A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Tori's Review: Dead Iron by Devon Monk





Paperback:
352 pages
Price: $15.00 
ISBN: 978-0451463968
Released: July 5, 2011
Publisher: Penguin
Author's Website: Devon Monk 
Buy it: Amazon
Obtained: Publisher
Genre: Steampunk 
Series: Age of Steam 
Book Order: 
1. Dead Iron









In some ways, Cedar Hunt seems to have been created for America's steam age. This hard-working bounty hunter possesses the guns, the savvy, and the grit to survive in this power-driven world; but he also has a major chip on his shoulder: He's a werewolf and, even worse, he's burning with guilt about the death of his brother. When he receives word that his sibling may yet survive, Cedar pulls out all the stops to get to the truth.


My Rating:

My Opinion: 
Amazing. DEAD IRON jostled me out of my reading funk and also got me squealing about how awesome it was--no small feat after a summer of science-filled hell.

Ever since reading Meljean Brook's amazing contribution to the BURNING UP anthology, I have been dying to get my hands on Steampunk that is not only written well, but also engaging. When I find a novel that contains both, it usually feels like I'm being swept back to those earlier years where all you would find me doing was playing Final Fantasy games. Which, interestingly enough, were like a video game-ized versions of the Steampunk genre (at least to me they are).

With that sweet memory fresh in my mind, I will now tell you why you must buy and read this book ASAP.

1) Devon takes the Steampunk genre and makes it her own. How? By making this like a Wild West story.

I hate cowboys and never really find anything out west (historical-wise) interesting. I figured if I didn't like DEAD IRON, those would be my two reasons why. Thankfully, the setting, while important, is not overly emphasized, so it is easy to forget where exactly the characters are.

And there are no cliche cowboys. YES!

2) This is not your typical gritty story. There is bloodshed, brains getting busted open, and so much gore I was actually surprised at how far the brain-bashing went. Thankfully, it was tastefully done. The killings were much deserved when they happened, and that little vindictive part of me that always wishes the heroes and heroines extracted their revenge more fully, rejoiced. Devon was not afraid to get down and dirty, and I really appreciated that.

3) The final battle...

HOLY COW. Even if you don't like Steampunk, you should read DEAD IRON for that battle. It was the coolest and most creative one I've read in a long time. Plus, the ending was done so well I was excited and felt like I was part of the party.

Now that I say that, I can't help but think of Oregon Trail. Someone's gonna get cholera or will be swept down the river.

While I do rate DEAD IRON 5 stars, I would like to mention that I had a few issues with the book (that initially was going to make me rate it a 4 before I finished reading).

First is that the story does lag at a few points. Thankfully, since I read DEAD IRON over such an extended period of time, the lulls did not bother me as much as they might have, normally.

The second is that I would have liked a bit more world-building. I felt like I was in Cedar's world, but I also felt disconnected from it all at the same time. I'm still trying to pinpoint what exactly was throwing me off-kilter while reading DEAD IRON, and the only thing I can come up with is the POV.

This novel follows a few characters, which amps up the tension when the final battle draws nearer (and got my heart racing at almost every scene). Before the battle, however, I felt like there was some sort of emotional chasm separating me from the characters. The only way I can describe it is that, while I was immersed in the world, there was a fog obstructing my vision. That fog is was prevented me from feeling fully connected.

...until we reached the climax of the story, that is. Once the action picked up, the characters felt more real to me. And while my connection was brief, it was so intense that I couldn't help but fall in love with this story and world.

Which is why, despite the "could-be-betters," I am highly recommending DEAD IRON to you all. Give it a shot, because there are plenty of paranormal elements within to keep both paranormal and steampunk fans satisfied.

2 comments:

  1. Your Oregon Trail comment totally had me LOLing. EVERYBODY in that game got cholera!

    Seriously though, Dead Iron sounds awesome! I LOVE the Wild West era and always got so frustrated with those fakey movie/TV cowboys. This one, however, sounds all kinds of awesome. Definitely adding it to my TBR pile. Thanks for the rec!


    Smiles!
    Lori

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  2. LOL, seriously! Or the oxen got swept down the river. That ALWAYS happened to me.

    It is all kinds of awesome, and the best part is that it is totally original. No cliches or silly cowboys in this book!

    Let me know if you end up enjoying this title :)

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