Why Not? Because I Said So Book Reviews and Author Interviews. : The Iron Flower ( The Black Witch Chronicles (#2) By Laurie Forest-YA Fantasy Book Review

Sunday, September 18, 2022

The Iron Flower ( The Black Witch Chronicles (#2) By Laurie Forest-YA Fantasy Book Review

Product Details

Title: The Iron Flower

Author: Laurie Forest

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: The Black Witch Chronicles (#2

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Inkyard Press; First Time Trade edition (September 3, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 133599582X
Listened to it on Audible.
Book Synopsis:
Elloren Gardner and her friends were only seeking to right a few wrongs, but their actions have propelled them straight into the ranks of the realm-wide Resistance against Gardnerian encroachment. As the Resistance struggles against the harsh rulings of High Priest Marcus Vogel and the Mage Council, Elloren begins to realize that none of the people she cares about will be safe if Gardneria seizes control of the Western Realm.

With tensions heating up in Verpacia, more and more Gardnerian soldiers continue to descend upon the university…led by none other than Lukas Grey, now commander of the newly rebuilt Fourth Division base. Though Elloren tries to keep him at arm’s length, Lukas is determined to wandfast to her, convinced that she has inherited her grandmother’s magic—the prophesied power of the Black Witch. As his very nearness seems to awaken a destructive power inside her, Elloren finds it more and more difficult to believe that she’s truly powerless, as her uncle always claimed.

Caught between her growing feelings for the rebellious Yvan Guriel and the seductive power offered by Lukas Grey, Elloren must find a way to stay true to what she knows is right and protect everyone she loves…even if that means protecting them from herself.

My Review

The Black Witch Chronicles is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I really liked the first book and this second book did not disappoint. It had everything and more than I hoped would happen in this novel.

Elloren is more confident and bold in this book. I truly wanted to see this. She also has her eyes open in many ways to the true world she grew up in. I also really loved how her relationships became deeper with many of the characters from the first book. All of the characters grow and develop and of course, readers become even more invested in them.

I have to applaud the world-building that was concise and compelling. The more I learned about the various people and their magic and powers, the more I wanted to read.

I also liked everything that was happening between Elloren and Yvan Guriel. The last several chapters of the book were full of surprising twists that really turned this novel and the series on its head. One thing I guessed correctly and the second threw me for a loop.

I've already started listening to the next book. If you've been waiting like me to start this series, wait no longer. I was impressed with this second book and also love the narrator of the Audible book Julia Whelan. She does such an amazing job with all of the characters and delightfully brings this story to life for listeners and readers.

*****Meet Author Laurie Forest*****

Laurie Forest lives deep in the backwoods of Vermont, where she sits in front of a wood stove drinking strong tea and dreaming up tales full of dryads, dragons, and wands. She is the author of The Black Witch Chronicles, including The Black Witch, The Iron Flower, The Shadow Wand, and the prequel e-novellas Wandfasted and Light Mage, which are also available in print as The Rebel Mages anthology.

Enter her realm online at www.laurieannforest.com.

All Books in the Series