How would I describe this story in one word? Underdeveloped. It had so much potential that went unrealized. I was rather intrigued by the premise (a girl whose arms have been adorned in iron tattoos as a result of powerful alchemy that saved her life. I mean, sounds kick-ass, right?), but overall the reading experience left me with a very underwhelmed feeling. Although it was well-written, it lacked a degree of freshness and new ideas that made it hard to engage in the story. I had a hard time immersing myself in the story from the very start. I really, really wanted to like it. I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite a while (and the author seems like such a sweetheart!), but unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea. I think this book will be better received by readers that are hardcore fans of the genre.

The characters were hard for me to connect with. Donna, the protagonist, has only one friend (who happens to be in love with her), she is viewed as an outcast and a freak, and she has appallingly low self-esteem. I read an entire book about her, and I still don't really know anything about her personality beyond those simple clichés. Xan, her love interest, is handsome, mysterious, aloof, and inexplicably interested in Donna. I liked him, for the most part (so sue me! I don't care how overdone the mysterious, aloof hot guy is, I swoon everytime). I'm interested in learning more about him, at least. I would have liked to see his backstory a little more developed. Nav, Donna's best and only friend, is loyal and likable enough. I never got too invested in him, though. Between the three of them there is, you guessed it, a love triangle! Unlike a lot of readers, I don't mind a good love triangle. As long as it's well-written and relevant to the plot (not just tossed in pointlessly in order to incite readers to pick "teams" or what have you), I'm fine with it. This one felt a little weak to me, and the end result appears to be pretty obvious. Maybe that's because I don't feel strongly for any of the characters involved. I suppose that's the crux of the matter: I just didn't care. I didn't feel any passion for these characters or their stories.

That being said, I am still planning on reading the next book. I have read some of Mahoney's work previously (in Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love and The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire) and really loved it. I won't rush out to buy the sequel like I did with this one, but I do want to read it at some point in the future. I really feel that if Mahoney had spent a little more time developing her characters and setting and delving into the alchemy aspect of the novel (which was barely touched upon, but supposed to be a major component of the story), this book could have been a great read. I'm very interested in the mythology and the alchemy, and I hope to find out more about them in the second book. The idea is there, it just needs to be fleshed out a little bit more.