I love this series so much. Great characters, fun "world." ( )

Good but not great ( )

Oh, the dastardly cliffhanger. Dead villains aren't dead, society's most influential is the most dangerous evil villain in the entire drama and we have always hated her just on principle. More please, of course, I'm buying the next book and eschewing all other reading lines.
( )

Iron Garland marks the midway point of the Harbinger series. In most series, this is where the story slows down and not much happens as the author slowly moves pieces into place but withholds any sort of resolution in order to keep the tension for the concluding installment(s). I am so glad to report that Iron Garland does not succumb to that problem. It is not a stand-alone novel in any sense of the word, but enough of the story lines are given a sense of completion that it feels like a novel and not just a part of something bigger. But at the same time, Iron Garland stands as a great middle chapter in a much larger epic.

A full review of the story line would reveal too many spoilers, but I can at least say that Iron Garland continues the stories of Cettie Saeed and Sera Fitzempress. As the Kingfountain novels loosely followed the Wars of the Roses, so these loosely follow the early reign of Victoria. But having that knowledge makes the story even more enjoyable: Wheeler does not slavishly copy history with the names changed, but uses it as a springboard to create a complex set of events leading to climactic final chapters (and additional books in the series). Iron Garland opens with a shocking death and doesn't let up until the final surprises in the last chapter. I got to the end and had to remind myself that the next installment is still months away.

But the book's strengths come not just from the action (which is well paced and frequent) but also from the various characters and their relationships. We get to see Cettie and Sera grow into even stronger protagonists, as they deal with one problem after another. Wheeler is one of the leading proponents of clean fiction, but that doesn't mean boring or flat characters: both Cettie and Sera face tough moral questions throughout and do not always respond like Polyanna. But it's still a morally complex story that gives the reader more than just an action buzz.

This may be a cliche, but I honestly am looking forward to the next installment, more than I have found myself doing in a long, long time. In general, I've gotten tired of the 'grimdark' storytelling that a lot of fantasy holds to these days, but Wheeler's fresh and exciting storytelling has given me renewed hope for the genre. We need more of this.

(Disclaimers: (1) I received an advance copy of the book in exchange for this review; (2) I was the book review editor on the original run of Wheeler's Deep Magic magazine, and so I have counted Jeff as a friend for more than a decade. My enthusiasm over this book comes not from any desire to help him get sales -- he has managed that well enough on his own -- but because this is one really good book!) ( )

Iron Garland, the third installment in Jeff Wheeler’s Harbinger series starts three years after the events of the last book. Sera has been isolated in Pavenham Sky after her disgrace in the last book. Though she is a prisoner, she is not broken; instead, she bides her time until she can make a move. Meanwhile, at Fogwillows, Cettie has grown stronger and more independent in her role as keeper of the estate. She continues to grow stronger with the Mysteries, but her life might fall apart as secrets from her past threaten to come to light.

I find that, for the most part, I liked both of these protagonists – Sera, with her stubborn determination; Cettie, with her maturity and strength – though neither girl knows what she is capable of. This was my favorite in the series so far for several reasons, such as its fast-paced nature with corruption and under-the-table political maneuvering that makes you want to know what’s going to happen next. However, I feel that the author focused much more on the religion of this world (and Kingfountain) more than he did in his previous books. While it was present an integral part of his Kingfoutain series, it was done subtly in a way that didn’t feel as preachy. However, I can appreciate the detail and the story that has gone into the series so far, and I look forward to reading the next two installments.

Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )