Kentucky Interlude: Reviewing Iron and Magic

Iron and Magic (2018)
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Series: Iron Covenant #1 (Kate Daniels #9.5)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 406 (Kindle)
Publisher: NYLA

Why I Chose This: My 2019 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic is to read the books in the Kate Daniels series and finish up with a first read of the final book. This is my first time reading this title.

The Premise:

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself — and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both.

No spoilers

Discussion: This book launches a new trilogy in the same world as the Kate Daniels series, but the authors recommend that it be read prior to the final book in Kate’s series. Who am I to argue? The timing truly is perfect, and anyone coming to this book cold without prior knowledge of Kate’s books is missing out on a lot of context and cool plot points.

You might remember Hugh d’Ambray as Kate’s evil father’s right-hand man, leader of a killing force of monsters and responsible for a lot of pain in Kate’s life and those of her friends. He’s responsible for so much death and misery, so why would we be interested in reading a book starring him, much less a book that involves a romance?

This is where Andrews’ ability to create three-dimensional characters shines. Hugh and his Iron Dogs have failed Kate’s father too many times, and now they’re out of Roland’s protective sphere. What better way to create a redemption arc than through the romance novel trope of an arranged marriage with a strong and powerful woman?

And…it totally works. By the end of the book, I was cheering for Hugh’s survival.

But let’s back up a moment. At the beginning of the book, Hugh is a drunken mess, and his former underlings need him to step up and take care of the remaining Iron Dogs. They’re short on food and defenseless against Roland’s new favorite, the head of his necromancer force. Luckily, a small group in Kentucky desperately needs protection against foes of their own, and a business arrangement is worked out. The marriage bit is necessary to fool the outside world into thinking the pact is stronger than it actually is.

I mentioned in a previous review that Hugh had received the new toxic masculinity crown for this series. Reading from Kate’s perspective, that was absolutely true. In reality, Hugh does not differentiate between the men and women under his command. He respects power, and his new “wife” Elara has plenty of it. None of their conflict is based in misogyny, which is refreshing in a fantasy world. Other fantastic bonuses to this story for modern readers include a deaf character who is included in all important events and never treated as a liability and Hugh’s representation as a recovering alcoholic and former addict.

Elara is his perfect match in more ways than one (just don’t tell them that). The fall-out of the arranged marriage trope does not follow the typical romance novel arc I expected, once again highlighting the Andrews’ storytelling ability. I’d have been disappointed if they had followed expectations. Instead, every clash between Hugh and Elara is intriguing and even fun.

With so much focus on the trouble that follows Hugh, we don’t get as much information about Elara and her people as I’d have liked. Luckily, there are two more books to fill in those blanks.

But before that, the final confrontation with Roland is at hand. With this book, new alliances have been formed. And everyone in Atlanta is about to be surprised at the force rolling out of Kentucky.

In conclusion: Don’t read this book just because you’re afraid of missing story points that will be important to the conclusion of the Kate Daniels arc in Magic Triumphs. Read this book because Hugh is a genuinely interesting character. I’m already looking forward to the continuation of this trilogy, and not just because it means more cool books set in this world.