Purple Iron

Iron Hearted Violet

By Kelly Barnhill

Most princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. Princess Violet is plain and clever. When she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room with a powerful book, they release an unknown evil power upon their world.

I don't know why, but I got serious "The Princess and the Gobin" vibes. It read very much like an old-world fairy tale. Not exactly immersive, yet relateable.

Unfortunately, I did not connect to any of the characters. That does not mean I did not connect to the story. In fact, there were many elements that I did like. It began simply, then blossomed to complex. 

I admire what Barnhill was writing. She tackled multiple universes, challenging story norms, playing with the narration, and of course in the tag-line, changing the stereotypes of typical fairy tales.

The ending was satisfying and flowed much more quickly than the beginning. I did feel as though the book could've been shorter...

All in all, a solid fairy tale.

3/5 STARS