littlelarks's review
4.0
Iron Cast is far from perfect - a little too much telling instead of showing - but it's a really fun YA romp that is low on the romance, high on the female friendship, and containing all the glamour and flair you'd expect with the titular setting being a ~magical~ 20s speakeasy. Extra points for making Ava a person of color AND for actually examining what that would mean in this era.
Spoiler
Also for making one of the love interests a *gasp* socialist, and for milking that reveal for all the drama it would've actually been worth in this era.zoet's review
4.0
2 stars for the characters, the slow pace, and the predictability.
5 stars for the wonderful language, the clear setting, and the single typo, which is pretty impressive!
5 stars for the wonderful language, the clear setting, and the single typo, which is pretty impressive!
bookswrotemystory's review
4.0
I loved the vibe and tone of this book. And I found the magic system to be really interesting! I just really couldn't put this one down.
dearbear's review against another edition
Eh, was just a bit boring. Wasn't anything terrible, but was a bit repetitive, the characters lacked much depth, the plot barely moved. An interesting concept though.
kirstyreadsblog's review
3.0
This book is set in the 20s during the time of prohibition, but that's not the only thing banned; people who have powers to manipulate people using art are also banned.
The biggest part of this book that I liked was the sisterhood. There was no girl on girl fighting for the sake of it, the 2 MCs were really close friends and loved each other and you could feel that throughout the whole book. They had really distinct personalities and I liked them as characters, however I felt like the book maybe should've been told from just one perspective because they all just rolled into one and it kind of felt like more of an omniscient narrator than separate character's points of view in a way.
I also really loved the magic system, everything was related to art, some people could do magic with music, some with painting, some with poetry which I just found really cool.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/iron-cast-by-destiny-soria
The biggest part of this book that I liked was the sisterhood. There was no girl on girl fighting for the sake of it, the 2 MCs were really close friends and loved each other and you could feel that throughout the whole book. They had really distinct personalities and I liked them as characters, however I felt like the book maybe should've been told from just one perspective because they all just rolled into one and it kind of felt like more of an omniscient narrator than separate character's points of view in a way.
I also really loved the magic system, everything was related to art, some people could do magic with music, some with painting, some with poetry which I just found really cool.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/iron-cast-by-destiny-soria
srmilesauthor's review
3.0
Iron Cast starts off with a jailbreak and it immediately draws you in. With a fresh take on paranormal we get to see how powers manifest when you have a gift for the arts. A character who can hypnotize with Lewis Carroll? Who wouldn't love that? We also get a dash of diversity as one of the main character's is biracial, but while her inclusion seems genuine (as opposed to a publishing ploy to jump on the so-called diversity "trend") her immigrant background doesn't seem to be given it's proper due with an African mother and Italian father.
The novel is filled with crime and the nature of family and secrets, which can be loads of fun, but the suspense could have been heightened if some scenes were shortened. I wouldn't recommend this to reluctant readers or those looking for a strong romance. However, those fantasy lovers looking for something a little different will definitely like where the author takes them.
This book is perfect for:
-Fans of Six of Crows ( I know that's everyone's go-to review for everything, but in this case it's true) will love it's fresh take on paranormal powers.
-Historical fiction lovers who don't get enough of the post World War I era in the US
Find discussion questions and more on my blog once the book is published in October at shannamiles.net
The novel is filled with crime and the nature of family and secrets, which can be loads of fun, but the suspense could have been heightened if some scenes were shortened. I wouldn't recommend this to reluctant readers or those looking for a strong romance. However, those fantasy lovers looking for something a little different will definitely like where the author takes them.
This book is perfect for:
-Fans of Six of Crows ( I know that's everyone's go-to review for everything, but in this case it's true) will love it's fresh take on paranormal powers.
-Historical fiction lovers who don't get enough of the post World War I era in the US
Find discussion questions and more on my blog once the book is published in October at shannamiles.net
lucyknitsandreads's review
4.0
Imagine a world where some people have a certain "affliction of the blood", so called hemopaths. Iron and its alloys are like kryptonite to Superman or silver to vampires. But hemopaths also have a rare gift: they can create illusions through songs and poems, and some of them can pull objects from paintings they made.
Ada and Corinne are teenaged hemopaths in Boston just months before Prohibition goes into effect. They work in an underground hemopath bar, the Cast Iron, where they preform illusions - Ada plays the violin while Corinne recites poems.
But there's an organisation - Hemopath Protection Agency - which hunts hemopaths and locks them up in Haversham Asylum. Rumor has it, there are even worse things going on there.
This is a story of the two girls' struggle to keep the bar going while escaping from the clutches of the Agency - and experiencing illusions, love and betrayal.
-------------------------------------
I really enjoyed this book, although I feel like I have to point out a few details that kept me from giving 5*.
But first, let's see the positive side:
- diversity (Ada's mixed-race, Swahili mom and Portuguese dad; James and Sebastian are in love, although it's never explicitly mentioned)
- a unique magical world where art is a way to create illusions, but this, of course, can be used to manipulate non-hemopaths as well
- easy to follow plot, pretty straightforward (some might say boring, but for me it was interesting)
And now the downsides:
- it may be a personal preference but I have a hard time believing that two 14-year-olds can muster enough authority to intimidate and blackmail people. Especially not a biracial girl in 1919.
- it must be my "old age" but the only time I realised these characters were supposed to be teens was when their age was mentioned. Otherwise they sounded older, more mature.
- this book is set in 1919, in Boston specifically, but honestly, I wouldn't have been able to tell.
I guess what I mentioned as an advantage can be mentioned as a disadvantage as well: the plot. If you're looking for a shocker, this one is not for you. It's a bit like in Sense8, the sensates trying to shake off BPO. Here our hemopaths try to do the same with the Hemopath Protection Agency chasing them.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, it was perfect for a holiday read. But what I adored most was the atmosphere of illegal clubs, music, magic and illusions. I kind of wish someone made a movie based on this because it would be visually stunning!
Ada and Corinne are teenaged hemopaths in Boston just months before Prohibition goes into effect. They work in an underground hemopath bar, the Cast Iron, where they preform illusions - Ada plays the violin while Corinne recites poems.
But there's an organisation - Hemopath Protection Agency - which hunts hemopaths and locks them up in Haversham Asylum. Rumor has it, there are even worse things going on there.
This is a story of the two girls' struggle to keep the bar going while escaping from the clutches of the Agency - and experiencing illusions, love and betrayal.
-------------------------------------
I really enjoyed this book, although I feel like I have to point out a few details that kept me from giving 5*.
But first, let's see the positive side:
- diversity (Ada's mixed-race, Swahili mom and Portuguese dad; James and Sebastian are in love, although it's never explicitly mentioned)
- a unique magical world where art is a way to create illusions, but this, of course, can be used to manipulate non-hemopaths as well
- easy to follow plot, pretty straightforward (some might say boring, but for me it was interesting)
And now the downsides:
- it may be a personal preference but I have a hard time believing that two 14-year-olds can muster enough authority to intimidate and blackmail people. Especially not a biracial girl in 1919.
- it must be my "old age" but the only time I realised these characters were supposed to be teens was when their age was mentioned. Otherwise they sounded older, more mature.
- this book is set in 1919, in Boston specifically, but honestly, I wouldn't have been able to tell.
I guess what I mentioned as an advantage can be mentioned as a disadvantage as well: the plot. If you're looking for a shocker, this one is not for you. It's a bit like in Sense8, the sensates trying to shake off BPO. Here our hemopaths try to do the same with the Hemopath Protection Agency chasing them.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, it was perfect for a holiday read. But what I adored most was the atmosphere of illegal clubs, music, magic and illusions. I kind of wish someone made a movie based on this because it would be visually stunning!
impalalove's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fantastic fantasy world, even if it did seem a little modern at times.