L. L. McNeil

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Iron Crown

Fenn never imagined he would wake up in the middle of a bog with a looming dragon spirit nearby. To make matters worse his memory is gone. When Calidra and Jiysel find him wandering the forest alone, he realizes they may be his only hope of finding out what happened. As they begin their journey, the companions will find Fenn isn’t alone. Countless people are turning up without memories. An evil once thought banished is returning, bringing with it vicious magical creations impervious to normal weapons. To find answers Fenn will have to uncover a remnant of the past that may bring about the downfall of the land.

The lore of the Dragon Spirits series captivated me. I loved how dragon spirits were created from nature growing its own magic. Each spirit readers encounter is different as they are direct reflections of natural magic. My favorite was Alnothen, a dragon spirit of the forest whose scales and horns matched the deep colors of foliage. She even grew moss and mushrooms along her body painting the picture of a mobile forest in my mind. And the dragons all have different personalities and ambitions as well. I hope the next book explores more about the spirits’ desires as readers only begin to touch on the focus of what they truly want.

The characters themselves felt a little less developed. Pivotal turning points for some characters weren't as well written as I would have liked. Part of this I believe was due to the dialogue not quite matching the emotional tone of the settings. Fenn in particular would focus on subjects outside of the main plot point. Even though he would have an inner monologue berating himself for not focusing on the task at hand, it still threw me out of the overall set tone. There were also some consistency issues I found as the story progressed involving the dragon curses.

However, I still enjoyed The Iron Crown. Woven within the world-building is an overarching mystery sure to keep readers turning the pages. There is wonderful lore, engaging combat scenes, and heartfelt companionship. This was a fun and easy read with surprising twists thrown along the way.… (mehr)

**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Moroda" was my first introduction to both McNeil's writing and the world of "Linaria".
I plan to visit Linaria again in future.
I really enjoyed the author's world building and character development over the course of the book.
I was surprised with the twist at the end of the book.
This book has nearly everything, it has magic, three different types of shapeshifters and dragons.
Q: What would you sacrifice to end a war threatening to destroy everyone that you know and love?
A: Grab this book and find out what one woman sacrifices to do that very thing.
I strongly encourage my fellow readers to check out "Moroda".
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book. I am voluntarily sharing this review. It is my own honest opinion.… (mehr)