To Bear An Iron Key - Jackie Morse Kessler
ISBN - 9781939765192
Publisher - Month9Books
Release date - May 6th 2014
To Bear an Iron Key is the first in a new and exciting series from
acclaimed author Jackie Morse Kessler.
Five years ago, the young witch Bromwyn refused a
gift from the powerful fairy king. Tonight, on Midsummer, that decision comes
back to haunt her. When her best friend Rusty picks the wrong pocket, he and Bromwyn
are all that stand between their village and the rampaging fairies who have
pushed through the World Door. If they cannot outwit the fairy king and queen
before the World Door closes at sunrise, the friends will lose everything—their
village, Bromwyn's magic, and Rusty's life.
From To Bear an Iron Key by Jackie Morse Kessler:
"Bromwyn turned to face the burning fields. Reaching deep inside
of herself, she closed her eyes and touched the core of her power, the place
where her magic lived, where it connected her to all of Nature. She held onto
that magic, let it fill her almost to the bursting point, and then she cast it
out onto the fields. It blanketed the rows of spelt, and she felt as it rode
the wind—Air—and then touched the grain—Earth—and then sizzled around the
fire."
I find it hard to resist stories involving the fey/fairies/faeries so when I read the synopsis for To Bear An Iron Key it went straight on to my wishlist and I jumped at the chance to join the blog tour.
Bromwyn lives in a world where her grandmother is known as Wise One, her mother is Mistress Cartomancer and Bromwyn herself is in training to become a full-fledged witch and betrothed to Brend, the blacksmith's apprentice. The action all starts when Rusty (real name - Derek!) steals something from the wrong person, Bromwyn's grandmother but it soon becomes clear that this has somehow come about as part of Bromwyn's final test before finishing her apprenticeship. What looks like a swirling silver marble turns out to be the iron key that locks the World Door where the Fey come through once a year, on Midsummer's Eve. She knows this can't possibly be a good thing and is more worried about what it means for Rusty, as the one who bears the Key is the Guardian of the door, has to deal with the Fey and ensuring chaos doesn't ensue whilst they are free in the human world.
Rusty surprises her though, by showing that he can be mature and not act the fool - he interacts with the Fey as if he had been doing it all his life and he finally be the man he wants Bromwyn to see, not just the little boy who has been her best friend for so long. I loved all the characters in TBAIK, Bromwyn and Rusty were fantastic main characters and the supporting characters too were well written, well developed and likeable - even the bad guys of the piece! The relationship between Bromwyn and Rusty was great, truly believable 'best friends' with the hint of something more - no instalove here thankfully. Bromwyn's relationships with her mother and grandmother were much more complicated, there seemed to a lot of resentment and anger on Bromwyn's part but this all added to the authenticity of the characters. Both the writing and the world-building were fantastic, you find yourself completely immersed in village life, down to the finest detail and I completely agree with Bromwyn's need to be barefoot all the time. It was the little details like this that made TBAIK a really lovely read, it has a dollop of fantasy, fairy tale, romance and mystery that would make it appeal to both a YA and older MG audience. The Fey in TBAIK were more 'real' than a lot of fairy books, there were no sparkling and glitter bombs here, just a great read! I'm not sure if TBAIK is a stand-alone or a series but either way if you like books about the Fey (that aren't Tinkerbell like) then do make sure to read Iron Key, it's got a bit of something for everybody and I'd love to see more of the world Jackie has created.
I find it hard to resist stories involving the fey/fairies/faeries so when I read the synopsis for To Bear An Iron Key it went straight on to my wishlist and I jumped at the chance to join the blog tour.
Bromwyn lives in a world where her grandmother is known as Wise One, her mother is Mistress Cartomancer and Bromwyn herself is in training to become a full-fledged witch and betrothed to Brend, the blacksmith's apprentice. The action all starts when Rusty (real name - Derek!) steals something from the wrong person, Bromwyn's grandmother but it soon becomes clear that this has somehow come about as part of Bromwyn's final test before finishing her apprenticeship. What looks like a swirling silver marble turns out to be the iron key that locks the World Door where the Fey come through once a year, on Midsummer's Eve. She knows this can't possibly be a good thing and is more worried about what it means for Rusty, as the one who bears the Key is the Guardian of the door, has to deal with the Fey and ensuring chaos doesn't ensue whilst they are free in the human world.
Rusty surprises her though, by showing that he can be mature and not act the fool - he interacts with the Fey as if he had been doing it all his life and he finally be the man he wants Bromwyn to see, not just the little boy who has been her best friend for so long. I loved all the characters in TBAIK, Bromwyn and Rusty were fantastic main characters and the supporting characters too were well written, well developed and likeable - even the bad guys of the piece! The relationship between Bromwyn and Rusty was great, truly believable 'best friends' with the hint of something more - no instalove here thankfully. Bromwyn's relationships with her mother and grandmother were much more complicated, there seemed to a lot of resentment and anger on Bromwyn's part but this all added to the authenticity of the characters. Both the writing and the world-building were fantastic, you find yourself completely immersed in village life, down to the finest detail and I completely agree with Bromwyn's need to be barefoot all the time. It was the little details like this that made TBAIK a really lovely read, it has a dollop of fantasy, fairy tale, romance and mystery that would make it appeal to both a YA and older MG audience. The Fey in TBAIK were more 'real' than a lot of fairy books, there were no sparkling and glitter bombs here, just a great read! I'm not sure if TBAIK is a stand-alone or a series but either way if you like books about the Fey (that aren't Tinkerbell like) then do make sure to read Iron Key, it's got a bit of something for everybody and I'd love to see more of the world Jackie has created.
International Giveaway
- Four (4) winners will receive an ebook copy of To Bear an Iron Key by Jackie Morse Kessler (INT)
- One (1) winner will receive an ebook copy of To Bear an Iron Key by Jackie Morse Kessler AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card or B&N Gift Card – Winner’s Choice (INT)
This sounds like a great book! Thanks for the review!
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