THE MIRRORED SHARD

Aoife finally gets some sense, and the series ends.

The third and presumably final volume of the Iron Codex series (billed as a trilogy but with an open ending) sees, in the final pages, a slight maturation of selfish, generally unlikable heroine Aoife. It may be too little too late, coming as it does after another stubborn journey in which she pretends her own foolish actions didn’t ensure the destruction of the world and instead turns her magical powers and remarkable perseverance (her one redeeming trait) to trying to rescue her bad-boy boyfriend from the Deadlands, since a previous foolish action of hers got him killed. Secondary characters seem to exist only to get Aoife out of trouble, as when Cal and Conrad rescue her from Alcatraz. The narrative is full of directly contradictory characterization and statements (starting with Aoife’s freeing of Draven, right through to the way the Deadlands is described as cold and then hot and then cold). Even fans may find the episodic action doesn’t hold their attention, since most of it doesn’t seem driven by anything other than plot requirements, but completists and those who really care whether or not Aoife can rescue Dean from death will be glad to have their questions answered.

Everyone else, don’t bother.