Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews Series: Iron Covenant #1
Published by NYLA on June 26, 2018
Pages: 322
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”
Hugh and Elara may do both.
In my review of Magic Breaks, a key point was I HATE Hugh. I burned with anger. I didn’t just want him to die; I wanted him to suffer. It isn’t just what he did to Kate, but also Christopher, and so many others.
Now, well, I understand him better. I still think he went from nothing to everything and the power of it corrupted him. He didn’t think about the consequences to anything he did; I find it hard to believe he didn’t know. He didn’t seem to think much at all. He’s an action guy. His knee-jerk reaction is to think about himself. Still in Iron and Magic, I did want him to succeed pretty quickly. He actually starting thinking about others!
I devoured this book, starting just a short time after it hit my Kindle. I pre-ordered the moment I knew I could. Ilona Andrews is a well-deserved auto-buy author. It’s the combination of character development and growth, action, mystery and plot which works every time. And they could even make me root for Hugh – WTF!
Elara is fascinating. I am glad this is the Iron Covenant series, because there is much to learn about her. She is an interesting balance to Hugh because she thinks and cares so much. Her rules and attitudes helped him to see another perspective. I believe we will see them both in Magic Triumphs, but how soon can I pre-order the next book?
About Ilona Andrews
“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.
They have co-authored several bestselling series, including the #1 NYT bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2018 New Release Challenge
- COYER BSBB
I CAN’T WAIT!!! Awesome review. ^_^
Thank you Angela ! I try very hard not to be spoilery. If you ordered ebook, it should hit at midnight, right? I already want to read it again. I spent the morning renewing my Hugh hate with Magic Breaks.
I never thought I’d like Hugh, but the snippet I read from this book had me falling for him. He’s so blinded by his power and position with Kates Daddy, but now that he’s out I’m curious to see how he hands it all. ^_^ Yep, I got my eCopy ordered and so can’t wait for a print and audiobook to come out.
It took me some times to get into the novel but after that I had a great time as well
Well it is a new world perspective being built. And the mind blurs in confusion over feeling sorry for Hugh.
Glad its sensational! I can’t wait to read it. I’m so curious to see how I feel about Hugh after reading his book.
Well he does undergo a lot of changes throughout and I think it’s good for him to actually think about things and not just follow orders for a change. He’s not stupid but he hasn’t had to ever really exercise any judgement on his own.
Do I even have to tell you how excited I am to read this book?! I am so glad that you liked it as much as you did. I plan to get started with it tomorrow!
An Ilona Andrews book is pretty much a sure fire, great read. This one is awesome. I’d like to read it again now. I will fit it in again in August during my reread. Enjoy!