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the_midwest_library's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Alright, so the good: the premise, the overall magic in the world and the plot and pacing is all pretty solid. The book flies by for being 500+ pages.
The bad: the characters were VERY flat for me, they were so one dimensional and spent the entire book just TELLING/THINKING about what was going on and not DOING things. Which leads to the second issue, that this book is all tell and no show to the point that legitimately I think 80% of the plot is told to us in the first 200 pages and I barely learned anything new in the back half I couldn't easily guess.
Here's the thing, while this isn't super strong the ideas are there and I did enjoy the writing. I would continue with this series to see if book 2 improved upon this one!
The bad: the characters were VERY flat for me, they were so one dimensional and spent the entire book just TELLING/THINKING about what was going on and not DOING things. Which leads to the second issue, that this book is all tell and no show to the point that legitimately I think 80% of the plot is told to us in the first 200 pages and I barely learned anything new in the back half I couldn't easily guess.
Here's the thing, while this isn't super strong the ideas are there and I did enjoy the writing. I would continue with this series to see if book 2 improved upon this one!
book_bird_anja's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pixi_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was alright for a first book. I'm curious about how things are going to play out, but also could guess a bit of what was going to happen next by the end of the book. Feeling a bit let down as I was expecting something more from this story based on the summary but it just didn't deliver.
leeleet's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
A very interesting fantasy world. I love dragons and them being so entwined in the way this world runs is very fun. It took me a while to like some of our characters and I never trusted Varlot from the start. He’s very quick to blame others for the slightest inconvenience he experiences in his own life. My favorite characters were Fenn and Selys. Jeysel and Calista were a nice couple but the amount of co dependency is concerning. And Torsten can go and kick fucking rocks, I can’t stand him.
chaitai00's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
moofie's review
The writing did not flow right for me. The characters didn't grab me early on at all and very little made me want to continue reading.
bookish_benny's review against another edition
4.0
The Iron Crown is a multi-pov fantasy story with a mysterious enemy threatening everyone and everything but nothing is as it seems.
I’ve been wanting to read TIC since reading The Citrine Key earlier in the year. TCK is a free prequel novella Lauren has on her newsletter and contains strong links back to TIC so check it out.
I personally love multi-pov stories. It gives me the chance to root for my favourite characters (Apollo) and see how/if they ever meet one another. TIC doesn’t disappoint. Multiple characters, each with their own secrets and agendas makes for an interesting story.
There is a unique magic system here that involves dragons and I won’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil anything but I can tell you it’s unique.
I actually read and listened to this across Kindle/paperback and Audible. RJ Bayley does a fantastic job of bringing all of the characters to life so if you get the chance to listen to the audiobook, take it. I also really like the cover design that is consistent throughout these books!
One thing I didn’t like though was the chapter size. They’re big. A little too big. This also makes the book bigger than it needed to be because I felt that some parts of the book had the potential to be cut, which in turn would have brought down the word count in each chapter. Some of you won’t be phased by the chapters but I was.
Overall this is a unique take on dragons, has some great characters that each have their own story and goals, and the next book is due out in early 2023 so you can potentially read the free prequel, then TIC then the sequel in the space of 3-4 months.
I’ve been wanting to read TIC since reading The Citrine Key earlier in the year. TCK is a free prequel novella Lauren has on her newsletter and contains strong links back to TIC so check it out.
I personally love multi-pov stories. It gives me the chance to root for my favourite characters (Apollo) and see how/if they ever meet one another. TIC doesn’t disappoint. Multiple characters, each with their own secrets and agendas makes for an interesting story.
There is a unique magic system here that involves dragons and I won’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil anything but I can tell you it’s unique.
I actually read and listened to this across Kindle/paperback and Audible. RJ Bayley does a fantastic job of bringing all of the characters to life so if you get the chance to listen to the audiobook, take it. I also really like the cover design that is consistent throughout these books!
One thing I didn’t like though was the chapter size. They’re big. A little too big. This also makes the book bigger than it needed to be because I felt that some parts of the book had the potential to be cut, which in turn would have brought down the word count in each chapter. Some of you won’t be phased by the chapters but I was.
Overall this is a unique take on dragons, has some great characters that each have their own story and goals, and the next book is due out in early 2023 so you can potentially read the free prequel, then TIC then the sequel in the space of 3-4 months.
hindessm's review
4.0
Some great world building, characters and creatures. The natural way groups of characters split up and form new groups creates interesting dynamics and I think it helps highlight different aspects of the characters personalities. Intrigued to read more in the next book.
max_jini's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
krupagrace's review
3.0
I have seen protagonists have character development, but I didn't expect it from a book.
This book took its time, I went from something that I could read to waste some time cause I spent money on it to something that genuinely piqued my interest. It took about 50% of the book though,
Characters
Calidra, Jisyel and Fenn were fun, nothing great, just there. The latter addition of Apollo added dimensions to the story that the other three protagonists lacked.
Honestly, all of Calidra's chapters are just a monologue of how 'I hate my family and everything it holds cause my mom is torturous and my poor Jisyel is so naive and gullible'.
Fenn is a lost soul, I don't detest him for his lack of clarity and confusion that would turn any intelligent person into one whole ball of chaos. At least he came to gain some drive and purpose once he met Selys and got a personality of his own.
Apollo on the other hand was somewhat interesting, he is a retired thief, who wants a peaceful life with his lovely wife and daughter and how his past comes to haunt him.
The Torsten dude is sus.
Of the dragon spirits, an interesting concept would have liked it if they could have personalities like Mushu from Mulan, their own agenda and a weird camaraderie with their chosen ones.
Overall 3.5/4
This book took its time, I went from something that I could read to waste some time cause I spent money on it to something that genuinely piqued my interest. It took about 50% of the book though,
Characters
Calidra, Jisyel and Fenn were fun, nothing great, just there. The latter addition of Apollo added dimensions to the story that the other three protagonists lacked.
Honestly, all of Calidra's chapters are just a monologue of how 'I hate my family and everything it holds cause my mom is torturous and my poor Jisyel is so naive and gullible'.
Fenn is a lost soul, I don't detest him for his lack of clarity and confusion that would turn any intelligent person into one whole ball of chaos. At least he came to gain some drive and purpose once he met Selys and got a personality of his own.
Apollo on the other hand was somewhat interesting, he is a retired thief, who wants a peaceful life with his lovely wife and daughter and how his past comes to haunt him.
The Torsten dude is sus.
Of the dragon spirits, an interesting concept would have liked it if they could have personalities like Mushu from Mulan, their own agenda and a weird camaraderie with their chosen ones.
Overall 3.5/4