Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was looking for a book to take me away from it all while my favorite authors (Saintcrow, Aguirre, Bishop, Harrison, Briggs, etc.) are between books. Blood and Iron filled the bill. There was more of an emphasis on the plot machinations of fae and magi, with a Duke of Hell thrown in. In fact, it is a bit hard to keep all the players together without a list of characters and their relationship with each other. I kept wondering if this was the first in a series, because there seemed to be info that I was missing, people who had died that I should have known. The relationships are given short shrift and that is a shame given that she does her best to create some kickass characters and a great world for them to live in. So while I am recommending the book, it is with reservations as I finished it wanting more. Wanting to feel more for the characters. Wanting the love relationships to have been more achingly real. For heartbreak abounds in this book, but it is a distant heartbreak and it shouldn't be.


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