Early Review: Iron Kin by M.J. Scott
Iron Kin by M.J. Scott
The Half-Light City #3
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….
The fragile peace between the different races is held by a treaty, one that must be renegotiated every five years. Without it, the Bloods, Beast Kind, Fae, and humans would stay locked in a brutal war that would cost untold deaths. Saskia DuCaine inherited the same fierce need to help others that her older brothers have. However, unlike her brothers, she has been kept sheltered and not allowed to place herself in danger. But with the negotiations coming right around the corner, Saskia, is determined not to stay on the sidelines any longer, and will do anything to ensure her place. Fen, on the other hand wants nothing to do with the negotiations, but his ability to see the future is a crucial advantage the humans need. Only problem is that his visions are impossible to control and cause him debilitating pain. But through a mysterious twist of fate, Saskia's touch blocks his visions and gives him a respite from the misery. The two of them will have to learn to work together, and fast as something is brewing on the horizon and it doesn't look good for the humans.
The previous two book in this series have been very strong in both romance and the current/overall series plot. However, this time around in IRON KIN, while the plot(s) were still very strong, I felt the romance to be lacking. Well, perhaps lacking isn't quite the word. It's just that I don't feel like it was developed to its full potential. In fact I was more engrossed with the early build up and sexual tension than I was with the actual romance once things started to progress. In all honesty I felt incredibly let down by all of it. I understand that there was a whole lot going on around them, so there wasn't a whole lot of room for sexy interludes. But in the same token, in order for me to really believe in a relationship and get the full feeling from it, I just need a little more actual involvement. I felt like I was being told about their love rather than getting to actually feel it along with them. It was like all of the good middle stuff was glossed over and the reader was just supposed to fill in the blanks of Saskia and Fen's relationship.
There was a whole lot going on at once in IRON KIN, so much so that it did become a little overwhelming at times. Especially since none of the multiple plot threads were really settled by the end. I have appreciated the way this series has a strong overall arc as that helps to really tie books together despite the character focus rotation. However, I feel that this time around the focus was too strongly placed on the overall plot arc rather than any current one. It just made me feel like there was a lack of forward momentum. Don't get me wrong, plenty happened in IRON KIN, but nothing was quite settled, so it just didn't give me the sense of satisfaction I would like. That being said, I think the next book will be the last in the series, so perhaps everything was left so open in order to prepare for the final showdown.
Since this series has been a pretty good blend of paranormal romance/urban fantasy in the previous books, the lessor romantic development this time around did disappoint me, but then again, I am a very romance driven person. Even so it would have been a bit easier to overlook if the multiple plot threads had of come together a bit more solidly. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed IRON KIN, in fact with the way things ended, I am rather anxious to get my hands on the next installment to see what happens next.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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