A Crown of Iron & Silver (Soulbound #3)

Im in LOVE!!!! Ever since reading Kate Daniels, the Foxhole Court, Captive Prince, or Red Rising Ive been clamoring for a new series to fall in love with. Finally, I found another one to fill the hole that Kate Daniels left behind. Lucky me, there will be 7 books in the series – 4 more to come. A Crown of Iron & Silver was as fantastic as hoped. It delivered on the key points that I was most interested in, Patrick and Jonos relationship, their growing pack, and an action packed story. Patrick and Jono are a wonderful couple. They have come to rely on each other in a deep and harmonic way. It helps that theyve come to know each other so well and trust each others capabilities and decision making. Feelings have deepened, and its very satisfying to see them grow even closer with each book. Im a bit in love with both of them myself, since they remind me so much of Kate and Curran (in a sense not literally). Their pack is growing slowly but steadily. And Im in love with the diversity of their growing group. Its not just wolves that come to Jono. Its Jonos acceptance of all creatures that really brings this pack together. Patrick, as always, gets dragged into one fascinating case after another. And where Patrick goes Jono goes as well. There is no boring minute in this book. Maybe even a touch too much action, if Im really critical here. I would have loved more time with Patrick and Jono being a couple, and living together. I was missing the domestic side of their relationship a tiny bit. But boy, that didnt keep me from reading this book as fast as I could meaning, in one sitting lol. Im a bit giddy that I found this series. I wasnt aware of how big the hole was that needed to be filled with a new and amazing UF series.

I have to admit, Im getting a little lost in all the fae/human/magic/supernatural epics out there today. Ultimately, all of these must come from a combination of Tolkien, the grandfather of all this sort of fantasy, and the cultural impact of Harry Potter. It is fascinating to see all the variations that have burgeoned in the last decade, and to note the quality of the best of these. Hailey Turners Soulbound series hooked me from the start, because of the characters of Patrick Collins and Jonothon de Vere. Turner has also taken this genre to some sort of logical extreme incorporating not only werecreatures (the result of a pandemic virus) and vampires, but magic, and virtually every sort of cosmological pantheon known to the west. I realized with a start after finishing A Crown of Iron and Silver that none of the Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam seem to exist in this otherwise contemporary world. This, I guess, would be because of the survival of the Nordic, Celtic, Greek and Roman religions (presumably because of magic) through the presence of their gods in human life. The absence of any ancient Eastern deities may be simply something the author is waiting on (surely Hindu gods would be interesting complications). It is a very Euro-centric world Turner has built, and Id be curious to see her take on some Asian cosmology given the vast Asian population in New York City. Whatever Turners long-term plans are for this series and its big-hearted, brave and loving central characters, she knows how to fill a book with page-turning action and genuine human(ish) emotion. Both Patrick (a battle mage, trained by the U.S. Government) and Jono (a god-pack werewolf of great power) are linked to ancient deities Patrick to the Greek Persephone, Jono to the Nordic Fenrir. On top of that, they have become soul-bonded inadvertently (perhaps through divine intervention, or meddling) allowing them to channel magic as a duo. This, inconveniently, is a capital offense in every country of the world, so it sort of has to be hush-hush. On the other hand, this secret weapon is something that they will obviously need in future confrontations with Patricks demented and power-mad father, Ethan Greene (a name itself derived from the Olde Tyme Salem coven so deeply rooted but misunderstood in American colonial lore). So, in short, a hot mess of interwoven tropes, piling everything on and amazingly making it mostly coherent. This third book in the series focuses heavily on the fae worlds of ancient Ireland or the two fae kingdoms within the larger fae world beyond the veil. Ethan Greene will do anything to become a god, and he has learned to capitalize on the arrogant neediness and deceit of the fae courts in a startling and dangerous (as in danger to the entire world) ways. Patrick and Jono are just trying to live a normal urban gay life together (complete with their teenage ward, Wade Espinoza, who just happens to be a dragon, and is a nicely hilarious note that keeps the proceedings from getting too dark). Patricks soul-less and evil father, however, has other plans. Turners familiarity with all of the legends and cosmologies she uses is what makes any of this great seething stew make sense. She sees all of the deities in all their selfish, egotistical reality, desperate to be remembered by the human world they look down on. The deep irony is that a gods power is entirely dependent on how and how well they are held in human memory. They are capricious and mostly lacking in compassion. Imagine global governments trying to control the behavior of the non-human world on top of general geo-politics, and it can make your head spin. You have to be nimble and detail-oriented to pull off a narrative like this, and it seems Ms. Turner has what it takes. Not everyone is going to embrace this messy world and its extremes, but for those looking for this kind of page-turning armchair adventure, its a wild ride indeed.

I need to regress a little back to the first book and say I almost didn\’t finish reading it. I was lost and confused after 3 chapters in and set it down for awhile. Let\’s just say I\’m glad I went back and picked it up and finished it, the 2nd one, and now this one. I have enjoyed the series immensely. Now as for this book specifically, I was very happy with this one. By now I\’m used to a lot of the things that are happening in the Jono and Patrick world. I will warn readers that there are a LOT of characters (almost said people but so many are Fae, Shifters and Gods that you really can\’t just sum them all up as people) to keep track of. I did get confused as to who was who a few times. You figure out pretty quick though who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Hint…you never figure that completely out when dealing with the Fae Gods. I loved the way the bond between Patrick and Jono really shined in this book. Patrick finally accepts that Jono is his and vice versa. Sage and Wade are both a comforting presence as well. Wade brings so much comic relief to what would otherwise be a very intense book. I\’m really hoping that eventually he gets his own story and his own love. The book ends in another HFN. There is still so much that needs to be done and so much unresolved at the end, but even so I was satisfied with the ending anyway.

I am not sure I have words to explain how much I loved this book, but I\’ll try. This was epic. As fast paced as the previous two books. It answered some of the open threads we had in the previous while opening so many news routes. I love how, once again, the main story is threaded through this book\’s plot without overshadowing it. It was amazing, the fights, the relationships, the humour, tenderness and sadness all their in spades. Wade was so so good (and deserves his own story). Jono and Patrick, I just love them so much, it\’s like watching two of your friends evolve in their relationship and oohing along the way. Just a great book, that I will happily re-read and listen to, over and over again

Im simply loving this whole series. It has plots galore, solid friendships, and feeds my interest in myths and legends. Patrick and Jono are so good together and Im waiting to see Estelle and Youssef get their comeuppance. Roll on book 4

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