Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books

You couldn't help yourself, could you Megan? Why did you have to do this to me? Of course I still love you and I f-ing loved this book again but you know I have to hate you on some level for what you made me go through in this book.

Iron Pendulum is the sequel to the fantastic Steel Lily and I'm happy to say it's just as brilliant! I'm not going to give a short summary because I don't want to give away any spoilers! I knew it was going to be good, but sequels often suffer from the Second-Book-Syndrome. Some manage to be pretty good or even great but mostly they're just set-ups for the upcoming epic finale (if it's a trilogy). Most of the time, they're not better than the first book. They're not supposed to be like this. They're not supposed to make you sob and yell and ugly cry. My head is still spinning from all these twists and all the heartbreak.

My mind is still a bit woozy so I'll babble a bit about what I liked and that's it. I loved that the story wasn't boring! There were so many twists that I didn't see coming! Megan destroyed me in this book. I ugly cried. Multiple times. And I don't do that. Not ever! This woman is awesome and Megan I'm so happy you decided to send a review request to me last year for Steel Lily. I love you, but like I said, I kind of have to hate you a bit.

I love Avery, Jaxon, Dana, Sari, Lexie, Alice,... All those great guys. Jaxon is yummy, Avery is awesome, Dana is hilarious and fantastic! I grew to love Vince over the course of the book. He grows on ya. Not gonna lie, people die in this book. And it will break your heart. Megan, you evil genius.

I cannot recommend this series enough. It's fantasticly written and remain surprisingly original in the dystopian genre with its steampunk hints and the elemental powers stuff I love so much. So pick up Steel Lily and then Iron Pendulum so we can talk about how great (but mean and evil) Megan really is.

My favorite quotes:

~ "I'm never going to let you go," he whispered. "You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone as long as I have breath in my lungs. And I don’t plan on giving that up anytime soon." - Jaxon

~ "Do you want to figure this shit out, or hug someone and sing Kumbayah? Because we don’t have time to waste, and I don’t like singing." - Vince

~ "Pike, why does everyone think you’re the key to life as we know it?"
I sighed. "Beats me. I trip putting my pants on in the morning." - Vince & Avery

~ "Whether or not you say the words, the feeling is there, baby girl. That reprieve from the pain you feel when he’s close? That’s your heart finding its home in another soul. It happens once, maybe twice if you’re lucky in your life. That’s love. Don’t let it go, whatever you call it." - Dana

Like any great trilogy, the second act things take a decided turn for the worse as our plucky band of characters takes its lumps, bruises, and losses.

Keeping on par with the twists of Steel Lily, Iron Pendulum doesn’t come up short! Large portions of this book only make true sense in hindsight. I’m yelling at these characters while I’m reading, “What are you doing?! Why would you do that!?”and so on. But then you get to that moment when you really understand what’s been going on under your nose the whole time and you go “OOH! That’s WTH was going on!!” and then you stop and mop up your brain after it’s been blown.

So grab your popcorn, a box of tissues, and settle into a great continuation of the series that will leave you wishing your time machine wasn’t in the shop so you could jump forward when book 3 is released.

Iron Pendulum has been a long time coming, after finishing Steel Lily I had to read this, I NEEDED to know what would happen next, so I not so patiently waited, and when the opportunity arose to be part of the blog tour, I kept my fingers and toes crosses that I could participate.

Iron Pendulum picks up after Steel Lily, with Avery, Sari, Jaxon, and Alice mapping the tunnels to try and find some weakness in the headquarters defences. Very quickly this group of friends find themselves in a whole lot of trouble, threatening the lives of themselves, and the ones they love. Going into Iron Pendulum I knew what to expect from Megan's writing, so I began reading as soon as I could, eager to discover what would happen next.

Iron Pendulum is full of webs upon webs of secrets, mysteries, and lies. How Megan knew which was which, and who was who, and manage to get it all into the book to fit together seamlessly is beyond me, yet all of these make up a really interesting, thought provoking read. The twists and turns keep you guessing about what will happen, but also keeps you wondering who is on Avery's side and who isn't. Everyone has their own idea, their own goals they are striving for, and some of them will not be budged. As each new problem is thrown at them, some of the ingenious ways they figure it out is spectacular.

Towards the end of Iron Pendulum we are suddenly faced with new problems, one of which broke my heart. We also discover who is really on Avery's side, and one revelation shocked me so much. I did not expect this person to betray Avery, and go against her ideas and plans to make it a better place, and if it were possible to reach into a book and grab someone by the neck, this person would definitely see my hand around their neck in a heartbeat.

Iron Pendulum is full of adventure, mystery, romance, and also sadness, but every single chapter in this book makes a great read, and now the countdown is on for the next instalment. Maybe a bribe of virtual cookies will let me find out what happens to .......

First, let me say that I really loved reading the first book in the Periodic series, Steel Lily, so when I had the chance to participate in this tour for Iron Pendulum, I jumped at it. Megan Curd created a wondrous world in Steel Lily that had me wishing I didn’t have to wait for the release of the second book to read more. I’m excited to be part of the tour and promote Iron Pendulum, as well as the Periodic series.

Although Iron Pendulum is the second book in the Periodic series, Curd provides a great synopsis of the events that took place in the first book through back-story that avoids being the usual info dump. So even though I have read Steel Lily, I appreciated the reminder for myself, as well as the fact that it wouldn’t turn off and/or confuse new readers who hadn’t read it.

The characters in Iron Pendulum were stand out. I love character rich stories and this does not disappoint. I was delighted to once again become immersed in the lives of returning characters, Jaxon, Alice, Sari, and, of course, Avery, and to meet new ones. I also loved the contrast of good vs. evil. Curd has created some truly villainous villains in Iron Pendulum. In some books, I can find something sympathetic about the bad guy(s), but not so here. The villains in Iron Pendulum are evil and, as I read, I kept hoping they would get their due in the end. But even with this, Curd still manages to keep her characters from being one dimensional and flat, which can detract from my enjoyment of a story.

Iron Pendulum is one of the best steampunk books that I have read. The world building is fantastic and really draws me into the characters’ lives and surroundings. Curd has created an engaging series that showcases the best of steampunk and dystopian worlds. I can’t wait to see where Curd takes the series in the third book, Copper Phoenix, which is expected to be published in December 2014.

*ARC provided by author in exchange for honest review/blog tour*

I’m not sure if any of you were aware of how much I loved the first book of this series, Steel Lily and if you haven’t read it yet, you totally should because it’s AWESOME. Iron Pendulum is equally awesome and I think even better than Steel Lily.

I love, love, love this series because it’s such a good idea. I mean, elementalists! That’s awesome! And I loved that we got to see more elementalists in this book and that Avery’s powers grew. That was my favorite part of the first book and I was really looking forward to seeing more of that in this book, and I definitely was not disappointed.

This book was just such a great follow up, and I know that sometimes with sequels it’s hard to match the level of the first book, but I think that Iron Pendulum definitely did a great job in keeping the story going while also introducing some new things. There were a few bits where it dragged, but nothing that made me want to put it down, and there were TONS of action-packed scenes and witty dialogue (oh Jaxon, how I love thee) that I was sucked into the book from the beginning and read at any point I could (I do not recommend trying to navigate stairs while reading).

It was great to see some of my favorite characters from book one (Sari, Lexie, and Alice), and I liked that we got to meet new characters (Vincent and Dana). I loved Dana–she was such a great character, and Vince’s father was a character that I loved to hate (he angered me so much).

Mostly what I loved about this book was that there were so many shocking things and just things that didn’t go the way I expected. (And I have to take a moment here and say thank you Megan Curd for not making a Jaxon-Avery-Vince love triangle because I got really worried there for a minute.) There was an absolutely heart-wrenching scene that I did not see coming and I was sooooo sad. I mean, it’s a great book because it made me feel those emotions but why would you do this to me?! I cried. There was also a betrayal (not as shocking as when you find out Xander is the evil guy (and grrrr I hate Xander)) that I sort of saw coming but was still hoping that it wouldn’t go the way it did.

The ending was so intense and I was just on the edge of my seat the whole time. Things took so many twists and turns along the way and there were so many things I didn’t see coming, which made the book so enjoyable.

Overall, I totally loved this book and I’m loving this series so much. I can’t wait to read the third book and see where things go. And seriously, if you haven’t read Steel Lily get on it, because you’ll need to buy Iron Pendulum immediately.

INITIAL THOUGHTS
To say I was impressed and flattered is an understatement for how I felt when I was approached to read this, the second book in The Periodic Series, and review it too.
I was really looking forward to catching up with Avery + Jaxon and their fledgling relationship as well as learning more about then Alliance (good guys) and the ever experimenting resistance ruled by Xander.

MY REVIEW
I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review, and for posting that review during the blog tour.
The cover of Iron Pendulum is really eye catching and really adds to theme created with the Steel Lily cover. The cogs and wheels are carried over and I'm looking forward to seeing the cover for bk 3 Copper Phoenix hopefully continuing with this great cover theme.
Would the cover make me pick up the book from a book store shelf? Yes it certainly would, I think it gives the series a steampunk feel. The cogs are quite symbolic too of "things" within the plot all needing to fit together to reveal the larger picture/plot.
So Avery, Jaxon & Alice are going undercover and back into Dome 4 to find out what has changed. Sadly a lot has changed and it isn't for the better. The "normal" "Traditionals" side of the dome is even more rundown than before. If it is even possible their conditions have gotten worse. The governor, Lindroth appears to be rationing the Air Filtration, so it means the traditional's are needing to wear their masks more and more. The richer Elite side of the Dome don't appear to be short on power for the air filtration system and even if they were they have much more expensive superior masks to wear should the need arrive.The three teens find a place to stay with Dana and the youngsters she has taken in to love and protect when their own families cannot care or are no longer there to care for them. It was Dana that took in Avery when her parents disappeared. Avery's "talent"/element is as usual in much demand. Though it does seem that no matter how much power and steam she gives there is never enough to go around or even give a regular supply of clean air for the "traditional's" to breathe. In fact families are becoming ill due to the problem air they breathe in despite having their "protective" masks. Some of the children that Dana cares for are also getting sick and coughing up blood. Avery, Jaxon etc need to find out whats going on and what can be done to save the children and people that are dying.
Avery must infiltrate the governors departments so she sets herself back into the task of using her ability. The one who replaced her (Erin) becoming jealous and resentful of Avery's return. Governor Lindroth assigns his son Vincent to keep an eye on Avery, whilst Jaxon tries to get close to Erin and find out the truth about the Zeroes army. Both Avery and Jaxon want to find out if Lindroth and Xander have some sort of plan.
Another character that features a lot in this installment of The Periodic Series is Legs, however there are a lot of questions as to where his loyalties really are. This book has lots of action, drama, conspiracy, betrayal, love of course and more!
I really can't go into any more details than I have as you need to read the book for yourselves. The end was kind of and abrupt end but a great cliff hanger ending. I love the characters even more than when I initially met them in the Steel Lily. I also loved the fact that the Steel Lily was mentioned in this book. I like the idea and the description og the Iron Pendulum in this book and am seriously already anticipating who/what the Copper Phoenix will entail within it's pages.
So did I enjoy the book? I'm being totally honest here, I truly loved it.Would I recommend the book? I do recommend this book, in fact I highly recommend this series. Would I want to read more of this series? Yes, please I'd love to read the Copper Phoenix as soon as it's available, please. Would I want to read other books by this author? I'd like to check out some of this authors other books too.

You can check the ebook giveaway on my stop of the blog tour!
GIVEAWAY


It embarrasses me to say that even though Steel Lily was one of my favourite books of 2013, by now most details from the book were hazy in my mind and I had to check my notes from before to remember some of the things that had happened. I didn’t remember some characters and that is a no no when you’re reading a sequel. I probably should have re-read book 1 but unfortunately, I had no time to do so if I wanted to post the review in time. That being said, I’m sorry if this review isn’t as thorough as it should be.

In Steel Lily, Avery and her friends had managed to escape Xander and went to work with the rebels, led by Lexie. In Iron Pendulum, the group’s objective is to enter doume four and try to stop Xander’s horrendous experiments. In Steel Lily, we got to meet the Zeros, people from WWIII. Now, we have a new development: in one of their excursions trying to get into the Doume, the friends encounter a familiar Zero, one of Avery and Alice’s classmate, Chase. It seems Xander’s experiments are evolving and things are starting to become even more ugly. Adding to that, when they reach Doume four, it seems everyone blames Avery for the lack of Steam.

However, Avery’s powers are evolving and new abilities start to surface. I loved how every character seemed to grow. Avery is still that always honest, direct girl I couldn’t help but love in Steel Lily. Alice is still a tiny bit annoying but I loved her banter with Jaxon. Oh god, that was hilarious. In the beginning, Jaxon is trying to be everyone’s hero but it’s Avery who gets to save the group from several Zeros, creating a, poo typhoon in the sewers as Alice says. Obviously, the girl had to savour the chance to joke about Jaxon’s poor figure covered in crap (her words, not mine). One of the things that proved that my memory sucks ass, was me not remembering the fact that Jaxon had dreadlocks. Don’t ask me why, but when I started reading Iron Pendulum, I forgot all about his appearance and thought he looked like a nerd. Sad, sad, sad. Despite that, I still gushed about his and Avery’s relationship as it developed and grew. The phases, the increasing intimacy and trust… Yup, Jaxon is still up there in my book boyfriend list.

I wanted to say so much more but I don’t want to spoil the book. Let me just say that Curd’s writing style is still as much addictive and enticing as it was. It’s simply but vivid. The reader is right there with Avery and the group. Go pick The Periodic Series up if you like the dystopian genre. It’s one of the best out there, in my opinion. I haven’t stopped bugging my friends about it, trying to get them to read it, so it’s legit!

I would say I enjoyed Iron Pendulum more than Steel Lily. I think Curd's writing improved, the storyline felt a lot smoother and less jumpy. In Steel Lily, there was a lot of jumping from one drama to another whereas in Iron Pendulum there was a lot more tension building. I also think the steampunk theme that runs throughout the series was a bit jarring initially in Steel Lily only because it was so obvious and because I'm not a huge fan of steampunk.

I adore Avery and Jaxon's relationship. They are both wise-crackers, always at the edge of being rude. They have this amazing rapport, Curd did an excellent job on their dialogue, it is quite funny. I also loved that although Avery and Jaxon seemed to have an instant connection, the old love at first sight archetype, Avery was still in control of herself. I get very frustrated with heroines losing their ability to control themselves over the love interest even against their better judgment. However, Avery could see this attraction for Jaxon but she initially fought it and remained wary of Jaxon until she could trust him. This all occurred in Steel Lily, in Iron Pendulum we see the growth in their relationship and the dependence they have for each other. They feel the jealousy and overcome it because the trust each other. That was incredibly refreshing. I hate love triangles so I was glad the outside characters were there to test relationship's strength not break or alter it.

The main storyline was quite fast paced but with room to build tension. It saw Avery dealing with the backlash of her impulsive actions, more responsibility and more emotion. Iron Pendulum had just as many twists as Steel Lily. However, they were more easy to guess, whereas in Steel Lily, the main twist came as a huge shock. Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable read, there were a few inconsistency that bothered me but that is mainly brought down to the fact that I'm a tad pedantic. The characterisations were great, they had flaws so they acted like real people. The storyline was good, it flowed nicely. Curd sets the scenes really well, the descriptive language was quite beautiful and I'm sure if you love steampunk you'd really enjoy it.

Although this is a fairly positive review, I still didn't hugely love the book or series but I can't quite put my finger on why that is. I've struggled with young adult books in the past because I found them too shallow but in this one the characters are more realistic and they deal with emotion in a normal way so I'm unsure. I even looked through other Goodreads reviews of it, not to plagiarize I swear... I was hoping someone else had pinpointed what I could not but alas, that had not happened. So if you have read it and know what I'm talking about I'd love for you to explain it to me! Therefore, I'm going to give a 3.5 out 5 stars for a mark. I do plan on reading the next book when it comes out, it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I have to know how it is resolved!