To Bind a Dark Heart (The Iron Crystal, #2)

by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

4.25 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

After the explosive ending in To Charm a Dark Prince, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel.  I had to know what was in store for Mordred and Gwendolyn.  To Bind a Dark Heart delivered an exciting tale that kept the reader glued to the pages from start to finish.  Unfortunately it ended leaving the reader with more questions and looking forward to the answers in book three.

To Bind a Dark Heart return readers to Avalon. It picks up immediately from where To Charm a Dark Prince ended. The destruction of the prison which held the Elementals captive paved the way for war between them and Mordred. Gwendolyn uncertain of her position with Mordred, especially given her betrayal ran from the castle. While on her journey of trying to figure out her next move, she came to the realization things are not as it seems. She is caught in the middle of the entire debacle and to make matters worse she learns she's connected to a demon.

Gwendolyn continues to be a naive heroine who makes questionable decisions. The fact she's so easily manipulated doesn't help. One would have thought that after seeing the effect of her betrayal, she would learn, but that was not the case. Also, her actions at the end reeked of stupidity, which of course had disastrous consequences. It's no wonder the demon chose her to fulfil his mission.  I do hope by some miracle she matures in the next book.

Mordred remains my favourite. Everyone views him as a tyrant, but I beg to disagree. He genuinely wants what's best for Avalon. He just needs to find the best solution that will bring about the peace he so desires.

Discovering the true identity of the cat responsible for Gwendolyn's unexpected journey to Avalon made for some interesting reading. Now he did not have good intentions which was blatantly obvious from the start, but Gwendolyn with her naive self failed to see this.  It was interesting learning how he ended up in Avalon to begin with and the reasons he despised its citizens. 

The story had some heartbreaking moments, one of which had to do with the loss of a certain character. I am still not sure how I feel about the loss. On one hand, it could be viewed as well deserved and on another one may say that just like Mordred they too wanted the best for Avalon.

The battle scenes added another layer to the story. It brought a measure of suspense to the story, which had this reader turning the pages, eager to know the outcome. 

Despite my issues with Gwendolyn, I enjoyed my return visit to Avalon. Overall, To Bind a Dark Heart was an interesting read and one which would appeal to fans of fantasy.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading