The Iron Thorn

Dystopian. Steampunk. Dark fantasy. Amazing world building. ( )

I had started this book eons ago, and then gotten bogged down in the middle, and annoyed with both the steampunk and dystopian genres. I finally picked it back up because I felt like I ought to finish it and the cover was so pretty. I really enjoyed the last half, having far less of a problem with the love triangle than I often do. Anyway, looking forward to the sequels! [June 2011] ( )

Very, very, VERY dark. I liked the basic concepts, but when it had the brief moments of levity, it jarred me too much against the dire backdrops. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This unique, albeit slow steampunk has deep characters with dark secrets and the surprising (epic) addition of fairies. (Sorry, “eldritch creatures.”)

Opening Sentence: There are seventeen madhouses in the city of Lovecraft.

The Review:

I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting there to be fairies. Maybe because the synopsis says “magic and witchcraft,” I wasn’t expecting the “eldritch creatures” to be fairies. But they are. Really, super creepy fairies. So get excited, because they totally ratchet up the tension level when they make it into the story. Then there’s the necrovirus, which Aoife’s mother has. It consumes the infected’s brain until they become a “nightjar,” a horrible creature who in turn can infect someone else with just a bite. The Heretics of the story are the ones who don’t buy into Lovecraft’s propaganda about science, religion, and reality, but practice magic outside the law.

Aoife (pronounced, ‘eefuh.’ I asked Kittredge.) lives as a ward of the state because her mother is in a madhouse. The beginning of the novel instantly pulls you in…and then the pace drops to a snail’s. Around pg 150 it picks back up again; the in-between is filled with world-building and character development, but that doesn’t stop it from being slow. There are places where the novel has an Indiana Jones vibe—adventure, secret chambers, traps, and so on—that make the slow bits totally worth it.

The “Iron world” only has one truth. Scientific and dictatorial, it’s terrifying in the medieval aspects it clings to. Their punishments for heretics who don’t follow their beliefs—which are the only beliefs, the true beliefs—reminded me of the Inquisition. In most ways, the “Land of Thorn” is just a different type of scary. Unpredictable, its treacherous “Folk” are absolutely spine-chilling and the land is inhabited by trees that will swallow you whole to make you a part of them. The world-building is unique and deep and amazing.

Aoife’s time is running out. When she turns sixteen she’s going to go crazy like the rest of her family. The necrovirus lies dormant in their genes. The great thing about 500 pages is that the author has a lot of time to develop her characters. Aoife turns into a real person—not just another bada$$ YA heroine (though she is). She makes mistakes, doubts herself, has good and bad sides to her. But the part I absolutely loved about Kittredge’s characters is the way they grow. Cal and Dean start out looking like your average love triangle competitors, but when secrets get revealed you begin to wonder who’s really good for Aoife. All three—Dean, Cal and Aoife—had moments when their secrets surprised me.

Kitredge’s writing is incredible, which is one of the reasons why the books long, slow pace didn’t seem to matter while I was reading it. She’s very poetic, but her tone sets the world grim and dark. Usually when I read science fiction, I like a lot of detail because it gives me a chance to nerd-out over inventions and impossible gadgets. This book had the perfect balance of detail. I can’t wait to pick up the sequel! I have complete faith it will deliver—especially given the wonderful ending Kittredge put on this one. (And by wonderful, I mean horrible. Why are authors so mean?!) I look forward to more high-stake adventures with these fantastic characters.

Notable Scene:

“But to hear my father tell it in his writings, it’s not heresy—nothing born of the necrovirus. Nor are all of the inhuman things in the world, the shandy-men and nightjars and the abominations…they don’t come from a person being infected. They aren’t people at all…they came from the…the Land of Thorn. Wherever that is.”

Below, Arkham was ringed in fire. The mist too on an unearthly glow, living and boiling in the cauldron of the valley. “He calls it the Weird,” I said softly. “My father. And his father. A Grayson has had it, for fourteen generations. I…”

I might not be mad after all.

FTC Advisory: Delacorte Press/Random House provided me with a copy of The Iron Thorn No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Synopsis from Amazon:

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.
Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.
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This was really good. It was also really long. :) And I had a few quibbles. First, other than the slang spoken persistently by one character, it was really hard to tell this story takes place during the 1950's. In fact, considering the great difference between this universe and our own, I don't even know why the author even bothered with a time frame. Second, while Aoife (a name that will live in infamy and I still haven't a clue how to pronounce it) was certainly kick-ass, she acted out of character on occasion. I didn't understand her anger, or, at least, not why she was angry at a certain person. The world building was great, but the tone of the story was uneven. It started out as a Neverwhere knock off and then veered off into a dark fey fantasy.

Enough with the dirigibles. Enough with the spring heeled jacks. It's steampunk. I get it. I understand that the genre comes with certain requirements. But don't use the elements unless there's a point to it. Still, I must confess, I loved the clockwork house. Also the guardian at the bridge. Nicely done.

Oh, and what's the deal with the cover art? She looks like she auditioning for Les Miz.

Best Character: Dean.
Best Clockwork Critter: The ravens. Creepy!

Sign me up for the sequel. ( )