the world unless Donna and the Order make him the Philosophers Stone. Why does Demian want the Stone? Because it'll make his demons stronger. Why would the Order contemplate giving an already powerful demon something that'll give him more power? I don't know, it made no sense.
I was annoyed with how the whole demon situation was handled. I didn't get why the Order were so scared of Demian, they'd defeated him once before… Why couldn't they do it again? Why didn't anyone ask how they managed to fight him off last time? If they managed to imprison the demons once then why couldn't they just do it again? Shouldn't it have been easier since the demons as whole were weaker?
It was all a bit nonsensical.
-I thought it was daft that the Order had tried for centuries upon centuries to make the Philosopher's Stone without success yet as soon as they were given an ultimatum they suddenly found some magical way to make it within two days.
-Donna was a flat character. The worst thing about her though was her constantly chasing Xan all the time.
I did like Navin and Robert… I just wish there'd been a few female characters that Donna was friends with… Why must all YA heroines have only guy friends??
-The romance was flat and one sided - Xan showed little interest in Donna, it was hard to believe he even had feelings for her. I actually liked them in the first book but Xan was just so lukewarm about Donna in this one — he wasn't able to confide in her, he kept lying to her and he seemed more interested in himself when Donna needed help… I think the only reason he helped Donna at all was because he felt he had to rather than because he wanted to.
The relationship was left up in the air at the end, which was fitting. I would have hated if Xan declared his everlasting love for Donna - it would have been unrealistic since Xan didn't seem to even care about Donna all that much, let alone love her.
-Navin and Donna had a deeper and more believable relationship than Xan/Donna. I did like that there was nothing romantic between Navin/Donna… They had a great friendship and nothing more. It was refreshing to read about a guy best friend that wasn't secretly in love with the heroine.
-The end fight/action scene was poorly done… Most of it was done 'off-page' and what little there was of it was more or less tied up in a sentence or two.
The appearance of the dragon was rubbish — it felt like a deus ex machina. There was never any mention in previous books that dragons were real or could be real so the fact that a dragon popped up to save the day was disappointing.
-What the hell was going on with Simon/Quentin's age. How old were they?
-The story with Maker at the end was okay I guess. I didn't like the fact that Maker basically fell in love with a blow up doll he made.
A mediocre series at best. The heroine was too boring, the plot was dull and the romance was rubbish. It's not the worst YA series I've read — it's actually somewhere in the middle… But I doubt I'll read any of the author's future books.
January 24, 2014
3.5 stars
The Stone Demon is the third and final book in the Iron Witch trilogy so this review may contain spoilers for the first two books. The story picks up not long after the end if the last book and there is very little recapping so I really would recommend reading this series in order. Donna has been sent to London as a punishment for freeing the Demon King and his minions and is now continuing her training with the Order of the Crow. The Demon King has demanded that the alchemists hand over the philosopher's stone but the original was destroyed and they have been trying to recreate a new one for decades. Unfortunately their time is running out and if they don't find a way to stop the Demon King for good then the whole world is in danger.
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series so I was disappointed by the long wait between the release of The Wood Queen and The Stone Demon. I was excited to finally get my hands on this one but I have to confess that my enthusiasm for the series had died down a little during the long gap. As someone who reads a large number of books I'm really losing interest in starting series that haven't been fully released - it's just too hard to remember what happened in the first book if you've read over 200 new books in the year or longer gap between publication. Anyway, even though I've had this book for a while now it took me a long time to get around to starting it. Thankfully I found it quite easy to slip back into Karen Mahoney's world and it was good to catch up with Donna and see how she was getting on.
I was expecting big things from this book, a fast paced and action packed finale to the series that would see Donna face some incredibly difficult trials in order for her to keep her friends and family safe. Unfortunately while it delivered this to a certain extent I felt that things came too easily for Donna, she seemed to instinctively know how to solve things that the other alchemists have been working on for centuries and the way things fell into place so easily removed the sense of danger I was hoping for. I liked the story but I just didn't love it as much as I hoped I would.
The stand out character for the whole series has to be Nav and he stole the show in this book too. He added humour to the story and I loved the way he is such a good friend to Donna without expecting anything in return. We didn't see as much of Xan in this story as I'd expected to but I didn't really find myself missing him, in fact I just would have liked more scenes with Nav to make up for it. I don't think the romance was quite as prominent in this book as it was in the previous two and things were left quite open ended so I do wonder if the author will revisit these characters in the future. Even though this wasn't my favourite book in the series if you enjoyed the first two books then I'd say its definitely worth reading The Stone Demon so you can find out how the trilogy ends. I love Karen Mahoney's writing style and this was a quick and easy read that answered the majority of the questions raised throughout the series.
The Stone Demon is the third and final book in the Iron Witch trilogy so this review may contain spoilers for the first two books. The story picks up not long after the end if the last book and there is very little recapping so I really would recommend reading this series in order. Donna has been sent to London as a punishment for freeing the Demon King and his minions and is now continuing her training with the Order of the Crow. The Demon King has demanded that the alchemists hand over the philosopher's stone but the original was destroyed and they have been trying to recreate a new one for decades. Unfortunately their time is running out and if they don't find a way to stop the Demon King for good then the whole world is in danger.
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series so I was disappointed by the long wait between the release of The Wood Queen and The Stone Demon. I was excited to finally get my hands on this one but I have to confess that my enthusiasm for the series had died down a little during the long gap. As someone who reads a large number of books I'm really losing interest in starting series that haven't been fully released - it's just too hard to remember what happened in the first book if you've read over 200 new books in the year or longer gap between publication. Anyway, even though I've had this book for a while now it took me a long time to get around to starting it. Thankfully I found it quite easy to slip back into Karen Mahoney's world and it was good to catch up with Donna and see how she was getting on.
I was expecting big things from this book, a fast paced and action packed finale to the series that would see Donna face some incredibly difficult trials in order for her to keep her friends and family safe. Unfortunately while it delivered this to a certain extent I felt that things came too easily for Donna, she seemed to instinctively know how to solve things that the other alchemists have been working on for centuries and the way things fell into place so easily removed the sense of danger I was hoping for. I liked the story but I just didn't love it as much as I hoped I would.
The stand out character for the whole series has to be Nav and he stole the show in this book too. He added humour to the story and I loved the way he is such a good friend to Donna without expecting anything in return. We didn't see as much of Xan in this story as I'd expected to but I didn't really find myself missing him, in fact I just would have liked more scenes with Nav to make up for it. I don't think the romance was quite as prominent in this book as it was in the previous two and things were left quite open ended so I do wonder if the author will revisit these characters in the future. Even though this wasn't my favourite book in the series if you enjoyed the first two books then I'd say its definitely worth reading The Stone Demon so you can find out how the trilogy ends. I love Karen Mahoney's writing style and this was a quick and easy read that answered the majority of the questions raised throughout the series.
May 25, 2013
Original review from Sugarscape.com
I always feel nervous when I come to the final book in a trilogy that I love – will it live up to the first books in the series? Will the characters that I've grown to love get the happy ending that they deserve?
Luckily, in The Stone Demon – the final book in the Iron Witch trilogy – Karen Mahoney does not disappoint. Donna is the feisty heroine of the trilogy, a member of the mysterious Order of the Dragon sect of alchemists, whose power is magically bound by iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms. At the start of The Stone Demon, Donna has been sent to London as a punishment for striking a deal with the dangerous Wood Queen – a deal which saved her mother’s life, but which also released a deadly – and charismatic – demon king into the world. Now, once again Donna has to try to figure out how to save the people she loves – especially her best friend, Navin, and her half-faerie boyfriend, Xan – and maybe even the world. But how can she do that with the demon king himself watching her every move and demanding that she do the impossible?
Donna is a brilliant heroine: feisty, flawed, and growing into her powers. She screws up – a lot – but her heart is always in the right place, and she learns from her mistakes. The Stone Demon is beautifully written, with Karen weaving a remarkable story full of rich settings and dangerous games, steeped in myth and legend. Mahoney entices us with even more mysterious details from the shadowy world of the Alchemists, but blends her meticulous research with seamless action and heart-stopping romance. The Stone Demon is a lavish tale and a fitting conclusion to one of my favourite paranormal YA series. I’m still not sure how I’m going to live without a bit of Xan in my life, but if you haven’t read this series yet – don’t miss out!
I always feel nervous when I come to the final book in a trilogy that I love – will it live up to the first books in the series? Will the characters that I've grown to love get the happy ending that they deserve?
Luckily, in The Stone Demon – the final book in the Iron Witch trilogy – Karen Mahoney does not disappoint. Donna is the feisty heroine of the trilogy, a member of the mysterious Order of the Dragon sect of alchemists, whose power is magically bound by iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms. At the start of The Stone Demon, Donna has been sent to London as a punishment for striking a deal with the dangerous Wood Queen – a deal which saved her mother’s life, but which also released a deadly – and charismatic – demon king into the world. Now, once again Donna has to try to figure out how to save the people she loves – especially her best friend, Navin, and her half-faerie boyfriend, Xan – and maybe even the world. But how can she do that with the demon king himself watching her every move and demanding that she do the impossible?
Donna is a brilliant heroine: feisty, flawed, and growing into her powers. She screws up – a lot – but her heart is always in the right place, and she learns from her mistakes. The Stone Demon is beautifully written, with Karen weaving a remarkable story full of rich settings and dangerous games, steeped in myth and legend. Mahoney entices us with even more mysterious details from the shadowy world of the Alchemists, but blends her meticulous research with seamless action and heart-stopping romance. The Stone Demon is a lavish tale and a fitting conclusion to one of my favourite paranormal YA series. I’m still not sure how I’m going to live without a bit of Xan in my life, but if you haven’t read this series yet – don’t miss out!
March 19, 2024
[4.25] was between 4 or 4.5 but i feel like this rating is a good choice lol
October 18, 2025
3.5☆
I really enjoyed this trilogy. a lot going on. I wish there were more side stories of other characters.
I really enjoyed this trilogy. a lot going on. I wish there were more side stories of other characters.
December 13, 2013
I really did enjoy reading this series. I loved the storyline and the character of Nav was my
absolute
favorite.
But what I liked most is that - THIS WAS NOT A TEENAGE LOVE STORY! Not really, not like Ash & Megan, Clary & Jace... It's a story about a young girl (Donna) who was born with an amazing gift, trying to live her life while working her way through a world full of secrets & lies & people who see her more as a weapon then an actual human being.
Though I did not care much for Xan (he struck me as very self centered & very self absorbed) I did, however, LOVE Demien. Demon King or not - his character was delish & a secret part of me wishes Donna had crossed over to the dark side & ruled with him as Queen of the Underworld.
Also I kind of wish it had been Demien's tear that helped Donna make the Philosopher Stone (ya know - like maybe Demien really did love her & he shed that single tear when he realizes Donna will never be his......... yea, wishful thinking.)
But I really did enjoy this series, so much so that I finished the entire trilogy in under a week (GO ME!)
I very much recommend :)
But what I liked most is that - THIS WAS NOT A TEENAGE LOVE STORY! Not really, not like Ash & Megan, Clary & Jace... It's a story about a young girl (Donna) who was born with an amazing gift, trying to live her life while working her way through a world full of secrets & lies & people who see her more as a weapon then an actual human being.
Though I did not care much for Xan (he struck me as very self centered & very self absorbed) I did, however, LOVE Demien. Demon King or not - his character was delish & a secret part of me wishes Donna had crossed over to the dark side & ruled with him as Queen of the Underworld.
Also I kind of wish it had been Demien's tear that helped Donna make the Philosopher Stone (ya know - like maybe Demien really did love her & he shed that single tear when he realizes Donna will never be his......... yea, wishful thinking.)
But I really did enjoy this series, so much so that I finished the entire trilogy in under a week (GO ME!)
I very much recommend :)
June 11, 2015
I gave up. I didn't even finish this book. It was soooo slow and frankly Donna's inner monologue was tedious. I just skipped to the end to see what happened. Not surprised about Xan's father; the clues were there as soon as he appeared on the page. Was I supposed to be surprised? Losing the last bits of the elixir of life and opening a door to the demon world on the advice of a KNOWN ENEMY is just ridiculous. After all the idiotic things Donna does, I'm amazed that she doesn't get more suitably punished than "off you go to England" and "oh come on back to Ironwood!". I'm not wasting any more time on this review; let's just say I'm glad it's over.
July 10, 2012
I can not wait for this book to come out. Hopefully there will be more Donna and Xan! The last book didn't exactly end on a cliff hanger but close enough for me. I think Donna's power will unfold even more.
September 17, 2018
After being tricked by Aliette into opening the door for the demons to return to Earth, Donna has two days to create the philospher's stone the demon king is demanding or else he'll destroy London and her home town. Donna is pretty much on her own since the alchemist's have said it is an impossible challenge and are gathering forces to fight a war with the demons.
Donna does have some allies. Her best friend Navin may only be a "commoner" but he is smart and loyal. Xan may be busy working with Maker to get wings so that he can fly again but he comes when Donna calls. And Maker, himself, is on Donna's side.
This was an exciting conclusion to the Iron Witch series. It was filled with action, danger and romance.
Donna does have some allies. Her best friend Navin may only be a "commoner" but he is smart and loyal. Xan may be busy working with Maker to get wings so that he can fly again but he comes when Donna calls. And Maker, himself, is on Donna's side.
This was an exciting conclusion to the Iron Witch series. It was filled with action, danger and romance.
April 10, 2016
Full review at http://bronzelock619.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-stone-demon-iron-witch-3-karen.html.
After finishing the whole trilogy, I am sorry to say that the thing that got me most excited about it were the covers. They all look dark and enchanting, this one especially so. The gown the girl was wearing was gorgeous, with a hauntingly beautiful background. It coincided with the masquerade ball Demian invited Donna to. In terms of accuracy though, the other cover (right) was better, even though it did not look as good. The girl on the cover wore a black dress and a gold mask with red feathers. It was exactly what Donna was described to be wearing in the masquerade.
For the whole series, Donna was very good at achieving the impossible. That is a good thing, as main characters always had impossible quests to perform, where the fate of the world hinged on their success. My problem was with how she achieved those impossible feats. At first, she had no idea how to gather the different ingredients for making the philosopher's stone, as they were housed in different realms. The one in Demian's demon realm was especially hard to achieve, since only demons and dead people can go there. When it was time to go to the demon realm, Donna suddenly knew how to go there without actually killing herself. There was another secret ingredient that no one knew about, and even though Donna managed to find out what that ingredient actually was by scrying for a dead soul from the demon realm and asking about it, I found it hard to believe that the random soul she found on her first try just happened to know exactly what the ingredient was. It was something that the alchemists, with their centuries of archives and researches about the philosopher's stone, did not even know. Creating the stone was their whole purpose, yet their knowledge about it could not compare to a random ghost? The ghost was shown to be quite suspicious, yet for all that buildup, she never made an appearance ever again, and her real identity was never revealed. For the ingredient in the hands of the Wood Queen, the Wood Queen suddenly decided to give it to Donna freely, even though all parties had argued and refused to simply let go of the ingredients they have during the previous negotiations. Donna had similar situations with the other ingredients, with her knowing what to do to get what she needed all of a sudden. If this situation occurred one or two times, it would still be okay, but there was no way it could happen so many times. Even if Donna had great instinct, you can't just lump everything as that.
In addition, the climax was less than satisfying. The alchemists, faeries from the Faerie realm, and the wood elves in the Iron Forest never got along, and made their feelings clear during the negotiations at the masquerade. But then, when the time came to fight the demons, all of a sudden they were willing to side with the alchemists to save the human world. The fey had always sided with the demons, and the Wood Queen was the one that tricked Donna into releasing the demons anyway. The fey lived in another realm, so they did not need to concern themselves with fighting the demons and had no stake in it, so try as I might, I could not find the reason they would risk so many of their numbers to fight a war they had little chance of winning. Then, as the side of the fey and alchemists were losing, Donna suddenly found out that as the bearer of the prima materna, she could summon a dragon to help them win the war. The introduction of the demon race by the end of the previous book out of the blue was bad enough, and now a dragon had been brought into the mix. A mixture of different mythological races in a series could be wonderful if done well, but not sudden introductions like this without any warning. You might notice that I use the word "sudden" multiple times in these paragraphs. This shows how many times things pop up without any buildup at all.
Another thing I dislike about this series was its unsatisfying end. Most of the questions in this series went unanswered the way it ended. After all this, we still never found out why Donna specifically was born with the alchemical first material inside her. We also never knew Maker's true identity and why he was immortal. The record by Quentin about Maker's past, which likened him to a god named Hephaestus, just made things even more confusing. Were they adding gods to the mix? Was Hephaestus just an alias of Maker, or was he actually the Greek god Hephaestus? At least regarding the fate of the world, there was an actual ending, unlike the problems with Donna's romantic relationship. (Major spoilers:)Xan decided to live in the Faerie realm to get to know his biological father, so Donna only get to see him when he occasionally visits. It was like a long-distance relationship, just without the communication in between visits as electronics would not work in the Faerie realm. I don't even know if they were still a couple or not. For me, an ambiguous ending still counts as an unhappy ending.
I apologize for all the long-winded rant about this series. In my honest opinion, it was not exactly horrible, but not particularly good either. It had some exciting action, and interesting characters like Navin and Newton. However, reading it was a frustrating experience, leaving you with loads of unanswered questions.
After finishing the whole trilogy, I am sorry to say that the thing that got me most excited about it were the covers. They all look dark and enchanting, this one especially so. The gown the girl was wearing was gorgeous, with a hauntingly beautiful background. It coincided with the masquerade ball Demian invited Donna to. In terms of accuracy though, the other cover (right) was better, even though it did not look as good. The girl on the cover wore a black dress and a gold mask with red feathers. It was exactly what Donna was described to be wearing in the masquerade.
For the whole series, Donna was very good at achieving the impossible. That is a good thing, as main characters always had impossible quests to perform, where the fate of the world hinged on their success. My problem was with how she achieved those impossible feats. At first, she had no idea how to gather the different ingredients for making the philosopher's stone, as they were housed in different realms. The one in Demian's demon realm was especially hard to achieve, since only demons and dead people can go there. When it was time to go to the demon realm, Donna suddenly knew how to go there without actually killing herself. There was another secret ingredient that no one knew about, and even though Donna managed to find out what that ingredient actually was by scrying for a dead soul from the demon realm and asking about it, I found it hard to believe that the random soul she found on her first try just happened to know exactly what the ingredient was. It was something that the alchemists, with their centuries of archives and researches about the philosopher's stone, did not even know. Creating the stone was their whole purpose, yet their knowledge about it could not compare to a random ghost? The ghost was shown to be quite suspicious, yet for all that buildup, she never made an appearance ever again, and her real identity was never revealed. For the ingredient in the hands of the Wood Queen, the Wood Queen suddenly decided to give it to Donna freely, even though all parties had argued and refused to simply let go of the ingredients they have during the previous negotiations. Donna had similar situations with the other ingredients, with her knowing what to do to get what she needed all of a sudden. If this situation occurred one or two times, it would still be okay, but there was no way it could happen so many times. Even if Donna had great instinct, you can't just lump everything as that.
In addition, the climax was less than satisfying. The alchemists, faeries from the Faerie realm, and the wood elves in the Iron Forest never got along, and made their feelings clear during the negotiations at the masquerade. But then, when the time came to fight the demons, all of a sudden they were willing to side with the alchemists to save the human world. The fey had always sided with the demons, and the Wood Queen was the one that tricked Donna into releasing the demons anyway. The fey lived in another realm, so they did not need to concern themselves with fighting the demons and had no stake in it, so try as I might, I could not find the reason they would risk so many of their numbers to fight a war they had little chance of winning. Then, as the side of the fey and alchemists were losing, Donna suddenly found out that as the bearer of the prima materna, she could summon a dragon to help them win the war. The introduction of the demon race by the end of the previous book out of the blue was bad enough, and now a dragon had been brought into the mix. A mixture of different mythological races in a series could be wonderful if done well, but not sudden introductions like this without any warning. You might notice that I use the word "sudden" multiple times in these paragraphs. This shows how many times things pop up without any buildup at all.
Another thing I dislike about this series was its unsatisfying end. Most of the questions in this series went unanswered the way it ended. After all this, we still never found out why Donna specifically was born with the alchemical first material inside her. We also never knew Maker's true identity and why he was immortal. The record by Quentin about Maker's past, which likened him to a god named Hephaestus, just made things even more confusing. Were they adding gods to the mix? Was Hephaestus just an alias of Maker, or was he actually the Greek god Hephaestus? At least regarding the fate of the world, there was an actual ending, unlike the problems with Donna's romantic relationship. (Major spoilers:)Xan decided to live in the Faerie realm to get to know his biological father, so Donna only get to see him when he occasionally visits. It was like a long-distance relationship, just without the communication in between visits as electronics would not work in the Faerie realm. I don't even know if they were still a couple or not. For me, an ambiguous ending still counts as an unhappy ending.
I apologize for all the long-winded rant about this series. In my honest opinion, it was not exactly horrible, but not particularly good either. It had some exciting action, and interesting characters like Navin and Newton. However, reading it was a frustrating experience, leaving you with loads of unanswered questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2024
She’s supposed to recreate the Alchemist’s Stone, with a limited time & impossible to find ingredients. An interesting enough read, but you can definitely tell it is YA. The author talks down to her readers in parts, which is unacceptable.
August 30, 2018
Amazing 😉
June 20, 2019
First book was gripping, second one was okay but third one was so so...
August 22, 2019
I just couldn’t get through it. All the whining and keeping secrets. Sorry folks, but I was just too fed up with this book to keep reading
September 11, 2020
2.75 stars. Somewhat entertaining, but overall only read to finish the trilogy.
October 9, 2020
Engraved
April 12, 2013
I got this a little later than everyone else, because I didn't realise there was a book 3 in this series until it started popping up all over my twitter feed, but when i realised I had it quick as a flash and it's left me feeling pretty good.
This is one of those series that I just love. There doesn't have to be a reason because everything about it it totally lovable. For starters the idea is unique and... i just cant put into words how much I loved this. This book had me on toes the whole way through and explored so many different things i was continually entranced.
I guess I love escaping to Donna's world because whats not to love.
This book picks up a couple of months after the end of book 2 and It has a pretty dramatic beginning. The plot was seamlessly created and I loved every part of it! There was so much crammed into this book and I just loved it so so much! The events jumped from one to one, the action and romance balanced perfectly and even at time when it seemed to easy for a love triangle to be formed, Mahoney did the sensible thing and stayed away. The story was magical and captivating and I loved reading it every last word.
The settings were nicely balanced. This is the second YA book I've read this year set in England/London and that's really nice, just because YA is rarely set in england. Mahoney definitely knew what she was taking about when describing London, because as she described it my mind pulled up pictures of those areas from memory and placed Donna into those situation. Then we moved back to Ironbridge but during that we venture to many other realms/worlds which was really interesting but Mahoney doesn't dawdle on too much detail which is nice.
Writing. I don't know. I guess Mahoney just gets me. Something about her writing has just made me fall in love. Every since book 1 I have loved her writing so much. One thing I always love about her writing is 3rd person. Every time I read the next book in this series I always get so surprised that it's third person, because naturally you expect a book like this to be first person, but it s a nice change of perspective because not only do you get a better look on the other world but you are not limited to a single characters, which was another good point about this. We switched between characters, allowing us to venture into different parts of the story and piece puzzle pieces together. The description as i mentioned was beautiful and balanced just to the correct amount.
Characters. We didn't see to many new characters but where we did they were all so diverse and interesting. A new main characters was the involvement of Demian, the demon king and the romance that isn't quite a romance between Donna and him. Mahoney played it well though, because as the reader you want Donna to fall for him and for them to fall in love (or maybe it's just me) but nevertheless she stays true to Xan, who surprisingly we didn't see much of in this book. The characters in this focused onto the ones we haven't seen as much of so we can build on out knowledge base and connection to them.
Overall this was the perfect ending. I loved it so much and couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to Donna and the friends. But I have to thank Mahoney, because, from page 1 I fell in love with this series.
This is one of those series that I just love. There doesn't have to be a reason because everything about it it totally lovable. For starters the idea is unique and... i just cant put into words how much I loved this. This book had me on toes the whole way through and explored so many different things i was continually entranced.
I guess I love escaping to Donna's world because whats not to love.
This book picks up a couple of months after the end of book 2 and It has a pretty dramatic beginning. The plot was seamlessly created and I loved every part of it! There was so much crammed into this book and I just loved it so so much! The events jumped from one to one, the action and romance balanced perfectly and even at time when it seemed to easy for a love triangle to be formed, Mahoney did the sensible thing and stayed away. The story was magical and captivating and I loved reading it every last word.
The settings were nicely balanced. This is the second YA book I've read this year set in England/London and that's really nice, just because YA is rarely set in england. Mahoney definitely knew what she was taking about when describing London, because as she described it my mind pulled up pictures of those areas from memory and placed Donna into those situation. Then we moved back to Ironbridge but during that we venture to many other realms/worlds which was really interesting but Mahoney doesn't dawdle on too much detail which is nice.
Writing. I don't know. I guess Mahoney just gets me. Something about her writing has just made me fall in love. Every since book 1 I have loved her writing so much. One thing I always love about her writing is 3rd person. Every time I read the next book in this series I always get so surprised that it's third person, because naturally you expect a book like this to be first person, but it s a nice change of perspective because not only do you get a better look on the other world but you are not limited to a single characters, which was another good point about this. We switched between characters, allowing us to venture into different parts of the story and piece puzzle pieces together. The description as i mentioned was beautiful and balanced just to the correct amount.
Characters. We didn't see to many new characters but where we did they were all so diverse and interesting. A new main characters was the involvement of Demian, the demon king and the romance that isn't quite a romance between Donna and him. Mahoney played it well though, because as the reader you want Donna to fall for him and for them to fall in love (or maybe it's just me) but nevertheless she stays true to Xan, who surprisingly we didn't see much of in this book. The characters in this focused onto the ones we haven't seen as much of so we can build on out knowledge base and connection to them.
Overall this was the perfect ending. I loved it so much and couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to Donna and the friends. But I have to thank Mahoney, because, from page 1 I fell in love with this series.
August 17, 2013
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: This book is about Donna Underwood, a girl who has been raised her whole life to be an alchemist. Now because of a wood elf she has been tricked into opening the gates of hell and setting free the demon king. To save the world she must face many trials and tribulations.
Opening Sentence: They say that the truth sets you free.
The Review:
For starters this is the third book in the Iron Witch Series. I do recommend reading the first two books before reading this book. The story is about a seventeen year old girl named Donna Underwood. Donna is no ordinary girl; she is an alchemist in training. On top of that she contains a very important material in her body called the “first matter.” This is the material that everything is supposed to come from. In this, the third book, Donna has released demons onto the world and only she can stop them from destroying the world by making the philosopher’s stone, which will not be an easy task.
Donna for me, was one of those characters that I sometimes liked her and other times I hated her. I understand she is only seventeen and there is a lot happening in her life but she becomes very whiney and blames others for her problems. Other times though, she is awesome and isn’t afraid to face off against some very powerful beings such as the fae and the demon king himself. She does step up and make some very hard decisions. Also, I understand she was just supposed to be friends with Navin and in love with Xan but sometimes I felt like she was leading Navin on and maybe was a little closer to him than she should have been.
This was a good story but the reason you should definitely read the other two books is because by the time you get to this book you should know all about the characters so you will recognize how they relate to Donna. The third book is focused on Donna. The one character who is new to the story is Demain, the demon king. Demain is after one thing, the philosopher’s stone. He will do anything to get his hands on it including romancing Donna to try and make her like him or destroy the world. He’s the perfect villain. He comes off as charming, good looking, and nice until he does not get what he wants. When this happens he becomes the demon king that you would expect; angry, hateful, and destructive. He is such a evil being that even enemies are willing to work together to send him back to hell.
For those who have read the rest of the series this is a wonderful conclusion to the series and a must read. Of course if it is the last book the ending makes the romantic in me want it to go on but the other part of me who just likes a good book is satisfied. I recommend this book to those who like a bit of light magic, demons and a daring heroine.
Notable Scene:
The woman stares directly at Donna and smiles with a mouth full of blood-stained teeth. Her eyes are strange… inhuman. The pupils are shaped like hourglasses, and sand is slipping through them like tears.
“We all die,” the woman says. “That’s the secret to life.”
FTC Advisory: Flux provided me with a copy of The Stone Demon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This book is about Donna Underwood, a girl who has been raised her whole life to be an alchemist. Now because of a wood elf she has been tricked into opening the gates of hell and setting free the demon king. To save the world she must face many trials and tribulations.
Opening Sentence: They say that the truth sets you free.
The Review:
For starters this is the third book in the Iron Witch Series. I do recommend reading the first two books before reading this book. The story is about a seventeen year old girl named Donna Underwood. Donna is no ordinary girl; she is an alchemist in training. On top of that she contains a very important material in her body called the “first matter.” This is the material that everything is supposed to come from. In this, the third book, Donna has released demons onto the world and only she can stop them from destroying the world by making the philosopher’s stone, which will not be an easy task.
Donna for me, was one of those characters that I sometimes liked her and other times I hated her. I understand she is only seventeen and there is a lot happening in her life but she becomes very whiney and blames others for her problems. Other times though, she is awesome and isn’t afraid to face off against some very powerful beings such as the fae and the demon king himself. She does step up and make some very hard decisions. Also, I understand she was just supposed to be friends with Navin and in love with Xan but sometimes I felt like she was leading Navin on and maybe was a little closer to him than she should have been.
This was a good story but the reason you should definitely read the other two books is because by the time you get to this book you should know all about the characters so you will recognize how they relate to Donna. The third book is focused on Donna. The one character who is new to the story is Demain, the demon king. Demain is after one thing, the philosopher’s stone. He will do anything to get his hands on it including romancing Donna to try and make her like him or destroy the world. He’s the perfect villain. He comes off as charming, good looking, and nice until he does not get what he wants. When this happens he becomes the demon king that you would expect; angry, hateful, and destructive. He is such a evil being that even enemies are willing to work together to send him back to hell.
For those who have read the rest of the series this is a wonderful conclusion to the series and a must read. Of course if it is the last book the ending makes the romantic in me want it to go on but the other part of me who just likes a good book is satisfied. I recommend this book to those who like a bit of light magic, demons and a daring heroine.
Notable Scene:
The woman stares directly at Donna and smiles with a mouth full of blood-stained teeth. Her eyes are strange… inhuman. The pupils are shaped like hourglasses, and sand is slipping through them like tears.
“We all die,” the woman says. “That’s the secret to life.”
FTC Advisory: Flux provided me with a copy of The Stone Demon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
April 9, 2013
Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..
After the shocking blow of the previous installment, Donna Underworld was left scrambling to find a way to close the doorway that allowed the demons to escape their realm. But then the Demon King issues an ultimatum, deliver the Philosopher's Stone or humanity will perish in two days time. Problem is that no one remembers how to fully create the stone. Faced with an impossible task, Donna will have to use every bit of strength and ingenuity she has, or humanity is doomed, and every one she loves along with it.
The pacing and path of THE STONE DEMON's plot was rather frustrating for me. The beginning was terribly slow and everything seems to be in limbo. I get that those down times are a part of life, but I just felt like it took up too much of the book, especially when you consider just how rushed the last 1/3 of the book is. I think that rushed ending is what frustrated me more than anything. All this time was spent setting up the idea that the war coming would have all but impossible odds to surmount. So when it was finally time to start tackling the quest to stop the war, I had been expecting to be dazzled by the way Donna overcomes her obstacles. To put it mildly, I wasn't. At all. Each new task, supposedly harder than the last, well the solution just happens to fall right into her lap and it was instantly onto the next. I just felt it really cheapened the victory a little more each time since it was just too easy. I just think more time could have been spent on the latter part of the book instead of the buildup, because as it stands, there was a whole lot of unfulfilled feelings.
THE STONE DEMON had several conflictions, or things that didn't quite jive for me. The romance for one, felt token at best. I mean Donna and Xan barely got any time together, and their relationship was supposed to be strained due to Xan's secrecy. But the secrets and the reason for them were never fully revealed. I just feel that if there is an issue, it needs to be addressed at some point in the book, otherwise I'm left wondering what was the point. Another confliction was the timeline of the Demon King's demands. If he legitimately wanted an item, than it makes no sense to have his odd be insurmountable. And if he wanted her to actually fail, then why bother setting the demands in the first place? Finally, there also was a continuity issue involving something in the epilogue. It was implied that Donna had a plan for how to bring down the demons due to something she read. But throughout the book, that was obviously not the case as she was winging everything. Granted, I did read an ARC copy, so perhaps some of these issues won't be in the final copy.
I have to say that I've felt really left down by the last two books in this trilogy. I loved THE IRON WITCH, so it was rather disappointing that things didn't pan out. I'm just going to chalk this one up to a loss, but I'll still be checking out more of Karen Mahoney's work in the future.
After the shocking blow of the previous installment, Donna Underworld was left scrambling to find a way to close the doorway that allowed the demons to escape their realm. But then the Demon King issues an ultimatum, deliver the Philosopher's Stone or humanity will perish in two days time. Problem is that no one remembers how to fully create the stone. Faced with an impossible task, Donna will have to use every bit of strength and ingenuity she has, or humanity is doomed, and every one she loves along with it.
The pacing and path of THE STONE DEMON's plot was rather frustrating for me. The beginning was terribly slow and everything seems to be in limbo. I get that those down times are a part of life, but I just felt like it took up too much of the book, especially when you consider just how rushed the last 1/3 of the book is. I think that rushed ending is what frustrated me more than anything. All this time was spent setting up the idea that the war coming would have all but impossible odds to surmount. So when it was finally time to start tackling the quest to stop the war, I had been expecting to be dazzled by the way Donna overcomes her obstacles. To put it mildly, I wasn't. At all. Each new task, supposedly harder than the last, well the solution just happens to fall right into her lap and it was instantly onto the next. I just felt it really cheapened the victory a little more each time since it was just too easy. I just think more time could have been spent on the latter part of the book instead of the buildup, because as it stands, there was a whole lot of unfulfilled feelings.
THE STONE DEMON had several conflictions, or things that didn't quite jive for me. The romance for one, felt token at best. I mean Donna and Xan barely got any time together, and their relationship was supposed to be strained due to Xan's secrecy. But the secrets and the reason for them were never fully revealed. I just feel that if there is an issue, it needs to be addressed at some point in the book, otherwise I'm left wondering what was the point. Another confliction was the timeline of the Demon King's demands. If he legitimately wanted an item, than it makes no sense to have his odd be insurmountable. And if he wanted her to actually fail, then why bother setting the demands in the first place? Finally, there also was a continuity issue involving something in the epilogue. It was implied that Donna had a plan for how to bring down the demons due to something she read. But throughout the book, that was obviously not the case as she was winging everything. Granted, I did read an ARC copy, so perhaps some of these issues won't be in the final copy.
I have to say that I've felt really left down by the last two books in this trilogy. I loved THE IRON WITCH, so it was rather disappointing that things didn't pan out. I'm just going to chalk this one up to a loss, but I'll still be checking out more of Karen Mahoney's work in the future.
April 2, 2013
*Genre* YA Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5
*Review*
The Stone Demon wraps up the Iron Witch series in such a way that will leave people either loving the story, or totally wanting to pull their hair out of their head in frustration and agony. When we first open the pages to The Stone Demon, Donna Underwood, aka the Iron Witch, is understandably angry at herself and depressed after allowing Aliette, the Wood Queen, to talk her into opening the gates of Hell and allowing the demon king Demian to re-enter the world. While's Donna's intentions were laudable, saving her mother's soul, the consequences caused her to be sent to London, England to further her training under a new mentor Miranda Backhouse.
Demian, now free after 200 years of captivity thanks to previous alchemists, has his sights set firmly on Donna in a way that has her squirming and trying to figure out a way to outmaneuver him every step of the way. Demian understandably believes he has everyone, including the alchemist, and the Fae, right where he wants them and there's nothing anyone can to do stop his conquest of the planet and the regathering of his demon hordes once the Stone is able to once again produce the Elixir of Life.
Donna isn't actually a bad character after you sit down and really think about her actions. She's definitely grown a spine and doesn't sit on her ass while others try to save the world or let it go down in flames. Donna chooses to go on a quest to gather all the pieces necessary to remake the Philosopher's Stone against great peril to herself. It's her unique abilities to open doors to other realms that allows her to gather the pieces against all odds in hopes of finally defeating and sending Demian packing. It's also the fact that she has a good heart and understands that her mistakes caused severe consequences for her friends and colleagues alike. She also hopes that she can perhaps escape the alchemy world once and for-all if she is successful.
Her friends, Xan and Navin are once again right alongside her, and Navin really shines in this book. Even though Xan and Donna have deep feelings for each other, it's Navin's friendship and actions in helping Donna solve a missing piece of the puzzle that shows his true colors as Donna's best friend.
I'm actually glad I was approved by Netgalley/Flux to read this title. I'm happy with the way this story ends even though plenty of characters fall by the wayside. I loved the last third of this book when Donna not only goes on her quest, but finds a way deep inside herself to call on an old "friend" to help defeat Demian thanks to the Maker's assistance.
If you are wondering why I am not rating this book higher, it's because there's some interesting spelling and editing problems/errors, like spelling artifact with an E, instead of an I, that I'm hoping will be fixed before this book goes live. Perhaps I'm being a little bit nit picky since this is an ARC and not the completed book.
*Recvd from Flux via Netgalley 11/08/2012* Expected publication: April 8th 2013 by Flux
*Rating* 3.5
*Review*
The Stone Demon wraps up the Iron Witch series in such a way that will leave people either loving the story, or totally wanting to pull their hair out of their head in frustration and agony. When we first open the pages to The Stone Demon, Donna Underwood, aka the Iron Witch, is understandably angry at herself and depressed after allowing Aliette, the Wood Queen, to talk her into opening the gates of Hell and allowing the demon king Demian to re-enter the world. While's Donna's intentions were laudable, saving her mother's soul, the consequences caused her to be sent to London, England to further her training under a new mentor Miranda Backhouse.
Demian, now free after 200 years of captivity thanks to previous alchemists, has his sights set firmly on Donna in a way that has her squirming and trying to figure out a way to outmaneuver him every step of the way. Demian understandably believes he has everyone, including the alchemist, and the Fae, right where he wants them and there's nothing anyone can to do stop his conquest of the planet and the regathering of his demon hordes once the Stone is able to once again produce the Elixir of Life.
Donna isn't actually a bad character after you sit down and really think about her actions. She's definitely grown a spine and doesn't sit on her ass while others try to save the world or let it go down in flames. Donna chooses to go on a quest to gather all the pieces necessary to remake the Philosopher's Stone against great peril to herself. It's her unique abilities to open doors to other realms that allows her to gather the pieces against all odds in hopes of finally defeating and sending Demian packing. It's also the fact that she has a good heart and understands that her mistakes caused severe consequences for her friends and colleagues alike. She also hopes that she can perhaps escape the alchemy world once and for-all if she is successful.
Her friends, Xan and Navin are once again right alongside her, and Navin really shines in this book. Even though Xan and Donna have deep feelings for each other, it's Navin's friendship and actions in helping Donna solve a missing piece of the puzzle that shows his true colors as Donna's best friend.
I'm actually glad I was approved by Netgalley/Flux to read this title. I'm happy with the way this story ends even though plenty of characters fall by the wayside. I loved the last third of this book when Donna not only goes on her quest, but finds a way deep inside herself to call on an old "friend" to help defeat Demian thanks to the Maker's assistance.
If you are wondering why I am not rating this book higher, it's because there's some interesting spelling and editing problems/errors, like spelling artifact with an E, instead of an I, that I'm hoping will be fixed before this book goes live. Perhaps I'm being a little bit nit picky since this is an ARC and not the completed book.
*Recvd from Flux via Netgalley 11/08/2012* Expected publication: April 8th 2013 by Flux
April 16, 2013
I have really enjoyed this series from the beginning, so after following Donna on her journey as she learns about herself and discovers the truth behind her iron tattoos I am sad to see it come to an end. Donna is in London, England training to be an alchemist, having been sent there for releasing Demain, who is now causing havoc, most notably burning down the British Museum.
The Stone Demon also gives us points of view from Xan and Navin, whose I love the most thanks to his sense of humour and constant jokes. Both Xan and Navin have their own roles to play, Xan has a secret he is hiding from Donna, while Navin plays a very important role in Donna's tasks. She must find a way to collect the items she needs from each realm to make the Philosophers Stone to save humankind from Demain.
The Stone Demon was a roller coaster ride from the very beginning from being safe in London at the alchemists home Donna is soon taking risks and meeting with people she shouldn't be meeting with. The Iron Witch introduced us to Donna, and from that point onwards it has been one big adventure for her, and for us the reader, The Stone Demon is a great end to this series that has everything you could ask for in a book, romance, friendship, fighting, magic, and laughter.
There were some moments in The Stone Demon where things happened that I didn't expect, and it wasn't until they happened that I realised how much I really liked the character involved. I even tweeted Karen Mahoney about it.
The Stone Demon to me is my favourite of them all, some characters get closure, and some get what they deserve, and the small handful really didn't deserve what they got. I laughed, cried, worried, and cheered on the good guys. Karen has once again drew me into the world she has created and I did not want to say goodbye to these characters. The ending of the book was bitter-sweet and I would love to see a novella or book in an anthology about what happens with certain individuals.
The Stone Demon also gives us points of view from Xan and Navin, whose I love the most thanks to his sense of humour and constant jokes. Both Xan and Navin have their own roles to play, Xan has a secret he is hiding from Donna, while Navin plays a very important role in Donna's tasks. She must find a way to collect the items she needs from each realm to make the Philosophers Stone to save humankind from Demain.
The Stone Demon was a roller coaster ride from the very beginning from being safe in London at the alchemists home Donna is soon taking risks and meeting with people she shouldn't be meeting with. The Iron Witch introduced us to Donna, and from that point onwards it has been one big adventure for her, and for us the reader, The Stone Demon is a great end to this series that has everything you could ask for in a book, romance, friendship, fighting, magic, and laughter.
Navin shivered. "Stop being so dramatic. You're hardly in the position to tear apart reality. You'd have trouble tearing open a packet of chips right now.".................
"Shut up a minute, I'm trying to think."
"I know, I can hear your two brain cells rubbing together."
Navin and Newton, location 1660 kindle
There were some moments in The Stone Demon where things happened that I didn't expect, and it wasn't until they happened that I realised how much I really liked the character involved. I even tweeted Karen Mahoney about it.
@kazmahoney just finished chapter 24 of The Stone Demon.....I may be crying just a bit
— Michelle (@MuchLovedBooks) April 13, 2013
The Stone Demon to me is my favourite of them all, some characters get closure, and some get what they deserve, and the small handful really didn't deserve what they got. I laughed, cried, worried, and cheered on the good guys. Karen has once again drew me into the world she has created and I did not want to say goodbye to these characters. The ending of the book was bitter-sweet and I would love to see a novella or book in an anthology about what happens with certain individuals.
November 7, 2013
The Stone Demon is the third young adult book in the Iron Witch trilogy by Karen Mahoney. Donna Underwood is known by many as the Iron Witch. She had been tricked into opening the door to the Demon Realm by the Wood Queen, the faerie queen Aliette. Donna is in the process of being trained in alchemy as the demon king Demian makes is obsession with her clear, and manages to set an ultimatum which no one but him would benefit from. Donna must somehow create and deliver a freshly formed Philosopher's Stone to Demian or those she loves will die. However, if she somehow manages the deadly tasks required to collect the ingredients, form the stone, and hand it over as demanded the world will be at the mercy of the demons. In a no win situation, can Donna find a way to save the world from certain devastation?
First let me say that I have not read the previous books, but aside from taking some extra time to understand the world and some relationships, I still enjoyed the book and did not feel like I lost anything vital in that lack. I think if I had read the previous books I would have enjoyed some of the character interaction and banter more, but the larger plot line and interactions still came together even without the back story.
Now, in The Stone Demon, I have to admit that my favorite characters did not get much play time. I thought that Donna's friends Xan and Navin were the best part of the story. Navin is simply hysterical and offered me humor and fun when I was starting to drift. I was a little annoyed with Donna. She has two days to complete a quest- sends her buddies out to do part of it and somehow everything just seems to fall into place for her. Oh, no one else, even well trained and practiced alchemists have been able to create a new Philosopher's Stone in centuries- she can solve the mystery and do it in less that 48 hours. It just all seemed a little too easy, and I expected more more of a challenge for her, or at least for there to be something that did not get tied up with a pretty little bow at the end. I still enjoyed the book, but felt like Donna could have been smarter, more talented rather than just 'special', in her quest and actions. I much prefer a take charge kind of heroine than one that seems to have things handed to her or spends her time complaining about things.
I would recommend The Stone Demon to readers that have enjoyed the first two books in the Iron Witch trilogy. The story is interesting and the secondary characters are great, but fans of strong female heroines and challenging quests might be disappointed.
First let me say that I have not read the previous books, but aside from taking some extra time to understand the world and some relationships, I still enjoyed the book and did not feel like I lost anything vital in that lack. I think if I had read the previous books I would have enjoyed some of the character interaction and banter more, but the larger plot line and interactions still came together even without the back story.
Now, in The Stone Demon, I have to admit that my favorite characters did not get much play time. I thought that Donna's friends Xan and Navin were the best part of the story. Navin is simply hysterical and offered me humor and fun when I was starting to drift. I was a little annoyed with Donna. She has two days to complete a quest- sends her buddies out to do part of it and somehow everything just seems to fall into place for her. Oh, no one else, even well trained and practiced alchemists have been able to create a new Philosopher's Stone in centuries- she can solve the mystery and do it in less that 48 hours. It just all seemed a little too easy, and I expected more more of a challenge for her, or at least for there to be something that did not get tied up with a pretty little bow at the end. I still enjoyed the book, but felt like Donna could have been smarter, more talented rather than just 'special', in her quest and actions. I much prefer a take charge kind of heroine than one that seems to have things handed to her or spends her time complaining about things.
I would recommend The Stone Demon to readers that have enjoyed the first two books in the Iron Witch trilogy. The story is interesting and the secondary characters are great, but fans of strong female heroines and challenging quests might be disappointed.
March 9, 2019
3.5 stars
Ah, the Twilight-era of YA, when you couldn’t move in a bookstore without seeing a paranormal love triangle. Sure, some great books were released during the period, and it’s fun to revisit it from time to time largely for nostalgic purposes, but most of them just feel like they lack heart, and sincerity, especially compared to the quality of YA today.
This trilogy definitely falls into the ‘nostalgic but forgettable’ category for me. Am I going to remember this trilogy in a few years time, or recommend to friends? Probably not, but I’m still glad I read it. The Stone Demon, happily, did not fall prey to the issue a lot of YA trilogies have where the final instalment feels underwhelming and too focused on a ‘final battle’. The plot kicked up a gear in this novel and did feel distinct from its predecessors too. Plus, we have to award some bonus points for featuring a demon masquerade right? I revelled in that particular trope. Though Donna isn’t the most endearing heroine in the world I did find myself rooting for her, and I was glad there wasn’t too big a focus on the insufferable Xan.
I did feel like the more interesting characters in the series (read: Robert) were neglected in this book though, and I found myself missing the characters I actually connected to. Overall, it was a sufficient ending to an unremarkable series, but still enough of a fun read for me to have persisted with.
Ah, the Twilight-era of YA, when you couldn’t move in a bookstore without seeing a paranormal love triangle. Sure, some great books were released during the period, and it’s fun to revisit it from time to time largely for nostalgic purposes, but most of them just feel like they lack heart, and sincerity, especially compared to the quality of YA today.
This trilogy definitely falls into the ‘nostalgic but forgettable’ category for me. Am I going to remember this trilogy in a few years time, or recommend to friends? Probably not, but I’m still glad I read it. The Stone Demon, happily, did not fall prey to the issue a lot of YA trilogies have where the final instalment feels underwhelming and too focused on a ‘final battle’. The plot kicked up a gear in this novel and did feel distinct from its predecessors too. Plus, we have to award some bonus points for featuring a demon masquerade right? I revelled in that particular trope. Though Donna isn’t the most endearing heroine in the world I did find myself rooting for her, and I was glad there wasn’t too big a focus on the insufferable Xan.
I did feel like the more interesting characters in the series (read: Robert) were neglected in this book though, and I found myself missing the characters I actually connected to. Overall, it was a sufficient ending to an unremarkable series, but still enough of a fun read for me to have persisted with.
May 8, 2013
Yet another series comes to an end. So many series I like ended this year. Guess they all have to end at some point. This is the 3rd and final book in this series. The first book was The Iron Witch, the second was The Wood Queen, in case you’re unfamiliar with it. It’s full of alchemy, faeries, elves and demons. The main character Donna is definitely a strong protagonist. My favorite character is Nav, because he’s the funny best guy-friend. The love interest is still Xan, the half-fey guy, but I feel like there wasn’t that much romance in this book. The world building is amazing. This whole secret society of alchemist is fascinating. It makes me think of Vampire Academy.
This final book was an adventure, kind of. Donna is forced to gather the ingredients to create the Philosopher’s Stone for Demian, and then make it otherwise he’ll destroy Ironbridge. The beginning of the book starts in London, where the last book left off. There’s a masquerade ball thrown by the demon king. Then Donna is back in Ironbridge, Massachusetts, and trying to figure out how she’s going to meet Demian two-day deadline. The fact that there’s a time crunch makes the story move a lot quicker. There’s even parts from Nav and Xan’s 3rd person perspective because they actually help Donna retrieve an ingredient.
There’s a few funny parts, which are any part with Nav. And also Newton. He’s a demon with a sense of humor. There’s a little romance, and some action. The ending was kind of epic. I was a good ending, thank goodness. It was enjoyable overall. I recommend this series to fans of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, the Immortals series by Alyson Noel, the Iron Fey series, or is you are interested in Alchemy and faeries in general.
Cover Art Review: I know this is relevant to the masquerade ball that was in the beginning of the book, but it doesn’t work for the overall story. Not a fan of the face paint and the type of mask she’s wearing. It’s a bunch of stock photos. The masked face was just photo-shopped on and it looks like she has no nose. And the posture doesn’t fit the head. The angle looks wrong.
~Haley G
My blog:
http://breathlessbookreviews.blogspot...
This final book was an adventure, kind of. Donna is forced to gather the ingredients to create the Philosopher’s Stone for Demian, and then make it otherwise he’ll destroy Ironbridge. The beginning of the book starts in London, where the last book left off. There’s a masquerade ball thrown by the demon king. Then Donna is back in Ironbridge, Massachusetts, and trying to figure out how she’s going to meet Demian two-day deadline. The fact that there’s a time crunch makes the story move a lot quicker. There’s even parts from Nav and Xan’s 3rd person perspective because they actually help Donna retrieve an ingredient.
There’s a few funny parts, which are any part with Nav. And also Newton. He’s a demon with a sense of humor. There’s a little romance, and some action. The ending was kind of epic. I was a good ending, thank goodness. It was enjoyable overall. I recommend this series to fans of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, the Immortals series by Alyson Noel, the Iron Fey series, or is you are interested in Alchemy and faeries in general.
Cover Art Review: I know this is relevant to the masquerade ball that was in the beginning of the book, but it doesn’t work for the overall story. Not a fan of the face paint and the type of mask she’s wearing. It’s a bunch of stock photos. The masked face was just photo-shopped on and it looks like she has no nose. And the posture doesn’t fit the head. The angle looks wrong.
~Haley G
My blog:
http://breathlessbookreviews.blogspot...
April 3, 2013
3.5/5
Please bear in mind that this is the third and final book in the series and the review may therefore contain spoilers for the previous books.
The story picks up with Donna now in London shortly after the ending of The Wood Queen here is very little in the way of recapping, this is definitely a series that need a to be read in order to fully understand the complexity of the plot. The third person narrative is a necessary tool in this case due to the myriad of plot threads, Karen does an amazing job of controlling all elements of the plot and weaving it all together. I will say that The Stone Demon delves deeper into the fantasy genre than the previous two books.
Diary entries and email not only give visual stimuli but is also an entertaining way in which to progress the story while simultaneously catching up with aspects of the plot. Additionally providing an ingenious way to include first person insight into the third person narrative. Clever use of reality makes the fantasy elements much more believable.
The outstanding component of this book is the beautiful descriptive writing, it almost has a lyrical flow to it. Aided by the ingenious use of simile and metaphor to create a vivid, three-dimensional world within the imagination. Revelations about the different races and their ties to each other added depth to the story as a whole.
While I would say that this is predominately a plot driven story the character development is amazing to follow especially in Donna’s case. Navin plays a vital role within the plot yet it is his cool geek humour that makes him stand out alongside his devotion to Donna. Personally there wasn’t enough Xan in this story for me but I do like my romance
There is an additional short story at the end of the book that made my jaw drop and then reflect on the entire series in a whole new light. A truly amazing piece of writing even without the romance
Please bear in mind that this is the third and final book in the series and the review may therefore contain spoilers for the previous books.
The story picks up with Donna now in London shortly after the ending of The Wood Queen here is very little in the way of recapping, this is definitely a series that need a to be read in order to fully understand the complexity of the plot. The third person narrative is a necessary tool in this case due to the myriad of plot threads, Karen does an amazing job of controlling all elements of the plot and weaving it all together. I will say that The Stone Demon delves deeper into the fantasy genre than the previous two books.
Diary entries and email not only give visual stimuli but is also an entertaining way in which to progress the story while simultaneously catching up with aspects of the plot. Additionally providing an ingenious way to include first person insight into the third person narrative. Clever use of reality makes the fantasy elements much more believable.
The outstanding component of this book is the beautiful descriptive writing, it almost has a lyrical flow to it. Aided by the ingenious use of simile and metaphor to create a vivid, three-dimensional world within the imagination. Revelations about the different races and their ties to each other added depth to the story as a whole.
While I would say that this is predominately a plot driven story the character development is amazing to follow especially in Donna’s case. Navin plays a vital role within the plot yet it is his cool geek humour that makes him stand out alongside his devotion to Donna. Personally there wasn’t enough Xan in this story for me but I do like my romance
There is an additional short story at the end of the book that made my jaw drop and then reflect on the entire series in a whole new light. A truly amazing piece of writing even without the romance
July 10, 2024
Book three of the awesome iron witch series by the talented author Karen Mahoney. The thrilling conclusion to the trilogy. I loved reading this book it was highly entertaining and enjoyable books to read.
A month has passed since the previous book and Donna is in London training under Miranda and Robert. The demons launch an attack on the British museum. She hasn’t made any headway creating the philosophers stone which is needed to make the exlir of life. The demon king demian invites the alchemists to a masquerade ball and shows an unhealthy interest in Donna. At the hall she meets with the demon kind, Simon, her mother Rachel, the wood queen and two elves from faerie Taran and cathal who shows her interest. Demian makes it clear that he wants Donna to make a philosophers stone in two days or he will hurt humans she’s allowed to return home to ironridge meeting with the alchemist needs five ingredients from the different races the ourboros blade from faerie, the cup of Hermes’ from wood elves, a pear from the gallow trees in underworld, the first matter in her soul and a tear from the demon. Cathal visits her he’s xans father and wants to help her. She visits the faerie queen gets the blade, the cup from the wood queen, navin gets newton the demon and lets him possess him, she stabs herself to enter the underworld, newton follows her releasing navin now that’s he home and gifts them a tear, she gets the pear a gets out of the underworld she makes the stone while the elves and alchemists gather around and fight the demons, the first matter inside her soul is a dragon spark she gets a one time use and uses the dragon to seal the demons back in the underworld. Her aunt Paige, Simon and taran are killed many wounded. Her mother becomes the arch misstress. Donna and navin are going to travel the world and maybe go to college, xan is going to go with his father to faerie. It’s a happy but bittersweet ending.
A month has passed since the previous book and Donna is in London training under Miranda and Robert. The demons launch an attack on the British museum. She hasn’t made any headway creating the philosophers stone which is needed to make the exlir of life. The demon king demian invites the alchemists to a masquerade ball and shows an unhealthy interest in Donna. At the hall she meets with the demon kind, Simon, her mother Rachel, the wood queen and two elves from faerie Taran and cathal who shows her interest. Demian makes it clear that he wants Donna to make a philosophers stone in two days or he will hurt humans she’s allowed to return home to ironridge meeting with the alchemist needs five ingredients from the different races the ourboros blade from faerie, the cup of Hermes’ from wood elves, a pear from the gallow trees in underworld, the first matter in her soul and a tear from the demon. Cathal visits her he’s xans father and wants to help her. She visits the faerie queen gets the blade, the cup from the wood queen, navin gets newton the demon and lets him possess him, she stabs herself to enter the underworld, newton follows her releasing navin now that’s he home and gifts them a tear, she gets the pear a gets out of the underworld she makes the stone while the elves and alchemists gather around and fight the demons, the first matter inside her soul is a dragon spark she gets a one time use and uses the dragon to seal the demons back in the underworld. Her aunt Paige, Simon and taran are killed many wounded. Her mother becomes the arch misstress. Donna and navin are going to travel the world and maybe go to college, xan is going to go with his father to faerie. It’s a happy but bittersweet ending.
July 4, 2013
Mild Spoiler Alert!!
I am not overly fond of this book. I loved the first two but the ending was just to off for me.
Karen had these moments towards the middle and end that just seemed to unbelievable even for a fantasy novel. There was the instance when the Wood Queen just gave Donna her artifact. Her only price was to make sure Simon died. Then there was the whole trip to underworld thing that I just didn't get. I get how she got there, I understood the whole river of Memory and Forgetting, What I didn't get was how Navin got there.
I mean she's swimming/drowning swept up in this horrible childhood memory then BAM! We're back in real time and Navin is there in water with her. Not only do we not know how he got there but we also don't know how he got the demon tear. I can buy the whole maybe Navin let Newton use his body for a limited amount of time but that doesn't explain how he go the tear. Did Newton cry it out through Nav's body or did Newton resume his true form and let Navin repeatedly punch him in the face??
Then there was the whole flash forward thing with the Gallow's Tree to get the magical silver pear.
" Then Donna came bursting out of the grove, her hair wildly disheveled and several scratches marking her face." That's all I get. There's know explaining how she got the fruit. I mean these were the two hardest ingredients to get and they just seemed to poof into existence for Donna.
The ending is one thing I really didn't agree with. So what is Maker dead or did he hobble away when they were clearing the rest of the bodies away from the battlefield? Are they going to explain the deal that was made between Newton and Navin? Why did Donna and Xan have to end up separated? These are just a few of the questions I would like answered. I just felt as though Karen left the story wide open.
I am not overly fond of this book. I loved the first two but the ending was just to off for me.
Karen had these moments towards the middle and end that just seemed to unbelievable even for a fantasy novel. There was the instance when the Wood Queen just gave Donna her artifact. Her only price was to make sure Simon died. Then there was the whole trip to underworld thing that I just didn't get. I get how she got there, I understood the whole river of Memory and Forgetting, What I didn't get was how Navin got there.
I mean she's swimming/drowning swept up in this horrible childhood memory then BAM! We're back in real time and Navin is there in water with her. Not only do we not know how he got there but we also don't know how he got the demon tear. I can buy the whole maybe Navin let Newton use his body for a limited amount of time but that doesn't explain how he go the tear. Did Newton cry it out through Nav's body or did Newton resume his true form and let Navin repeatedly punch him in the face??
Then there was the whole flash forward thing with the Gallow's Tree to get the magical silver pear.
" Then Donna came bursting out of the grove, her hair wildly disheveled and several scratches marking her face." That's all I get. There's know explaining how she got the fruit. I mean these were the two hardest ingredients to get and they just seemed to poof into existence for Donna.
The ending is one thing I really didn't agree with. So what is Maker dead or did he hobble away when they were clearing the rest of the bodies away from the battlefield? Are they going to explain the deal that was made between Newton and Navin? Why did Donna and Xan have to end up separated? These are just a few of the questions I would like answered. I just felt as though Karen left the story wide open.
April 20, 2013
Karen Mahoney's "The Stone Demon" is the third and final book to "The Iron Witch" trilogy, and I think its content is more on the level with the first, though with a few caveats to consider. I appreciated the journey with the familiar characters and imaginative settings, with nods to fae lore. It started off a little rough in the beginning with pacing, but as the novel went on, it improved with the stakes and immersion since there were multiple players in the story tasked with doing different things and having very different motivations to keep the ball rolling.
When we last left Donna in the previous story, she had woken the Demon King, Demian. Demian is positively evil, but charming I'll admit in some of the encounters Donna has with him. He demands that Donna and the alchemists forge him a Philosopher's Stone on a timetable, else he would overrun the human world to his own ends. This makes Donna, her mother and the alchemists, Navin, and Xan all come together to get to the task at hand, though with some rough encounters in the between.
I thought this story was a nice rounding out of the series on an overarching note. I think the biggest caveat was that towards the beginning, it got a little bogged down in the details of depicting the motivations of the stone, and toward the end, it went a little too quickly with the rolling action scenes, if those particular pacing and focal points had been switched, I think I would've liked it more for development and immersion. But I enjoyed the journey very much, and I certainly won't hesitate to read more of Mahoney's work in the future.
Certainly recommended to those who like fae stories with magic, romance and bit humor.
Overall score: 3/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux.
When we last left Donna in the previous story, she had woken the Demon King, Demian. Demian is positively evil, but charming I'll admit in some of the encounters Donna has with him. He demands that Donna and the alchemists forge him a Philosopher's Stone on a timetable, else he would overrun the human world to his own ends. This makes Donna, her mother and the alchemists, Navin, and Xan all come together to get to the task at hand, though with some rough encounters in the between.
I thought this story was a nice rounding out of the series on an overarching note. I think the biggest caveat was that towards the beginning, it got a little bogged down in the details of depicting the motivations of the stone, and toward the end, it went a little too quickly with the rolling action scenes, if those particular pacing and focal points had been switched, I think I would've liked it more for development and immersion. But I enjoyed the journey very much, and I certainly won't hesitate to read more of Mahoney's work in the future.
Certainly recommended to those who like fae stories with magic, romance and bit humor.
Overall score: 3/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux.
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