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Iron Codex #3
The Mirrored Shard
When Dean was shot and killed in the Arctic north, he was ripped not only from the Iron Lands but from Aoife Grayson's life. Aoife has sworn to bring her love back, even if she must face death to do it. But she can't get to the Deadlands on her own. And even if she can get there, her foe, Tremaine, will surely block her escape; it is his job to hold her in the Thorn Land, the fairie home of her mother, Nerissa. Aoife has never shied away from a fight. She'll do whatever she must to get out of the Thorn Land and to the Deadlands. But to rescue Dean, she must also face the other catastrophe that took place in the north. She must stop the apocalyptic chain of events she set in motion when she opened the Gate to the nightmare realm. Because if she doesn't, there will be no world to bring Dean back to.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
18 people are currently reading
1985 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Kittredge
170 books1,121 followersCaitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 21, 2017
One of the Worst Books I Have Ever Read, and it really brings shame to H P. Lovecraft's door.
Review for book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I mean, the evil gods in the Lovecraftian world won't bother to bargain and play games with a mere human girl, THEY ARE TOO POWERFUL than this.
And Caitlin Kittredge tells us The Great Older Ones are neither good and evil? I mean, come on.
Just don't get me started with how The King in Yellow becomes one hell of a lame villain, it's just too insulting.
Last but not least, the heroine is a selfish cow who based her every action on her boyfriend and she is willing to sacrifice everything (e.g. the world and humanity) for the boy.
I won't bother even to rant about this book, reading it had wasted enough of my time, I don't intend to waste even more.
Review for book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I mean, the evil gods in the Lovecraftian world won't bother to bargain and play games with a mere human girl, THEY ARE TOO POWERFUL than this.
And Caitlin Kittredge tells us The Great Older Ones are neither good and evil? I mean, come on.
Just don't get me started with how The King in Yellow becomes one hell of a lame villain, it's just too insulting.
Last but not least, the heroine is a selfish cow who based her every action on her boyfriend and she is willing to sacrifice everything (e.g. the world and humanity) for the boy.
I won't bother even to rant about this book, reading it had wasted enough of my time, I don't intend to waste even more.
February 5, 2013
*A copy was provided by Random House for review purposes*
Gah! I’m so sad! This series started out SO GREAT, and then it sunk like a stone, getting steadily worse over the course of the series. This book is the final book, and, unfortunately, the worst. The writing wasn’t awesome, and the story line was so simple, and the staging was absolutely horrible. In the first book, The Iron Thorn , the escapes were very difficult, thrilling, and believable, the story line was smooth and flowing, and the staging was perfect, but in this book, it was the complete opposite. The escapes were so easy! Every single time either something “lucky” happened or someone just “happened” to leave a door unlocked (that didn’t actually happen, but it was kind of like that). The story line was horrible, bumpy, and the staging was absolutely horrible. Kittredge introduced and got rid of characters as she pleased, trying to introduce the next place Aoife had to go in the book, and it was so annoying to read. And, speaking of annoying, pretty much every single chapter ended on a really dramatic, completely irrelevant line. Example:
~page 243, uncorrected ARC edition
Gah! It drove me nuts!
In the first book, I absolutely loved Aoife and Dean, and the romance between them, but in this book, I hated it! Aoife was such a strong character in the first book, but in this one Kittredge tied to hard to make her seem tough and kick-ass. Instead, she sounded stuck-up and cocky. Example:
~page 212, uncorrected ARC edition
All. Book. Long. Aoife was all “I’m so awesome, I’m so strong, I’m so kick-butt”. It was so annoying, Also, Dean wasn’t really featured in this book at all, so that was kind of disappointing.
This series started off so good, with The Iron Thorn , then it got worse, with The Nightmare Garden , and then just plummeted with this book, and I really, really wish that Kittredge could have followed through with this series.
Gah! I’m so sad! This series started out SO GREAT, and then it sunk like a stone, getting steadily worse over the course of the series. This book is the final book, and, unfortunately, the worst. The writing wasn’t awesome, and the story line was so simple, and the staging was absolutely horrible. In the first book, The Iron Thorn , the escapes were very difficult, thrilling, and believable, the story line was smooth and flowing, and the staging was perfect, but in this book, it was the complete opposite. The escapes were so easy! Every single time either something “lucky” happened or someone just “happened” to leave a door unlocked (that didn’t actually happen, but it was kind of like that). The story line was horrible, bumpy, and the staging was absolutely horrible. Kittredge introduced and got rid of characters as she pleased, trying to introduce the next place Aoife had to go in the book, and it was so annoying to read. And, speaking of annoying, pretty much every single chapter ended on a really dramatic, completely irrelevant line. Example:
“My name,” I said, glaring at him. “It’s not ‘little girl’. It’s Aoife.”
~page 243, uncorrected ARC edition
Gah! It drove me nuts!
In the first book, I absolutely loved Aoife and Dean, and the romance between them, but in this book, I hated it! Aoife was such a strong character in the first book, but in this one Kittredge tied to hard to make her seem tough and kick-ass. Instead, she sounded stuck-up and cocky. Example:
“You have no idea what I can imagine. Or endure.”
~page 212, uncorrected ARC edition
All. Book. Long. Aoife was all “I’m so awesome, I’m so strong, I’m so kick-butt”. It was so annoying, Also, Dean wasn’t really featured in this book at all, so that was kind of disappointing.
This series started off so good, with The Iron Thorn , then it got worse, with The Nightmare Garden , and then just plummeted with this book, and I really, really wish that Kittredge could have followed through with this series.
August 27, 2017
3 stars, I found this actually better than the second book, perhaps because it was a lot shorter.
I read this book against my better judgement. I hadn't wanted to read this given how the second book played out, and I was perfectly fine with how the second book finished. But for some reason I picked up this book and decided to give it a go, to at least mark the end of this series.
It was definitely better, plotwise than the second book. From the get go I could see that the main character had a direction and she wasn't just getting pushed around by the outside forces. But a lot of things seemed to happen coincidentally in her favour. Like getting to Alcatraz, where she was able to get to her next destination quite quickly. There were a few things I didn't quite understand, though.
ALSO, HOW ON EARTH DID KITTREDGE WRITE THREE BOOKS, WHERE THE MAIN MALE CHARACTER (DEAN) DIDN'T KNOW THAT WHATS-HER-FACE DIDN'T LOVE HIM. Was he just following her like a love-sick puppy!?!?!? I can't understand how it took her three full books to tell him. Like, what??
So, in all, I'm just glad to put this series behind me, and will never have to read it again.
I read this book against my better judgement. I hadn't wanted to read this given how the second book played out, and I was perfectly fine with how the second book finished. But for some reason I picked up this book and decided to give it a go, to at least mark the end of this series.
It was definitely better, plotwise than the second book. From the get go I could see that the main character had a direction and she wasn't just getting pushed around by the outside forces. But a lot of things seemed to happen coincidentally in her favour. Like getting to Alcatraz, where she was able to get to her next destination quite quickly. There were a few things I didn't quite understand, though.
ALSO, HOW ON EARTH DID KITTREDGE WRITE THREE BOOKS, WHERE THE MAIN MALE CHARACTER (DEAN) DIDN'T KNOW THAT WHATS-HER-FACE DIDN'T LOVE HIM. Was he just following her like a love-sick puppy!?!?!? I can't understand how it took her three full books to tell him. Like, what??
So, in all, I'm just glad to put this series behind me, and will never have to read it again.
August 16, 2013
Today’s post is on The Mirrored Shard by Caitlin Kitteredge. It is the last novel in the Iron Codex trilogy. It is 295 pages long and is published by Delacorte Press. The cover has the main character, Aoife, looking at the reader with dramatic makeup on to make her more exotic, she looks older and more confident than on the other covers. The intended reader is young adult female but anyone who like Lovecraft or lovecraftian horror should enjoy this series. There is no sex or language in this book but there is some violence and graphic horror descriptions. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the book jacket- When Dean was shot and killed in the Arctic north, he was ripped not only from the Iron Lands but from Aoife Grayson’s life. Aoife has sworn to bring her love back, even if she must face death to do it. But she can’t get to the Deadlands on her own. And even if she can get there, her foe, Tremaine, will surely block her escape; it is his job to hold her in the Thorn Land, the fairie home of her mother, Nerissa.
Aoife has never shied away from a fight. She’ll do whatever she must to get out of the Thorn Land and to the Deadlands. But to rescue Dean, she must also face the other catastrophe that took place in the north. She must stop the apocalyptic chain of events she set in motion when she opened the Gate to the nightmare realm. Because if she doesn’t, there will be no world to bring Dean back to.
Review- This is the last novel in a trilogy that I have been reading as it has come out. It is a good book but it did not feel like the end of a trilogy to me. I can tell that Kitteredge is gearing up for the next series of novels about this world and Aoife. I have no problem with writing more in a world and this world is interesting and complex but I really wish that she had really ended this series. In the end the Old Ones are still coming, they have promised Aoife that they will get to the Iron Land in her lifetime. So with that as the end I know that the series is not finished. That is not the only way that makes this novel feel like it was rushed or just not finished. The other books are over 400 pages in length and this one is not even 300. Encounters with big, scary things were neither big or scary. I was disappointed with this book. I expected so much from this novel because the others were so good. It was not bad but it was not the best in the series. I will read the next in the series but I am glad that it will be about a year before the next book comes out so that I can get over this disappointment.
I give this one Three out of Five Stars. I get nothing for this review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
From the book jacket- When Dean was shot and killed in the Arctic north, he was ripped not only from the Iron Lands but from Aoife Grayson’s life. Aoife has sworn to bring her love back, even if she must face death to do it. But she can’t get to the Deadlands on her own. And even if she can get there, her foe, Tremaine, will surely block her escape; it is his job to hold her in the Thorn Land, the fairie home of her mother, Nerissa.
Aoife has never shied away from a fight. She’ll do whatever she must to get out of the Thorn Land and to the Deadlands. But to rescue Dean, she must also face the other catastrophe that took place in the north. She must stop the apocalyptic chain of events she set in motion when she opened the Gate to the nightmare realm. Because if she doesn’t, there will be no world to bring Dean back to.
Review- This is the last novel in a trilogy that I have been reading as it has come out. It is a good book but it did not feel like the end of a trilogy to me. I can tell that Kitteredge is gearing up for the next series of novels about this world and Aoife. I have no problem with writing more in a world and this world is interesting and complex but I really wish that she had really ended this series. In the end the Old Ones are still coming, they have promised Aoife that they will get to the Iron Land in her lifetime. So with that as the end I know that the series is not finished. That is not the only way that makes this novel feel like it was rushed or just not finished. The other books are over 400 pages in length and this one is not even 300. Encounters with big, scary things were neither big or scary. I was disappointed with this book. I expected so much from this novel because the others were so good. It was not bad but it was not the best in the series. I will read the next in the series but I am glad that it will be about a year before the next book comes out so that I can get over this disappointment.
I give this one Three out of Five Stars. I get nothing for this review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
July 25, 2013
The Mirrored Shard (Iron Codex Series #3) The Mirrored Shard opens on an Aoife much different than before. After everything that has brought her to this point in the series, she is a shell of her former self. With Dean gone, the world descending into madness, and her essentially being the cause for it all, I can't deny her demeanor was easy to understand. Still, I instantly missed the Aoife from the other stories. Strong and witty Aoife. I crossed my fingers that things would resolve themselves, and read on.
Now, what first drew me into this series was the world building. Kittredge's writing would flow onto the pages, and I was so drawn in to Lovecraft that I couldn't look away. She built a world where I was able to visit an airship and meet some Fae in the same breath. So imagine my chagrin when I realized that The Mirrored Shard was lacking the descriptive writing I fell in love with. Actually, it is still here. Just less of it. I wanted more of the eerie Deadlands, more of the cold and calculating Fae.
Which brings me to my final issue, and in truth the reason why this book garnered fewer stars than the previous two for me: the plot. In previous books Aoife's adventures have always been daring and grand. Filled with danger, narrow escapes, and requiring quick thinking on her part. I loved the camaraderie between the characters. In The Mirrored Shard, I felt like a lot of that was pressed into the background. Aoife is so focused on getting Dean back that she acts much like a petulant child most of the time. The Fae, the Old Ones, everything that kept the story moving, is shoved back for Dean's rescue. It just felt off.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. There were portions that shone for me, and others that were slow to get through. I will admit that I was very glad to see everything finally wrapped up neatly. I wouldn't say no to another book, especially because I'd love to see where things go with Aoife. For now, I'll say goodbye to this series with a smile on my face. Thank you to Caitlin Kittredge for allowing me to escape into Lovecraft. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Now, what first drew me into this series was the world building. Kittredge's writing would flow onto the pages, and I was so drawn in to Lovecraft that I couldn't look away. She built a world where I was able to visit an airship and meet some Fae in the same breath. So imagine my chagrin when I realized that The Mirrored Shard was lacking the descriptive writing I fell in love with. Actually, it is still here. Just less of it. I wanted more of the eerie Deadlands, more of the cold and calculating Fae.
Which brings me to my final issue, and in truth the reason why this book garnered fewer stars than the previous two for me: the plot. In previous books Aoife's adventures have always been daring and grand. Filled with danger, narrow escapes, and requiring quick thinking on her part. I loved the camaraderie between the characters. In The Mirrored Shard, I felt like a lot of that was pressed into the background. Aoife is so focused on getting Dean back that she acts much like a petulant child most of the time. The Fae, the Old Ones, everything that kept the story moving, is shoved back for Dean's rescue. It just felt off.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. There were portions that shone for me, and others that were slow to get through. I will admit that I was very glad to see everything finally wrapped up neatly. I wouldn't say no to another book, especially because I'd love to see where things go with Aoife. For now, I'll say goodbye to this series with a smile on my face. Thank you to Caitlin Kittredge for allowing me to escape into Lovecraft. I can't wait to see what comes next.
August 30, 2014
I LOVED Iron Thorn. It was original, with a strong heroine who used her engineering skills and rational thinking to get her out of sticky situations. The story line was interesting and original, but flowed well, and the characters were flawed but likeable. The romance was subtle with non-stereotypical gender roles.
This book, though, was a big disappointment. Aoife got out of any bad situation with almost comic ease, or just happened to run into exactly the right people to help her on the next step in her journey. One minute someone has drugged her and plans to sell her as a slave, but after one comment from her, they're helping her on her journey. The first spirit she happens to meet in the Deadlands is a relative who has information to help her. It felt choppy, weakly thrown together, and juvenile.
Despite drawing characters of ambiguous virtue and motives whose flaws are apparent and who make massive mistakes despite good intentions (refreshing!), Kittredge drops the ball when it comes to making our heroine deal with real life. Of course Aoife couldn't grow through grief and learn to move on and find love again after Dean's untimely death. She HAS to be able to bring her dead boyfriend back to life because he's "everything" to her.
Rather than learning her lesson from several previous poorly-negotiated bargains she's made with powerful enemies that went south, Aoife is stubbornly determined to keep making more rash decisions in an attempt to blunder her way towards fixing her mistakes.
So little was resolved in this book. The interesting and mysterious Old Ones coming to destroy the earth who have been communicating with Aoife are pushed to the margins (put off for another series?), and this final installment in the trilogy leaves us with an abrupt ending and many dangling threads.
This book, though, was a big disappointment. Aoife got out of any bad situation with almost comic ease, or just happened to run into exactly the right people to help her on the next step in her journey. One minute someone has drugged her and plans to sell her as a slave, but after one comment from her, they're helping her on her journey. The first spirit she happens to meet in the Deadlands is a relative who has information to help her. It felt choppy, weakly thrown together, and juvenile.
Despite drawing characters of ambiguous virtue and motives whose flaws are apparent and who make massive mistakes despite good intentions (refreshing!), Kittredge drops the ball when it comes to making our heroine deal with real life. Of course Aoife couldn't grow through grief and learn to move on and find love again after Dean's untimely death. She HAS to be able to bring her dead boyfriend back to life because he's "everything" to her.
Rather than learning her lesson from several previous poorly-negotiated bargains she's made with powerful enemies that went south, Aoife is stubbornly determined to keep making more rash decisions in an attempt to blunder her way towards fixing her mistakes.
So little was resolved in this book. The interesting and mysterious Old Ones coming to destroy the earth who have been communicating with Aoife are pushed to the margins (put off for another series?), and this final installment in the trilogy leaves us with an abrupt ending and many dangling threads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2013
*Warning this review may contain spoilers*
I'm sad to see this series end, but at the same time I think if there were more books they might not be as good as these three. I started this series late, they have been on my to-read list for quite a while and I'd heard nothing but good things about them.
As soon as I finished the last two books I immediately went online and ordered the next. Caitlin Kitteredge certainly has an amazing talent with writing. Its unfortunate that the books seem to get smaller as the series went on, this book was about 300 pages whereas the first was just under 500 pages.
I didn't realize until the end this book that each book involved Aoife was constantly searching for someone. The first book it was her brother, the second, her mother and finally Dean. You'd think that it may get old but I was still as captured as I was when I first began.
My only problem with this book is that we never found out why Dean was trapped in the prisons while he was in the deadlands. It was stated that only the really bad and evil end up in those cells, murderers etc. But we never do find why Dean was locked up. At that point I was expecting a bit of a plot twist, for example that he maybe had been working for someone all along. That maybe, him meeting Aoife and Cal in the Iron Thorn wasn't a mistake but all a part of a master plan. I didn't think that his feelings were fake, I thought that maybe he fell in love with her and was planning to abandon the plan.
All in all I was very happy with the ending. I'm a massive fan of happy endings so I won't complain about how it was finished.
I'm sad to see this series end, but at the same time I think if there were more books they might not be as good as these three. I started this series late, they have been on my to-read list for quite a while and I'd heard nothing but good things about them.
As soon as I finished the last two books I immediately went online and ordered the next. Caitlin Kitteredge certainly has an amazing talent with writing. Its unfortunate that the books seem to get smaller as the series went on, this book was about 300 pages whereas the first was just under 500 pages.
I didn't realize until the end this book that each book involved Aoife was constantly searching for someone. The first book it was her brother, the second, her mother and finally Dean. You'd think that it may get old but I was still as captured as I was when I first began.
My only problem with this book is that we never found out why Dean was trapped in the prisons while he was in the deadlands. It was stated that only the really bad and evil end up in those cells, murderers etc. But we never do find why Dean was locked up. At that point I was expecting a bit of a plot twist, for example that he maybe had been working for someone all along. That maybe, him meeting Aoife and Cal in the Iron Thorn wasn't a mistake but all a part of a master plan. I didn't think that his feelings were fake, I thought that maybe he fell in love with her and was planning to abandon the plan.
All in all I was very happy with the ending. I'm a massive fan of happy endings so I won't complain about how it was finished.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2013
My Review: I am so frustrated with this book all the characters with the exception of Cal need to get out. I have never been more disappointed with a book/series in all my life. I wanted to pick this book up and throw it against a wall. Kittredge let us down. She did, she combined Science and Magic without it being all about Alchemy. She introduced these complex characters that were at times frustrating but sympathetic and ultimately I was on their side. She introduced these cosmic monster gods which I knew would be what Aoife would have to face. And then she dropped the ball. I don't know if she just got bored with her own story or if she realized she had too many ideas and couldn't tie them up in the end but it was a disaster. This was the last book in the trilogy. I'm livid, what was the point of introducing the monster gods if you were never going to use them? The whole resolution was shakey at best, it left so many things unanswered and created more annoying questions that you know will never be answered. I'm so angry, there was almost nothing redeemable about this book, in fact I will go as far as to say there wasn't anything redeemable about it.
Overall Rating: 1/7
September 25, 2013
Overall, I liked this book. Was it my favourite book of all time? No. Was it a decent sci-fi, dystopian, alternative history? Mostly yes. There were some things that I liked--the expanded world, the Deadlands sounded pretty interesting, though some of that was a little underdeveloped. There were some things I didn't like: Aoife's mopeyness (that sounds horrible to say but sometimes she just got way too freakin' maudlin. "I have to have Dean back. I can't survive without him. Wah wah wah," not direct quotes but the give the gist. I understand grief--trust me, do I ever. I understand losing someone you really loved and how it leaves a hole in your heart that can never be filled and won't just "get better" with time. I'm not diminishing her grief. But her steady belief that she just couldn't survive without Dean was annoying to me. In many other ways she's a very strong character, and I can understand that losing someone you love is incredibly painful, but you can survive that. I did. Many, many other people have. Losing someone is not the end of the world. Maybe if Aoife had come at the whole getting-Dean-back quest as trying to write a wrong since she feels responsible for his death--which was understandable and believable--then I wouldn't have had so many quibbles. But for her to just unilaterally state over and over that she just couldn't survive without him is stupid and a little degrading. Obviously she could survive. She was surviving. Every time she insisted that she couldn't live without him made me want to slap her. End rant), glaring plot holes .
From some of my rant you might construe that I didn't like the book, but I did. It wasn't bad. It just had a lot of unfulfilled potential, especially considering how I like the first book. There were just some things that were like annoying little gnats flitting around my head while reading (and not just in this book but in the other two as well). Aoife (and others) prides herself on being smart and cool and rational but she makes some really dumb decisions throughout the series that have crazy bad consequences for everyone. Now, I'm not saying that the author shouldn't have done that; Aoife's mistakes show us she's flawed and human (mostly) and a teenager who doesn't know everything. But I often found myself getting annoyed at Aoife during this book and the one before when others would constantly throw her mistakes in her face and she'd just shrivel up and apologise and almost whimper over how much she'd messed things up. 1. This irritated me because, a lot of the time, the people who were harping on how bad she messed up were her father and brother who are partly to blame for all that (mostly because her father didn't raise her and train her like he should have and then yells at her for not knowing the things he never taught her. Really? She was supposed to just intuit everything magically? Don't be a jerk, Archie. And as for Conrad, all his snide little comments about Aoife messing up really pissed me off. Yo, Connie, you went crazy and tried to kill your sister and then you sent her some cryptic crazy letter that sent her chasing after you. Who's the bad sibling here? Look in the mirror), but it was also troubling how few times Aoife told them off for treating her like some ill-behaving child. She was doing the best with what little information she had and I really wanted her to just tell them all to shut up or offer something constructive rather than "Gee, look at all these messes you've made Aoife."
And speaking of Conrad, kid pull yourself together. I know you've got this whole mixed-heritage, crazy mother, abandoning father thing going on but stop taking out your bad attitude on your sister who's already got enough on her plate. It really pissed me off (and I think it should've pissed Aoife off a little more, too) when Conrad got his shackles up and basically told Aoife to leave Graystone (I will refrain from making a He-Man joke, I swear) and never come back. Then a few chapters later he's rescuing her from prison in Alcatraz (umm, why on earth have her sent to Alcatraz if you were just going to rescue her ten minutes later? Can you say under-utilized awesome setting?) and acting like she should have known he was going to come help her. Dude, you were sending some seriously mixed messages if somehow she was supposed to equate "Leave and never come back!" with "I'll follow you like a creepy stalker and then swoop in for the rescue when you need it." I feel like he could've been a much more interesting character but instead he was this disjointed, bad-tempered, annoying brother I could never actually come around to liking. Not even at the end when he and Aoife made up. If he plans to stay in Iron and go to college, someone needs to get with making some kind of fix for his iron poisoning so he's not constantly flipping out on everyone else, because that'll get you kicked outta school real quick, Connie.
So, other than some of the very unnecessary drama , this was a decent read. There were several characters that seemed like they were going to be a big deal and then were woefully underused (Madame Xiang, Chang, Doctor Death, Ian Graystone, Ariadne) and some characters that were brought back that weren't really needed other than to add some mustache-twirling (Draven) and some threads left hanging which seem to indicate some kind of sequel and some characters who could've used major rewrites to make them a little more relatable, which all contributed to this being less than a stellar book. But it wasn't horrible. It didn't make me want to tear my hair out. It did make me roll my eyes more than once (kinda a lot especially when Aoife got all morose and emo) but it was a decent book. I'm kinda glad the series is over (I hope. Or if it's not, please just short stories and novellas where one thing can be focused on rather than five-million disjointed things that don't seem to get the full treatment they deserve). And now, finally, end of rantish review.
From some of my rant you might construe that I didn't like the book, but I did. It wasn't bad. It just had a lot of unfulfilled potential, especially considering how I like the first book. There were just some things that were like annoying little gnats flitting around my head while reading (and not just in this book but in the other two as well). Aoife (and others) prides herself on being smart and cool and rational but she makes some really dumb decisions throughout the series that have crazy bad consequences for everyone. Now, I'm not saying that the author shouldn't have done that; Aoife's mistakes show us she's flawed and human (mostly) and a teenager who doesn't know everything. But I often found myself getting annoyed at Aoife during this book and the one before when others would constantly throw her mistakes in her face and she'd just shrivel up and apologise and almost whimper over how much she'd messed things up. 1. This irritated me because, a lot of the time, the people who were harping on how bad she messed up were her father and brother who are partly to blame for all that (mostly because her father didn't raise her and train her like he should have and then yells at her for not knowing the things he never taught her. Really? She was supposed to just intuit everything magically? Don't be a jerk, Archie. And as for Conrad, all his snide little comments about Aoife messing up really pissed me off. Yo, Connie, you went crazy and tried to kill your sister and then you sent her some cryptic crazy letter that sent her chasing after you. Who's the bad sibling here? Look in the mirror), but it was also troubling how few times Aoife told them off for treating her like some ill-behaving child. She was doing the best with what little information she had and I really wanted her to just tell them all to shut up or offer something constructive rather than "Gee, look at all these messes you've made Aoife."
And speaking of Conrad, kid pull yourself together. I know you've got this whole mixed-heritage, crazy mother, abandoning father thing going on but stop taking out your bad attitude on your sister who's already got enough on her plate. It really pissed me off (and I think it should've pissed Aoife off a little more, too) when Conrad got his shackles up and basically told Aoife to leave Graystone (I will refrain from making a He-Man joke, I swear) and never come back. Then a few chapters later he's rescuing her from prison in Alcatraz (umm, why on earth have her sent to Alcatraz if you were just going to rescue her ten minutes later? Can you say under-utilized awesome setting?) and acting like she should have known he was going to come help her. Dude, you were sending some seriously mixed messages if somehow she was supposed to equate "Leave and never come back!" with "I'll follow you like a creepy stalker and then swoop in for the rescue when you need it." I feel like he could've been a much more interesting character but instead he was this disjointed, bad-tempered, annoying brother I could never actually come around to liking. Not even at the end when he and Aoife made up. If he plans to stay in Iron and go to college, someone needs to get with making some kind of fix for his iron poisoning so he's not constantly flipping out on everyone else, because that'll get you kicked outta school real quick, Connie.
So, other than some of the very unnecessary drama , this was a decent read. There were several characters that seemed like they were going to be a big deal and then were woefully underused (Madame Xiang, Chang, Doctor Death, Ian Graystone, Ariadne) and some characters that were brought back that weren't really needed other than to add some mustache-twirling (Draven) and some threads left hanging which seem to indicate some kind of sequel and some characters who could've used major rewrites to make them a little more relatable, which all contributed to this being less than a stellar book. But it wasn't horrible. It didn't make me want to tear my hair out. It did make me roll my eyes more than once (kinda a lot especially when Aoife got all morose and emo) but it was a decent book. I'm kinda glad the series is over (I hope. Or if it's not, please just short stories and novellas where one thing can be focused on rather than five-million disjointed things that don't seem to get the full treatment they deserve). And now, finally, end of rantish review.
April 22, 2013
Third in the Iron Codex steampunk series for young adults. The story revolves around Aoife Grayson and her driving need to rescue Dean.
My Take
I'm half enthralled with the world that Kittredge has created and half appalled because Aoife is such an idiot. She actually believes the wicked people around her! She drives me nuts as she keeps going off half-cocked. Never examining anything, never checking. What makes it worse is Kittredge is so vague in so much of it. It's hard enough making sense of what's happening, but there's so little to ground you; you really do need the background that reading the first two in the series--- Iron Thorn , 1, and Nightmare Garden , 2---will give you. It is an interesting world Kittredge has created; I just wish she had been more clear.
Hah, I agree with Aoife, Conrad's got some nerve blaming her for so much she wasn't prepared for. And whose fault is that??
It was a horrible world before, but now that the Old Ones are pushing into the Iron Land, it's just getting worse with the barriers between Iron and Thorn thinning, the minds of the Old Ones affecting regular people in their dreams, and the Iron Land is being torn apart.
And now Aoife is doing the exact same thing in this story as she has done in the past two. Plunging into situations of which she has no knowledge. I dislike stupid characters and Aoife is definitely stupid and reckless. However, it's that same recklessness that may well save everyone!
The Story
The country is falling apart. Dreams. Madness. The barriers between Thorn and Iron are thinning and creatures are stirring.
Meanwhile, Aoife can't bear it. Dean died for her, prematurely. Surely, surely if she can find a way into the Deadlands, she can rescue him, bring him back. Only, her Gate Weird won't work this way. The only way Aoife Grayson is getting into the Deadlands is if she dies.
The Characters
Aoife Grayson is half-Fae, a changeling, forced into the Thorn Land when the Iron Land becomes too much for her. Her gift, her Weird, is creating Gates, enabling her to leave anywhere, as simple as crossing a line from one part of the world to the next. Nerissa is her selfish, manipulative mother whom Aoife has finally gotten back into the Thorn Land. Archibald Grayson is Aoife's father, and while he may be human, he's a Gateminder from a long line of mages; he is also a rogue from the Brotherhood of Iron, and very ill. Valentina is her father's fiancée. Conrad is her older brother, the one who warns her, sends her off on her odyssey, and then tosses her out of the family.
Dean Harrison, the boy who helped Aoife escape, the boy who died because of her. Calvin Daulton is Aoife's best friend; he's also a shape-shifting ghoul in love with Bethina, another of Aoife's friends and the only servant still in Graystone Manor back in Iron Thorn , 1.
Dr. Grey Draven is the former Head of the City before Aoife takes him down in Nightmare Garden, 2. Sadie does hate seeing someone in a bad situation.
Nikola Tesla constructed the first Gates from technology. Dr. Horatio Crawford of San Francisco, the Death Doctor, created a machine that could reach into the Deadlands. Chang is his assistant. Actually, I think he's more the power behind this particular throne these days. Madame Xiang is a spiritualist who may help them. Fang is her hulking bodyguard.
The Deadlands
Ian Grayson is Aoife's uncle, a Walker and a former enforcer; it's through Ian that we learn what existence is life in the Deadlands. Ariadne, a.k.a., Miss Spider, is the monster in the Catacombs. The Yellow King controls the Deadlands. Nylarthotep is an Old One whom the others feared.
Crow is the king of dreams, and he may be Aoife's only hope. The Great Old Ones are like gods, and they're returning to Iron, now that Aoife has freed them, to sweep the world clean. They require a Gateminder to resurrect their ruined city, to make them whole again. And Aoife refuses. The Thorn Land is where the Fae live, where Queen Ocativa, Nerissa's sister, rules the Winter Court, and Tremaine, its regent, torments. The Rationalists believe only in science and machinery; religion and magic are a virus, evil and the Proctors condemn any who show a hint of either. The Brotherhood of Iron simply wants to take the Proctors' power for themselves; Harold Crosley, the head of the Brotherhood, is Valentina's father and the most repulsive man with his own schemes and plans to seize power. In the Deadlands, a Walker is a soul that escaped the Catacombs.
The Cover
The cover is in soft browns with a wild Aoithe in a sheepskin jacket in a barren, dead land while rusted and thorny wrought iron curls around itself and the title.
I'm guessing at the title, that it refers to a broken land and its shards are reflecting back onto Aoife.
My Take
I'm half enthralled with the world that Kittredge has created and half appalled because Aoife is such an idiot. She actually believes the wicked people around her! She drives me nuts as she keeps going off half-cocked. Never examining anything, never checking. What makes it worse is Kittredge is so vague in so much of it. It's hard enough making sense of what's happening, but there's so little to ground you; you really do need the background that reading the first two in the series--- Iron Thorn , 1, and Nightmare Garden , 2---will give you. It is an interesting world Kittredge has created; I just wish she had been more clear.
Hah, I agree with Aoife, Conrad's got some nerve blaming her for so much she wasn't prepared for. And whose fault is that??
It was a horrible world before, but now that the Old Ones are pushing into the Iron Land, it's just getting worse with the barriers between Iron and Thorn thinning, the minds of the Old Ones affecting regular people in their dreams, and the Iron Land is being torn apart.
And now Aoife is doing the exact same thing in this story as she has done in the past two. Plunging into situations of which she has no knowledge. I dislike stupid characters and Aoife is definitely stupid and reckless. However, it's that same recklessness that may well save everyone!
The Story
The country is falling apart. Dreams. Madness. The barriers between Thorn and Iron are thinning and creatures are stirring.
Meanwhile, Aoife can't bear it. Dean died for her, prematurely. Surely, surely if she can find a way into the Deadlands, she can rescue him, bring him back. Only, her Gate Weird won't work this way. The only way Aoife Grayson is getting into the Deadlands is if she dies.
The Characters
Aoife Grayson is half-Fae, a changeling, forced into the Thorn Land when the Iron Land becomes too much for her. Her gift, her Weird, is creating Gates, enabling her to leave anywhere, as simple as crossing a line from one part of the world to the next. Nerissa is her selfish, manipulative mother whom Aoife has finally gotten back into the Thorn Land. Archibald Grayson is Aoife's father, and while he may be human, he's a Gateminder from a long line of mages; he is also a rogue from the Brotherhood of Iron, and very ill. Valentina is her father's fiancée. Conrad is her older brother, the one who warns her, sends her off on her odyssey, and then tosses her out of the family.
Dean Harrison, the boy who helped Aoife escape, the boy who died because of her. Calvin Daulton is Aoife's best friend; he's also a shape-shifting ghoul in love with Bethina, another of Aoife's friends and the only servant still in Graystone Manor back in Iron Thorn , 1.
Dr. Grey Draven is the former Head of the City before Aoife takes him down in Nightmare Garden, 2. Sadie does hate seeing someone in a bad situation.
Nikola Tesla constructed the first Gates from technology. Dr. Horatio Crawford of San Francisco, the Death Doctor, created a machine that could reach into the Deadlands. Chang is his assistant. Actually, I think he's more the power behind this particular throne these days. Madame Xiang is a spiritualist who may help them. Fang is her hulking bodyguard.
The Deadlands
Ian Grayson is Aoife's uncle, a Walker and a former enforcer; it's through Ian that we learn what existence is life in the Deadlands. Ariadne, a.k.a., Miss Spider, is the monster in the Catacombs. The Yellow King controls the Deadlands. Nylarthotep is an Old One whom the others feared.
Crow is the king of dreams, and he may be Aoife's only hope. The Great Old Ones are like gods, and they're returning to Iron, now that Aoife has freed them, to sweep the world clean. They require a Gateminder to resurrect their ruined city, to make them whole again. And Aoife refuses. The Thorn Land is where the Fae live, where Queen Ocativa, Nerissa's sister, rules the Winter Court, and Tremaine, its regent, torments. The Rationalists believe only in science and machinery; religion and magic are a virus, evil and the Proctors condemn any who show a hint of either. The Brotherhood of Iron simply wants to take the Proctors' power for themselves; Harold Crosley, the head of the Brotherhood, is Valentina's father and the most repulsive man with his own schemes and plans to seize power. In the Deadlands, a Walker is a soul that escaped the Catacombs.
The Cover
The cover is in soft browns with a wild Aoithe in a sheepskin jacket in a barren, dead land while rusted and thorny wrought iron curls around itself and the title.
I'm guessing at the title, that it refers to a broken land and its shards are reflecting back onto Aoife.
August 19, 2017
Book 3 of the series of The Iron Trilogy was a good closure to the story. It was how Aoife (pronounced Effee) struggled with everything she did to help her family. How she always tried to make things right.
She went from a scared girl to a strong character that could stand up to the worst of the worst characters. One of her best lines at the end of the book was to Cal, "I am always scared, but I just don't show it."
She went through to other worlds, retrieved Dean, fought against evil and the Old Ones, met Tesla, and finally made closure with Tremaine and her mother. She will be a Gateminder as she was always meant to.
I really thought this book was set in the future because of the advancements in some areas. I was shocked to find out that the year was 1956! What a twist.
Anyway, it was a good series and this book was a good closure to the trilogy.
She went from a scared girl to a strong character that could stand up to the worst of the worst characters. One of her best lines at the end of the book was to Cal, "I am always scared, but I just don't show it."
She went through to other worlds, retrieved Dean, fought against evil and the Old Ones, met Tesla, and finally made closure with Tremaine and her mother. She will be a Gateminder as she was always meant to.
I really thought this book was set in the future because of the advancements in some areas. I was shocked to find out that the year was 1956! What a twist.
Anyway, it was a good series and this book was a good closure to the trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2019
The third installment in the Iron Codex trilogy and the culmination in the adventures of one Ms. Aiofe Greystone, aka the Destroyer. This was an ambitious tale, some parts I loved, other parts seemed a bit strained. As with the rest of the series it is a mix of steam punk and lovecraft, I’d add probably a bit to much high fantasy mixed in. Some of it just seemed a bit much and I wasn’t really feeling the romance portions. But like I wrote, it’s an ambitious work and overall I still rather enjoyed it.
January 20, 2023
I think this may be my favorite book of the Iron Codex Series! Aoife's journey is so vast and encompassing. Just when I think the author couldn't possibly take us somewhere new they do and it is the perfect amount of love, bravery, self discovery, adventure, and even fear. Each of these elements is perfectly represented.
July 22, 2020
Not as good as the other two, but still worth the read.
August 19, 2020
Is that it?? Well that left it open for more that's for sure.
October 17, 2013
I received an ARC of Blind Spot from the awesome people over at ARCycling in exchange for an honest review.
The Mirrored Shard is a book that drove me crazy. I like the worlds that Kittredge created, each with beings that, while they had different goals, were all twisted in some way. The different beings are reflections of people today, divided, but all of us equally flawed, no one exempt. The dimensional travel was something I really enjoyed and it was what got me to read this book to begin with. The worlds are depicted in such detail and are so vivid that I felt what it would be like to experience each one and that was amazing. The Iron Lands are reminiscent of the Iron Age with their world consumed by the mechanical, but with a futuristic twist to it, a nod to science fiction books set in futuristic settings. The Thorn Lands are pure magic, but because of that there is just as much twisted as there is good in it, it is greed and raw desire of humans transformed into and embodied by the fae. The Deadlands are our worse fears, an industrial version of the biblical Hell, and more twisted evil all rolled into one place. These worlds were a lot of fun to explore.
Now here is the but you were waiting for. I enjoyed exploring those worlds and everything between, but the whole time I wished I could be taking that journey with anyone BUT Aofie. Seriously, any side character will do, can we get a swap? No? I thought as much. She’s whiny, she keeps saying, or we are at least constantly told, that she is strong, that she refuses to show weakness. Despite that supposed version of the main character what I kept seeing was Dean. I miss Dean. I love Dean. I’ll die if I can’t save Dean. You know what it reminded me of? New Moon where Bella is running in the forest after Edward leaves her calling out his name repeatedly like a lunatic. It is one of the most irritating scenes I can remember in a film and Aofie did the same thing with Dean. Too much of the book was hearing her cry, whine, scream, and lose her shit over this guy. Ugh.
I do love the baddies in this book though, and there were plenty of them. Tremaine in the Thorn Lands reminds me of a stuck up rich kid type character, thinking they run the place and that people should do whatever they want, and mostly just acting like a jerk. I won’t spoil it, but the Deadlands has another big bad guy that makes Tremaine seem cute and cuddly by comparison, and he’s off his rocker which is awesome. The Iron Lands bad guys, the Brotherhood, are pretty tame because compared to a bunch of magical beings it is hard to see a mafia-style set of guys as all that scary. Oh and the Old Ones make a few appearances and those magical and mystical ancient beings certainly are not in a good mood. Overall just a great job by Kittredge on giving the reader a bunch of evil people to detest. I think I enjoyed them more than I should have because I didn’t mind Aofie having to go through some crap, at least give her reasons to whine as much as she does.
The writing is pretty solid in the book, with the only complaint that some of the terminology is pretty simplistic and cliche. Outside of that minor issue I think Kittredge has a good style and if her goal was to make us dislike the MC, though I don’t think it was, a congratulations are in order. My last note is on the ending. The Mirrored Shard is the final book in the trilogy and in the end you are faced with a bunch of awesomeness about to go down, a cool climactic battle approaching, the fate of potentially all the worlds at stake and…the book ends. That’s it. There seems to be another book worth of stuff that could go down, but it is not to be. So that kind of sucks. Overall this is a good, but not great book for me. If you can get past the MC being a whiner the worlds, writing, and plot are well worth it.
Rating: 3/5
The Mirrored Shard is a book that drove me crazy. I like the worlds that Kittredge created, each with beings that, while they had different goals, were all twisted in some way. The different beings are reflections of people today, divided, but all of us equally flawed, no one exempt. The dimensional travel was something I really enjoyed and it was what got me to read this book to begin with. The worlds are depicted in such detail and are so vivid that I felt what it would be like to experience each one and that was amazing. The Iron Lands are reminiscent of the Iron Age with their world consumed by the mechanical, but with a futuristic twist to it, a nod to science fiction books set in futuristic settings. The Thorn Lands are pure magic, but because of that there is just as much twisted as there is good in it, it is greed and raw desire of humans transformed into and embodied by the fae. The Deadlands are our worse fears, an industrial version of the biblical Hell, and more twisted evil all rolled into one place. These worlds were a lot of fun to explore.
Now here is the but you were waiting for. I enjoyed exploring those worlds and everything between, but the whole time I wished I could be taking that journey with anyone BUT Aofie. Seriously, any side character will do, can we get a swap? No? I thought as much. She’s whiny, she keeps saying, or we are at least constantly told, that she is strong, that she refuses to show weakness. Despite that supposed version of the main character what I kept seeing was Dean. I miss Dean. I love Dean. I’ll die if I can’t save Dean. You know what it reminded me of? New Moon where Bella is running in the forest after Edward leaves her calling out his name repeatedly like a lunatic. It is one of the most irritating scenes I can remember in a film and Aofie did the same thing with Dean. Too much of the book was hearing her cry, whine, scream, and lose her shit over this guy. Ugh.
I do love the baddies in this book though, and there were plenty of them. Tremaine in the Thorn Lands reminds me of a stuck up rich kid type character, thinking they run the place and that people should do whatever they want, and mostly just acting like a jerk. I won’t spoil it, but the Deadlands has another big bad guy that makes Tremaine seem cute and cuddly by comparison, and he’s off his rocker which is awesome. The Iron Lands bad guys, the Brotherhood, are pretty tame because compared to a bunch of magical beings it is hard to see a mafia-style set of guys as all that scary. Oh and the Old Ones make a few appearances and those magical and mystical ancient beings certainly are not in a good mood. Overall just a great job by Kittredge on giving the reader a bunch of evil people to detest. I think I enjoyed them more than I should have because I didn’t mind Aofie having to go through some crap, at least give her reasons to whine as much as she does.
The writing is pretty solid in the book, with the only complaint that some of the terminology is pretty simplistic and cliche. Outside of that minor issue I think Kittredge has a good style and if her goal was to make us dislike the MC, though I don’t think it was, a congratulations are in order. My last note is on the ending. The Mirrored Shard is the final book in the trilogy and in the end you are faced with a bunch of awesomeness about to go down, a cool climactic battle approaching, the fate of potentially all the worlds at stake and…the book ends. That’s it. There seems to be another book worth of stuff that could go down, but it is not to be. So that kind of sucks. Overall this is a good, but not great book for me. If you can get past the MC being a whiner the worlds, writing, and plot are well worth it.
Rating: 3/5
Read
February 10, 2013Overall, this is a solid book. The plot is simple and straightfoward at this point, but that is mostly because this is the third and final book in the series, and we know what has to be done for Aoife to right the turmoil she has caused in the worlds. What complicates my feelings about this book is that I fell so much in love with the first book my expectations for this book were that much higher, and unfortunately I didn't feel the same magic that I did with The Iron Thorn. One reason may be the length of the book. The Iron Thorn was almost 500 pages, and The Nightmare Garden was just over 400 pages, whereas this one is only 304 pages long. There wasn't nearly enough room in this book for the elaborate imagery and complexities of plot and character that The Iron Thorn gave us.
Aoife grew into the 'rebellious' child in The Nightmare Garden, which I could understand. It was a transition book, and Aoife was disillusioned with the world around her. She couldn't trust anybody but herself, so it was only natural for her to backtalk and sneak around behind even sane adults. In this book, she is wracked by guilt over the damage that she has inflicted on the world and her grief causes her to take great risks, jeopardizing her life and her relationships with the living for Dean. It was a conflicting experience watching Aoife go to hell and back for him. I understand her feelings and was delighted that there was a chance to bring Dean back; at the same time, he didn't die for her to place herself in greater dangers for his sake. On the other hand, it's really amazing to see how powerful her connection to him. It takes a seriously awesome guy for a girl to do what Aoife does to get him back (and he is seriously awesome)!
I enjoyed visiting the Deadlands with Aoife. It is such an interesting world and has some brilliant, unique characters, and I am sad that we didn't get to explore more of it. I also feel as though this book is less about character growth than about achieving a resolution to the greater plot, which is really disappointing because I loved the characters and there was so much potential for this world to be expanded. Nevertheless, while in the Deadlands, the stakes grow even higher and Aoife learns that there is more than her own life at risk (isn't there always?). Most of all, I appreciate how Aoife's relationship with her family has been resolved. I'm a family girl and love to see families patch things up. I also like how Aoife faces her fears and shows some maturity at the end, showing that she has learned from her mistakes and has grown into a stronger person, if a not yet fully matured adult. And that's what the YA genre is all about!
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For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.
Aoife grew into the 'rebellious' child in The Nightmare Garden, which I could understand. It was a transition book, and Aoife was disillusioned with the world around her. She couldn't trust anybody but herself, so it was only natural for her to backtalk and sneak around behind even sane adults. In this book, she is wracked by guilt over the damage that she has inflicted on the world and her grief causes her to take great risks, jeopardizing her life and her relationships with the living for Dean. It was a conflicting experience watching Aoife go to hell and back for him. I understand her feelings and was delighted that there was a chance to bring Dean back; at the same time, he didn't die for her to place herself in greater dangers for his sake. On the other hand, it's really amazing to see how powerful her connection to him. It takes a seriously awesome guy for a girl to do what Aoife does to get him back (and he is seriously awesome)!
I enjoyed visiting the Deadlands with Aoife. It is such an interesting world and has some brilliant, unique characters, and I am sad that we didn't get to explore more of it. I also feel as though this book is less about character growth than about achieving a resolution to the greater plot, which is really disappointing because I loved the characters and there was so much potential for this world to be expanded. Nevertheless, while in the Deadlands, the stakes grow even higher and Aoife learns that there is more than her own life at risk (isn't there always?). Most of all, I appreciate how Aoife's relationship with her family has been resolved. I'm a family girl and love to see families patch things up. I also like how Aoife faces her fears and shows some maturity at the end, showing that she has learned from her mistakes and has grown into a stronger person, if a not yet fully matured adult. And that's what the YA genre is all about!
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For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.
March 5, 2013
This is the third and final book in the Iron Codex series by Kittredge. While I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, I found this book to be somewhat disappointing. Not much is resolved and I felt like Kittredge was just going through the motions to finish this series. It is still beautifully written at points.
Aoife is determined to take on Death to win Dean back. To do so she must travel to the Deadlands. While there she must not only confront Death but she must also stop the Old Ones from entering the world and destroying it. In order to do all of this she must first leave her mother Nerissa in the Thorn Lands and escape the clutches of Tremaine.
This book felt a bit confused to me. You have this epic storyline about the Old Ones breaking into the world. It all suddenly gets pushed to a back story so that Aoife can selfishly obsess about getting Dean back.
This action stays true to Aoife’s tragic character, she seems to have a fatal flaw that involves saving those she loves at whatever cost...even if it is the destruction of the world. So suddenly Aoife is flitting around with her only goal being to find a way into the Deadlands to save Dean.
Then two thirds of the way through the story takes another drastic shift and Aoife is all like...oh hey maybe I am being too selfish...maybe I should deal with these Old Ones.
It’s a bit confusing because in the end the Dean storyline is resolved...but the Old Ones storyline is left wide open. It almost seems like Kittredge wrote half of the book and then decided...okay I’m all done with this series.
The writing is still eerily beautiful, as are the settings. Aoife is still a haunting heroine, and constantly finds herself falling from one horrible tragedy to the next. The world is incredibly creative and the surroundings are dark, eerie, and absolutely breathtaking.
This book has less of a steampunk feel to it than the previous ones. Aoife spends a good amount of time in the Thorn Land and Deadland, so the whole thing has more of a faerie tale bent to it.
I just didn’t find myself as drawn in to this book as the first two in the series. This installment just felt a bit half baked to me.
Overall an okay conclusion to this series. It feels rushed though and doesn’t wrap up the entire story. Aoife does grow up some as a character. The settings and world are eerie, creative, and beautiful. But by the end I didn’t care that much because I just found the story to be a bit unfocused and I had trouble engaging with the abrupt shifts in plot. I really did love the first two books in this series though. I do recommend reading this series if you are interested in a really creative steampunk YA series, just be prepared to a somewhat disappointing wrap up to the series.
Aoife is determined to take on Death to win Dean back. To do so she must travel to the Deadlands. While there she must not only confront Death but she must also stop the Old Ones from entering the world and destroying it. In order to do all of this she must first leave her mother Nerissa in the Thorn Lands and escape the clutches of Tremaine.
This book felt a bit confused to me. You have this epic storyline about the Old Ones breaking into the world. It all suddenly gets pushed to a back story so that Aoife can selfishly obsess about getting Dean back.
This action stays true to Aoife’s tragic character, she seems to have a fatal flaw that involves saving those she loves at whatever cost...even if it is the destruction of the world. So suddenly Aoife is flitting around with her only goal being to find a way into the Deadlands to save Dean.
Then two thirds of the way through the story takes another drastic shift and Aoife is all like...oh hey maybe I am being too selfish...maybe I should deal with these Old Ones.
It’s a bit confusing because in the end the Dean storyline is resolved...but the Old Ones storyline is left wide open. It almost seems like Kittredge wrote half of the book and then decided...okay I’m all done with this series.
The writing is still eerily beautiful, as are the settings. Aoife is still a haunting heroine, and constantly finds herself falling from one horrible tragedy to the next. The world is incredibly creative and the surroundings are dark, eerie, and absolutely breathtaking.
This book has less of a steampunk feel to it than the previous ones. Aoife spends a good amount of time in the Thorn Land and Deadland, so the whole thing has more of a faerie tale bent to it.
I just didn’t find myself as drawn in to this book as the first two in the series. This installment just felt a bit half baked to me.
Overall an okay conclusion to this series. It feels rushed though and doesn’t wrap up the entire story. Aoife does grow up some as a character. The settings and world are eerie, creative, and beautiful. But by the end I didn’t care that much because I just found the story to be a bit unfocused and I had trouble engaging with the abrupt shifts in plot. I really did love the first two books in this series though. I do recommend reading this series if you are interested in a really creative steampunk YA series, just be prepared to a somewhat disappointing wrap up to the series.
March 26, 2013
There are some spoilers below:
What a fabulous conclusion to an incredible series! In The Mirrored Shard, Caitlin Kittredge opened up yet another new, frightening and fascinating world. Aoife grows with each passing moment of her journey in all three books. But in this one, Aoife faces devastation that she'd never truly faced before. Aoife will get Dean back, no matter what she has to do. But to do so requires making another deal that could bring even more destruction to her already falling apart world.
The Mirrored Shard was much shorter than the first two books, but it was no less exciting and compelling. Aoife never stops searching for ways to get Dean back from the dead. But her search continues to lead her straight into the arms of trouble it seems. Aoife has quickly discovered that nothing she wants comes free, everyone has an angle, everyone has their price. In The Mirrored Shard we truly see how the recent events of her life have hardened Aoife. But at the end of this book, Aoife is no longer a child rushing after her own desires. She refuses to bend to the will of her enemies, even if they do threaten the people that she loves.
Aoife finally realizes that she truly loves Dean and that without him, she is nothing. I loved how the author developed Aoife's feelings. She realizes in this book that she really has always loved Dean and that she needs him more than anyone in the world. It's true that you never realize how much you love someone until they're suddenly no longer in your life. Even when everyone around her is telling her that she will never be able to get Dean back, no matter what Nerissa says, Aoife can't, won't believe them. But when she herself finally begins to believe that they're right, the truth and devastation fully sinks in.
I almost regret reading this series as fast as I did, especially this last book! I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to these characters. I loved how the author ended the story. By the end, Aoife had learned what she was meant to learn, she became what she was meant to be. But that didn't mean the war was over. The Storm is just beginning, but Aoife is ready for it now. I loved how even this book was a bit open-ended. Not a cliffhanger, but open all the same. It was the perfect ending in my opinion. I absolutely loved this entire series.
What a fabulous conclusion to an incredible series! In The Mirrored Shard, Caitlin Kittredge opened up yet another new, frightening and fascinating world. Aoife grows with each passing moment of her journey in all three books. But in this one, Aoife faces devastation that she'd never truly faced before. Aoife will get Dean back, no matter what she has to do. But to do so requires making another deal that could bring even more destruction to her already falling apart world.
The Mirrored Shard was much shorter than the first two books, but it was no less exciting and compelling. Aoife never stops searching for ways to get Dean back from the dead. But her search continues to lead her straight into the arms of trouble it seems. Aoife has quickly discovered that nothing she wants comes free, everyone has an angle, everyone has their price. In The Mirrored Shard we truly see how the recent events of her life have hardened Aoife. But at the end of this book, Aoife is no longer a child rushing after her own desires. She refuses to bend to the will of her enemies, even if they do threaten the people that she loves.
Aoife finally realizes that she truly loves Dean and that without him, she is nothing. I loved how the author developed Aoife's feelings. She realizes in this book that she really has always loved Dean and that she needs him more than anyone in the world. It's true that you never realize how much you love someone until they're suddenly no longer in your life. Even when everyone around her is telling her that she will never be able to get Dean back, no matter what Nerissa says, Aoife can't, won't believe them. But when she herself finally begins to believe that they're right, the truth and devastation fully sinks in.
I almost regret reading this series as fast as I did, especially this last book! I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye to these characters. I loved how the author ended the story. By the end, Aoife had learned what she was meant to learn, she became what she was meant to be. But that didn't mean the war was over. The Storm is just beginning, but Aoife is ready for it now. I loved how even this book was a bit open-ended. Not a cliffhanger, but open all the same. It was the perfect ending in my opinion. I absolutely loved this entire series.
February 21, 2017
I'll admit that I was disappointed that this book was so short. I loved this series and I wish there was another book in it. What a finish though! While not all loose ends were tied up, at least Aoife got out with her life and all of her loved ones. There was definitely room at the end for another book, there is still the impending doom of the Thorn Land. But I think our author is leaving the end to our imagination, which is fine with me especially since Aoife got her happy ending. Five out of five stars for the Mirrored Shard!
March 14, 2013
The Mirrored Shard Review
The Brass Tacks:
Character Development: 4 tacks ****
Plot Development: 2 tacks**
Title and Cover: 2 tacks **
World Building: 5 tacks *****
Many reviewers thought this last book was a terrible end to such a wonderful series…I didn’t find it to be that bad, just a tad stale. One huge problem was left open ended, when I read the last page I was completely convinced I was mistaken on this being the final book and went straight to GR to double check this. Nope, apparently this is the last installment and I am flabbergasted. Its like the author was half way through the book was like, ‘eh, fuck it, at least one problem was resolved’.
I mean, maybe I can appreciate the originality of not leaving a series tied up in a nice pink satin bow…
What I didn’t understand was the inconsistency of Aoife and her feelings for her kooky mother. In the first two books she basically destroyed the world to save her mother, and yet in this one she can’t seem to stand her and jumps at the chance to run away from her again? O.o Granted she was planning on dragging her boyfriend back from the dead, which in my mind seems a little kooky to begin with…
Aoifes struggle to find dean reminded me so much of Isobel Lanley trying to get Varen Nethers back from Nevermore! Except Aoife is actually doing something! Dean isn’t just stuck in a nightmare world. Dean is dead, dead as a doornail, and Aoife is still pulling herself together to get him back. She puts Isobels attempts to get her lost boyfriend back to shame. Ahem, excuse the side rant of another book; I’m still reeling from that one.
Aoife let her misery and guilt of letting Dean die to strengthen herself and drive her to keep going, even when the odds of bringing a dead boy back to life is as likely as, well, the odds of bringing someone back from the dead.
While Aoifes determination to get Dead back is a valiant, there are other much bigger and dire problems at hand, which Aoife just ignores, and promptly ignores until the last few pages annnd that’s where the feelings of a not real ending come into play.
The Brass Tacks:
Character Development: 4 tacks ****
Plot Development: 2 tacks**
Title and Cover: 2 tacks **
World Building: 5 tacks *****
Many reviewers thought this last book was a terrible end to such a wonderful series…I didn’t find it to be that bad, just a tad stale. One huge problem was left open ended, when I read the last page I was completely convinced I was mistaken on this being the final book and went straight to GR to double check this. Nope, apparently this is the last installment and I am flabbergasted. Its like the author was half way through the book was like, ‘eh, fuck it, at least one problem was resolved’.
I mean, maybe I can appreciate the originality of not leaving a series tied up in a nice pink satin bow…
What I didn’t understand was the inconsistency of Aoife and her feelings for her kooky mother. In the first two books she basically destroyed the world to save her mother, and yet in this one she can’t seem to stand her and jumps at the chance to run away from her again? O.o Granted she was planning on dragging her boyfriend back from the dead, which in my mind seems a little kooky to begin with…
Aoifes struggle to find dean reminded me so much of Isobel Lanley trying to get Varen Nethers back from Nevermore! Except Aoife is actually doing something! Dean isn’t just stuck in a nightmare world. Dean is dead, dead as a doornail, and Aoife is still pulling herself together to get him back. She puts Isobels attempts to get her lost boyfriend back to shame. Ahem, excuse the side rant of another book; I’m still reeling from that one.
Aoife let her misery and guilt of letting Dean die to strengthen herself and drive her to keep going, even when the odds of bringing a dead boy back to life is as likely as, well, the odds of bringing someone back from the dead.
While Aoifes determination to get Dead back is a valiant, there are other much bigger and dire problems at hand, which Aoife just ignores, and promptly ignores until the last few pages annnd that’s where the feelings of a not real ending come into play.
July 5, 2013
Okay - what did I just read? Why is one of my favourite trilogies of all time ended with such blatant disappointment? Where was the kickass Aoife Grayson I read in the first two books? Where was the action? The butt-kicking? All I read in this book was bad decisions - one after another! I did not recall the protagonist barreling into one bad decision after another in the first two books. Preposterous. I am so immensely disappointed in this story.
First half of the book was DULL. With a capital D. Why? It's about Aoife whining to herself. Whine whine whine. Sure, she made mistakes, but jeezus, you're a heroine of a book. I get it - you want to save Dean. But her motives are so petty and selfish. Because he didn't deserve to die? Because it was her fault he died? Is that a good reason to cross the Deadlands to retrieve him? And when did Dean become such a wuss? I got ragey-disappointed at him in this book. Even though he was present in like 1/4 of the book, BUT DEAR GOD WHEN DID HE TURN INTO SUCH A LIMP NOODLE?
I was so tempted to ditch the book right there when I read about Aoife whine constantly. But I plowed on, and dear God was I disappointed on the ending. It seemed that the author just ditched the whole concept of the story half way and gave a very obvious half-hearted ending. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT ENDING? I get that we all want a happy ending for Aoife, but SERIOUSLY? It's like the author just threw her hands up and said 'I'm done - this is what you guys get when I get bored of the storyline'
HNNGNGNGNG.
First half of the book was DULL. With a capital D. Why? It's about Aoife whining to herself. Whine whine whine. Sure, she made mistakes, but jeezus, you're a heroine of a book. I get it - you want to save Dean. But her motives are so petty and selfish. Because he didn't deserve to die? Because it was her fault he died? Is that a good reason to cross the Deadlands to retrieve him? And when did Dean become such a wuss? I got ragey-disappointed at him in this book. Even though he was present in like 1/4 of the book, BUT DEAR GOD WHEN DID HE TURN INTO SUCH A LIMP NOODLE?
I was so tempted to ditch the book right there when I read about Aoife whine constantly. But I plowed on, and dear God was I disappointed on the ending. It seemed that the author just ditched the whole concept of the story half way and gave a very obvious half-hearted ending. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT ENDING? I get that we all want a happy ending for Aoife, but SERIOUSLY? It's like the author just threw her hands up and said 'I'm done - this is what you guys get when I get bored of the storyline'
HNNGNGNGNG.
May 18, 2014
I enjoyed this more than I had anticipated. After the previous book The Nightmare Garden I was left feeling frustrated with this series.
I still wish that there had been more world building and less fantastical creatures featured for a few pages to frighten the characters.
I would have LOVED more time spent in Thorn. I was most interested in this world and Aoife's connection to it. But within fifty pages, we were whisked away.
I still wish more relationships had been developed, but they weren't. And by time I was halfway through the book I was thankful that it was much shorter than it's predecessors.
The ending was not the most satisfying and if it was left as a cliffhanger to build for another series, I can't say that I would be willing to read it.
I feel as though this series had so much potential, but I was left wanting more.
Overall, it was an enjoyable day read, but I was left disappointed after such a promising beginning in The Iron Thorn.
3.5/5 stars
I still wish that there had been more world building and less fantastical creatures featured for a few pages to frighten the characters.
I would have LOVED more time spent in Thorn. I was most interested in this world and Aoife's connection to it. But within fifty pages, we were whisked away.
I still wish more relationships had been developed, but they weren't. And by time I was halfway through the book I was thankful that it was much shorter than it's predecessors.
The ending was not the most satisfying and if it was left as a cliffhanger to build for another series, I can't say that I would be willing to read it.
I feel as though this series had so much potential, but I was left wanting more.
Overall, it was an enjoyable day read, but I was left disappointed after such a promising beginning in The Iron Thorn.
3.5/5 stars
July 18, 2014
2.5
I skimmed through this one because I wanted to know what the hell happened (because I love the characters, especially Dean, and though he wasn't quite enough to get me to READ read, I had to know 'cause I adore him absolutely to DEATH) and the ending was really fucking cute but with the last chapter ??? does this mean another book??? Because, yeah -- No. I mean, I'd look through it and see what happens because, as I mentioned, I love the characters and I'd like to kind of "dimly" experience it, but there's no way I'm gonna really read it.
Even if the last chapter isn't a promise of another book, it's still a nice way to end it. God bless (semi-?)happy endings.
(Giving a half star more than Nightmare Garden because what I read, I enjoyed better than the 2nd book and it also appeared to be written a little better.)
I skimmed through this one because I wanted to know what the hell happened (because I love the characters, especially Dean, and though he wasn't quite enough to get me to READ read, I had to know 'cause I adore him absolutely to DEATH) and the ending was really fucking cute but with the last chapter ??? does this mean another book??? Because, yeah -- No. I mean, I'd look through it and see what happens because, as I mentioned, I love the characters and I'd like to kind of "dimly" experience it, but there's no way I'm gonna really read it.
Even if the last chapter isn't a promise of another book, it's still a nice way to end it. God bless (semi-?)happy endings.
(Giving a half star more than Nightmare Garden because what I read, I enjoyed better than the 2nd book and it also appeared to be written a little better.)
March 27, 2013
*sigh*
I can't say this is a bad book or I can't connect with it but at certain point. . I am kind of put off or rather frustrated at it as well.
The thing is I am trying to figure it out as a reader for young adult and at the same time I find myself frustrated with the things had happened.
But of course I understand where this book is going about so to be fair, in the name of love, I did not let my frustration ruin the book for me.
Love .. The thing we do for love, with love.
The sacrifices, the troubles, the desperation, the determination.
All for love.
So yes.. as frustrating as it is for... I won't blame Aoife for her choices she made and etc.
Just hope it is worth it.
Not really satisfying ending..I still have questions but then.. I take what it is.
Thank you for the wonderful journey!
I can't say this is a bad book or I can't connect with it but at certain point. . I am kind of put off or rather frustrated at it as well.
The thing is I am trying to figure it out as a reader for young adult and at the same time I find myself frustrated with the things had happened.
But of course I understand where this book is going about so to be fair, in the name of love, I did not let my frustration ruin the book for me.
Love .. The thing we do for love, with love.
The sacrifices, the troubles, the desperation, the determination.
All for love.
So yes.. as frustrating as it is for... I won't blame Aoife for her choices she made and etc.
Just hope it is worth it.
Not really satisfying ending..I still have questions but then.. I take what it is.
Thank you for the wonderful journey!
did-not-finish
February 11, 2013All hail, Aoife, Queen of the Bad Plan and Hasty Journey. In this series' mech-mysterious language of magic and machine, Aoife would be a dark perpetual motion machine, barreling onward with a seemingly terrible success rate. Miss, miss, miss, until by book's end, hit.
THE MIRRORED SHARD starts in a tricky place for a series. Many of Aoife's secrets are out (if not entirely understood), and she starts the story at the bottom of an emotional well. Or at least, I assumed she was at the bottom, but found she had to continue sliding for a few more chapters before digging her way out. My previous affection for this series hinged more on the world than the characters, which made the first few dramatic, character driven parts of the book pretty rough. By the time Aoife and Cal commandeered a zombie zeppelin, I was more than ready to park the drama and get on with the swashbuckling.
THE MIRRORED SHARD starts in a tricky place for a series. Many of Aoife's secrets are out (if not entirely understood), and she starts the story at the bottom of an emotional well. Or at least, I assumed she was at the bottom, but found she had to continue sliding for a few more chapters before digging her way out. My previous affection for this series hinged more on the world than the characters, which made the first few dramatic, character driven parts of the book pretty rough. By the time Aoife and Cal commandeered a zombie zeppelin, I was more than ready to park the drama and get on with the swashbuckling.
October 23, 2022
I was so excited to read the conclusion to The Iron Codex Trilogy, but when I pulled the book out of it's mailing package, I was a bit dismayed by how thin the book was compared to the first two, which both were quite lengthy. So, going into the book, I was worried that it simply wasn't going to be as good.... and I was right. But, the book was still a decent conclusion to the series! It just was missing something that made the first two books so special. It seemed that all of a sudden Aoife could solve her problems so quickly when they were so problematic in the first books. That might have something to do with the length of the novel. I just wish Caitlin Kittredge had spent a little more time writing a novel that was consistent with Aoife's struggles. But, overall, a good novel.
Rating: 4 stars - I really liked it. Worth buying.
Rating: 4 stars - I really liked it. Worth buying.
May 26, 2015
The Mirrored Shard could, and should've been an incredible book...but for whatever reason it didn't quiet get there. 90% of the book is great, Aofie's desperation to get Dean back and the deadly choices she has to make to do it were exciting and I truly felt her pain. I love Dean so was thrilled to learn of his ultimate outcome too. The areas where it fell short were in the last 10% of this book. I was a little shocked at how thin the book was, I was expecting a 400-500 book, similar to the first two...so 300 was a bit of a surprise. Archie's unexplained and ultimately very quick recovering illness I felt was unneeded and the end just felt lacklustre, I felt an additional 100 pages would've made the book really shine, it was good, but it deserved better.
July 20, 2013
The Mirrored Shard is a hard one to rate. I wanted to love it. I kept expecting the action alluded to at both the end of the second book and in the book description (even on this page!) to take place. Where is our showdown with the fairies? Where is the showdown with the characters introduced at the end of the second book? Surely, at least one of these will take place, right? Why else suggest it?
I knew there would be a focus on Dean. It's the romantic requirement in this trilogy. And that did allow for some interesting aspects and characters to be introduced. But, overall, this didn't feel like an ending to the trilogy... and I want to know where the rest of the story is!
I knew there would be a focus on Dean. It's the romantic requirement in this trilogy. And that did allow for some interesting aspects and characters to be introduced. But, overall, this didn't feel like an ending to the trilogy... and I want to know where the rest of the story is!
December 2, 2013
I didn't finish this, but only because i couldn't. I really couldn't get into the plot of this book and Aoife was just starting to really annoy me. Don't get me wrong: Kittredge created a wonderful world for this trilogy. I was fascinated and absolutely loved the first book, The Iron Thorn. But after that book, I felt like the characters were flat-not changing from how they were in the beginning. I did like when they went into the deadlands in this book to rescue the dead Dean-i enjoyed that one but i stopped reading shortly after that cause i just got bored. Kittredge is an amazing writer, and i hope to see more from her i just couldn't get into the rest of this trilogy.
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