I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but I’m out on this one. DNF @ 12%.

The first book, The Iron Codex, was only a three star read for me. There were a lot of reasons for this, which I outlined in my review, but the way the story meandered and the love interest characters were a huge part of that rating. The only reason The Nightmare Garden made it to my TBR was the wicked world building, which was this fantastic steampunk/faerie mashup written so beautifully... and I fell in love with it.

12% in, and I’m not seeing evidence of the aspects that drew me into the first book. The character quirks that bothered me seem amplified, and the Lovecraftian gruesomeness in the world building seems to have taken a back seat to Aoife’s journal.

All in all, this isn’t the book I was hoping for, and I didn’t love the first book enough to persevere.

The Nightmare Garden is the second book in the Iron Codex series. I've been eagerly awaiting it ever since I read the first book last year. In this series we follow Aoife and her ragtag group of companions on a quest for answers and ultimately redemption. All Aoife wants is to fix the things that she has broken. To find a way to be normal again. Unfortunately for her that doesn't seem to be in the cards. Everything that comes her way is dark, and adventurous.

One thing I completely loved about this second book is how much more of Kitteredge's world we get to see. In The Iron Thorn Aoife shows us Lovecraft and a glimpse at some of the surrounding area. In this book we are treated an in depth view of The Mists. A drab, cold and in between place that is hauntingly beautiful. On top of that, Aoife treks across all manner of new and interesting areas. From a high flying city in the sky, to a quiet shanty town, it was a delight to watch Kitteredge effortlessly craft more of the world I wanted to be lost in.

Making it even easier to get lost in this book, is the fact that all the familiar characters are back. Aoife and her brother interact a lot more here, and I loved the way that they were so different. Dean is back and sweet as ever. I was so excited to find out more about him this time around! My one gripe was Cal. Poor, sweet Cal. In the first story he was such a standby for Aoife, such a best friend. In this one he doesn't really make much of an impact and is kind of just there to be counted among the group. It bugged me that he changed so drastically and Aoife just seemed to push him to the side.

The other thing that nagged at me was the pacing in the book. I understood that it was a slow buildup to what was coming at the end, but it felt bogged down at times. Although I deeply love these characters, the first few chapters were a slight chore for me to get through. I am happy to say though that, once things were off and running, I was in for the long haul! Despite the length of this book, it seemed to fly by once I was fully immersed. If you are a reader who is easily daunted by slow first chapters please keep reading! The Nightmare Garden picks up pace and you'll be breathless by the end.

Speaking of the end, cliffhangers. I am thourougly hooked and baited, waiting for the next installment. Although this isn't my favorite in the series, I'll be honest and say it is still fantastic! The Nightmare Garden sets up some questions that I really want to see answered in the last book. If you enjoyed getting lost in Lovecraft the first time, I can guarantee you'll find even more to love this second time around.
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When this series began, Aoife was a well-behaved engineering student. Her mother was mad, her brother was also mad and possibly a traitor, and necrovirus monsters surrounded Lovecraft City, and but Aoife just wanted to keep her head down and her mind clear long enough to graduate and work with engines. But then her brother sent a mysterious message, calling Aoife out of safety and on the run. Since then, she discovered that the necrovirus is really magic and that she herself has fairy blood, and shortly thereafter destroyed the barriers keeping the fey and human worlds separate. Now Aoife is in more danger than ever.

Aoife's universe is a fascinating mixture of steampunk, malevolent fairies, and magical forces so much more powerful than us that they would rip our brains apart if we so much as thought of them. It's fab! Aoife herself is wonderfully complex. That said, I did enjoy this, but less so than the first book. The plot is so convoluted, and Aoife's goals change so often, that by the end I was pretty tired of it. ( )

Caitlin has done it once again. She wrote an outstanding book. I love Caitlin’s writing style it is FANTASTIC. I love Aoife I love the way her character is so realistic. I liked the way she sorta makes the same mistake in this book has she did in The Iron Thorn. Her character did not grow as much as some of the other characters but that is part of why I like her so much. And in this book she is determined to fix the mess she created when she broke the Lovecraft Machine by finding The Nightmare Clock and turning back time but there are a few people who will do anything to stop that from happening. Aoife and her group of friends set out on a journey to right the wrongs that she has created by letting the fae and monsters into the human world when she destroyed the Lovecraft Machine. Things are not going to be easy though so you are in for an epic adventure as Aoife tries to right her wrong doing by listening to Tremaine who does not seem to be finished with her yet. I will let you all know this does leave on a cliffhanger making you wished you had book 3 in The Iron Codex Trilogy : The Mirrored Shard scheduled for release in late 2012 to early 2013 now.

I love the way Caitlin transports me into another time and place with her writing. Her world building is well out of this world awesome. ( )

Caitlin has done it once again. She wrote an outstanding book. I love Caitlin’s writing style it is FANTASTIC. I love Aoife I love the way her character is so realistic. I liked the way she sorta makes the same mistake in this book has she did in The Iron Thorn. Her character did not grow as much as some of the other characters but that is part of why I like her so much. And in this book she is determined to fix the mess she created when she broke the Lovecraft Machine by finding The Nightmare Clock and turning back time but there are a few people who will do anything to stop that from happening. Aoife and her group of friends set out on a journey to right the wrongs that she has created by letting the fae and monsters into the human world when she destroyed the Lovecraft Machine. Things are not going to be easy though so you are in for an epic adventure as Aoife tries to right her wrong doing by listening to Tremaine who does not seem to be finished with her yet. I will let you all know this does leave on a cliffhanger making you wished you had book 3 in The Iron Codex Trilogy : The Mirrored Shard scheduled for release in late 2012 to early 2013 now.

I love the way Caitlin transports me into another time and place with her writing. Her world building is well out of this world awesome. ( )