• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420111795
• ISBN-13: 978-1420111798

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Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear. . .

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation–one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril. . .

Iron Crowned is the much anticipated third book in Richelle Mead’s Dark Swan series. The series follows Eugenie Markham, newly made Queen of the Thorn Land and daughter to the epically feared Storm King. She must maintain her responsibilities in the Otherworld as Queen while also paying her bills and keeping her house as a part-time shaman in the real world. War is raging between her land and the land of Rowan. Her only hope of winning this War and minimizing deaths is to seek the Iron Crown…

I’m just going to jump right in and say that I grew quite frustrated with Eugenie’s childish stubborness. At this point in a series we expect a character to really grow, but in Iron Crowned she does several things that truly had me disappointed in her. She turns her back on newly acquired responsibilities, taking full steps backwards instead of forwards. She starts off in the novel as this kickass Queen, and then halfway through the book she ends up an Anita Blake cliche. Nevertheless, this is her story and it was told in true *smokin hot* Richelle Mead style. There is definitely drama, and most of it was predictable, but there is one *GASP!*-style betrayal that definitely threw me for a loop. Dorian continues to be the strongest and most enjoyable character to follow. He is what he is. He has never pretended to be otherwise nor has he tricked her in to believing he is something else, like some other characters have {coughcoughKIYO}. Although he does manipulate Eugenie at times in to doing something, he makes it clear (to me!) that he sincerely does have her best interest at heart. Even if it just happens to directly effects his best interest as well . The few heart-touching moments in this one completely revolve around Dorian. At this point, HE makes the series for me. I want him to prevail, and to be happy!

The bottom line with Iron Crowned is that you might not like what you are reading with how things are playing out, but you definitely won’t be able to put it down. Without giving away too much, when you reach the last page, you will want to throw the book as it ends quite abruptly. I enjoy this series, but I really don’t feel like it holds a candle to her Georgina Kincaid series. Maybe it’s not fair to compare the two, but there you go. I still have faith that with the events in this one that Eugenie will truly rise to her potential and be the Queen the Otherworld needs her to be!

Dark Swan is set to be a 4 book series, so the next book will be the end. And we only have… 10 months to find out what happens next. *bites nails*

1. Storm Born
2. Thorn Queen
3. Iron Crowned
4. Title TBA – January 2012