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26th out of 47 books
—
90 voters
Iron Hearted Violet
The end of their world begins with a story.
This one.
In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn't most fairy tales.
Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden r...more
This one.
In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn't most fairy tales.
Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden r...more
Hardcover, 432 pages
Published
October 9th 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Fairy tales usually end with happily-ever-after's.
This one doesn't.
Beautifully deceptive and filled with dark intrigue, this is a story of power, wonder, and fear. Kelly Barnhill fills her pages with unique wisdom, charm, and most important: the power of belief. Iron Hearted Violet is a story that will stay with reader's as they traverse the pages and immerse themselves into a world unknow, a world unlike any other told in the rich span of fairy tales. It's deeply forbidden and dripping with...more
This one doesn't.
Beautifully deceptive and filled with dark intrigue, this is a story of power, wonder, and fear. Kelly Barnhill fills her pages with unique wisdom, charm, and most important: the power of belief. Iron Hearted Violet is a story that will stay with reader's as they traverse the pages and immerse themselves into a world unknow, a world unlike any other told in the rich span of fairy tales. It's deeply forbidden and dripping with...more
This was rather a surprise. A spur-of-the-moment checkout at the library based mostly on the cover (which is a very silly way to pick books, as a rule, since a lot of really insipid books have really pretty covers). However, this one was surprisingly, wonderfully deep, thoughtful, and poetic.
The titular Violet is the last princess of her realm. She doesn't look like a princess "should" look, at least according to the stories told by Cassian, the story's narrator. She's got crazy hair, lopsided e...more
The titular Violet is the last princess of her realm. She doesn't look like a princess "should" look, at least according to the stories told by Cassian, the story's narrator. She's got crazy hair, lopsided e...more
Ana’s Take:
The end of their world begins with a story – and with a birth. Princess Violet was born to supportive parents and a loving kingdom. She is smart, loves telling stories and enjoys adventures with her one friend Demetrius.
But, as it just so happens, Violet is not a True Fairytale Princess (TFP) because as we all know, TFP are impossibly beautiful and Violet is no such thing. With her mismatched eyes, lopsided face, blotchy skin and unruly hair, she is far from perfection. Still, nobody...more
The end of their world begins with a story – and with a birth. Princess Violet was born to supportive parents and a loving kingdom. She is smart, loves telling stories and enjoys adventures with her one friend Demetrius.
But, as it just so happens, Violet is not a True Fairytale Princess (TFP) because as we all know, TFP are impossibly beautiful and Violet is no such thing. With her mismatched eyes, lopsided face, blotchy skin and unruly hair, she is far from perfection. Still, nobody...more
This book had so much potential: a cool castle with hidden passages, a homely-but-brave princess, storytelling, a studious king, compassion for animals, an elderly dragon... But somewhere around the middle of the story it started going downhill, and never picked back up for me. By the end it just felt silly. It wasn't the plot that bothered me so much as the writing, which refused to imply anything and instead had to make sure I got it by spelling out its lessons and themes as explicitly as poss...more
Can you describe a princess? It's all relative. It's also changeable.
Violet is the Princess, but she's also extraordinary. She doesn't look like a beautiful princess told in stories all over the Multiverse, but she's courageous, imaginative, and friendly. She befriends Demetrius and they explore her castle with abandon, only to stumble upon a secret room and uncover a dark secret. The secret grows and brings unrest to their world. Destruction follows, but if they work together and uncover the tr...more
Violet is the Princess, but she's also extraordinary. She doesn't look like a beautiful princess told in stories all over the Multiverse, but she's courageous, imaginative, and friendly. She befriends Demetrius and they explore her castle with abandon, only to stumble upon a secret room and uncover a dark secret. The secret grows and brings unrest to their world. Destruction follows, but if they work together and uncover the tr...more
Princess Violet, last princess of the Andulan Realms, is not a fairy tale princess. She is plain, bold, and outspoken, but truly loved by her people. The Mirrored Kingdom enjoys peace and the intelligence of their royal family, but an ancient evil is trying to break into the kingdom. When Violet and her best friend Demetrius find a hidden library with a forbidden book and an evil painting, some of the evil begins to find its way in. Soon, unrest and discord filter into the hearts of the people....more
Iron Hearted Violet is an odd book, told from the point-of-view of a storyteller named Cassian. It is written as if it is being told directly to the readers, who are addressed as "my dears" or "beloved," and there is a certain old-fashioned cadence to the way the characters speak that makes it sound almost Biblical.
The parallels with the Bible seem especially strong in the last pages of the book, when (view spoiler)...more
The parallels with the Bible seem especially strong in the last pages of the book, when (view spoiler)...more
This book started out fine, and the premise of an unpretty princess who knows that all the princesses in stories ARE pretty was enough to keep me reading. And the more I read the more interesting and sad and wonderful the story got. But it didn't totally win me over until the ending. Violet won me over at the ending.
I think kids will enjoy the story and the adventure and the way fairytale elements get presented, but as an adult this book had an unexpected effect on me. Part of this story is abo...more
I think kids will enjoy the story and the adventure and the way fairytale elements get presented, but as an adult this book had an unexpected effect on me. Part of this story is abo...more
Summary
"Interesting, yes. Intelligent, most certainly. But not a pretty child." aka Princess Violet. Told from the perspective of Cassian, the royal storyteller, Violet and her friend Demetrius, explore the secrets of the castle. Violet is loved for who she is, though she herself is aware of her lack of beauty. When she and Demetrius stumble upon a most-secret room, her curiosity--or is it something else--draws her back to a book, a mirror, and a Forbidden story. When her father take Demetrius o...more
"Interesting, yes. Intelligent, most certainly. But not a pretty child." aka Princess Violet. Told from the perspective of Cassian, the royal storyteller, Violet and her friend Demetrius, explore the secrets of the castle. Violet is loved for who she is, though she herself is aware of her lack of beauty. When she and Demetrius stumble upon a most-secret room, her curiosity--or is it something else--draws her back to a book, a mirror, and a Forbidden story. When her father take Demetrius o...more
I don't usually read fantasy, but when I saw this audiobook was narrated by Simon Vance, I decided to have a listen. And oh! What a narration! I now understand why he is so popular among audiobook listeners.
Author Kelly Barnhill knows how to spin a good story, beautifully written with wonderful imagery. This is the story of Violet, a plain odd-looking tween princess who is bright and reckless and who, along with her best friend Demetrius, makes the discovery of an evil being that is imprisoned i...more
Author Kelly Barnhill knows how to spin a good story, beautifully written with wonderful imagery. This is the story of Violet, a plain odd-looking tween princess who is bright and reckless and who, along with her best friend Demetrius, makes the discovery of an evil being that is imprisoned i...more
I saw this reviewed on Barbara Watson's blog, as well as at Charlotte's Library. Because I am a frequent sufferer from Fantasy Amnesia, which seems to be triggered by maps at the beginnings of books, I was a little leery. My predecessor bought primarily medieval-type fantasies, so my library is well stocked, but I do need a few fresh things for my readers who devour Pierce's Alanna.
Oh, I even took notes. Violet is a precocious but not terribly attractive princess. She has a good friend, Demetriu...more
Oh, I even took notes. Violet is a precocious but not terribly attractive princess. She has a good friend, Demetriu...more
Iron Hearted Violet is a recently published middle grade fantasy. It is the story of Violet, the intelligent but not-so-beautiful princess. When she is thirteen, her world begins crumbling. Nybbas, the thirteenth god, has risen again, and is bent on the destruction of everything that Violet loves. She and her best friend Demetrius, and a scarred dragon who's afraid of his own reflection, may be their only hope of saving their kingdom and their world.
Interestingly, the book is narrated in the fir...more
Interestingly, the book is narrated in the fir...more
Once there were 13 gods. Now, only 12 remain. Violet, the not-a-real-princess princess, falls across the book of The Nybbas and changes from the shy and extravagant stroy teller who tells tales of beautiful princess to a completely different person. When Violet was born, she was ugly. Not the cute little baby you'd expect to be a princess. The people say she is even uglier as she grows up. But not Demetrius. He helps the princess explore the castle. They once were friends, but now Violet blames...more
I loved this book. I loved Violet. I loved the world that Kelly Barnhill created that was so very like our own but just different enough to keep the reader unbalanced. I loved the power of storytelling. I enjoyed having a narrator who was not the main character, giving me a break from the "I"-centric storytelling that has taken over so much writing, yet still giving the novel a voice. Full of whimsy, humor and adventure as well as some thoughtful storytelling and themes of appearances and expect...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Sometimes, you just need something simple. Something somewhat predictable, charming and just downright classic. That's what I needed when it came Iron-Hearted Violet, and it fit the bill perfectly. Simple. Charming, and just adorable.
Violet isn't like most princesses -the storybook kind, that is. She isn't pretty. She isn't fragile. And she isn't anywhere near graceful. And in the stories that Violet enjoys telling so much, the princesses are always beautiful and the dragons are always evil. But...more
Violet isn't like most princesses -the storybook kind, that is. She isn't pretty. She isn't fragile. And she isn't anywhere near graceful. And in the stories that Violet enjoys telling so much, the princesses are always beautiful and the dragons are always evil. But...more
How delightful! This story is about a princess who is smart but plain, or perhaps even homely. She lives a rather non-princess-like life in an enormous, rambling castle where she and the stableman's son Demetrius play and explore. Rambling in forgotten areas of the castle the children find an odd painting and an old book. Reading the book is like opening Pandora's box, and leads Princess Violet into dangerous territory that puts her home and country in peril. The narrator of the story of Violet...more
This is one of those good ol' fantasy books, filled with princesses, dragons, and a fight to save the kingdom. Even better, there is absolutely no romance! Princess Violet is not beautiful, and she's surrounded by stories where all the princesses are beautiful. She has come ot believe that to be a real princess she must be beautiful, like her mother was. This is the first fantasy book I've read where the heroine isn't perfect and actually slips over to the dark side for a while. Though Violet is...more
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't your typical fairy tale, what with its ugly but charming protagonist princess. It felt original while I was reading it, which is always a pleasant surprise among the fantasy genre. I loved the characters and the story, except perhaps the storyteller Cassian. This is a problem as the story is narrated by Cassian. The odd thing is that his penitent attitude throughout the story grates on my nerves. I could have done without being so often reminded of how sorry...more
Fun fantasy about a less than perfect princess and the power of stories. I did find the narrator (the court storyteller)a little annoying. And the middle of the story lost momentum. It should have been shorter by 50-100 pages.
Summary: The end of their world begins with a story. This one. In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn't most fairy tales. Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. P...more
Summary: The end of their world begins with a story. This one. In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn't most fairy tales. Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. P...more
Violet is a beloved princess, the only living child of her parents and they live in a kingdom ruled by tales of the old gods who created their world. But she isn't the way a princess is supposed to be. Violet isn't pretty, graceful or cautious. Violet only has one real friend, Demetrius (the stablemaster's son) and she loves to tell stories about beautiful princesses and evil dragons. But when her Father goes on a quest to find the last living dragon (not to kill it, but to learn from it) and he...more
Princess Violet, the only and much loved daughter of the King and Queen has heard stories all of her life from the master storyteller. She's become something of a storyteller herself. All of storyteller's tales feature beautiful princesses who spend most of their days being beautiful though not useful. Violet, who is dear and clever but not very dainty or beautiful, begins to doubt her own identity after a foray into a hidden tunnel brings her in contact with a dark, malevolent force imprisoned...more
As posted on Outside of a Dog:
I have to be picky about what I read, because my time, limited as it is, is precious. Every year there are books that I love, books that I like, and books that simply miss me (although these are not plentiful). But rarely does a book come along about which I have such complicated feelings as Kelly Barnhill’s Iron Hearted Violet.
Violet is not your typical princess (although her kind is being seen more and more). She’s got wild, unruly hair, uneven eyes (which are dif...more
I have to be picky about what I read, because my time, limited as it is, is precious. Every year there are books that I love, books that I like, and books that simply miss me (although these are not plentiful). But rarely does a book come along about which I have such complicated feelings as Kelly Barnhill’s Iron Hearted Violet.
Violet is not your typical princess (although her kind is being seen more and more). She’s got wild, unruly hair, uneven eyes (which are dif...more
Iron Hearted Violet is one of those books that both my boys liked - 9 and 13 years old - and I liked too. I think it's the first book I've found like this, where it's appropriate for age groups from adult to young adult and middle grades! It's a fairy-tale like story that's beautiful and engaging, adventurous and mysterious. The writing is beautiful and made me fall in love with the characters - insecure but brave, Violet; brave Demetrius; and even the cowardly storyteller and narrator, Cassian....more
NO SPOILERS
Violet is a true, bold, stalwart heroine - true to the title, among the best that I can recall in recent years. She stands right up there with Olive and Anne.
While this book did have several dark moments, and for a time one couldn't be sure what the adventure would be, it delivered in splendid fashion. It's all in good time; even if you have to wait a bit to figure things out, this has that endurable quality called STORY.
Leave it to Barnhill to concoct a world with a princess with f...more
Violet is a true, bold, stalwart heroine - true to the title, among the best that I can recall in recent years. She stands right up there with Olive and Anne.
While this book did have several dark moments, and for a time one couldn't be sure what the adventure would be, it delivered in splendid fashion. It's all in good time; even if you have to wait a bit to figure things out, this has that endurable quality called STORY.
Leave it to Barnhill to concoct a world with a princess with f...more
This story is told via the device of a court storyteller (one who keeps addressing the reader as "my dears"), and has a strong fairytale air, mixed with an epic fantasy plot. It is the tale of both Violet and Demetrius, as well as the storyteller.
Violet is an intelligent, lively, curious, mischievous princess, born to loving parents after many miscarriages, who happens to have very curly hair, uneven skin, an average sized body, mismatched eyes and a not precisely symmetrical face. She's not exa...more
Violet is an intelligent, lively, curious, mischievous princess, born to loving parents after many miscarriages, who happens to have very curly hair, uneven skin, an average sized body, mismatched eyes and a not precisely symmetrical face. She's not exa...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book was sweet and sorrowful. I really enjoyed this book, and think it's a great read for fourth grade on up. Girls will be who this is aimed at but boys would also enjoy it, especially if they like fairy tales.
This book is about everything. Dragons, princesses, stories, friendship, forbidden books, EVERYTHING. This is a story about a princess who is not perfect looking like real princesses are in the stories. Her father is obsessed with trying to find dragons, and Cassian who is a story t...more
This book is about everything. Dragons, princesses, stories, friendship, forbidden books, EVERYTHING. This is a story about a princess who is not perfect looking like real princesses are in the stories. Her father is obsessed with trying to find dragons, and Cassian who is a story t...more
Apr 10, 2013
Kristin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
death,
dragons,
fantasy,
friendship,
girls,
kids,
read-in-2013,
reader-s-advisory,
self-worth
Check this review out and others on my blog: Get Real.
This was a little difficult to get through, more so than I was expecting, considering it read so quickly when I did sit down and make a go of it. This fantasy was light and pleasant, but had a little too much going on for it to be completely engaging. The world-building wasn't fleshed out all that well, and the language was a little awkward. Additionally, the way the author chose to tell the story was distracting.
What I did like about this bo...more
This was a little difficult to get through, more so than I was expecting, considering it read so quickly when I did sit down and make a go of it. This fantasy was light and pleasant, but had a little too much going on for it to be completely engaging. The world-building wasn't fleshed out all that well, and the language was a little awkward. Additionally, the way the author chose to tell the story was distracting.
What I did like about this bo...more
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. There was a lot that I liked the story -but I didn't "really like it." It's great for the library collection and I'm glad I borrowed it and read it. But I'm not convinced to buy it for myself or as a gift.
There was a lot I quite like about this story. I like that it is a story about stories. I like that the princess is willful, clever, active and not beautiful (though you can't tell from the illustrations, which really takes away from the whole point of th...more
There was a lot I quite like about this story. I like that it is a story about stories. I like that the princess is willful, clever, active and not beautiful (though you can't tell from the illustrations, which really takes away from the whole point of th...more
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I'm a writer, a mom, a wife, a dog owner, a reader, a thinker, a hiker, a friend, a runner, a teacher, a listener, terrible gardener, a lover of nature. Sometimes I'm all of these things at once.
I'm also a former bartender, former park ranger, former waitress, former church janitor, former kosher meat slicer, former wild-eyed activist, former wildland firefighter, former coffee jerk, former phon...more
More about Kelly Barnhill...
I'm also a former bartender, former park ranger, former waitress, former church janitor, former kosher meat slicer, former wild-eyed activist, former wildland firefighter, former coffee jerk, former phon...more
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“There's no such thing as complete when it comes to stories. Stories are infinite. They are as infinite as worlds.”
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“There is no hope without risk.”
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