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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I really did enjoy the first two books in this series. There's just something about this one that really didn't grab me. I think the character development struggled, but my biggest problem was with the actual plot. I had a terrible time trying to follow what was happening, why things were happening, etc. Some of it was just poorly explained, others (I think) the author assumed the reader knew what was happening and didn't bother to go into detail, and still others were simply so far-fetched I really couldn't make sense of it.
I'm hopeful the next book is better and follows more in the thread of the first two books.
I'm hopeful the next book is better and follows more in the thread of the first two books.
Will miss the romance between Hades and Persephone loved this series. Will be continuing on with Aphrodite. This book has multiple perspectives which I normally struggle with but this was fun and entertaining.
HADES'S VOICE:
She’d be rounding the corner now well above the park, oblivious to the way the plants she passed leaned toward her. Persephone was beautiful. Vibrant. Light and vitality pulsed from her that like the first warm gust of a spring breeze promised everything would soon be new and alive again, that winter would thaw into life. Everything was drawn to her.
APHRODITE'S VOICE:
For the first time, I realized how dangerous Persephone was. There’s a reason gods are so ambivalent about their children and that divine marriages are mostly political and not based on affection. Love is a human luxury. A being with the power to destroy everything with a word shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the entire world, but Persephone had that effect on people. Zeus looked at her and saw power he could gain. Demeter loved Persephone with all the fierceness a mother could muster, and Hades…Hades would break the world for her. She meant too much to too many people.
PERSEPHONE'S VOICE:
I shook my head, thinking of Hades, how he was willing to break the world for me. The way he’d held me together when my whole life seemed to shatter. The strength he saw in me I hadn’t even known was there.
Simply Beautiful. A heart-wrenching End. Love Hades and Persephone.
5 beautiful pomegranate-y stars.
She’d be rounding the corner now well above the park, oblivious to the way the plants she passed leaned toward her. Persephone was beautiful. Vibrant. Light and vitality pulsed from her that like the first warm gust of a spring breeze promised everything would soon be new and alive again, that winter would thaw into life. Everything was drawn to her.
APHRODITE'S VOICE:
For the first time, I realized how dangerous Persephone was. There’s a reason gods are so ambivalent about their children and that divine marriages are mostly political and not based on affection. Love is a human luxury. A being with the power to destroy everything with a word shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the entire world, but Persephone had that effect on people. Zeus looked at her and saw power he could gain. Demeter loved Persephone with all the fierceness a mother could muster, and Hades…Hades would break the world for her. She meant too much to too many people.
PERSEPHONE'S VOICE:
I shook my head, thinking of Hades, how he was willing to break the world for me. The way he’d held me together when my whole life seemed to shatter. The strength he saw in me I hadn’t even known was there.
Simply Beautiful. A heart-wrenching End. Love Hades and Persephone.
5 beautiful pomegranate-y stars.
Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-iron-queen.html
What a powerful whirlwind end to this section of the series! There's such a sense of movement throughout the whole book, as the gods speed around the worlds, both in reality and in dreams.
The heightened danger and urgency is helped along by the varying points of view in each chapter. At first, I was thrown off by the changing perspectives, but once I got into the rhythm, it made the pace lightning fast while still showing each event really clearly. That's part of what adds to the sense of movement also, as each character is in a different place for each event.
Persephone's torture is horrific to hear about, but thankfully we actually see it only the first time and only hear about it after that. Any questions about Persephone's strength and right to Hades' admiration are laid to rest by the way Persephone stands strong, and then again by the way she reacts to Aphrodite's offer to help get her out of the torture.
Hades' love is such a powerful force, and I was glad that we got to see inside his mind this book. I love how all the gods are so clinical in their quest to stop Zeus while Hades is full of emotion and recklessness - much the way Persephone behaved in the previous books!
There's so much heartbreak in this book. So much emotion. A great book!
What a powerful whirlwind end to this section of the series! There's such a sense of movement throughout the whole book, as the gods speed around the worlds, both in reality and in dreams.
The heightened danger and urgency is helped along by the varying points of view in each chapter. At first, I was thrown off by the changing perspectives, but once I got into the rhythm, it made the pace lightning fast while still showing each event really clearly. That's part of what adds to the sense of movement also, as each character is in a different place for each event.
Persephone's torture is horrific to hear about, but thankfully we actually see it only the first time and only hear about it after that. Any questions about Persephone's strength and right to Hades' admiration are laid to rest by the way Persephone stands strong, and then again by the way she reacts to Aphrodite's offer to help get her out of the torture.
Hades' love is such a powerful force, and I was glad that we got to see inside his mind this book. I love how all the gods are so clinical in their quest to stop Zeus while Hades is full of emotion and recklessness - much the way Persephone behaved in the previous books!
There's so much heartbreak in this book. So much emotion. A great book!
This book wrapped everything up nicely and I don’t feel the need to read the other books in this series for a bit.
I personally didn’t like that there was more jumping between points off view. I understand the reasoning behind it because so much happens but I personally never really like it.
I do enjoy that everything is wrapped up in a pretty bow.
I personally didn’t like that there was more jumping between points off view. I understand the reasoning behind it because so much happens but I personally never really like it.
I do enjoy that everything is wrapped up in a pretty bow.
I enjoyed this book! It was a reread. I think the narrative got a bit weird as Bevis explored the different capacity of her magical world, and the dual narrative was a bit annoying, but the characters are so bright and vivid that it's hard not enjoy the story, and the idea of emotional manipulation was used to full effect. It was pretty terrifying. But also wonderful.
I love the Daughters of Zeus series. The way the second book ended, I knew this book was going to be an action and fighting filled book, and I also wasn't sure if it was going to be the last book in the series or not. I mean, they were fighting Zeus! He is the big guy, so I didn't really know where it could go after him. I liked this installment in the series, and I think there is going to be another book because at the end, something new, mysterious and powerful was alluded to. I have to know what it is, what could it possibly be? Ok back to the Iron Queen. I really enjoyed this book and fans of the series will love it too, but I would have been over the moon for a Hades and Persephone love fest from the first page to the last. Alas, that is not the case. Persephone is always getting herself into trouble it seems and in this book she got herself into a huge jam.
But the cool thing was, pretty much all of the gods came together to fight their common enemy. This meant we got to see characters galore. I loved Kaitlin Bevis' depictions of all of the gods. All of the original characters from the first two books are back, but we also got to meet Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Artemis, Adonis, and more. And we did get to see plenty of Hades. That guy just melts me a little bit. I loved seeing how heated he was over Persephone. Their connection is really something else. He would do anything for that girl. Not that he needs to- Persephone is pretty scary when she wants to be. She has so much untapped power, but she is still one of the most kind and generous people. And super strong. No one can doubt that after see what she goes through in this book. Gone is the slightly whiny teenager. She really comes into her own in The Iron Queen. I loved watching her grow.
I was sad about some of the things that happened in the story but it was pretty much non-stop action and fighting so it is natural that there will be a few casualties along the way. Still, I have become so attached to all of the characters that I didn't want to see any of them go. A lot of questions are answered in this book and a lot of loose ends are tied up nicely- especially when it comes to Aphrodite. I can't believe it when I say that I actually came to like her. She grows on you once you start to understand her a little better. The Iron Queen is a great addition tot he Daughters of Zeus series. There is lots of series storyline progression, and good character growth. I wanted more Hades and Persephone, but I realize that would have been impossible since they were apart for almost the whole story. The ending left me wanting the next book. The last scene was all just so mysterious and I am stumped as to what it was referring to. One thing is for sure- I can't wait to find out!
But the cool thing was, pretty much all of the gods came together to fight their common enemy. This meant we got to see characters galore. I loved Kaitlin Bevis' depictions of all of the gods. All of the original characters from the first two books are back, but we also got to meet Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Artemis, Adonis, and more. And we did get to see plenty of Hades. That guy just melts me a little bit. I loved seeing how heated he was over Persephone. Their connection is really something else. He would do anything for that girl. Not that he needs to- Persephone is pretty scary when she wants to be. She has so much untapped power, but she is still one of the most kind and generous people. And super strong. No one can doubt that after see what she goes through in this book. Gone is the slightly whiny teenager. She really comes into her own in The Iron Queen. I loved watching her grow.
I was sad about some of the things that happened in the story but it was pretty much non-stop action and fighting so it is natural that there will be a few casualties along the way. Still, I have become so attached to all of the characters that I didn't want to see any of them go. A lot of questions are answered in this book and a lot of loose ends are tied up nicely- especially when it comes to Aphrodite. I can't believe it when I say that I actually came to like her. She grows on you once you start to understand her a little better. The Iron Queen is a great addition tot he Daughters of Zeus series. There is lots of series storyline progression, and good character growth. I wanted more Hades and Persephone, but I realize that would have been impossible since they were apart for almost the whole story. The ending left me wanting the next book. The last scene was all just so mysterious and I am stumped as to what it was referring to. One thing is for sure- I can't wait to find out!
I got this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
What a great end to a lovely series!
Okay, I'll try to review this but I may have to come back later to this when I've actually had some sleep so forgive me if I'm incoherent and a bit emotional (everything becomes very sensitive at 4am okay?).
The Iron Queen was action-packed, extremely funny (I was giggling to myself at 3am, lit by my Kindle - dignified stuff), full of nice, heart-warming family/friendship moments without ever falling into the cheesy area and very hard to put down.
This book was narrated in three POVs : Persephone's, Hades' and Aphrodite's. Persephone's POV was quite depressing (with reason), therefore I was very glad that we got to see Hades' and Aphrodite's. Especially since Aphrodite's become my favorite when she appeared in the second book. It was great to see more of her, understand her reasons and motivations, hearing her sass and seeing her finally making friends with other people.
Once again, Kaitlin Bevis impresses me with her modernisation concepts for the Greek Gods, she really didn't do it out of nowhere, she clearly thought about it and everything makes sense and it's great.
But what I liked the most about this book (and come to think of it, this trilogy) was how human it was. I don't know if this one detaches itself from the others because right before, I've read kind of badly-written YA, but it feels like this one is special in the way that it's not written to fit poor romance in it. Bevis had an idea, a concept and characters that she wanted to introduce and incidently a romance. Let's take Cassandra Clare, for example, whose books feel like she wanted to write some cheap romance and realised that she needed to add stuff around it, wordbuild and other characters. The result is that characters feel like they are props to be used to make the plot advance or to hinder the romance, but they never feel real. Clare is not the lone author guilty of this, sadly, but the Daughters of Zeus series never falls into this crap and it's just so rare that I feel like I have to insist on it.
Another thing I liked was Persephone's growth in this book. Zeus keeps repeating to Persephone that Hades only likes her because she's still so human in spite of her being a god and we see her growing harder, colder without succombing to numbness - and it's viewed as an okay thing. Persephone starts striking back, she doesn't let people stomp on her as much as she used to in the first book, and it's a pleasure to read.
We got to know about all these new characters and care about them ; we saw extensively Persephone and her complicated relationship with her mother Demeter blowing up in pieces and patching itself back together, we saw Aphrodite discovering true friendship for the first time, we begun to care for the little Triton and we saw more of poor Melissa. I just had a lot of feelings about everyone and I think Bevis really has a good thing going here, writing good and interesting plots as well as interesting, likeable characters.
The ending leaves us with new questions, but it's still a nice, sweet way to part with our heroes and I think there's going to be another series, which I can't wait to read about.
I recommend this series to fans of Percy Jackson, nice YA and greek mythology, especially to people who like the Hades/Persephone myth.
What a great end to a lovely series!
Okay, I'll try to review this but I may have to come back later to this when I've actually had some sleep so forgive me if I'm incoherent and a bit emotional (everything becomes very sensitive at 4am okay?).
The Iron Queen was action-packed, extremely funny (I was giggling to myself at 3am, lit by my Kindle - dignified stuff), full of nice, heart-warming family/friendship moments without ever falling into the cheesy area and very hard to put down.
This book was narrated in three POVs : Persephone's, Hades' and Aphrodite's. Persephone's POV was quite depressing (with reason), therefore I was very glad that we got to see Hades' and Aphrodite's. Especially since Aphrodite's become my favorite when she appeared in the second book. It was great to see more of her, understand her reasons and motivations, hearing her sass and seeing her finally making friends with other people.
Once again, Kaitlin Bevis impresses me with her modernisation concepts for the Greek Gods, she really didn't do it out of nowhere, she clearly thought about it and everything makes sense and it's great.
But what I liked the most about this book (and come to think of it, this trilogy) was how human it was. I don't know if this one detaches itself from the others because right before, I've read kind of badly-written YA, but it feels like this one is special in the way that it's not written to fit poor romance in it. Bevis had an idea, a concept and characters that she wanted to introduce and incidently a romance. Let's take Cassandra Clare, for example, whose books feel like she wanted to write some cheap romance and realised that she needed to add stuff around it, wordbuild and other characters. The result is that characters feel like they are props to be used to make the plot advance or to hinder the romance, but they never feel real. Clare is not the lone author guilty of this, sadly, but the Daughters of Zeus series never falls into this crap and it's just so rare that I feel like I have to insist on it.
Another thing I liked was Persephone's growth in this book. Zeus keeps repeating to Persephone that Hades only likes her because she's still so human in spite of her being a god and we see her growing harder, colder without succombing to numbness - and it's viewed as an okay thing. Persephone starts striking back, she doesn't let people stomp on her as much as she used to in the first book, and it's a pleasure to read.
We got to know about all these new characters and care about them ; we saw extensively Persephone and her complicated relationship with her mother Demeter blowing up in pieces and patching itself back together, we saw Aphrodite discovering true friendship for the first time, we begun to care for the little Triton and we saw more of poor Melissa. I just had a lot of feelings about everyone and I think Bevis really has a good thing going here, writing good and interesting plots as well as interesting, likeable characters.
The ending leaves us with new questions, but it's still a nice, sweet way to part with our heroes and I think there's going to be another series, which I can't wait to read about.
I recommend this series to fans of Percy Jackson, nice YA and greek mythology, especially to people who like the Hades/Persephone myth.