Review | Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

By Birdie

Iron and MagicIron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
Iron Covenant #1
Urban Fantasy
Nancy Yost Lit Agency | June 26, 2018

About the Book: No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both.

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I want to say I was unsure about reading a story about Hugh. That is not the truth! I was super eager for it! I feel like these authors teased this story for so long, allowing us to think it wasn’t actually happening. Even then, I wanted it. And while I wasn’t sure how this writing team would pull off redeeming Hugh, I also fully expected to be won over. I was too, Iron and Magic was really damn good. It enhanced the story perfectly.

There’s a bit of enlightenment to be found in Hugh’s perspective of this world Ilona Andrews built. His experiences are very different from Kate’s. For instance, I know I didn’t realize how deep the connection between Roland and his blooded Warlord was until I read Iron and Magic. It was pretty ingenious actually, both because it made us understand Hugh and Voron, but also because it shed more of a light on Kate’s family and their power. That connection also led to an epic moment between Hugh and Raphael, which was a long time coming and pretty much broke my heart. Because somehow Hugh won my heart, even though his character didn’t change much, just enough for forgiveness.

While I do think Hugh sought and fought for his new future, a huge part of what did it for me in this story was watching Hugh and Elara take each other on verbally. Elara wasn’t afraid of him and gave his sarcastic bite right back. What started as a wary alliance became respect, and I can easily see it becoming something more over the next two Iron Covenant books. Elara is powerful, but her power comes from somewhere very different from Hugh. She’s a contender, an equal, and I loved her and their tenuous bond. Even though Ilona Andrews wrote Hugh as feeling lust for Kate, I always struggled with it because I never felt it myself. I feel the chemistry between Hugh and Elara. I love how she will never abandon him.

Now I really can’t wait to see what happens in Magic Triumphs. I feel like there’s no way Hugh and Elara aren’t in it, and I get the feeling that Elara is going to be the answer to everything, and if I’m right I absolutely adore it! I can’t wait for MORE!

Rating: 4_5 feather

About Birdie

Don’t look for her in any bar, club, crazy raging party, or anywhere there may be a large gathering of strangers. She’s more likely to be found tucked into the corner of the couch watching one of her favorite shows, or preferably under a comforter with her current novel.

12 Responses

      2. Birdie

        I remember liking Hugh when he first came on the scene. I thought he was funny, but then stuff happened that made me feel like he was irredeemable! Low and behold, I was wrong!

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