Review: Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genres: Historical Fiction; YA; Fantasy

Pages: 384



It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose "afflicted" blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn

Well, I loved this book.

It took me a little while for me to get into it and care about the characters, but once I did there was no turning back. And once I was halfway through I couldn't stop reading.

There were a lot of things to enjoy in this novel.

I mean, the friendship! Corinne and Ada had an awesome friendship. They were there for each other. They sassed each other. They had their ups and downs. They were definitely some strong female characters and I loved their sisterly bond.

And the budding of romance. I admit, Corinne and Gabriel seemed weird to me at first, but they had something cute and I was rooting for them in the end. And Ada and Charlie were adorable. The romance was well written, but it didn't overtake the story (or the friendship. Cuz that is what's important). Seriously, props to the author for this.

The Characterization. These were some well-written and complex characters. I wanted to share quotes with y'all so I could showcase just how awesome Ada and Corinne are, but the Kindle app deleted my highlights.... :( So, you'll just have to take my word for it.

ALSO. I love what the author said about her characters.

When I started Iron Cast, I decided to write about the women I knew to be real, not the one-dimensional caricatures to which we are frequently reduced. It was also important to me that Ada and Corinne have a friendship that wasn't riddled with the jealousy and competitiveness seen so often in popular media. I wanted to write something that reflected the friendships I have in my own life.

I just appreciate that. Thank you Destiny Soria!

So overall, great characters, great friendships, great romance.

As for the plot, it could have been faster moving, but it was enjoyable and there twists I didn't see coming. The magic system ("Hemopathy," it's called) was really interesting and, I thought, unique.

One thing did bother me, however. Now, maybe I was just completely blind, but I don't think the author threw in enough details leading up to the big reveal in the end. There was one fact she just kind of threw in there at the end, and I just wish I could have traced all the elements that made the plot come together throughout the ENTIRE story, but it mostly all came at the end. Not a huge complaint; I just thought it would have made for a tighter, more interesting plot.

To summarize, though, I thought Iron Cast was excellent. Definitely keep your eye out for this one in October!

Content: There might be some mild language. I would label it a clean read.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

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