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iron castWhat: Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Who: Amulet Books

When: October 11th 2016

How: A copy of this novel was provided by ABRAMS Kids for review via Net Galley.

It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.

4cats2When I saw that Iron Cast had been compared to The Diviners, I was instantly excited because I love The Diviners, I love the twenties (ignore that this is 1919, please), and I was just all ‘round keen for Iron Cast.

There were four main things that I loved about Iron Cast:

1) The best-friendship between Ada and Corinne.

I absolutely love it when there’s a friendship like this in a book. These girls were willing to do anything for each other, and always put each other first (instead of their respective love interests). All the time. I just really loved how much Ada and Corinne loved each other, even when one was annoying the other, or when they were fighting. Real love goes beyond that, and it was really refreshing and lovely to read such a gorgeous friendship in Iron Cast.

2) The hemopathy.

I really, really liked the idea of hemopaths, who can do interesting things because their blood is special. Although, I have to say that there wasn’t ever an explanation given for their abilities, or why iron causes them pain except that there was no explanation. That was kind of annoying, because I like to know why things are the way they are. But even so, I loved these abilities, and they were quite unlike any others I have read about before.

3) The storyline.

I almost put Iron Cast under ‘mystery/thriller’ because it had that same kind of mysterious edge as The Diviners did, except not as overt. There were mysterious things happening, and people who had you questioning their trustworthiness, and I was quite surprised by how intense this story became at certain points. There’s really not a dull moment in Iron Cast.

4) The side characters.

It’s not very often that the side characters in a book are standouts. Quite often, I come away from a book wishing they had been more fleshed out, but that was not the case in Iron Cast. Even though the book is told from alternating perspectives of Corinne and Ada, the side characters were really fleshed out. There are the two love interests Charlie and Gabriel (one sweet and adorable, the other stoic and somewhat suspicious), the third best friend Saint (who is adorable, and who I wanted to have his own chapters, to be honest), James (who is Saint’s romantic interest and gosh darn they were cute together), and Madeline (James’s wife by convenience and a character that I would have loved to know more about).

All of these characters added so much to the book, and I was pretty much just invested in them as I was in Ada and Corinne.

~

Overall, there was a lot to like about Iron Cast, and if you’re into historical fiction with paranormal elements, best-friendship, and diverse books, then this is the book for you.

© 2016, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

trigger warning: torture, false imprisonment of a parent, racism, murder, physical assault, and police brutality in this novel

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Posted on: October 14, 2016 • By: Chiara

20 Responses to Four Fantastic Things in Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

  1. Valerie says:

    I absolutely LOVED THIS. I kind of wish this was a series (I know what am I saying?) because I want to get to know the #squad more. I know next to nothing about James, and Madeline (*sob*) and I think we got to half know about Saint, but not really. BUT ANYWAYS. That didn’t stop me from loving Ada and Corinne’s friendship. AND I AGREE ABOUT THE HEMOPATHY. I think I would have loved to learn more about it as well, but I am content with what I was given. Again, I would like a sequel hahahah.

    Awesome review Chiara! AS USUAL. I’m glad we both liked it :)

    • Chiara says:

      YAY. And yes, I want this to be a series! I feel like it definitely has the potential for it. Especially since so much happened at the end. And Saint could be the next POV character *screams*

      I was content with the information on hemopathy, but I wouldn’t have said no to more!

      Thanks, lovely. I’m glad we both enjoyed it, too :D

  2. Jackie B. says:

    I’ve heard this book compared to The Diviners, and honestly, I really disliked The Diviners. But I *want* to love this book. I love the 1920’s, I am super excited about the character development, too! Your review is the first I’ve read, and it gives me hope. I look forward to eventually reading this. :)

    • Chiara says:

      Oh no! I’m sorry you didn’t love The Diviners! This one is really different, but just shares some of the same aspects – magical 1920s + friendship, mainly. I hope you like it if you ever get around to reading it, Jackie!

  3. Ohh I LOVE when the secondary characters are amazing too! I feel like it’s a mark of an exceptional book if the reader ends up wishing secondary characters had their own books!! heh.? But anyway, this wasn’t quite on my radar until recently because i’m not a huge fan of historical fiction? BUT MAGIC. And diverse cast. AND FEMALE FRIENDSHIP. I’m in.

    • Chiara says:

      Same! If I ever say that I want books about the side characters it means they are great :D Oh, I’m glad to have put this one on your radar, Cait! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

  4. I think I’d like this one (and I still need to read The Diviners). I LOVE good friendships in books where they don’t turn on each other because of romantic relationships or other things. Sorry the hemopaths weren’t really explained though. I’m sure I’d want to know more!

    -Lauren

    • Chiara says:

      It’s really lovely, Lauren! (And I HIGHLY recommend The Diviners, it’s a fave of mine.) The friendship was great, so if you love good friendships then you need to read this one! Yeah, that was really the only downfall of what was otherwise a great book :)

  5. I saw this come up too and thought about it like the Diviners, so I’m glad to hear that there were some fascinating elements that compared for you Chiara! I like the sound of the hemopaths whic his fascinating and I’m glad to hear that the storyline and side characters were done really well. Fantastic review Chiara!

    • Chiara says:

      Even though this ended up being quite different to The Diviners, I would still recommend it to fans. It has the same kind of elements, although not as creepy, haha. Thanks, love!

  6. Aentee says:

    I love the sound of this book, and the gorgeous cover already has me charmed! Wonderful to hear about the fully fleshed out side characters and the relationship between the girls in this novel. It’s so sad that YA is so lacking in positive female friendship, but I am happy to hear that this book helps bridge the gap. The fantasy element of the hemopaths also sound incredibly fascinating! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    • Chiara says:

      I am so in love with the cover! I feel like I need a physical copy just so I can have it in my life.

      The side characters were AMAZING, and I would 100% read books about them. And yes, the friendship was lovely. It wasn’t perfect (what friendship is?), but it was so real, which was lovely.

      No problem!

  7. Ooh, I haven’t heard of this book before, but the premise is definitely very intriguing. I love the fact that there’s a strong friendship element there between the two main characters. Just goes to highlight the importance of having a mate by your side, which too often gets forgotten or sidelined for the romance. NO, that is not how real-life works!

    Glad you really enjoyed this one Chiara, great review!

    • Chiara says:

      I’m glad to have put it on your radar, Joy! The friendship element was so lovely to read about, and definitely resonated with me.

      Thanks, lovely!

  8. This book sounds so very wonderful, Chiara – thank you so much for sharing it with us! As much as love has always been my first love, I also adore books where friendship (especially best friends!) takes the main stage. It can feel slightly boring and repetitive when every. single. book has a subplot with a love interest, no? So glad you enjoyed this one, dove. It looks fantastic. <3

    • Chiara says:

      It is wonderful! I highly recommend it, lovely. Especially since you adore friendships! That definitely takes the front seat in this book, rather than the romantic relationships, which was refreshing. Thank you, lovely <3

  9. Oooooh this sounds delightful. I thought it would be steampunk based on the cover, lol. I need to pick this up! I’m so interested ♡

  10. Romi says:

    Ooh, this sounds neatttt *sighs because books make me happy, you know, and this one sounds, as I just said, neat* I’ve never actually heard of it before, but it looks pretty (superficial me, but truly it’s a gorgeous cover) and sounds interesting (I haven’t read the Diviners yet, one of the reasons being I’m concerned it may be too dark for me, and if this is a *little* similar and it’s already caught my attention, I might do well to give it a try first) and that friendship sounds like everything.

    I also love it when you get to know more than the MC and their respective best friend/love interest. Knowing side characters, appreciating their own story and wanting to know about them as much as the MC is something I love (although when they overshadow the MC and I only want to know about them… That’s a little difficult to navigate.) and would definitely seek out in the books I’m reading. IT SOUNDS FAB.

    Basically, this whole (gorgeous, utterly beautiful) review has made me want to read this a lot. *thumbs up to you* I look forward to chatting more intently after I’ve read it! xx

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