Iron Cast

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About Iron Cast

Product Description It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, she realizes how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn. An ideal next read for fans of Libba Bray’s The Diviners. From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up—Owing to a blood condition, hemopaths have the ability to perform a variety of illusions through poetry, painting, or music. In an alternate Boston, as Prohibition is on the verge of making alcohol illegal in 1919, hemopathy shows are also officially against the law. Corinne Wells and Ada Navarra have called Johnny Dervish's club, the Cast Iron, home for years, blending their respective magical talents as a wordsmith and a songsmith both on stage and in cons meant to rustle up enough money to keep the club open. After a routine job goes wrong, Ada is sent to a hemopath prison, and her attempt at escape sets off a series of events that leave two Cast Iron workers dead and Dervish in the wind. With only each other and their talents as hemopaths and con women to rely on, Ada and Corinne will have to confront uncomfortable truths about Johnny, the Cast Iron, and themselves if they want to keep their freedom. Woven with layered themes, including racial prejudice (Corinne is white, and Ada is mixed race), Soria's debut novel is an atmospheric alternate history fantasy. Readers will be easily swept up by the vivid descriptions of everything from historic Boston locations to complex hemopath illusions. Stories of the diverse cast of flawed and complicated characters striving to do better complement the solid female friendship at the core of this absorbing novel. VERDICT Mystery and fantasy blend well in this witty title filled with twists and fast-paced action. A first purchase for all fiction collections.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library Review **STARRED REVIEW** "Energetic and original, this alternative history, fantasy, and mystery mashup with its pair of smart, resourceful, flawed but engaging heroines never disappoints." ( Kirkus) **STARRED REVIEW** "Hand this entrancing historical fantasy to fans of Libba Bray's Diviners series or anyone who likes their magic on the seamier side." ( Booklist) **STARRED REVIEW** "Stories of the diverse cast of flawed and complicated characters striving to do better complement the solid female friendship at the core of this absorbing novel... Mystery and fantasy blend well in this witty title filled with twists and fast-paced action." ( School Library Journal) “Destiny Soria’s debut is without a doubt one of the best of the year.”   ( YA Books Central) About the Author Destiny Soria grew up in a tiny town in Alabama that you've never heard of, where she spent her summers playing with sticks in the woods and exploring such distinguished careers as Forest Bandit, Wayward Orphan, and Woodland Fairy Princess. After college, she ran away to New Zealand for seven months and only pretended to be a character from Lord of the Rings on special occasions. Nowadays she lives and works in the shadow of the mighty Vulcan statue in Birmingham, AL.