Review – The Iron Garland by Jeff Wheeler

My third foray into the the author’s Harbinger series, and boy was it good. Oh, by the way, there are some minor spoilers.

Cettie is now settled as keeper of Fog Willows, with the her role even more important as Fitzroy is away leading the war effort against Kingsfountain. Sera has been ostracised and has been living under the watchful eye of Lady Corrine, who keeps her locked away from the public eye after her setback in book two.

Both women have new problems. and some old ones come to the fore again. Cettie still struggles with acceptance among “proper” society, due to her coming from the Fells. New neighbours arrive from a rural setting, and they aren’t cowed by the customs of the gentrified society. and look like they may be friends too, but not all is perfect. Her brother Stephen has problems that require Cettie to step in and help, but it leads to more problems down the road.

Sera accidentally meets an old friend who has news for Lady Corinne, but it doesn’t end well. With the war costing a lot of lives on both sides, Sera is sent to Kimgsfountain to broker an armistice, with the aim of marrying the crown prince Trevon, who we met in book two. She likes Trevon, but matters do not go according to plan. Meeting an old friend in the foreign court helps her along the way.

The book starts three years after book two, with little to no information about what happened in between. I’m no fan of exposition overkill, but there are moments where events are alluded to that could be explained in some degree without ruining the pacing. The story moves along at a fast pace, despite the lack of “action,” and it’s extremely well written, suiting the Victorian era that it endeavours to emulate. The steampunk vibe is still in effect, and the differences with Kingsfountain are minimal but obvious.

A well-written enjoyable addition to the series that adds some juicy pieces towards the end of the novel that make endeavouring to skip book four and exercise in futility.

4/5 stars.