Scan barcode
adeselnaferreira's review against another edition
30% DNF: I have no clue of what is going on and who the hell the characters are. The plot looks like it's going nowhere and it takes forever for something to happen and the dialogues are just empty. I'm not sure if it's the way it is written or just the plot itself but I had such high expectations... I hope to read it again one day. Maybe then I can finish it.
hatterxerxes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
mellhay's review against another edition
4.0
A story with an alternate Victorian Era of elegance, full of crafted magic, touch of steampunk style mystery, and a cunning of Sherlock Holmes creating a memorable and stunning partnership of Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare.
****FULL REVIEW****
Emma Bannon might have been a late to save one unregistered mentath, but she was in time to save Archibald Clare. Though they will have to fight sorcery to keep him safe, that's where Emma comes in - a Prime Sorceress. The Queen relies on sorcerers and mentath's to help her run the country. Someone has been killing registered mentath's of the Queens, and now moved on to unregistered ones. Clare does not feel he was fully the focus after the first attack in the presence of Emma. Maybe the focus on sorcery too?
A story with an alternate Victorian Era of elegance, full of crafted magic, touch of steampunk style mystery, and a cunning of Sherlock Holmes creating a memorable and stunning partnership of Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare. I am a magic lover. I also truly enjoy the Victorian Era feel with steam accents. Blend them together and I'm sold! Lilith blows you away with the combination and an intriguing murder mystery.
Each paragraph is compacted with details of every angle. The world grows, the characters grow. The case reveals. Every word is needed to feel the creation here.
I enjoyed the Prelude. Clare and Bannon first meeting as Clare is called to the Queen by Bannon's visit. Ooooo, makes me curious of Clare and his history along with the strong-ness present in Bannon. When danger is afoot for Clare. We learn quick as the story takes off and doesn't slow with the information or action.
I was taken with the term mentath. See, Clare is a mentath. Mentath's are like walking talking calculators and logic analysts. He reads everything from reactions of people to encyclopedias and deduces logical answers. And he's right! But magic throws a wrench in the gears of his thinking process. For any mentath actually. Clare handles the "logic" of magic rather well...but does find an aspect that doesn't compute for him. When this happens, a mentath can be lost in their minds. Emma finds Clare is unexpectedly digesting magic easier than any mentath has, and could use his logic and calculating to find the murderer.
Now we have the magical side of things. Oh, I don't know where to start to describe this best. Emma is a special brand and branch of magic. It is so COOL! to see her at her best (or worst she might thing). The wave of magic that flows through the city each morning. The powers present. Wow. The Queen and the country...WOW! Emma is strong and a protector. yet, she still wonders about her Shield, her protector that fights to protect her as she is one of many valued sorcerers, with his history.
We get to see the thinking and reasoning from both Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare, Sorceress and Mentath. Two completely different takes on things and the world. Magic and Calculating. We get a chapter from both point of views, moving the story and mystery forward at a solid pace.
This book is worth picking up. It's heavy with amazing building and story.
****FULL REVIEW****
Emma Bannon might have been a late to save one unregistered mentath, but she was in time to save Archibald Clare. Though they will have to fight sorcery to keep him safe, that's where Emma comes in - a Prime Sorceress. The Queen relies on sorcerers and mentath's to help her run the country. Someone has been killing registered mentath's of the Queens, and now moved on to unregistered ones. Clare does not feel he was fully the focus after the first attack in the presence of Emma. Maybe the focus on sorcery too?
A story with an alternate Victorian Era of elegance, full of crafted magic, touch of steampunk style mystery, and a cunning of Sherlock Holmes creating a memorable and stunning partnership of Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare. I am a magic lover. I also truly enjoy the Victorian Era feel with steam accents. Blend them together and I'm sold! Lilith blows you away with the combination and an intriguing murder mystery.
Each paragraph is compacted with details of every angle. The world grows, the characters grow. The case reveals. Every word is needed to feel the creation here.
I enjoyed the Prelude. Clare and Bannon first meeting as Clare is called to the Queen by Bannon's visit. Ooooo, makes me curious of Clare and his history along with the strong-ness present in Bannon. When danger is afoot for Clare. We learn quick as the story takes off and doesn't slow with the information or action.
I was taken with the term mentath. See, Clare is a mentath. Mentath's are like walking talking calculators and logic analysts. He reads everything from reactions of people to encyclopedias and deduces logical answers. And he's right! But magic throws a wrench in the gears of his thinking process. For any mentath actually. Clare handles the "logic" of magic rather well...but does find an aspect that doesn't compute for him. When this happens, a mentath can be lost in their minds. Emma finds Clare is unexpectedly digesting magic easier than any mentath has, and could use his logic and calculating to find the murderer.
Now we have the magical side of things. Oh, I don't know where to start to describe this best. Emma is a special brand and branch of magic. It is so COOL! to see her at her best (or worst she might thing). The wave of magic that flows through the city each morning. The powers present. Wow. The Queen and the country...WOW! Emma is strong and a protector. yet, she still wonders about her Shield, her protector that fights to protect her as she is one of many valued sorcerers, with his history.
We get to see the thinking and reasoning from both Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare, Sorceress and Mentath. Two completely different takes on things and the world. Magic and Calculating. We get a chapter from both point of views, moving the story and mystery forward at a solid pace.
This book is worth picking up. It's heavy with amazing building and story.
kimlynn77's review against another edition
I find nothing more frustrating than an author who thinks that they describe their world-building accurately when they don't. I got the chapter 19 and was just too frustrated to go on. I would appreciate a glossary, introduction, heck, even a webpage with notes on what the made up words mean. I still have no idea what Clare's mentath (ability?) can do, what exactly can a Shield do besides protect?? What is a flashboy?? I think a dragon is the same as a wrym but it was as clear as mud. Saintcrow should take note of Meljean Brook's web-page cheat sheet of the Iron Seas series. Because of that I was able to understand the world better and I thouroghly enjoy that series.
sturmykins's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun alternate-London mystery. I like the combination of sorcery and extreme logic, though it would have been nice to have just a little more explanation of the world. I'll definitely read the rest of the books in this series.
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
1.0
I tried, I TRIED to like this story. At 89 pages in I felt sure the story was almost over (it wasn't), and at the book's halfway point I finally gave up.
I'm generally a fan of Lilith Saintcrow's work, but "The Iron Wyrm Affair" was bulky and overwrought. The writing needed vigorous pruning, and the worldbuilding needed an EMT, stat. The plot itself had a great deal of potential but ended up drowning in descriptions of a world that was supposed to (but failed to) enchant us. Emma Bannon felt flat too often, like Saintcrow couldn't figure out who she was beyond meshing a few strong-female-character stereotypes. Archibald Clare started off as a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes, and while his own character improved and grew away from the Holmesian ideal, he never struck me as intelligent as he was supposed to be.
I'm glad I got it for cheap, but I'm still so, so disappointed.
I'm generally a fan of Lilith Saintcrow's work, but "The Iron Wyrm Affair" was bulky and overwrought. The writing needed vigorous pruning, and the worldbuilding needed an EMT, stat. The plot itself had a great deal of potential but ended up drowning in descriptions of a world that was supposed to (but failed to) enchant us. Emma Bannon felt flat too often, like Saintcrow couldn't figure out who she was beyond meshing a few strong-female-character stereotypes. Archibald Clare started off as a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes, and while his own character improved and grew away from the Holmesian ideal, he never struck me as intelligent as he was supposed to be.
I'm glad I got it for cheap, but I'm still so, so disappointed.
tinynavajo's review against another edition
5.0
Wondrous
This is an intriguing viewpoint of the world of London, in a world where clockwork and sorcery mix, a ancient Britannia that is reincarnated to keep watch and rule over this world, along with those who are purely logical and those who are magical. I’m excited to see what happens in the next one and what continues to happen to Emma Bannon and Clare.
This is an intriguing viewpoint of the world of London, in a world where clockwork and sorcery mix, a ancient Britannia that is reincarnated to keep watch and rule over this world, along with those who are purely logical and those who are magical. I’m excited to see what happens in the next one and what continues to happen to Emma Bannon and Clare.
dr_e_lee's review against another edition
2.5
It felt like I missed a whole book that explained the world and the magic. The writing was very choppy and hard to follow. The story seems promising so I will give the next book a shot.
follypotter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mamap's review against another edition
4.0
My first steampunk that I liked.
Victorian.
Bannon the Prime and Clare the Mentath.
Victorian.
Bannon the Prime and Clare the Mentath.