The Iron Crown by L.L. MacRae- a review

Fenn’s first and only memory is finding himself in the middle of a forest, face to face with a dragon spirit mocking him, all knowledge gone apart from his own name.

Lost and confused, his only hope for answers is Calidra—a woman living on the edge of the world with her partner. Forced to return home when her father dies, Calidra has put off facing her estranged mother for seven years, and she begrudgingly helps Fenn, forging papers for him so he can avoid the Queen’s Inquisitors.

But her mother is the least of her worries when they discover an ancient enemy is rising again. It should be impossible with the Iron Crown in power—and Fenn is terrified he might unwittingly be playing a part in the war’s resurgence.

Surrounded by vengeful spirits and powerful magic, Fenn’s desperate attempt to find his way home might well alter the fate of Tassar, and every power in it.

L.L. MacRae’s The Iron Crown is one of those books that just immediately clicks. It almost makes it difficult to write a coherent review because of that, from the beginning I was so swept up by this book, that it’s hard to think of where to start. I had been meaning to read this for a while, then realized that the audiobook was available, and narrated by RJ Bayley no less.

I couldn’t have been more than a few paragraphs in when I realized, this book was exactly what I was looking for! First, we meet Fenn, lost in a swamp, with no memories other than his name. Honestly, this isn’t necessarily a set-up that would usually draw me in, the protagonist with no memory. And I think that only goes to highlight MacRae’s impeccable storytelling… because it did! Even just those few moments of Fenn with no memories lost in a bog.

Then we meet Hassen.

Now, I don’t like to go too into the details of the stories I review. While I’m not too concerned with spoilers myself, I know others are, and to varying degrees. Some may want even the smallest of details to be left to be discovered, and I’d prefer to respect that. Especially because this book is such an adventure, every unexpected detail is a joy.

So I’ll just say, that meeting with Hassen was the moment I knew this book would be a top ten for me. And it only continued to get better.

Throughout, the story unfolds through several POVs. The characters are all well-realized and feel like real people. As you’re reading, you’re rooting for them, hoping for them, cursing their names, gritting your teeth and clenching your fists at… well, you’ll know who.

The pace is engaging, the prose is excellent, the story itself is amazing… the world…

Every now and then, I’ll see the question posed: “if you could live in any fantasy world…” y’all know the question. Well this is mine. Despite some of the awful events going on… the mysterious return of the Myr, the strange amnesiacs, the ever looming possibility of war… MacRae has crafted an immersive world that seems so vivid, beautiful, and straight up interesting.

Which brings me to the next thing. The Dragon Spirits! I’ve been babbling this long, and barely even brought up the Dragon Spirits. And the descriptions of those Dragon Spirits! I want artwork of them. They’re amazing. MacRae paints such a picture of them with her prose that… well, these are my favorite dragons. They just are. You just have to read it.

Now, before I wrap up this review, as I said in the beginning, I listened to the audiobook. It’s narrated by RJ Bayley, and I don’t think it’s any secret that I think he’s the best in the business. Bayley takes these already amazing stories, and the characters within them, and just breathes an auditory life into them.

So if you’re looking for epic/high fantasy of the best degree, if you’re looking for an intriguing world and engaging characters, if you’re looking for a fantasy adventure, that has elements that lean toward the dark side at times, humor at others, and downright heart wrenching at still more … you’ll laugh, you’ll tear up, you’ll get angry, you’ll only want more!

The Iron Crown is firing on all cylinders. I can’t recommend this book enough. While listening to this audiobook at work, I even almost missed the end of my shift I got so wrapped up in it.

There is no doubt I will be making it a point to read/listen to everything in this series. I’ve already started listening to the sequel The Shadow Gate. And the third book, The Broken Sword is up for pre-order!

For more information on these books check out L.L. MacRae’s site here: https://www.llmacrae.com/