Book Review: "The Ironwood Tree" by Holly Black

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Mallory is excited to have her first fencing competition, but Jared notices some odd behavior around him at the school. He investigates, but only finds trouble. He and Simon end up having to go underground and face a bunch of dwarves.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Jared and Simon are the two main characters. The contrast between the brothers is on full display. We witness Jared giving into his temper, but for the first time, apologize instantly. He seems more aware of it. Also, we learn that Jared thinks of Simon is much smarter than him. Simon does get a chance to shine, where previously Jared was the one who solved most of the problems.

NEW CHARACTERS

Lord Korting is the king of the dwarves, who seems to think little of humans. Apparently, dwarves live much longer than humans, maybe forever, if kept from harm. I would have liked to learn more about them.

The knocker, a strange creature that resides underground and can hear information through the stones. He was barely in the story, and he seemed to come out of nowhere, make himself useful and then leave.

PACING

The pacing is just as good as the previous rescue mission in book two. There is a small part that relies on Simon solving a puzzle, but the rest of the book is more action.

THEME & PATTERN

The genre, not the theme, is a rescue mission. We tend to go from mystery to action and back again. Book one: mystery. Book two: rescue mission. Book three: mystery and confrontation. Book four: rescue mission.

CLIMAX

After finding what they came for, they still have to escape from the quarry. It's no easy feat, as its a maze. A knocker comes in and helps. And although I would have liked to learn more about it, we move onto the next problem fast. I expected more. But the chase scene was exciting and the resolution of the robot dogs was amusing.

CONCLUSION

Jared is developed slightly more and we gain insight into his feelings of abandonment by his mom. We learn more about Mulgarath, and the pacing is good. I give “The Ironwood Tree” three and a half stars.

What do you think? Have you read this book? Agree or disagree with any points I made? Please let me know!