Monday, February 27, 2012

Review - The Nightmare Garden

by Caitlin Kittredge
publisher: Delacorte BFYR
date of publication: February 14, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 436
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:
Everything Aoife thought she knew about the world was a lie. There is no Necrovirus. And Aoife isn't going to succumb to madness because of a latent strain—she will lose her faculties because she is allergic to iron. Aoife isn't human. She is a changeling—half human and half from the land of Thorn. And time is running out for her.

When Aoife destroyed the Lovecraft engine she released the monsters from the Thorn Lands into the Iron Lands and now she must find a way to seal the gates and reverse the destruction she's ravaged on the world that's about to poison her.

What I Thought 

Having only recently finished The Iron Thorn, I had the benefit of having every detail about the world and storyline in regard to this series fresh in my memory.  Setting out to read the next leg of Aoife's journey toward setting wrongs to right turned out to be even more enjoyable in this, the second novel in The Iron Codex series.  Gone are the pieces of the story's puzzle that didn't manage to grab my full attention in The Iron Thorn.  Instead, The Nightmare Garden is comprised of a fantastic blend of action, adventure, magic, and intrigue, as well as a touch of tragedy.  All of these components made for a wonderfully riveting read that left me wishing I had given up my nail-biting habit, as I didn't quite know what to do with myself at times.  The further development of the world Caitlin Kittredge has created left me reeling from the sheer intricacies of it.

Aoife grows as a character by leaps and bounds in The Nightmare Garden.  She sheds her school girl persona even further until she is left with a steel backbone and much more courage than she had previously possessed.  Being Aoife, however, she is still in possession of an astounding amount of stubbornness, so much stubbornness, in fact, that I was often left unsure as to whether I admired her or was frustrated by her.  In any case, she made for the perfect heroine for this novel, as the storyline had so many twists and caveats as to require a strong character.  Thanks to a combination of wonderfully wrought characters, riveting storyline, and an intriguing and menacing world, readers are sure to find themselves pulled into this action-packed, vivid, and emotional story.

I very much enjoyed the growth that I found within The Nightmare Garden.  That it was able to cast away all of my doubts and ensnare me speaks well of the nature of this ever-growing series.  Caitlin Kittredge's amazing world of iron, gears, and monsters is one which you won't soon forget.  This is a series that I want to fall into and follow until the very end.  With its intensity and spectacular world-building, The Nightmare Garden is a book you won't soon forget.





Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review. 

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