I don't say as much when the books aren't related to my job as a librarian.

Is this a great novel? No. It's fun. I am using this series as my bibliotherapy. I enjoy the eclectic group of characters. I'm not fond of Yvon at all; he bores me quite honestly. The character of Lukas is far more interesting. It's an odd thing to say, but I don't see chemistry between Eloren and Yvon. I will say that I've been listening to the books, which can prejudice a reader based on the presentation. I'm also unsure of the spellings.

In this novel, we meet all of the diverse characters who don't obey the rules of staying pure and believing that the Gardnerian are the superior race and all else should serve them or be annihilated. My favorite character remains Diana. They're all making plans to leave and save the less fortunate when all hell breaks loose. It appears that evil has the upper hand. We all know that Eloren has more power than she thinks and is probably the black witch. In the end, we have good vs evil with romance thrown in with all of the characters, showing that diversity and inclusion trumps narrow-minded race purity. ( )

This book is a fun sequel, but I found it hard to enjoy because of repetitive events and themes, presented below.
- Welcome to the Resistance, who solves every problem by calling for help.
- Elloren thinks about Yvan. All. The. Time.
- Between the reader and the cast of characters, only Elloren is surprised by anything.
- Elloren says she is willing to do anything for the Resistance, but she literally refuses to do the only strategic power-play within her ability, i.e. wandfast to Lukas Grey. ( )

Any times that I read a series I find myself forcing to get through the second book in a series, but this 2nd book in The Black Witch series was filled with huge action and lots of explanations and background stories. I found myself flying through this book and transfixed throughout every page!!
I do recommend reading the two Novellas that come out just before this book. It'll help in the understanding of huge plot events. ( )

This is by far one of the best books I have read this year. If I could give it 10 stars I would! The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest is the second book in an amazing series, The Black Witch Chronicles, which is about a girl who everyone feels may be the next fabled Black Witch to destroy the land. This book was even better than the first. It was fast paced, emotionally charged (I cried twice!) and also introduces us to new friends and enemies. The emotions drawing her to Yvan become increasingly more complicated as he refuses to let her know about his power and what it might mean he is. Her ties to Lukas become risky as the resistance urges her to use that connection to find out more information to pass to the rebels and her aunts increasing insistence that she wandfast to Lukas is pushing Elloren into dangerous territory that will force her to question her loyalty to her aunt and everything she grew up believing in. ( )

Der zweite Band führt die Geschichte des ersten Bandes nahtlos weiter - es ist also nicht zu empfehlen, mit diesem Band in die Geschichte einzusteigen.

Elloren ist mittlerweile mit einer bunten Gruppe befreuntet - Lupins, Icarals, Kelts, Urisk, Selkie, Amaz - und fühlt sich ihren Landsleuten immer mehr entfremdet. Durch das immer noch vorhandene Interesse des Commanders Lukas Grey an ihr bietet sich ihr aber die Möglichkeit, über diesen Kontakt Informationen für die Widerstandsbewegung zu erhalten. Denn nach dem Erstarken der Macht des sektenartigen Priesters Markus Vogel als High Mage in Gardneria macht sich dessen Politik auch in Verpacia und an der Universität immer stärker bemerkbar - was den Gardnerians die Macht über alle anderen gibt.

Elloren hat gute Freunde gefunden, eckt aber auch immer wieder an, weil sie der bei den unterdrückten Gruppen so verhassten "Black Witch", die im letzten Krieg das Blatt für Gardneria gedreht hat, bis aufs Haar gleicht. Und da sie die Augen vor dem von Gardneria verübten Unrecht nicht mehr verschließen kann (und mittlerweile auch weit über den Tellerrand des strikten gardenrischem Glaubens hinausblickt), gehört sie eigentlich nur noch äußerlich zu den Gardnerianern.
Und dann ist da noch Yvor, der Kelt mit Feuermagie - vielleicht nimmt die Dreiecksbeziehung Lukas -Elloren - Yvor etwas viel Raum ein, aber es passte.

Die Mitarbeit im Widerstand ist nicht ohne Risiko - und neben Erfolgserlebnissen spürt die Gruppe den Druck von außen immer stärker. Und dann kommt es zu dramatischen Ereignissen.

Insgesamt ein eher düsterer Roman, dabei äußerst spannend - und die Geschichte geht weiter. Man darf also immer noch auf ein gutes Ende hoffen. (Und darauf, dass der dritte Band - The Forest Dryad - nicht erst in einem Jahr erscheint. ( )