Iron and Magic

by Ilona Andrews

[celinenyx]

Iron and Magic is a spin-off series from the Kate Daniels books, featuring former warlord Hugh d'Ambray. Not only is he no longer in the favour of his god-like employer, a vampire master has it out for him an is trying to kill off his army.

The story heavily draws on the world that is created in the Kate Daniels books - if you haven't read those, I think the book would be confusing and filled with spoilers (including of significant character deaths). This review does not contain any spoilers that aren't mentioned in the blurb.

Hugh is not a likeable character in any sense of the word, yet Andrews, throughout the book, manages to make Hugh a more complex and rich character that you want to improve. Instrumental in his development is Elara, a mysterious white-haired magic user, whose settlement he needs to feed his army. Hugh and Elara form an alliance, despite hating each other's guts and fighting each other at every turn.

Hugh and Elara enter into a marriage of convenience (as hinted at in the blurb) - a romantic trope which I personally love. It forces close proximity between the characters, bouncing them off each other until they finally realise they like each other for real. Yet, I wasn't sold on this romantic storyline in Iron and Magic. There seemed to be little progression in their relationship, and each time one of them would show some vulnerability, this was ignored by the other. There is a sex scene in the narrative, which I hoped would bring the characters together, but again, the sex came across as soulless and without any tenderness. Everything is a power struggle between Hugh and Elara, and it makes their romance feel "off". By the end of Iron and Magic, we have made little headway, and I'm kind of disappointed we have to wait for another instalment in the series.

There is plenty of action and fighting, yet none of it was particularly thrilling. Hugh is established as one of the most powerful characters in this universe (second perhaps only to Kate and Roland), so any threat that is thrown his way is completely obliterated in seconds. There is no true danger of him ever getting hurt - especially because he can heal himself almost instantly - and the grand obstacle is conquered way too easily.

Overall, though Iron and Magic was quite fun, because it added complexity to a character we only ever saw from a distance, it isn't as good as the main series. The writing was less focused, the references sometimes weird (why does this post-apocalyptic world have Lazyboys and Depeche Mode?), and the good parts were too few and over too soon. It also makes some very odd comments about Christianity which seemed out of place in the narrative. Recommended for fans only.

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Trigger warnings: high on gore, torture, non-consent/sexual harassment, death. The protagonist has murdered and pillaged extensively under orders.