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A review by kaite
Magpie's Song by Allison Pang
5.0
This can also be read at my blog: my way by Starlight
Okay team the problem with reading amazing ARCs? The fact that it means sequels are that much further away. Thanks to my friend Katie at Book Ink Reviews for the amazing recommendation!
Magpie's Song, oh my goodness, what can I say except for the fact that this book checked off all the things I want a book to be. Well developed characters with an interesting backstory and several layers? Check. World building enough to stand up to scrutiny and challenge the characters? Check. Both internal and external problems? Check. A varied cast of characters, including realistic supporting characters? Check. Potential romance that was a slow build and only added to the plot, wasn't the whole plot? Double check. And to top it all off we get a floating city, a clockwork dragon, and half-breed children immune to what is akin to the plague? Color me beyond interested.
I adored Magpie's Song. After all who doesn't love a main character who's a bit of a scoundrel? I love Raggy Maggy for that reason. At the moments when I often wanted her to snap back, she did. The sass runs deep in this one guys. And her interaction with other characters? Real, interesting, and complex.
Also all those cute little nursery rhymes at the beginning of the chapters? I almost want to go back end reread them. Somehow I think they'll be important. But truly, this steampunk-esqe novel is going places. We kept getting snippets of a prophecy, which doesn't even come into play at all yet. The main characters aren't paying it any heed which can only mean to me that we either get a lot of action in the next book to resolve the build up from this story, or The IronHeart Chronicles is going to be a multiple chapter wonder.
And world building, Pang has done a wonderful job with the Victorian city of BrightStone. They all dance so well together and yet there are so many layers. She shows in the gaps within classes too. Between the sparkling Meridions, who are literally a class above in their floating city, the BrightStone natives, and lastly but perhaps most interestingly their Moon Children half-breed offspring. The Moon Children to me are perhaps the most interesting, with their own divisions, struggles, motivations, and questionable origins.
All-in-all, I cannot recommend a book more highly. Please, just go read get it, i promise you won't regret it.
Thank you to NetGalley, and Allison Pang for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!
Okay team the problem with reading amazing ARCs? The fact that it means sequels are that much further away. Thanks to my friend Katie at Book Ink Reviews for the amazing recommendation!
Magpie's Song, oh my goodness, what can I say except for the fact that this book checked off all the things I want a book to be. Well developed characters with an interesting backstory and several layers? Check. World building enough to stand up to scrutiny and challenge the characters? Check. Both internal and external problems? Check. A varied cast of characters, including realistic supporting characters? Check. Potential romance that was a slow build and only added to the plot, wasn't the whole plot? Double check. And to top it all off we get a floating city, a clockwork dragon, and half-breed children immune to what is akin to the plague? Color me beyond interested.
I adored Magpie's Song. After all who doesn't love a main character who's a bit of a scoundrel? I love Raggy Maggy for that reason. At the moments when I often wanted her to snap back, she did. The sass runs deep in this one guys. And her interaction with other characters? Real, interesting, and complex.
Also all those cute little nursery rhymes at the beginning of the chapters? I almost want to go back end reread them. Somehow I think they'll be important. But truly, this steampunk-esqe novel is going places. We kept getting snippets of a prophecy, which doesn't even come into play at all yet. The main characters aren't paying it any heed which can only mean to me that we either get a lot of action in the next book to resolve the build up from this story, or The IronHeart Chronicles is going to be a multiple chapter wonder.
And world building, Pang has done a wonderful job with the Victorian city of BrightStone. They all dance so well together and yet there are so many layers. She shows in the gaps within classes too. Between the sparkling Meridions, who are literally a class above in their floating city, the BrightStone natives, and lastly but perhaps most interestingly their Moon Children half-breed offspring. The Moon Children to me are perhaps the most interesting, with their own divisions, struggles, motivations, and questionable origins.
All-in-all, I cannot recommend a book more highly. Please, just go read get it, i promise you won't regret it.
Thank you to NetGalley, and Allison Pang for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!