Jen Williams' <em>The Iron Ghost</em> is the much-anticipated (by many) follow-up to <em>The Copper Cat</em>. It is a sequel only in that it includes most of the same characters, in the same world, though it doesn't necessarily follow-up on an 'unfinished' story. This is a good thing. This could be read as a stand-alone novel, though incidents from <em>The Copper Cat</em> are referred to, so it's nice to have that background.

After their success in the previous book, Frith, Wydrin, and Sebastian are now known as The Blackfeather Three and they hire themselves out - solving a few problems and making a bit of money. They are on top of the world. But a nasty wizard/mage will challenge their skills.

This book is difficult to read. The chapters are short in page-length, but heavy, plodding to read. There's not a lot of action, but there is a lot of movement and discussion and the short chapters prevent the reader from really getting invested in the story, characters, and action.

The book doesn't feel like a book as much as it does like four novellas that feel like four novels, they were so dense with description.

By the time I got half way through I just couldn't wait to get to the end - this band of characters and the adventures they had really didn't appeal to me.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Iron Ghost</em> is the second book in <em>The Copper Cat</em> series by Jen Williams. It is a rehash of the first volume with little new or interesting to distinguish itself.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I was disappointed in this one, but it could have just been me. I liked the first book in the Copper Cat series- it had been stitched together from shorter stories but it worked well as a novel. For whatever reason, I could not get into this one, though. It felt like there was a lot of jumping around. First we're with Wydrin and the gang in current time, trying to decide if they want to take a job in the icy north. Then we're back in time with Sir Sebastian and his dragon women- why? Next we're with an assassin who's killing off a certain bloodline. Then off to the north again, where there are hostile magical people, a mountain with ore that can make metal golems which attach to specific riders with glowing pebbles that burn their way into you, and a job for our heroes to do. There was just a lot of jumping around in time and space, and I couldn't settle any more than the story could. This felt more disjointed than the first book, which wasn't even originally intended to be a book! There are definitely cool ideas- see above for metal golems and humanoid females who are literally the children of a dragon- but they didn't come together for me. Maybe another time I could enjoy this book more- that time may or may not come.

I requested THE IRON GHOST not realizing it wasn't the first installment, and I didn't feel it could be read as a standalone.

Some titles just don't make sense until you read them. This was one of those books. I stared at this book for a really long time during my reading slump trying to decide if it was worth cracking open.

I had enjoyed the first book with some slight hesitations in the nature of the characters. Once my reading slump was over, I craved an exciting adventure story. I felt like this would deliver just that and I had put it off for far too long.

I wasn't entirely disappointed. This novel had the adventure story, and it even had a mildly nostalgic 80s fantasy adventure feel to it. This was the quest of all quests for the Blackfeather Three that makes you want to swashbuckle around your living room when no one is looking. What could go wrong?

Romance. Not only does it not fit in these stories, each attempt at interjecting it into the story just falls flat. All of the scenes feel forced and like the novel is trying to appease some editor by throwing it in there during the last round before publishing.

And we'll just ignore the atrocious amount of editing errors -- the kind where it actually entirely changes the meaning of the story. Fortunately, I bought it on sale otherwise I would be demanding a refund for the lack of polish presented.

These are gallivanting mercenaries. They get themselves into dubious situations of questionable sanity, and I enjoy reading how exactly they manage plan then fail then barely scrape through to victory. Leave it that way. Only 2 stars for this one and high hopes that the romance is left in the abyss.

I really enjoy Williams' first installment featuring the Copper Cat and her disreputable companions, and like its predecessor The Iron Ghost is filled with excellent characters who embark on fantastic, yet morally ambiguous adventures in which our heroes learn that they should yet again be asking more questions before agreeing to taking on a job.

The only complaint that I have with The Iron Ghost is that it didn't seem different enough from the first book. I would have liked to have seen more focus on the characters and how they have been changed by their adventures (both past and present). Instead, The Iron Ghost ended up reading more like filler segments that are building towards a bigger event. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but it did make for a less satisfying reading experience than the first book.

If you enjoyed The Copper Cat this second book will appeal, if only to see what the intrepid trio is up to. There is a lot of development in larger world of the book, which will presumably have an impact in the next book, but I will be reading to see how Cat, Aaron and Sebastian ultimately solve their lasting problems.