So good I wanted to talk about it. Good thing I belong to a writer’s blog – because frankly my cats are tired of listening to me wax poetic on the topic.
Sinead said that what’s interesting about this book is that all the scenes make it go forward. So when I read it I had that little germ in my head and it really stuck. Having just finished my WIP, one of the things Molly said when she read it was that there are a few scenes were really I’m just restating information the reader already knows, because I’m trying get the information from one character to the other. It’s repetitious. No good.
Iron Duke does none of that. Everything feels fresh and new. All the information given is building on what we know. Sometimes forcing us to make connections.
Now, here is the flipside – sometimes I had to go back and re-read previous chapters to understand what she was putting together in the end (not easy in the Kindle! – see previous rant on this). But I blame that on me. A focused reader shouldn’t need the story repeated for them, a good writer shouldn’t do it. It makes me think we’ve gotten a little lazy as readers. We’re used to filler and rehashing and retelling. So much we’re not working hard enough to hold on to the details when they come. Meljean Brook forces you to think through her book and I LOVED that.
I also think if the idea of Steampunk Romance turns you off – I know I was on the fence – please dismiss the label. Call this book anything. Paranormal, Alternate Universe. Post Apocalyptic… none of that matters.
Great story. Great characters. Great chemistry. Great sex. What else do you want?
7 comments:
Iron Duke sounds amazing! I've heard so much about it that I think I'll have to go in search of a copy, after Christmas :)
The last great book I read was actually just last week. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho, which I have since reviewed on my blog (feel free to go check it out). The most impressive thing about this book, and in fact everything written by Coelho, is that it makes me seriously think. Even if I don't want to to think about what I'm reading, Coelho doesn't offer the choice. Fabulous read which I will likely re-read in six months, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. :)
I'm loving The IRON DUKE too. I think it's destined to be the next DWT book that gets raved about constantly.
Like you, Steph, I've had to back up a few times. I should read the Kindle manual. I'm sure there must be some search tools that would make the backing up easier.. (I did accidentally discover that if you push the right or left arrows on the control thingy, it takes you fwd or back a full chapter.)
I've hit the part of the book where they, um, have really hot and believable and unique-to-them sex for 100 pages. Hard to put down.
I think not since Zsadist has an author created such an emotionally gripping sex related conflict.
I read too many books each week to pick just one-but I would have to say Taken by Midnight, Nauti Nights, Styx's Storme, Dreamfever, Lone Survivor (non-fiction), Living Nightmare, Eternal Hunger, and Entwined. Those are what I read the past 2 weeks and are some of my favorites!
yes, Steph,let's have more discussions about the Iron Duke...
Loved that it made the romance important, but that the romance didn't short shrift any of the other elements of the book.
Not only have I heard of anyone who disliked TID, I haven't even heard of anyone who thought it was average. It seems to be all out praise for this novel. I really should get around to reading it!
A recent book I loved was 'Good Grief' by Lolly Winston. I listened to the audiobook and that really added something.
Oh Iron Duke...so good. I loved that the only serious flaw, the only thing that bothered me is that nothing was explained - nothing was spoon-fed but like you said, it made it so some of the connections were out of left field or didn't make sense without rereading - it hurt some of the readability - the accessibility for me, but frankly, I would rather read something that errors in that direction than in the other.
Another book you need to read - oh do you ever - Graceling by Kristin Cahore? Lahore? Can't remember - YA fantasy - AMAZING!!
oh and M. - Good Grief is one of my favorite books - I read that on an airplane - bawling my eyes out and had to explain - sobbing to my kindly seatmates that it was the book, not my life making me cry so hard. Great book.
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