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A review by shannonleighd
Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead
3.0
*2.75 Stars*
There is a recurring theme in all of Meads books that is starting to make me wonder about her personal life. Could this be wish fulfillment? Or perhaps something that happened to her in her past? For her sake I hope not.
I'm getting the feeling that Mead wants us to hate all her main characters. She has them make idiotic decisions, betray the ones who love them, and do the one thing they should have done in the first place when it's almost too late. They ignore useful advice and instead plow their way through the plot haphazardly, no matter who gets caught in their wake. Eugenie, Georgina, Rose; they're essentially the same person with a few minor tweaks. She makes me want to strangle every single one of them. With Eugenie though, I'm the most disappointed.
The events of this book directly follow those of [b:Thorn Queen|6093337|Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2)|Richelle Mead|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307233069s/6093337.jpg|6170488]. Eugenie's and Dorian's lands are in a war with Katrice and her Rowan Land. Eugenie is desperately trying to find a way to end the war with the least amount of casualties and destruction. A seeress comes to her one night and tells her if she finds the Iron Crown, then Katrice will be intimidated and give up. Dorian confirms as much, but only Eugenie can go after the Iron Crown since it's, well, made out of iron. Without asking enough questions, Eugenie sets out on her quest with Kiyo tagging along, hoping that this one artifact will be her answer to ending the war.
By this point in the book, I was already wary of what would happen. I saw the next series of events coming a mile away. Eugenie's justification for her actions was disgusting. And it's one of those instances where you say to yourself, "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed." And that makes it hurt so much more.
I didn't agree with the way Dorian went about sending Eugenie on her quest, but I did agree with the outcome. Was it betrayal though? No, not at all. Sure, Eugenie has the right to be pissed and indignant, but in no way did Dorian act out of character. He has let his ambitions be known since the beginning. He has always been forthcoming about how he feels and what he wants from her. Even Volusian can see that:
It's these passages that give me pause and think, "Mead knows that Eugenie is a blockhead, and her characters know it too, so why does she make her act like this?" I can't for the life of me figure that out.
Dorian was fantastic in this book. He is still my favorite character. Ever. Eugenie doesn't deserve him, but more importantly, Dorian doesn't deserve her. Eugenie likes to piss and moan about how Dorian is always trying to control her and be her "puppet master," but if he wasn't around to steer her in the right direction, she'd drive herself over a cliff, and then blame him. Dorian wonders at her human emotions and why she can't see the right thing that needs to be done, but it's not her human thinking that makes her do stupid things. She's just being stupid.
As for Kiyo: STAB, STAB, STAB.
So, the ghost subplot. What was the point of that? Eugenie doesn't even solve the mystery; she hires someone else to do it instead. The only point was to have the ghost strategically placed in order to overhear something. Now doesn't that sound familiar? How about Georgina's out of body experiences, or Rose listening in on pertinent information while inside Lissa's head? It really makes me angry that Mead continues to use and reuse the same plot devices.
The thing is though; I can't stop reading her books. I love that she makes me feel heartbroken along with her characters. I feel the betrayal, (maybe not with the intended character,) but I feel something nonetheless. I can't say I hate her series just because they make me uncomfortable.
I devour her books. I speed read them because I can't wait to see what happens next. I alternately hate one character and love another, and can't help rooting for them all in the end. Yes, Eugenie is a stupid selfish brat. Yes, the story is a bit contrived and Mead continues to use and abuse the same plot devices and motifs over and over and over again. For whatever reason though, I enjoy reading them. I love the world she's created and I have to see how things end. I'll probably be disappointed in where the stories go and the actions she makes her characters take, but I won't ever regret having read them. Mead's books are my crack, and I'm a dirty dirty addict.
Here is my review of the previous book, Thorn Queen.
There is a recurring theme in all of Meads books that is starting to make me wonder about her personal life. Could this be wish fulfillment? Or perhaps something that happened to her in her past? For her sake I hope not.
I'm getting the feeling that Mead wants us to hate all her main characters. She has them make idiotic decisions, betray the ones who love them, and do the one thing they should have done in the first place when it's almost too late. They ignore useful advice and instead plow their way through the plot haphazardly, no matter who gets caught in their wake. Eugenie, Georgina, Rose; they're essentially the same person with a few minor tweaks. She makes me want to strangle every single one of them. With Eugenie though, I'm the most disappointed.
The events of this book directly follow those of [b:Thorn Queen|6093337|Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2)|Richelle Mead|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307233069s/6093337.jpg|6170488]. Eugenie's and Dorian's lands are in a war with Katrice and her Rowan Land. Eugenie is desperately trying to find a way to end the war with the least amount of casualties and destruction. A seeress comes to her one night and tells her if she finds the Iron Crown, then Katrice will be intimidated and give up. Dorian confirms as much, but only Eugenie can go after the Iron Crown since it's, well, made out of iron. Without asking enough questions, Eugenie sets out on her quest with Kiyo tagging along, hoping that this one artifact will be her answer to ending the war.
By this point in the book, I was already wary of what would happen. I saw the next series of events coming a mile away. Eugenie's justification for her actions was disgusting. And it's one of those instances where you say to yourself, "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed." And that makes it hurt so much more.
I didn't agree with the way Dorian went about sending Eugenie on her quest, but I did agree with the outcome. Was it betrayal though? No, not at all. Sure, Eugenie has the right to be pissed and indignant, but in no way did Dorian act out of character. He has let his ambitions be known since the beginning. He has always been forthcoming about how he feels and what he wants from her. Even Volusian can see that:
"'I told you that long ago, that the Oak King's own agenda will always come first. As will the kitsune's. But, unsurprisingly, my mistress chooses to ignore the only sound advice given to her and instead listens to those who use affection for their own purposes.'" (213)
It's these passages that give me pause and think, "Mead knows that Eugenie is a blockhead, and her characters know it too, so why does she make her act like this?" I can't for the life of me figure that out.
Dorian was fantastic in this book. He is still my favorite character. Ever. Eugenie doesn't deserve him, but more importantly, Dorian doesn't deserve her. Eugenie likes to piss and moan about how Dorian is always trying to control her and be her "puppet master," but if he wasn't around to steer her in the right direction, she'd drive herself over a cliff, and then blame him. Dorian wonders at her human emotions and why she can't see the right thing that needs to be done, but it's not her human thinking that makes her do stupid things. She's just being stupid.
As for Kiyo: STAB, STAB, STAB.
So, the ghost subplot. What was the point of that? Eugenie doesn't even solve the mystery; she hires someone else to do it instead. The only point was to have the ghost strategically placed in order to overhear something. Now doesn't that sound familiar? How about Georgina's out of body experiences, or Rose listening in on pertinent information while inside Lissa's head? It really makes me angry that Mead continues to use and reuse the same plot devices.
The thing is though; I can't stop reading her books. I love that she makes me feel heartbroken along with her characters. I feel the betrayal, (maybe not with the intended character,) but I feel something nonetheless. I can't say I hate her series just because they make me uncomfortable.
I devour her books. I speed read them because I can't wait to see what happens next. I alternately hate one character and love another, and can't help rooting for them all in the end. Yes, Eugenie is a stupid selfish brat. Yes, the story is a bit contrived and Mead continues to use and abuse the same plot devices and motifs over and over and over again. For whatever reason though, I enjoy reading them. I love the world she's created and I have to see how things end. I'll probably be disappointed in where the stories go and the actions she makes her characters take, but I won't ever regret having read them. Mead's books are my crack, and I'm a dirty dirty addict.
Here is my review of the previous book, Thorn Queen.