Review: Iron Kin by M.J. Scott

Iron Kin by M.J. Scott
Series: The Half-Light City #3
Published by Roc
Published on: April 2, 2013
Genres: Steampunk
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

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Imagine a city divided. Fae and human mages on one side, vampire Blood Lords and shape-shifting Beast Kind on the other. Between these supernatural forces stands a peace treaty that threatens to shatter at the slightest provocation....

I was raised to do the right thing. But to my family that means staying safe behind the walls of human society. To be a respectable metalmage and never put myself at risk. But the treaty is faltering. And if it fails, nothing is safe. To help save the city and everyone I care about, I will use whatever means I can to ensure the negotiations to renew the treaty are successful—even if that means forging an alliance with a man who is the very opposite of the right thing....

Fen is trouble. Wild. He would rather bind himself in iron and drink himself into oblivion than learn to master the visions that come to him. Those visions might just hold the key to peace, and it seems that my power might hold the key to his control—if I can keep it around him....

As must as I enjoyed Iron Kin, I doubt whether I’ll be continuing this series beyond this book because there’s just nothing overly remarkable about it. Shadow Kin, now there’s a kickass story and also one of the only reasons why I made it to the third installment of this series. Even though this novel does have well-constructed characters, creative world-building and an exciting love interest; it just didn’t do it for me. Thankfully, there were plenty of Lily moments in this installment which brought back fond memories of my love for the first book. I don’t know why the author chose to change lead characters from book-to-book like they do in paranormal romance, but it was a mistake. It just doesn’t fit with the genre she’s writing in.

As far as heroines go, I enjoyed Saskia. At first glance she appears to be the conformist, rich girl but after spending some time with her you’ll soon learn that she likes to play with fire and have sex in public places. Yes, Miss DuCaine has a bit of a rebellious streak. She spends a good part of this book trying to convince her brothers (and readers) that she is genuinely interested in joining the cause instead of just young and looking for adventure. I only wish that Scott had spent a bit more time expanding on things like Saskia’s metalmage powers and her relationship with Fen instead of Half-Light City politics.

I enjoyed the edge of danger to Saskia and Fen’s relationship. She’s a well-bred human from a powerful family who should, never in a million years, end up with a degenerate half-breed like Fen. But of course, as is often the case, that which is “forbidden” becomes even more attractive. With DuCaine’s brothers constantly hounding her every step and a war looming on the horizon, their stolen kisses become extra exciting. I really liked the initial stages of their courtship but found that their love story fell to the sidelines as the book progressed which is a shame because it was one of the best parts of this installment. The first two books were more romance driven than this one so I was disappointed that Scott decided to change-up her format in her third novel.

There’s a lot going on in this novel including multiple plot threads, city politics and visions of the future; it was difficult to keep them all straight at times. It made my head hurt and the fact that nothing really gets resolved in the end left me feeling frustrated and annoyed. I highly recommend Shadow Kin but as for the rest of this series, it’s only average at best.

The Half-Light City Series
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