This was a very interesting story, and I would like to first thank NetGalley for my chance to listen to the audiobook.

Personally, I feel like this book wasn’t really my cup of tea. I thought it would be as it was marketed as a book that was similar to the Dresden Files. However, after listening to it I don’t feel like it was exactly that. The only similarities I found was that it was an urban fantasy with a mystery plot line. I think what bothered me about this book was its episodic nature. I personally felt like it didn’t lend itself to a book format.

Because this story was written to emulate old style private eye stories the vernacular and episodic nature don’t feel like they fit into a typical urban fantasy book style. It really felt like it should be a radio series like private eye stories originated. Also, many of the tropes that are original to private eye stories such as the femme fatal and the unknown background of the POV character are a bit cliche and frowned upon in modern literature as times and literary styles of changed. I feel like that fact that these tropes are not only still in this story combined with the fact that the writing is not written in a style or language that is easy for the common reader – made it a little bit frustrating and probably difficult to market to the average reader.

However, the narration itself was very well done. The voice of the narrator matched the style of narration very well without falling into any of the typical stereotypes of what an old private eye story would sound like – i.e. they didn’t fall into any period or area accents. The grittiness of the voice matched the grittiness of the story and managed to convey not only the tenseness of the action but also the blase attitude of the POV character.

Overall, I would give this story a 2.5 out of 5 (rounding to 3 for the sake of Goodreads rating system). The narration was good; the concept of the story was interesting, and I loved the use of vocabulary and alliteration. This story I think would have done better as a paid podcast series than a narrated audiobook.

Thank you to netgalley and the author and audio peeps for the opportunity to listen to this Audio ARC! 

This was my first time diving into fantasy/sci-fi and I was super excited for the story. It just didn't hit how I thought it would. 

Each chapter ends with a bloody battle that was won and then a new adventure begins. However, I was hoping for more high stakes rather than just reading that the impending doom of the apocalypse is coming, there's no great risk because each battle is won, each fight with some type of bad guy is victorious, and it was just wasn't that great. 

The trenchcoat wearing, half-fae, half sarcastic and actually only a little bit cool, investigator dude just fell flat for me. If you're a super macho dude who likes this kind of stuff, then for sure this book is for you. However, I found myself listening and with each chapter that passed, there was no depth, no heartfelt character building, just straight up battle sequences that felt rushed with an over use of metaphors that made it feel like it was just for filler. 

Overall, 2.5 stars because I enjoyed the overall premise, but it just wasn't executed well.

🗽John "Ironwood" Irons is a half-fae detective in 1970s New York who fights mundane and supernatural criminals while trying to save the world from ancient evil rising.

The writer's style and the audiobook made me believe this was a 1940s or 1950s radio drama. Witty dialogues, creative and metaphorical monologues, suspense, mystery, gloomy atmosphere, fedoras - it all made me think of detective films noir. Johnny is everything you expect from the main character in those old detective movies, but he is also like John Constantine fighting supernatural villains all by himself. 📽️🕵🏻‍♀️🗡️💀

The chapters are mostly long and almost seem like separate stories, but it all comes together in the end. Our detective gets help in the final battle from those he helped through the book. After defeating evil we learn that he can not rest for too long. There are more stories and more horrors awaiting him. Ain't no rest for the wicked.🦹🏻‍♀️

I admit that it was hard for me to get used to this writing and voice acting style, but, surprisingly, I did enjoy it. I mean, I love detective noir films but I could live without constant bragging of the main character (which is absolutely one of the characteristics of the genre). The book is so full of everything that it feels overwhelming sometimes, but I loved all the one liners and the metaphors that I might or might not plan using when the time is right. 😁😁

🎙️The voice acting really sets the right mood! 👏🏻

✨If you are into American Gods, detective film noir, and John Constantine, I definitely recommend Ironwood as your next read!

This was one hell of a disappointing listen. Ironwood reads like a fever dream with so much happening and very little making sense. The protagonist is a terrible Harry Dresden knock-off with more self-proclaimed titles than one can count. Every other sentence is an analogy that honestly serves no real purpose other than to confuse the reader into thinking that the protagonist is very witty. Each chapter (at least till the 25% I could stomach) is a short story where we see our protagonist face some great foe only for him to succeed without much trouble at all because it's what he does. Case comes in, John Ironwood takes the case after mentally congratulating himself for being such a benevolent champion of the weak and helpless, goes to shady area to get intel, is threatened by people who after one threat give him any information he wants, calls for help from a ragtag group of misfits, big bad enemy is taken down without much trouble at all, mentally congratulates himself for being the one that stands before evil. This was every chapter so far.

The only saving grace is the audiobook narrator who does a damn good job regardless of the content.

🎧 Audiobook 🎧 is super well-read for the gritty noir style of supernatural investigation. The second star is all for this narrator.

This book is essentially a graphic-novel version of the Dresden Files, with less charm and more grit. Written as a series of short stories that each could be their own comic, we follow half-Fae private investigator, Ironwood, on his harrowing adventures. Disappointingly full of even more male machismo than the Dresden Files (As a female reader, I was hoping for the exact opposite). While there is a kickass young female side-kick who sometimes helps with bigger cases when Ironwood needs backup, she has zero depth or true presence. Otherwise, the world-building is essentially the Dresden Files, rebranded for a different city. Swap out wizard in a leather trench coat for half-Fae in a bedraggled fabric trench coat ....

I mean, if this kind of ultra-male urban fantasy where you are rooting for the underdog is your thing, you'll likely enjoy this audiobook. But if you are any gender but the most priviledged and sick of the audacity transferring onto the written page, maybe give this a miss. This is my first attempt at reading this author's work. And, while I am glad to have given it a shot, the fantasy and sci.fi. worlds desperately need more diverse voices being championed by the big publishers!!

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Tantor Audio, for an Audio-ARC of this book in exchange for my (way too) honest review.

This book was not the book for me. It is the first book that I have tried from Mr. Savile and where this is the first book of the series, I found it hard to follow. There were a lot of things going on in the plot leaving me confused as to what was going on. I only made it 28% of the way through the book before giving up. In the end this is not the book for me.