• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
FanFiAddict

FanFiAddict

A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.

  • Home
  • About
    • Reviewers
    • Review Policy
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Guest Posts
    • Lists
    • Neurodivergence in Fiction
    • Why You Should Read…
  • Reviews
    • Children’s / Middle Grade Books
    • Comics/Graphic Novels
    • Fantasy
      • Alt History
      • Coming of Age
      • Debut
      • Epic Fantasy
      • Fairy Tales
      • Grimdark
      • Heroic Fantasy
      • LitRPG
      • Paranormal Fantasy
      • Romantic Fantasy
      • Steampunk
      • Superheroes
      • Sword and Sorcery
      • Urban Fantasy
    • Historical Fiction
    • Horror
      • Debut
      • Demons
      • Ghosts
      • Gothic
      • Lovecraftian
      • Monsters
      • Occult
      • Psychological
      • Vampires
      • Werewolves
      • Witches
      • Zombies
    • Science Fiction
      • Aliens
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Alt History
      • Cyberpunk
      • Debut
      • Dystopian
      • Hard SciFi
      • Mechs/Robots
      • Military SF
      • Space Opera
      • Steampunk
      • Time Travel
    • Thriller
  • Interviews
    • Book Tube
  • SFF Addicts Podcast
    • SFF Addicts Clips
    • SFF Addicts (Episode Archive)
  • TBRCon
  • SPFBO 7
    • SPFBO Articles

Review: Cold Iron (Masters and Mages #1) by Miles Cameron

May 8, 2021 by David W Leave a Comment

Amazon
Goodreads
Audible
Barnes & Noble

Rating: 10/10

Synopsis:

Aranthur is a student. He showed a little magical talent, is studying at the local academy, and is nothing particularly special. Others are smarter. Others are more talented. Others are quicker to pick up techniques.

 But none of them are with him when he breaks his journey home for the holidays in an inn. None of them step in to help when a young woman is thrown off a passing stage coach into the deep snow at the side of the road. And none of them are drawn into a fight to protect her.

One of the others might have realised she was manipulating him all along . . .

A powerful story about beginnings, coming of age, and the way choosing to take one step towards violence can lead to a slippery and dangerous slope, this is an accomplished fantasy series driven by strong characters and fast-paced action.

Review:

I have been wanting to read a Miles Cameron book for some time. I decided to pick up Cold Iron, book one of the Masters and Mages trilogy. I had a really good feeling about this book when I first picked it up. Let me cut to the chase, I loved it. This is a phenomenal book. Once I got started it was nearly impossible to put down. It had everything I could ask for in a fantasy book – great characters, an interesting world, political intrigue and fantastic action scenes. The story was full of adventure and felt very fresh. This is high fantasy at its best. I feel like I can rave on and on about it, but let me try to put a few cogent thoughts together on what I liked best.

Writing/Plot:

  • I enjoyed Cameron’s prose – it read really well
  • Good pacing – a solid blend of fast paced action scenes and the proper time to develop the world
  • Great attention to detail throughout the book
  • The action scenes were very believable – Cameron has quickly become one of my favorites when it comes to battle sequences
  • Some of the best sword work I’ve ever read
  • Fully captured my attention as I needed to know what would come next

Characters:

  • Aranthur is a great main character – likeable, flaws that are relatable, loyal and dutiful
  • Superb supporting cast – quickly became invested in each of them
  • Strong character growth from the start of the story through to the end

Worldbuilding:

  • Set in a bustling city
  • I appreciated the various cultures and traditions
  • I always love stories that include university or academic settings
  • I got a mix of medieval/renaissance time period vibes
  • An interesting magic system that I am excited to learn more about
  • Hoping we get to experience even more of the world in the next two books

Overall, this is a great first entry into the Masters and Mages trilogy. It had well-blended elements of classical and modern fantasy. I would even go so far to say that this is one of my top reads of the year. I will be hopping straight into Dark Forge. For great action scenes, relatable characters and a rich world, I recommend that you give Cold Iron a read.

Filed Under: Reviews

About David W

Believer, Hubby, Girl Dad. Owner/CEO of FanFiAddict. Works a not so flashy day job in central Alabama. Furthest thing from a redneck and doesn’t say Roll Tide. Enjoys fantasy, science fiction, horror and thrillers but not much else (especially kissy kissy).

Other Reviews You Might Like

Review: Dreadgod (Cradle #11) by Will Wight

Book Tour/Spotlight: Envy by Tim Beeden (Seven Deadly and Four Novels #2)

No Place for Peace (Pillars of Peace #2) by Tom Dumbrell

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. shaunalawless says

    May 9, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    I really want to read this now. Great review!

    Reply
    • Kevin Paul says

      May 9, 2021 at 5:13 pm

      Thanks! I highly recommend it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored By

Use Discount Code FANFI For 5% Off!

Follow FanFi!

Sign up for updates and get a FREE story from Michael R. Fletcher!

What Would You Like To See?(Required)
Please select the type of content you want to receive from FanFi Addict. You can even mix and match if you want!

FFA Recommends

Get This Book
Get This Book
Get This Book
Get This Book

Recent Reviews

Recent Comments

  1. King Bell on 5 Historical Fiction Books I Want To ReadJuly 5, 2022
  2. zidane on If only you knew the power of the Dark Side….July 5, 2022
  3. David S on Review: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) by Steven EriksonJune 29, 2022
  4. Dera on Review: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) by Steven EriksonJune 28, 2022
  5. Hope The Magical Easter Basket Fairy on Book Tour & Review: Second Star to the Left (Reimagined Fairy Tales #1) by Megan Van DykeJune 28, 2022

Archive

Copyright © 2022 · Powered by ModFarm Sites · Log In