Katastrophe Chef

I have mixed feelings about City of Iron and Ivy. I liked the premise, the magic system, and the finale of the book. It just dragged quite a bit for me to get to the finale, and I didn’t feel like the love story was built up enough, which, without spoilers, might be by design, but I just didn’t feel like there was enough built-up chemistry. 

Probably the thing that bothered me was how it was promoted. It was promoted as Bridgerton with magic, but instead of taking place in the Regency era, it took place in the alt-Victorian era, which is nitpicky, I know, but it threw me off with my expectations of scenery. 

The mystery that unfolds throughout the book does keep you on your toes. I did suspect the culprit, but never guessed the reasoning behind the bad guy.

It is a complete standalone novel, which was refreshing after the burnout of the million series I’m currently in the middle of reading. 

The thing I liked the most about the book was the magic system based entirely on botany – “floromancy”, it was a completely original type of magic that I’ve not seen before, beyond Poison Ivy in the DC Universe.

In the end, I would recommend the book; just be prepared for a bit of lag in the middle of the novel. 

I’m giving it 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and 3 raccoons 🦝🦝🦝 

Alt-Victorian Fantasy 🎩🏰🕰️🪄
Slow-Burn Romance🕯️⏳❤️‍🩹
Mystery / Whodunnit 🕵️‍♀️🔍❓
Standalone Novel 📚✨
Floromancy (Botany / Plant-based Magic) 🌿🌸🌱🪄

You can check it out here: https://amzn.to/4gNxWOb