Review - The Mirrored Shard (The Iron Codex, Book 3) by Caitlin Kittredge (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 304 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0385738330
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Iron Codex series
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5 stars

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.

This series goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- FEY: Paranormal Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Early Review - The Nightmare Garden (The Iron Codex, Book 2) By Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Delcorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0385738316
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Iron Codex Trilogy
Source: eBook though Edelweiss
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Iron Codex series by Kittredge. This third book is supposed to be titled, The Mirrored Shard, and from what I could find is scheduled for a late 2012/early 2013 release. I absolutely loved the first book and couldn't wait to read the second. In this book we venture into the Mists and get to meet the secret Brotherhood that Aoife's father was part of. I love the world and the characters created in this series; although I was a little disappointed that Aoife kept making the same mistakes over and over again.

Aoife has destroyed the Great Engine, unintentionally loosing the monsters of the Thorn (faerie lands) into the Iron lands (our world). She is forced to flee into the Mists with her brother, Cal, Dean, and Bethina. Eventually Aoife meets up with her father back in the Iron land. She finally decides that rather than slowly go insane in the Iron land waiting for her father to do something, she is going to take matters into her own hands and try to find the Nightmare Clock. With the Nightmare Clock she should be able to turn back time and mend the world.

I know a lot of people are upset that Aoife makes the same huge mistakes in the second book that she does in the first. In a way though I kind of liked this, it made the story ironic and makes Aoife a perfect tragic heroine of sorts. I love Aoife's blend of toughness, rashness, tenderness, and vulnerability. This blend makes her a very realistic character. The fact that she makes her decisions out of a well-intentioned need to protect those she loves makes the whole story all that more gothic and tragic.

I continue to absolutely love this world. In this book we get to venture deeper into the Mists and deeper into the land of Thorn. We also join the characters on a trip to the Brotherhood's icy and distant headquarters. The worlds are beautifully described and absolutely came alive for me. I was sucked into these worlds and really want to read more about them.

I enjoyed most of the characters as well. There are no simple characters in this story; they all have tragic backgrounds and complicated motives. Dean is another favorite of mine; he continues to be supportive and respective of Aoife in a way that makes me just love him. Cal also continues to be a wonderful addition to the story.

I will say that the story starts to a get a little ambiguous at parts. Especially as Aoife begins to teeter on the edge of insanity again, sometimes it is hard to tell her dreams from her real actions. Some readers may not enjoy this, but I thought it was cleverly done and gives the reader an excellent feel for what Aoife is going through.

The end of the book is heart-rending and ends on a super horrible cliffhanger. It had me dying to know what happens in the final book, The Mirrored Shard.

Overall I absolutely adored this book. I love the dark and gothic steampunk world that the story takes place in. I love Aoife's realistic personality and how she is a tragically flawed heroine. I love the supporting characters. I love the strange and unpredictable shifts in the plot and I love the new worlds we get to explore in this book. I highly recommend this book to steampunk and fantasy fans of all ages.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

Review - The Iron Thorn (The Iron Codex, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 512 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-0385738293
Stand Alone or Series: First book in the Iron Codex series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the first book in the Iron Codex series by Kittredge. It is the first book in a planned trilogy. The second book, The Nightmare Garden, is scheduled for a February 2012 release. This book was a wonderful blend of fantasy, steampunk, dystopia, and gothic elements. I absolutely fell in love with the world and the characters.

The city of Lovecraft is ruled by the Protors and powered by The Great Engine. The necrovirus is blamed for an epidemic of madness that affect certain citizens, it is also said to be the cause for the dark creatures that hunt in the streets at night. Aoife is a ward of the state and one of the only girls to make it into the School of Engines; the most prestiguous school in Lovecraft. Aoife's family has a dark history though; they carry latent necrovirus and go mad at their sixteenth birthday. Aoife's 16th birthday is just around the corner and she will have to unravel the dark secrets of her family and face the darkness in Lovecraft if she even has a chance at staying sane.

This book is dark and gothic, full of wonderful descriptions that create beautiful and haunting imagery. I loved Lovecraft; I wanted to visit Lovecraft and along with Aoife explore the dark alleys and secrets. It was just a wonderful blend of steampunk, gothic, and dystopian elements. Not to mention madness as a contagious virus; it sends chills up my spine just thinking about it.

Aoife herself is an incredibly entertaining character. She is trying to be a good girl; but she is just too smart and too tough to not do what she has to do to survive. She has a good balance of courage, smarts, occasional vulnerability, and daring. She isn't your typical kick-butt heroine but she has a core of steel to her personality and she is willing to the extra mile when she has too. I loved her fascination with engineering and gears; it was nice to see a female heroine in this role. Aoife was an incredibly realistic and multi-dimensional character and I loved her.

There is a bit of a love triangle going on here. Although that didn't bother me because it was well done and Aoife's choice was clear from the start. Cal comes off as a nagging but loyal friend until you discover he has secrets of his own. Dean is a bit of a mystery but the respect with which he treats Aoife and the way he supports her when she has tough decisions to make made him one of my favorite male leads.

Now as if the setting of Lovecraft wasn't awesome enough, Kittredge throws in Aoife's father's clockwork house. A house that is nearly living and breathing all on its own. On top of that we get honest to goodness fairies involved in the story as well. I love stories that have fairies in them, and unlike some YA books, this book doesn't shy away from the dark side of fairy.

The story ends well, but there is a lot more to be settled. There were so many wonderful things in this book, so many twists and turns. I can't wait to read the next one!

Overall I loved, loved, loved this book. The world is incredibly complex and interesting, but never confusing. There are a ton of creative elements in this story. The characters are very well done; I loved them all. The story is a perfect blend of steampunk, gothic, dystopian, mystery, and fantasy elements. I recommend to anyone who loves dark fantasy or steampunk. I would actually recommend to everyone, but those who don't like a heavy dark element in their stories might want to look elsewhere.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Dystopia Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge