The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood’s father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane.

But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin—even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect.

Review:

As of lately Flux has been publishing some majorly amazing novels. And Karen Mahoney's The Iron Witch- how was that you may ask? Well, it has continued the trend thankfully enough, because not only is The Iron Witch rocking a fabulous premise, but the the execution, writing, and characters backing it up are nothing short of fantastic.

The Iron Witch tells the story of Donna Underwood, a girl who has always been a bit different from the average teen. For one, ever since the horrible accident that took her father's life and her mother's mind, Donna has had iron tattoos branding her hands and arms to cover the fatal injuries she faced as well, worse yet these seem to label her as a freak, as not only did she get kicked out of her school after a particularly fatal fight, but she only has one true friend- Navin- who loves her no matter what. Though, ever thing changes the day Xan walks into their lives. Adorable and sweet, Donna instantly feels connected to this boy, but is there more to him then meets the eye? Is he more supernatural than she thinks? Better yet, when Navin gets captured by a bunch of evil fey, will Donna and Xan be able to save him in time? Only time will tell in this richly told story of the fey and the alchemy and the war that has left both impaired.

There were so many things about The Iron Witch that I absolutely loved! For one, the characters! Donna is the typical strong-willed protagonist with a lot of heart and compassion for her friends and family, though what I liked most about her character was see how she dealt with the fight within herself to become more than just the "freak" she has been labeled as. More importantly, I loved the friendships and relationships she began to make in this. Navin is an the all around good guy, one I would love to have as a best friend, and Xan, gorgeous and sweet, was pretty swoon worthy himself. Best of all, all the characters felt thoroughly fleshed out, while still having plenty of room for Karen to develop them as the series continues.

I also really enjoyed learning more about the fey and the alchemy and what ties and tears them apart, especially when it played an important part in making this book full of twists and turns that will leave any reader guessing what exactly is going to happen next. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the way I kind of felt The Iron Witch has a lot more world development needed, but I guess that's what sequels are for, right?
Anyhow, full of supernatural fun, skilled writing, and strong-willed characters, The Iron Witch is sure to enchant and leave many teens and adults clamoring for more- especially ones who enjoy Julia Kagawa's The Iron Fey series.

Grade: A-

The Iron Witch is now out!

Source: Pubcist at Flux. Thanks Marissa!