The Iron Witch (The Iron Witch Trilogy, #1)

by Karen Mahoney

Freak.

That's what they call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood at Ironbridge High School. A horrific fey attack that killed her father when she was just a child left Donna branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms - and magically enhanced strength, that she now does all she can to hide.

Now, after ten years of wishing for a normal life, Donna finally accepts her role in the centuries-old war against the darkest outcasts of Faerie - the dark elves. Aided by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout, Donna must save her best friend's life - and that means betraying one of the world's greatest secrets and confronting the very thing that destroyed her family.

• ISBN10: 0606234861
• ISBN13: 9780606234863
• Publish Date: 8 February 2011 (first published 20 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 April 2021
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 299
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sarah Says]

While the Iron Witch wasn’t outstanding or even a completely new concept, I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read. It was just what I needed on a day when I was stuck in the house rugged up under a blanket with a cup of tea feeling under the weather. I’m not sure yet if I’ll go onto read the second book, but this one swept me off into a world with handsome half-fays and magical Alchemy. I gave it FOUR “I really liked it” STARS.

[wyvernfriend]

Donna hides her arms under gloves to hide the iron and silver tattoos that gave her back the use of those arms after a faerie creature damaged them when she was young. The same incident where her father died. Her mother is suffering from a mysterious ailment that resembles a mental illness and she lives with her aunt.

Her best friend is Navin who brings her to a party which leads to her meeting with Xan, who it turns out is part-fey.

When faerie kidnap Navin, it's up to her to save him. What she does will have large implications in her life.

[lizarodz]

I really liked this one. I read it in my Kindle, but the cover is wonderful. It was a very quick read and the plot was nice. I would have liked more meaningful interaction between Xan and Donna, but I understand that the story was fast paced and this is book one in a series. Besides the three main characters, the secondary ones didn't have a lot of spotlight here. Now we will have to wait a year for book two, and the end was a subtle cliffhanger!