Ironhand (Stoneheart #2)
Charlie Fletcher
Hodder Children’s Books
Published October 1, 2007

Amazon | Audible | Goodreads

About Ironhand

Now that George Chapman has upset the fragile truce between the warring statues of London, he has been drawn into a war that will test his mettle. He and Edie, a glint who can see the past, may have succeeded in their quest to find the Stoneheart, but their journey is far from over.

Edie and the Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, have been captured by the Walker, and it’s up to George to save them. But first he must deal with the three strange veins, made of marble, bronze and stone, that have begun to grow out of his hand and curl around his wrist. Legend has it that unless he successfully completes three challenges, the veins will continue up his forearm, and eventually pierce through his heart.

As George struggles to find the strength within to face the choice he has made, to take the Hard Way, he is determined to use his power for good—even as others wish to harness it for its great potential for evil.

My Review

It looks like IRONHAND is out of print, which is really sad, because I liked it a lot. I listened to the audiobook version, which is narrated by Jim Dale. His performance is, as always, fantastic.

The story begins with a section that kind of reminds readers what happened in the first book, which was perfect for me, since I read STONEHEART more than a year ago. I’ve thought about continuing the series a bunch of times since reading STONEHEART, which is usually a pretty good indicator that I’ll actually do it. If a book sticks with me the way this one has, I feel like it’s worth the investment.

I really enjoyed getting back into the London with living statues and following George, Edie, and the Gunner through a new adventure. I love Edie’s indomitable courage. She is fierce and never gives up. The thing that really struck me this time about George is the way he has the power to change things.

For example, he winds up befriending a gargoyle, whom he calls Spout. Only certain human statues are supposed to be George’s allies. Gargoyles should be working against him, but perhaps because he helps this one and gives it a name, it changes its allegiance. It begins trying to help and protect him. There was something about that relationship that struck deep for me. I loved both the story of the friendship between the two of them, but also then Spout’s role in the story. He helps George understand who he is and what he can do.

And, yet again, I love the Gunner. He’s loyal and protective and smart. Edie doesn’t really have anyone in her life she can count on. So, I feel like that makes her relationship with the Gunner even more incredible. He never stops fighting for her. I love his story in the book so much, too.

I might have liked IRONHAND better than the first one? I’m not sure. I liked it a lot, and I’m really excited to read the third book in the series now. If you like magical adventure stories like THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND by Catherine Doyle, you definitely need to check out this series.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
George and Edie are both white. Most other characters are statues.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Statues come to life and are either working to help George and Edie or harm them, depending on the nature of the statues. George is a Maker. He can magically create things from stone, but if he doesn’t fulfill his promises, he will die. Edie has the ability to see history or memories witnessed by stone or statues.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief but scary battle violence.

Drug Content
None.

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