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Legend of the Iron Flower #1
Iron Bloom
Action-packed fantasy adventure with a powerhouse female epic warrior in the spirit of Achilles or Beowulf.
The tale of a mighty warrior torn between the power of the sword and her longing for a peaceful life.
A young woman with a kind heart and extraordinary constitution, Rose becomes a warrior to better the world. Despite the wealth and fame she wins as one of the greatest champions of her time, the bloody reality of her new life is nothing like her ideal dream. She yearns for a chance to escape the violence.
She finds that chance in Ethan, the leader of an altruistic pacifist group. But when a barbarian horde invades their kingdom, Rose knows that she can make a difference by taking up her sword again. Will her need to protect her homeland cost her the man she loves?
First in the Iron Flower series.
The tale of a mighty warrior torn between the power of the sword and her longing for a peaceful life.
A young woman with a kind heart and extraordinary constitution, Rose becomes a warrior to better the world. Despite the wealth and fame she wins as one of the greatest champions of her time, the bloody reality of her new life is nothing like her ideal dream. She yearns for a chance to escape the violence.
She finds that chance in Ethan, the leader of an altruistic pacifist group. But when a barbarian horde invades their kingdom, Rose knows that she can make a difference by taking up her sword again. Will her need to protect her homeland cost her the man she loves?
First in the Iron Flower series.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2013
31 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Billy Wong
68 books87 followersBilly Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.
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January 28, 2014
Although I'm a fan of author Billy Wong, all of my previous experience of his work has been with his short stories. My three-star rating for this first novel I've read by him correctly indicates that I liked it, and is more positive than the two stars my Goodreads friend Sadie gave it (though I think several of her criticisms are justified), but falls short of the four or five stars I've usually given his short stories. That's partly because I rate short stories differently, since unlike novels they're aimed at creating a single effect for the reader; and partly because Wong's strengths as a writer are more diluted in long fiction, and his weaknesses more apparent. Some (not all) writers are more gifted at one or the other format, and I think that at this point in his career Wong's forte probably is the short story. But this novel offers both pluses and minuses, as I'll try to indicate below.
This is of course the opening volume of the Legend of the Iron Flower series, featuring female warrior Rose Agen, whom I "met" and liked in Bad Milk. When her saga opens, Rose is a 15-year-old girl (she turns 16 later in the book). Despite the teen protagonist, however, I wouldn't call this YA fiction (though some teens of both sexes would probably like it). Also, while our setting is a fantasy world, it's atypical for swords-and-sorcery fantasy in that it's on the low-magic side: magic exists, but it's mostly left over from an earlier time when great sorcerers still practiced it; they've left artifacts and spells behind, but magical knowledge is largely lost. (And creatures like ogres exist, but we don't see much of them.) It's a pretty violent world, with a lot of brigandage and warfare, and a feudal system that can leave people at the mercy of tyrant rulers. We get the impression that teens here are expected to grow up quickly, so Rose's relative maturity for her age, by our standards, probably isn't unusual. Her physical prowess is. She was born to a snowbound mother in the midst of the coldest winter in memory, with the firewood gone, and survived. She grew into a tall, big-boned girl with a physique to match, and an iron constitution. People call her "God-touched" or a "freak" (sometimes in the same breath). She's the best wrestler among the youth in her village, and like the others has fenced some with wooden swords for the fun of it. But her life takes a different turn when she kills her first man (in self-defense) at 15; and over the next couple of years or so, a LOT of men follow him to the grave.
Rose is a stand-out character, unique even among butt-kicking fantasy heroines who are more common in today's literature than they used to be, and the main reason for the three stars here. While she's not an unflawed super-saint who never makes a bad choice, she's a genuinely ethical person who cares about others, and her sole reason for taking up a sword is to protect innocents, because she can, and she sees the ability as carrying a duty with it. She kills only the aggressively wicked; but the burden of taking many lives (not all of whom are as evil as others, and some of whom may have loved ones) still weighs believably on her. Sometimes she sees herself as a "monster;" she can agonize over whether she's too quick to resort to the sword, and recognizes that violence isn't always the only way out of conflicts. These struggles are intensified when she meets up with a sect of philosophically-based pacifists. The internal and external debates here are serious, not superficial, and believable; like Rose (and Wong) I come down on the side of feeling that violence is sometimes necessary, but I don't think it's a good thing, and I think the kinds of discussions that take place here are worth having --and very relevant to the real world. (In case anyone hasn't noticed, brigandage, war and tyranny all seem pretty widespread in this world too. :-( )
Bad language here is confined to the d-word/h-word sort, and isn't too pervasive. There's a certain amount of teenage drinking in the book, and Rose abuses alcohol on a couple of occasions as an opiate for stress and internal conflict. But unlike the reference in Wong's Best in the Elf-ing World (which I criticized on that account), I didn't get the impression that it's glamorized here; it feels more like a bad choice that we understand but don't approve. We also have a romantic thread in the plot, and teenage love leads to teenage sex, although there's no explicit sex at all, and Wong downplays the sexual element (in the single passage where he refers to it directly, he actually handles it very tastefully, and makes it clear that it's motivated by love, not lust). Again, it's not so much promoted as portrayed as something that's believable that Rose might do in her situation --of course, we don't know exactly what her cultural situation is, as far as customary sexual ethics go; that's related to Wong's weakness at world-building (see below). In many ways, she strikes me as a realistic teen (for a rough culture that doesn't coddle adolescence): her wanderlust and thirst for adventure, for instance, and her relationship with her parents (loving, but not without conflicts). Some other characters, like Angela and Ethan, are also relatively well-developed. Wong can write action well, and he delivers a lot of it here. Despite the staggering body count, though, and the level of physical mayhem (fighters can get beheaded, gutted, lose limbs, etc.) he doesn't wallow in gratuitous descriptions of gore; this never degenerates into pornography of violence. His plotting is strictly linear and somewhat episodic, but it has a variety of situations and threw me some real surprises at times. He puts Rose into thought-provoking situations (one in particular) where right and wrong doesn't have easy answers. And I give him credit for giving us a brawny, battle-scarred heroine whose looks don't conform to the Victoria's Secret party-line model of beauty (and that doesn't mean she's not beautiful, on the outside as well as the inside).
Those are pluses; what are the minuses? This is Wong's first novel, and it shows. (He's a young writer; what we're reading now is what critics, if he lives a normal lifetime, will someday refer to as his "early work.") The writing style lacks polish and texture, and is somewhat barebones and minimalist. World-building is a weakness. As we go, we pick up the fact that Rose's country, Kayland, is a large, patched-together state of many formerly independent entities, that the level of technology seems to be roughly medieval, and that religion is vaguely polytheistic with a belief in an afterlife where punishment or reward depends on behavior. But that's really about all. There isn't much sense of cultural differences in different parts of Kayland, or between Kaylanders and Vlin barbarians, and everybody seems to have the same language. (And while Wong avoids glaring Americanisms in the characters' speech, it's odd in a fantasy world to find characters whose first names are uniformly like those in our culture, such as "Eddie" or "Millie.") Dialogue often sounds like it's written to serve the plot, not to reflect the way these characters actually would speak in the situation. The author sometimes falls into the trap of telling rather than showing. We're often not given information we'd like, and that would enhance the story. He doesn't get around to describing Rose, even to telling us her age, until well after she's introduced, for instance. (And I'd have liked a lot more description of Millie's underground cave.) We also don't have anything to peg an internal chronology on, what with very few notices of how much time passes in parts of the tale; we know Rose turns 16 at one point, but there's no progression of seasons to give us an idea of the time of the year at any point.
For me, a serious weakness is the fact that Rose is TOO incredibly physically resilient and hard to kill. I can accept that Wong wants to make her super-tough and larger than life. That describes Conan, Dark Agnes, Jirel of Joiry, etc., too; but we always have the sense that they're mortal. True, Rose can be hurt, seriously; feel pain galore, and bleed copiously, and wounds can lay her low for a time. But on at least four occasions, she survives wounds that she and everybody else thinks are mortal, and probably should be; and she can keep fighting long after any normal human, no matter how tough, would be unconscious. (That's true of some other characters, too.) That makes for spectacular fight scenes; it doesn't make for realism. It also reduces the stakes in her battles, and makes her harder to relate to (for the same reason that I personally don't relate as well to super-heroes as to normally-abled humans). In the same vein, I would really question whether any human being could sustain a thirty-foot drop onto solid rock without serious injury. (This kind of thing is a weakness with Wong's Freya Blackstar story cycle, as well.) And while Wong's creation of a sentient, carnivorous bush that's mobile is a highly original touch, .
The point probably needs to be made that self-publishing can allow a novel to bypass any kind of editing process that could have made it a much better book --to be sure, some self-published books have the benefit of free-lance editors and/or beta readers; but they don't have to, and I don't think this one did. If it had, it might have been a four or five-star book. But even as is, it was a read I enjoyed, and wanted to come back to each time I had to close it. Rose is a heroine I enjoy spending time with, and I do want to eventually read the rest of the series. (Though there are several series I can say that about; and at the rate that I read, finishing any of them would be an epochal event. :-( ). And yes, my condition for buying a print copy (I got the e-book for my Kindle app when it was being given away free for a limited time) was fully met; I did like it enough to plan to buy the paperback, ASAP. That's a debt I think I owe the author (and a courtesy I think a young lady like the Iron Flower deserves! :-) ).
This is of course the opening volume of the Legend of the Iron Flower series, featuring female warrior Rose Agen, whom I "met" and liked in Bad Milk. When her saga opens, Rose is a 15-year-old girl (she turns 16 later in the book). Despite the teen protagonist, however, I wouldn't call this YA fiction (though some teens of both sexes would probably like it). Also, while our setting is a fantasy world, it's atypical for swords-and-sorcery fantasy in that it's on the low-magic side: magic exists, but it's mostly left over from an earlier time when great sorcerers still practiced it; they've left artifacts and spells behind, but magical knowledge is largely lost. (And creatures like ogres exist, but we don't see much of them.) It's a pretty violent world, with a lot of brigandage and warfare, and a feudal system that can leave people at the mercy of tyrant rulers. We get the impression that teens here are expected to grow up quickly, so Rose's relative maturity for her age, by our standards, probably isn't unusual. Her physical prowess is. She was born to a snowbound mother in the midst of the coldest winter in memory, with the firewood gone, and survived. She grew into a tall, big-boned girl with a physique to match, and an iron constitution. People call her "God-touched" or a "freak" (sometimes in the same breath). She's the best wrestler among the youth in her village, and like the others has fenced some with wooden swords for the fun of it. But her life takes a different turn when she kills her first man (in self-defense) at 15; and over the next couple of years or so, a LOT of men follow him to the grave.
Rose is a stand-out character, unique even among butt-kicking fantasy heroines who are more common in today's literature than they used to be, and the main reason for the three stars here. While she's not an unflawed super-saint who never makes a bad choice, she's a genuinely ethical person who cares about others, and her sole reason for taking up a sword is to protect innocents, because she can, and she sees the ability as carrying a duty with it. She kills only the aggressively wicked; but the burden of taking many lives (not all of whom are as evil as others, and some of whom may have loved ones) still weighs believably on her. Sometimes she sees herself as a "monster;" she can agonize over whether she's too quick to resort to the sword, and recognizes that violence isn't always the only way out of conflicts. These struggles are intensified when she meets up with a sect of philosophically-based pacifists. The internal and external debates here are serious, not superficial, and believable; like Rose (and Wong) I come down on the side of feeling that violence is sometimes necessary, but I don't think it's a good thing, and I think the kinds of discussions that take place here are worth having --and very relevant to the real world. (In case anyone hasn't noticed, brigandage, war and tyranny all seem pretty widespread in this world too. :-( )
Bad language here is confined to the d-word/h-word sort, and isn't too pervasive. There's a certain amount of teenage drinking in the book, and Rose abuses alcohol on a couple of occasions as an opiate for stress and internal conflict. But unlike the reference in Wong's Best in the Elf-ing World (which I criticized on that account), I didn't get the impression that it's glamorized here; it feels more like a bad choice that we understand but don't approve. We also have a romantic thread in the plot, and teenage love leads to teenage sex, although there's no explicit sex at all, and Wong downplays the sexual element (in the single passage where he refers to it directly, he actually handles it very tastefully, and makes it clear that it's motivated by love, not lust). Again, it's not so much promoted as portrayed as something that's believable that Rose might do in her situation --of course, we don't know exactly what her cultural situation is, as far as customary sexual ethics go; that's related to Wong's weakness at world-building (see below). In many ways, she strikes me as a realistic teen (for a rough culture that doesn't coddle adolescence): her wanderlust and thirst for adventure, for instance, and her relationship with her parents (loving, but not without conflicts). Some other characters, like Angela and Ethan, are also relatively well-developed. Wong can write action well, and he delivers a lot of it here. Despite the staggering body count, though, and the level of physical mayhem (fighters can get beheaded, gutted, lose limbs, etc.) he doesn't wallow in gratuitous descriptions of gore; this never degenerates into pornography of violence. His plotting is strictly linear and somewhat episodic, but it has a variety of situations and threw me some real surprises at times. He puts Rose into thought-provoking situations (one in particular) where right and wrong doesn't have easy answers. And I give him credit for giving us a brawny, battle-scarred heroine whose looks don't conform to the Victoria's Secret party-line model of beauty (and that doesn't mean she's not beautiful, on the outside as well as the inside).
Those are pluses; what are the minuses? This is Wong's first novel, and it shows. (He's a young writer; what we're reading now is what critics, if he lives a normal lifetime, will someday refer to as his "early work.") The writing style lacks polish and texture, and is somewhat barebones and minimalist. World-building is a weakness. As we go, we pick up the fact that Rose's country, Kayland, is a large, patched-together state of many formerly independent entities, that the level of technology seems to be roughly medieval, and that religion is vaguely polytheistic with a belief in an afterlife where punishment or reward depends on behavior. But that's really about all. There isn't much sense of cultural differences in different parts of Kayland, or between Kaylanders and Vlin barbarians, and everybody seems to have the same language. (And while Wong avoids glaring Americanisms in the characters' speech, it's odd in a fantasy world to find characters whose first names are uniformly like those in our culture, such as "Eddie" or "Millie.") Dialogue often sounds like it's written to serve the plot, not to reflect the way these characters actually would speak in the situation. The author sometimes falls into the trap of telling rather than showing. We're often not given information we'd like, and that would enhance the story. He doesn't get around to describing Rose, even to telling us her age, until well after she's introduced, for instance. (And I'd have liked a lot more description of Millie's underground cave.) We also don't have anything to peg an internal chronology on, what with very few notices of how much time passes in parts of the tale; we know Rose turns 16 at one point, but there's no progression of seasons to give us an idea of the time of the year at any point.
For me, a serious weakness is the fact that Rose is TOO incredibly physically resilient and hard to kill. I can accept that Wong wants to make her super-tough and larger than life. That describes Conan, Dark Agnes, Jirel of Joiry, etc., too; but we always have the sense that they're mortal. True, Rose can be hurt, seriously; feel pain galore, and bleed copiously, and wounds can lay her low for a time. But on at least four occasions, she survives wounds that she and everybody else thinks are mortal, and probably should be; and she can keep fighting long after any normal human, no matter how tough, would be unconscious. (That's true of some other characters, too.) That makes for spectacular fight scenes; it doesn't make for realism. It also reduces the stakes in her battles, and makes her harder to relate to (for the same reason that I personally don't relate as well to super-heroes as to normally-abled humans). In the same vein, I would really question whether any human being could sustain a thirty-foot drop onto solid rock without serious injury. (This kind of thing is a weakness with Wong's Freya Blackstar story cycle, as well.) And while Wong's creation of a sentient, carnivorous bush that's mobile is a highly original touch, .
The point probably needs to be made that self-publishing can allow a novel to bypass any kind of editing process that could have made it a much better book --to be sure, some self-published books have the benefit of free-lance editors and/or beta readers; but they don't have to, and I don't think this one did. If it had, it might have been a four or five-star book. But even as is, it was a read I enjoyed, and wanted to come back to each time I had to close it. Rose is a heroine I enjoy spending time with, and I do want to eventually read the rest of the series. (Though there are several series I can say that about; and at the rate that I read, finishing any of them would be an epochal event. :-( ). And yes, my condition for buying a print copy (I got the e-book for my Kindle app when it was being given away free for a limited time) was fully met; I did like it enough to plan to buy the paperback, ASAP. That's a debt I think I owe the author (and a courtesy I think a young lady like the Iron Flower deserves! :-) ).
February 27, 2014
This one interested me for several reasons. First many of you know (if you've read many of my reviews) that The Deed of Paksenarrion is one of my all time favorite novels. This novel also picks up the life of a young woman as she also sets out for a life as a soldier and/or as a fighter.
So why the lower rating? Well first the book reads very much like fan fiction or possibly a very, very extended outline. I was concerned that it might turn out to be more of a romance than adventure fantasy. That isn't the problem.
The book sort of moves from one scene in the heroine's life to another as she starts out enthused about being a good fighter (though somewhat sickened about the killing). She is incredibly resilient and seems to recover from wounds that should be fatal. Thus she gets a reputation and is even called "god touched". She also hates this. We follow her through growth and into disillusionment and onward.
Sounds like a good plot right? It is. Sadly (as I said before)it's just not done very well. The characters are very cardboard cutout like drawn in outlines but with very little depth. The "plot" such as it is sort stumbles along tied together by a series of events and action sequences.
Now I love an action read and will forgive a lot if the action draws me in. However here I just became so, so bored. I lost complete interest in the book leaving it for extended periods and reading other things.
I'm sorry and on the strength of a friend here at Goodreads recommendation I will probably try at least one more book by this author. This book however by the time I got past the 50% mark I was just ready for it to tie up.
Let me say one other thing, and I'll put it under a spoiler warning "just in case".
So I'm sorry to gig the book so much. I like the idea behind the book...blood action and the development of a hero. It's just that it...well it failed here. Too bad.
The action scenes themselves might be something that some readers will find makes the book worthwhile. That is a saving grace as they are usually written pretty well. The characters and plot however are just drawn in outline. I'd like to see it done better.
So why the lower rating? Well first the book reads very much like fan fiction or possibly a very, very extended outline. I was concerned that it might turn out to be more of a romance than adventure fantasy. That isn't the problem.
The book sort of moves from one scene in the heroine's life to another as she starts out enthused about being a good fighter (though somewhat sickened about the killing). She is incredibly resilient and seems to recover from wounds that should be fatal. Thus she gets a reputation and is even called "god touched". She also hates this. We follow her through growth and into disillusionment and onward.
Sounds like a good plot right? It is. Sadly (as I said before)it's just not done very well. The characters are very cardboard cutout like drawn in outlines but with very little depth. The "plot" such as it is sort stumbles along tied together by a series of events and action sequences.
Now I love an action read and will forgive a lot if the action draws me in. However here I just became so, so bored. I lost complete interest in the book leaving it for extended periods and reading other things.
I'm sorry and on the strength of a friend here at Goodreads recommendation I will probably try at least one more book by this author. This book however by the time I got past the 50% mark I was just ready for it to tie up.
Let me say one other thing, and I'll put it under a spoiler warning "just in case".
So I'm sorry to gig the book so much. I like the idea behind the book...blood action and the development of a hero. It's just that it...well it failed here. Too bad.
The action scenes themselves might be something that some readers will find makes the book worthwhile. That is a saving grace as they are usually written pretty well. The characters and plot however are just drawn in outline. I'd like to see it done better.
May 3, 2015
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I suspect he'll regret that, as I didn't much care for it. I apologise up front for that. There are a few spoilers to follow and it's really a quite long review. You've been warned.
To start with, I thought that the writing was really quite stiff and naïve, for lack of a better word. Things were just related, one after another. There was no sense of build up, transition, or progress. I also thought a lot of the dialogue was unrealistic.
But more than almost anything, what irritated me was the constant praise of Rose. She didn't seem to have earned it and it overplayed her charisma. In the beginning, she was almost instantly accepted as an equal by the captain of the guard, thanked and congratulated for things that whole groups of people accomplished, strangers constantly addressed her instead of the older guards at her side, and even when walking with senior soldiers the group was often referred to as hers, 'Rose's four,' for example. Later on, she easily walked into forts and was given a place among the respected. It felt very much like the focus of the story was artificially forced onto her. It also left the other characters essentially characterless, since they only seemed to exist to give Rose someone to talk to.
She also seemed to be invincible (never even needing recovery time to heal). At one point, she was stabbed THROUGH the right breast and half gutted, but she still managed to tend to her dead friends' bodies and walk away. Another time she took a mammoth spear THROUGH her chest, it nicked her heart and came out the other side, and still she fought on, won, survived and buried her dead. This inability to die kinda stole the suspense. It reduced the story to a series of battles, with no apparent end-goal. It was like reading a list of how many ways she could be injured and how many ways she could kill a man. It got old fast.
A character needs a challenge to overcome. I couldn't find Rose's. What's more, her uncommon and largely unexplained mental and physical fortitude left those same battles flat and lacklustre. How many times can you read about a woman winning fights before your eyes start to glaze over? I made it to the shrub battle at about 17%. In this example, the bush fought by muddling it's opponent's mind. This didn't work on Rose, so she was able to simply hack it to bits and burn it. But there was no explanation or reason that the evil bush's mind trick didn't work on her. It was just one more miraculous win...and there were plenty more after that.
I also couldn't quite get my head around her being 15. Totally unbelievable. She acted and was treated like she was much older—drinking heavily and being accused of trying to seduce people and such. Besides, she wouldn't even be fully physically grown at 15, so how was she besting all those adult men and monsters? An additional side point: that woman on the cover, that one would assume is meant to be Rose is far, far older than 15. As a character, she needed to be at least in her mid-20s. Mid-teens just did not work.
Now, I did appreciate that she was a strong female lead and remained so without having to also conform to modern standards of beauty. She was described as being large, stocky and beautiful. I liked that Wong broke the mold on her. Plus, she wasn't the only strong woman in the novel. High five from me for the warrior women.
It's just too bad Wong felt the need to counter it will a peppering of rape. The first attempt came on page one...seriously, page one! After that every bad guy seemed to be a rapist too. It got redundant. There are other ways to victimise women, even some that aren't specific to women. You know, being a terrorist or a murder is still being an evil bastard. No need to also label them a rapist to get the point across.
I had a lot of complaints about this book, but my absolute primary complaint is, "where was the plot?" There wasn't one. I'm not trying to be mean. But the book starts when Rose goes off to join the RIEF (essential the national guard). It then follows her for a year or so of her life as she gets into fight after fight. She creates enemies for herself, like Lennox. She decided he was evil incarnate, visited the king to complain about him and eventually killed him herself, all based on the third party testimony that he encouraged the mercenaries and was a bad man. I saw no evidence that she witness his evil, so why dedicate herself to his extermination? She just randomly chose the battle and it was just one of many. He wasn't her main nemesis or anything. She didn't have one of those.
The whole book was like that. 'Oh, I'll go fight this person. Oh, I'm being attacked by this person.' But there was no villain of importance, or quest to be accomplished, or challenge to be overcome; nothing to mark a transition of progress or show Rose to have accomplished something important to the story. The book really is just a series of random battles that occurred in one random year of her life. That's not a plot.
Then there were the ogres and other monsters. They seemed to come out of nowhere, but were not an integral part of the story. They seemed to just add complication, since they popped up for about 30 pages and then were never seen again. So, is the story a high fantasy novel or not?
I have to be honest, and no offence to Mr. Wong, but if this hadn't been a review request I probably would have dropped it at about 10%. I found finishing it a struggle. Everything was very simple and one dimensional, coloured with a painful sense of naiveté. Kings who state "you seem like a person with only good intentions" when confronted by the fact that she killed a lord. Really, a king is going to let her off because she had good intentions. Really?
Now, I think Wong had a good idea in here somewhere. Rose was called God-Touched and her story pretty accurately shows the double-edged nature of such existences. Isn't it part of Greek mythology that the Heroes were never allowed a happy ending? That's Rose. She tried so hard to do right, only to have it crumble again and again. This is an interesting concept. It could have been built on and turned into something substantial. But, like so much else in this book, it was eclipsed by the endless and often pointless battle scenes. I have no problem with gore, but like romance novels with too much sex, sword (and I suppose sorcery) novels with too many battles only cripple themselves.
Now, other people have loved this book. It has a lot of good reviews out there. So, I'm not trying to trash it. But it did almost nothing for me. **Sorry**
To start with, I thought that the writing was really quite stiff and naïve, for lack of a better word. Things were just related, one after another. There was no sense of build up, transition, or progress. I also thought a lot of the dialogue was unrealistic.
But more than almost anything, what irritated me was the constant praise of Rose. She didn't seem to have earned it and it overplayed her charisma. In the beginning, she was almost instantly accepted as an equal by the captain of the guard, thanked and congratulated for things that whole groups of people accomplished, strangers constantly addressed her instead of the older guards at her side, and even when walking with senior soldiers the group was often referred to as hers, 'Rose's four,' for example. Later on, she easily walked into forts and was given a place among the respected. It felt very much like the focus of the story was artificially forced onto her. It also left the other characters essentially characterless, since they only seemed to exist to give Rose someone to talk to.
She also seemed to be invincible (never even needing recovery time to heal). At one point, she was stabbed THROUGH the right breast and half gutted, but she still managed to tend to her dead friends' bodies and walk away. Another time she took a mammoth spear THROUGH her chest, it nicked her heart and came out the other side, and still she fought on, won, survived and buried her dead. This inability to die kinda stole the suspense. It reduced the story to a series of battles, with no apparent end-goal. It was like reading a list of how many ways she could be injured and how many ways she could kill a man. It got old fast.
A character needs a challenge to overcome. I couldn't find Rose's. What's more, her uncommon and largely unexplained mental and physical fortitude left those same battles flat and lacklustre. How many times can you read about a woman winning fights before your eyes start to glaze over? I made it to the shrub battle at about 17%. In this example, the bush fought by muddling it's opponent's mind. This didn't work on Rose, so she was able to simply hack it to bits and burn it. But there was no explanation or reason that the evil bush's mind trick didn't work on her. It was just one more miraculous win...and there were plenty more after that.
I also couldn't quite get my head around her being 15. Totally unbelievable. She acted and was treated like she was much older—drinking heavily and being accused of trying to seduce people and such. Besides, she wouldn't even be fully physically grown at 15, so how was she besting all those adult men and monsters? An additional side point: that woman on the cover, that one would assume is meant to be Rose is far, far older than 15. As a character, she needed to be at least in her mid-20s. Mid-teens just did not work.
Now, I did appreciate that she was a strong female lead and remained so without having to also conform to modern standards of beauty. She was described as being large, stocky and beautiful. I liked that Wong broke the mold on her. Plus, she wasn't the only strong woman in the novel. High five from me for the warrior women.
It's just too bad Wong felt the need to counter it will a peppering of rape. The first attempt came on page one...seriously, page one! After that every bad guy seemed to be a rapist too. It got redundant. There are other ways to victimise women, even some that aren't specific to women. You know, being a terrorist or a murder is still being an evil bastard. No need to also label them a rapist to get the point across.
I had a lot of complaints about this book, but my absolute primary complaint is, "where was the plot?" There wasn't one. I'm not trying to be mean. But the book starts when Rose goes off to join the RIEF (essential the national guard). It then follows her for a year or so of her life as she gets into fight after fight. She creates enemies for herself, like Lennox. She decided he was evil incarnate, visited the king to complain about him and eventually killed him herself, all based on the third party testimony that he encouraged the mercenaries and was a bad man. I saw no evidence that she witness his evil, so why dedicate herself to his extermination? She just randomly chose the battle and it was just one of many. He wasn't her main nemesis or anything. She didn't have one of those.
The whole book was like that. 'Oh, I'll go fight this person. Oh, I'm being attacked by this person.' But there was no villain of importance, or quest to be accomplished, or challenge to be overcome; nothing to mark a transition of progress or show Rose to have accomplished something important to the story. The book really is just a series of random battles that occurred in one random year of her life. That's not a plot.
Then there were the ogres and other monsters. They seemed to come out of nowhere, but were not an integral part of the story. They seemed to just add complication, since they popped up for about 30 pages and then were never seen again. So, is the story a high fantasy novel or not?
I have to be honest, and no offence to Mr. Wong, but if this hadn't been a review request I probably would have dropped it at about 10%. I found finishing it a struggle. Everything was very simple and one dimensional, coloured with a painful sense of naiveté. Kings who state "you seem like a person with only good intentions" when confronted by the fact that she killed a lord. Really, a king is going to let her off because she had good intentions. Really?
Now, I think Wong had a good idea in here somewhere. Rose was called God-Touched and her story pretty accurately shows the double-edged nature of such existences. Isn't it part of Greek mythology that the Heroes were never allowed a happy ending? That's Rose. She tried so hard to do right, only to have it crumble again and again. This is an interesting concept. It could have been built on and turned into something substantial. But, like so much else in this book, it was eclipsed by the endless and often pointless battle scenes. I have no problem with gore, but like romance novels with too much sex, sword (and I suppose sorcery) novels with too many battles only cripple themselves.
Now, other people have loved this book. It has a lot of good reviews out there. So, I'm not trying to trash it. But it did almost nothing for me. **Sorry**
April 9, 2013
Authors know they need their main character, their protagonist, to be sympathetic––someone the reader cares about. In Billy Wong’s Iron Bloom, the protagonist is a 15-year old female warrior. The remarkable thing about Rose is that she can’t be killed. She suffers mortal wounds in fight after fight, but survives without receiving medical attention. Not only that, but she wins every battle, killing monsters and multiple foes alike. No odds are too great for her to overcome.
The question is whether that makes her sympathetic? Do we care about her more because she’s female? Would we have the same tolerance for Wong’s having given Rose comic book invincibility if the main character were a 15-year old male?
Also, when a character can’t lose a fight, do the battles retain our interest? Wouldn’t we care more if the fighter’s life were at stake?
When a character can’t be killed, doesn’t that diminish the plot? Do we care to put in the effort to follow the plot when we know the inevitable outcome will be that Rose will overcome all odds?
Perhaps in an effort to try to make Rose more interesting, Wong endows her with the personality of a naïf. She blames herself for things she has no control over; she regrets actions she was forced to take. Does Wong think those emotions endear her to the reader?
Iron Bloom is not poorly written and it might be a fun read for someone under 14 years of age, but anyone older and those who are younger who have read classic literature will find Iron Bloom wanting.
Readers want their protagonists to face real obstacles in situations where failure is a possibility. They want their opponents to be scary, not because they look scary, but because they are capable of doing real damage. Minus those essential elements, Iron Bloom works best as a comic book for pre-teens.
The question is whether that makes her sympathetic? Do we care about her more because she’s female? Would we have the same tolerance for Wong’s having given Rose comic book invincibility if the main character were a 15-year old male?
Also, when a character can’t lose a fight, do the battles retain our interest? Wouldn’t we care more if the fighter’s life were at stake?
When a character can’t be killed, doesn’t that diminish the plot? Do we care to put in the effort to follow the plot when we know the inevitable outcome will be that Rose will overcome all odds?
Perhaps in an effort to try to make Rose more interesting, Wong endows her with the personality of a naïf. She blames herself for things she has no control over; she regrets actions she was forced to take. Does Wong think those emotions endear her to the reader?
Iron Bloom is not poorly written and it might be a fun read for someone under 14 years of age, but anyone older and those who are younger who have read classic literature will find Iron Bloom wanting.
Readers want their protagonists to face real obstacles in situations where failure is a possibility. They want their opponents to be scary, not because they look scary, but because they are capable of doing real damage. Minus those essential elements, Iron Bloom works best as a comic book for pre-teens.
September 3, 2013
By Momma on April 20, 2013
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Iron Bloom by Billy Wong
Momma is a total sucker for a bad ass female character and Rose certainly fits the bill. I find it a little daunting that there aren’t more strong women in books like Rose. She makes this book total win, Thank you Billy Wong for writing a character who can function without a man.
I will warn the faint of heart there is a LOT of bloody action. As a friend of mine calls it “battle porn”. If you do not like a lot of blood and guts in a story, you will not enjoy the book regardless of how good the story is or where the series itself is headed. Another warning, if you are a fantasy purist, brace yourself for the modern dialect.
The story is strong the writing was well done. The book was quite enjoyable in many ways. I’m anxious to move on to the next book that has been submitted by Billy Wong for review.
Overall, good read, lots of blood, bad as female character. I think folks that enjoy fantasy will enjoy this book.
What does Momma Think?
Momma gives Iron Bloom (Legend of the Iron Flower) by Billy Wong 3 cookies!
January 23, 2014
well written book. a lot of blood and gore. if you don't like reading book like that his book is not for you. The entire book is about fighting and killing, a bit of romance thrown in and heartbreak.
I did like the kick ass female warrior in this book who endured more pain & killing in her teens then anyone should in a lifetime. Rose the main character is. big strong young warrior who kills for what is right not just to be evil. I thought their might be some surprise ending to what makes her so special that she never dies even if the wounds she endures that by all means should kill her many times over but their was nothing...it was however left open and ended very abruptly. I'm sure their is a sequel to follow. maybe we'll learn what makes Rose so special after all.
In my opinion if you like strong female warriors, a lot of blood, fighting, and horrific killing you'll love this book. If not you won't. non stop killing from beginning to end.
I do recommend if you like his kind of read.
you can check out my reviews on this book and more at : http://thereaderhaven.wordPress.com please feel free to post your own review on the site.
I did like the kick ass female warrior in this book who endured more pain & killing in her teens then anyone should in a lifetime. Rose the main character is. big strong young warrior who kills for what is right not just to be evil. I thought their might be some surprise ending to what makes her so special that she never dies even if the wounds she endures that by all means should kill her many times over but their was nothing...it was however left open and ended very abruptly. I'm sure their is a sequel to follow. maybe we'll learn what makes Rose so special after all.
In my opinion if you like strong female warriors, a lot of blood, fighting, and horrific killing you'll love this book. If not you won't. non stop killing from beginning to end.
I do recommend if you like his kind of read.
you can check out my reviews on this book and more at : http://thereaderhaven.wordPress.com please feel free to post your own review on the site.
July 18, 2014
When I think of stories about warriors, bloody battles, fierce loyalty, and exceptional skill with a sword, I automatically think of stories with a male warrior as the main character. Well I am so excited about the novel Iron Bloom, a story that centers around an incredibly skilled female warrior. This novel had everything that a fantasy warrior story should have. It has epic battle scenes, a strong, incredibly capable warrior, fighting for protecting the innocent and defending all that is good, and it has love. The love is what softened this warrior's heart and provided excellent depth and character development. This story was non stop action, adventure, and bloodshed, and the modern twist on the language made it more relateable to read than if it was written in old English like many warrior novels. I enjoyed it immensely and I look forward to reading what the author has in store next.
November 13, 2014
Well written story of a women warrior who has tremendous skill of fighting. Iron Bloom has written on a female warrior who did not left me feel disappointed, but surprised me through her passion and desire. Her action and passion to win over the curse was just amazing! Her desire for protecting own homeland with her skills was simply astonished me, but finally she made it possible to find peace.
Billy Wong has amazing skill of story telling and character development; it's an insightful release by him. I enjoyed the non-stop action, romance, drama, twists, emotion and adventure throughout the read. Definitely it's a great perfection for me to read this story, will definitely read the next verse sooner.
Billy Wong has amazing skill of story telling and character development; it's an insightful release by him. I enjoyed the non-stop action, romance, drama, twists, emotion and adventure throughout the read. Definitely it's a great perfection for me to read this story, will definitely read the next verse sooner.
May 4, 2013
Iron Bloom (Billy Wong)
Young Rose only sixteen years old, longs to escape her violent world. She also yearns to become a warrior, even though a woman especially as young as her, is unheard of. The bloody reality of her new life is not quite what she thought it would be. Then she meets Ethan.
When Barbarians invade her Kingdom she knows exactly what she must do. She fights with a vengeance to save her homeland, but at what cost?
Fast paced, a lot of action and graphic fights. If you love a strong female lead with many bloody fights, then this is the book for you. I intend to check out more or Billy Wongs work.
Young Rose only sixteen years old, longs to escape her violent world. She also yearns to become a warrior, even though a woman especially as young as her, is unheard of. The bloody reality of her new life is not quite what she thought it would be. Then she meets Ethan.
When Barbarians invade her Kingdom she knows exactly what she must do. She fights with a vengeance to save her homeland, but at what cost?
Fast paced, a lot of action and graphic fights. If you love a strong female lead with many bloody fights, then this is the book for you. I intend to check out more or Billy Wongs work.
May 10, 2014
Iron Bloom (Legend of the Iron Flower Book One) by Billy Wong is a fantasy adventure with a soft, yet powerful feminine spin in a main character that we can all admire and fall in love with who has depth and wisdom beyond what most adults will ever achieve! The book grabbed my full attention from start to finish and had me turning the pages with wide eyes and a highly engaged and longing mind! Billy Wong is a talented writer who throws a bit of everything in this book with violence, action, fantasy, and many unexpected twists and turns. This is just a wonderfully written adventurous escape! I highly recommend this book!
tbr-own-ebook
January 11, 2014#free on #amazon #Barnesandnoble #ibooks #sony #nobo #ebook Iron Blood by Billy Wong
#fantasy #youngadult #scifi
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWKEKP4?t...
B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/iron-...
Sony
https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/bil...
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http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...
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#fantasy #youngadult #scifi
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWKEKP4?t...
B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/iron-...
Sony
https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/bil...
kobo
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...
ibooks
https://itunes.apple.com/ee/book/iron...
April 12, 2014
Great storyline, so engaging and lovely reading. The leading character was set superbly by Rose. I can't take it down while reading, completed so quickly. How she survived through her life, Wong wrote it so remarkably. She fought for her life through out the scene which inspired me. Lots of action packed in this book and they are awesome to feel. Such a great read!
March 20, 2018
Already almost through chapter 2 and the description of the main character is rather disturbing. I can get past the idea of her being an all-power, can-do-no-bad, super amazing main character who everyone loves... But the whole idea that she is under 16 years old and frequently referred to in a sexualized manner and as having "child bearing hips" is really disconcerting. Especially when you have a "cabin" of men watching her change (in chapter two).
I would not recommend this book.
I would not recommend this book.
March 23, 2013
Iron Bloom is a fantasy novel with lots of fighting and adventure. It is a novel of a strong female warrior and her struggles with her innate abilities to fight. This book leaves off for a sequel to follow.
Characters: The book is written in third person narrative following Rose (a fifteen/sixteen year old) off in search of adventure. She is "freakishly" tall and strong, and for some reason can survive fatal wounds (as the reader discovers in the opening scene.) She feels obliged to help those who are in trouble – by fighting, which is her strongest ability. However, the killing and violence takes a toll on her and she tries to stop all together when she meets Ethan. Ethan is a pacifist who is opposed to all violence. However, will he change his mind after meeting Rose?
Plot: The plot is fast-paced with a lot of action and fighting scenes. For those who are not particularly interested in the bloody parts of battle, they might want to skip over this novel. However, I have read gorier novels and the fight scenes did not bother me. The story follows Rose as she tries to find her place in the world. The ending was slightly abrupt (which will lead to the next book of the series)...
Overall, I enjoyed the book and read it within a few days. The plot moved swiftly and there was lots of action to read about. I really like strong female roles and Rose was one of them. She wasn't unnaturally strong (except for the unexplained fact of how she could survive some of the things she did), but showed her weaknesses through her guilt of killing other fighters – even if it was for a good cause. I'm not sure if a fifteen/sixteen year old would be as mature as her; but there are exceptions and she's not average.
If you like fantasy adventure with a strong female lead, you might enjoy this book.
Characters: The book is written in third person narrative following Rose (a fifteen/sixteen year old) off in search of adventure. She is "freakishly" tall and strong, and for some reason can survive fatal wounds (as the reader discovers in the opening scene.) She feels obliged to help those who are in trouble – by fighting, which is her strongest ability. However, the killing and violence takes a toll on her and she tries to stop all together when she meets Ethan. Ethan is a pacifist who is opposed to all violence. However, will he change his mind after meeting Rose?
Plot: The plot is fast-paced with a lot of action and fighting scenes. For those who are not particularly interested in the bloody parts of battle, they might want to skip over this novel. However, I have read gorier novels and the fight scenes did not bother me. The story follows Rose as she tries to find her place in the world. The ending was slightly abrupt (which will lead to the next book of the series)...
Overall, I enjoyed the book and read it within a few days. The plot moved swiftly and there was lots of action to read about. I really like strong female roles and Rose was one of them. She wasn't unnaturally strong (except for the unexplained fact of how she could survive some of the things she did), but showed her weaknesses through her guilt of killing other fighters – even if it was for a good cause. I'm not sure if a fifteen/sixteen year old would be as mature as her; but there are exceptions and she's not average.
If you like fantasy adventure with a strong female lead, you might enjoy this book.
September 6, 2013
I enjoyed Iron Bloom. It is a creative story with lots of action (note: if you aren't into bloody violence - steer clear because this book is one bloody battle after another). While strong female characters are not unusual in fantasy novels, the main character Rose takes "strong" to a whole new level. Although she is described as attractive, Rose is far from the usual scantily-clad sexpot that is common to fantasy literature. She's big, tough, strong, has a remarkable ability to heal from terrible wounds, and she becomes increasingly scarred (mostly physically but to some degree emotionally) over the course of the book.
Another reviewer mentioned an issue with the dialogue, and I was initially struck by it as well. Typically this type of story has dialogue with sort of an "Old-English" style to it. The characters in this book use very modern language and it does take a little getting used to if you are expecting otherwise. But this is fantasy, not a historical novel, so who's to say that it's wrong to have modern language in the dialogue? If you can put aside any preconceived notions of how the characters should speak, the storytelling is quite good.
The only thing that was kind of a negative for me was what seemed to me to be a somewhat rushed/forced romantic element that could have either been left out altogether (since it did not really advance the story) or could have been fleshed out and developed a bit more.
Overall though, Iron Bloom is an entertaining read and it's certainly action-packed.
Another reviewer mentioned an issue with the dialogue, and I was initially struck by it as well. Typically this type of story has dialogue with sort of an "Old-English" style to it. The characters in this book use very modern language and it does take a little getting used to if you are expecting otherwise. But this is fantasy, not a historical novel, so who's to say that it's wrong to have modern language in the dialogue? If you can put aside any preconceived notions of how the characters should speak, the storytelling is quite good.
The only thing that was kind of a negative for me was what seemed to me to be a somewhat rushed/forced romantic element that could have either been left out altogether (since it did not really advance the story) or could have been fleshed out and developed a bit more.
Overall though, Iron Bloom is an entertaining read and it's certainly action-packed.
April 14, 2013
Fifteen year old Rose Agen dreams of being a Royal Interprovincial Enforcers of Law (RIEL) because she's naturally stronger than most people around her. Rose's father Rick disapproves of Rose joining RIEL and wants her to be married off. Rose's mother Lise seems to understand Rose's dreams better than her husband does. Rose's life in RIEL is not what she expected but none the less happy. Rose is picking up sword fighting techniques faster than her fellow recruits are. Rose proves her prowess in fighting bandits while out on patrol. Rose discover her own code of ethics~do what is right no matter what others think. Rose becomes sellsword with Blood Vin where she continues to gain in skill despite her age. Rose's father Rick becomes ill and needs help paying off his debt which Rose does gladly. She continues to offer her skills as sellsword and bodyguard. Rose has a thirst for adventure and new sights. Will Rose continue being sellsword? Will Rick recover? Will Rose continue to wander? Your answers await you in Iron Bloom.
I really enjoyed this book. I love strong female characters like Rose! What I found most refreshing is that Rose wanted to help people because of her strength. She couldn't turn her back on those who were helpless. I also loved that Rose would admit that she was wrong and willing to accept the consequences for her actions. I was impressed with rich background and characters. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
I really enjoyed this book. I love strong female characters like Rose! What I found most refreshing is that Rose wanted to help people because of her strength. She couldn't turn her back on those who were helpless. I also loved that Rose would admit that she was wrong and willing to accept the consequences for her actions. I was impressed with rich background and characters. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
December 28, 2013
I didn't realize how much I missed reading books with a strong women character until this one. It has been far too long!
Rose was such a strong character you couldn't help but fall in love with her.
Her father definitely didn't want her to become a warrior (what father would?) but when he fell ill he had no choice but to let her go fulfill her dream and support the family.
Although she was very young she was able to survive wounds and defeat foes that would have bested older and more experienced men.
Finally she grows weary of the constant battles and finds love. She decides to return home with Ethan and try to find a different happiness.
Will she be able to stay happy or are storm clouds already brewing?
I can't wait to read the next installment! About the only complaint I can think of is that Rose was such a strong character you never have a chance to get to know anyone else in the story.
It isn't enough to take away from the overall plot though.
Great book!
Rose was such a strong character you couldn't help but fall in love with her.
Her father definitely didn't want her to become a warrior (what father would?) but when he fell ill he had no choice but to let her go fulfill her dream and support the family.
Although she was very young she was able to survive wounds and defeat foes that would have bested older and more experienced men.
Finally she grows weary of the constant battles and finds love. She decides to return home with Ethan and try to find a different happiness.
Will she be able to stay happy or are storm clouds already brewing?
I can't wait to read the next installment! About the only complaint I can think of is that Rose was such a strong character you never have a chance to get to know anyone else in the story.
It isn't enough to take away from the overall plot though.
Great book!
July 10, 2014
Great reading full of action!
»Iron Bloom« is great fantasy adventure novel with interesting plot and many elements of a good and captivating fantasy telling that draws you into it really fast and do not live you indifferent. The story has great and strong main character in the foreground – a heroine Rose and is full of adventure, action, graphic scenes, drama and also love.
The book is well written, entertaining and overall, it is great to read – it has everything what you expect from any good fantasy novel and more. I liked that book and I am sure, especially if you enjoy reading unique fantasy stories, you will like it too. I would recommend it to any fantasy adventure fan!
»Iron Bloom« is great fantasy adventure novel with interesting plot and many elements of a good and captivating fantasy telling that draws you into it really fast and do not live you indifferent. The story has great and strong main character in the foreground – a heroine Rose and is full of adventure, action, graphic scenes, drama and also love.
The book is well written, entertaining and overall, it is great to read – it has everything what you expect from any good fantasy novel and more. I liked that book and I am sure, especially if you enjoy reading unique fantasy stories, you will like it too. I would recommend it to any fantasy adventure fan!
August 8, 2014
Iron Bloom (Legend of the Iron Flower Book One) [Kindle Edition] is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I was just going through books for my kindle when I saw the cover and thought I would try a sample. As soon as I finished the sample I had to get the book it was amazing. The story starts out a little slow but kept me entertained. The characters like Rose and Ethan are great and I can really picture each one of them in my mind. I felt like the whole time that I was part of the adventure not just reading it. A sure indication of a good author is having the reader return to read the next book in the series and Billy Wong has me hooked. Top marks Billy Wong!
November 17, 2014
What an excellent and provoking story! It is an exciting and eventful adventure and this is one of those books that you don't want to put down. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you reading, but the action is by far the biggest strength of this book. The book is very well written with just the right amount of suspense, thrill, and adventure that captivated me with every page turn. I thought Rose was a fascinating character! She is strong, a real fighter and will do anything to protect her beliefs. You will absolutely bond with her! I really enjoyed this novel... actually, way more than I thought I would. I definitely recommend it!!
April 24, 2014
I really enjoyed this book and finished it pretty quickly. A lot happens just in the first half and I really got to know the characters. HOWEVER!!! Rose just gets hurt too many times without the hint of lasting side effects except that she can't eat spicy foods. Medicine back then was practically prehistoric. It wasn't remotely believable. Its a little like when Wile E Coyote would chase the Road Runner over a cliff and then jump up and just shake it off! That being said, I will check out the other books in the series to see what Rose comes up against next.
September 3, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book and I had a difficult time putting it down. Rose is a young girl, who is incredibly strong, but also compassionate for those who are in a weaker state. She admits to her faults which I absolutely loved, because rarely will a young woman do that, and I found myself getting very attached to the story and of course the main character. This story had an excellent dialogue and descriptive characters and situations. I am officially a fan of Billy Wong and I look forward to reading more of his work. I highly recommend this book!
October 4, 2014
This is good story. The story about is about Rose who wants bit of peace but she can't have it and has to fight to make it better. Its a good concept and well written. Read it on a train journey and really enjoyed the book. It's quite a long book so read it in your own time if can but I am sure you will like it. Those who like heroism and fantasy will like it. Will certainly be obtaining more of Billy Wong's books. The story is very creative by all standards and would recommend Iron Bloom highly.
July 31, 2014
While this book is based in fantasy, the main character Rose is relatable in that she wants many of the simple things in life—like love. Rose is a fierce and decorated warrior, but battles and protects with integrity. Rose sees and opportunity for love with Ethan, but is torn between her duties to protect. Billy Wong is a talented writer who portrays Rose’s life with words that allow for vivid imagery.
March 10, 2014
Excellent sword-swinging fantasy.
Excellent sword-swinging fantasy.
Good setting, good plot and fighting is handled very well. I like the heroine, who adjusts well to her super-human abilities. She is rather naive politically, but her youth and peasant background can justify that.
Excellent sword-swinging fantasy.
Good setting, good plot and fighting is handled very well. I like the heroine, who adjusts well to her super-human abilities. She is rather naive politically, but her youth and peasant background can justify that.
June 13, 2017
Okay
This wasn't one of my favorite reads, it dragged in several spots. And Roses attitude made me want to slap her at times, and the whole Ethan thing didn't sit right with me, either
This wasn't one of my favorite reads, it dragged in several spots. And Roses attitude made me want to slap her at times, and the whole Ethan thing didn't sit right with me, either
January 28, 2019
If there was a way to give this book less than 1 star I would. Poor writing, simplistic plot to the point that you are wondering whether it was meant as a parody of some sort.
February 20, 2020
Decent story. though it was never explained how she heals so fast. Moderately short story, so it's a relatively quick read if you're loking to while away an afternoon. I liked it.
March 19, 2014
Iron Bloom is the tale of a young woman, Rose, blessed (or cursed) with extraordinary size, strength, and endurance. She discovers that the thing she's best at is fighting, and sets about trying to put her gifts to good use in the world, only to learn what terrible things there are in the world.
This was exciting and a lot of fun. I liked Rose; she never takes her gifts and abilities for granted. She wonders why she has such strength and amazing ability to heal; some people call her God-Touched or even a Warrior Goddess, but to her it's more of a curse and she can't help wondering when her luck is going to run out. Even when she thinks she's done for, though, she still finds the will to try one more time to strike down whatever enemy she's fighting. (I hope that the question of where her superhuman strength and constitution came from is addressed in later books; I'm curious.)
And even though it's what she's best at, she doesn't enjoy fighting and killing. But even worse to her is to see innocent people suffering and not try to do anything about it. She also has a tender heart; she wants to love and be loved and have a family of her own someday. I enjoyed reading a kickass female character who still has this tender, feminine side to her.
The book is fast-paced; maybe a little too fast. There were spots where I would have liked it to slow down and spread out a bit, to let me catch my breath. But I'll take charging straight ahead non-stop over pages of pointless meandering.
There are a lot of intersting things going on in this world - a lost history of magic, a golden hero-prince who I have to wonder if maybe he's too good to be true, and an evil death-worshipping barbarian warrior who doesn't care about conquering, just about killing. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these threads developed, and to following Rose's story, in the other books in this series.
This was exciting and a lot of fun. I liked Rose; she never takes her gifts and abilities for granted. She wonders why she has such strength and amazing ability to heal; some people call her God-Touched or even a Warrior Goddess, but to her it's more of a curse and she can't help wondering when her luck is going to run out. Even when she thinks she's done for, though, she still finds the will to try one more time to strike down whatever enemy she's fighting. (I hope that the question of where her superhuman strength and constitution came from is addressed in later books; I'm curious.)
And even though it's what she's best at, she doesn't enjoy fighting and killing. But even worse to her is to see innocent people suffering and not try to do anything about it. She also has a tender heart; she wants to love and be loved and have a family of her own someday. I enjoyed reading a kickass female character who still has this tender, feminine side to her.
The book is fast-paced; maybe a little too fast. There were spots where I would have liked it to slow down and spread out a bit, to let me catch my breath. But I'll take charging straight ahead non-stop over pages of pointless meandering.
There are a lot of intersting things going on in this world - a lost history of magic, a golden hero-prince who I have to wonder if maybe he's too good to be true, and an evil death-worshipping barbarian warrior who doesn't care about conquering, just about killing. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these threads developed, and to following Rose's story, in the other books in this series.
August 27, 2013
Rose, an unusually strong and tough teenage girl, dreams of becoming a warrior. Her quest for glory takes her to many different places and puts her up against many different foes, which she has to overcome with determination and slashing sword. No one can accuse Iron Bloom of being slow-paced or short on action. The fighting is almost non-stop, and the author doesn't shy away from describing the effects of sharpened steel on vulnerable flesh. Unfortunately, the violence loses a lot of its impact due to the fact that Rose is so super-humanly tough that she can survive any amount of punishment. The very first scene in the book has her impaled on a sword with no permanent effect. Before the story's half over, she's managed to kill one hundred men in a single night. After that, it's hard to work up any concern or suspense over her well-being. This might not be such a problem if there was more going on in the plot, but it's pretty much just a string of repetitious fights, without a lot of twists and turns in between. There's a love story of sorts, but it's not developed in any depth, and ends predictably. The story doesn't reach any kind of conclusion, it just abruptly stops as Rose is on her way to yet another battle. I enjoy a good Conan-style fantasy yarn as much as the next guy, but there just wasn't enough substance here to really dig into.
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