Iron Flower

By Billy Wong

Action-packed fantasy adventure with a powerhouse female epic warrior in the spirit of Achilles or Beowulf.

Years are only one way to age in this tale of a young warrior whose army-slaying sword belies her kind heart.

One of the greatest fighters in the world, nearly indestructible Rose lets few things strike fear into her—but magic is one of them. Nonetheless, she seeks out the magical dangers left by the ancients alongside warrior partner Finn and curious scholar Derrick in order to protect others from them. Their mission is complicated by Rose and Finn's budding romance, as her choice of lifestyle conflicts with his expectations for the woman he loves. But when their quest pits against such titanic foes as a prince able to slay a thousand men in a day and a draconic archmage, will Rose be forced to embrace the very magic she fears?

A full length novel. Second in the Iron Flower series, but you do not need to have read the first to enjoy this one - either is a fine starting point to the adventures of Rose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Billy Wong
• Release date: Mar 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301267705

Billy Wong

Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.Billy lives in Coney Island, Brooklyn and as one can see from the picture, works as a ninja.A Chinese ninja.

Book preview

Iron Flower

by Billy Wong

Smashwords edition

Iron Flower Copyright © 2013 Billy Wong

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the Author. Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.

All characters in this compilation are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

If you would like to be notified of my next release, please sign up for my mailing list!

http://eepurl.com/sno3f

Table of Contents

Act 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Act 2

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Act 3

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Credits and author page

Sample of Iron Bonds

Act 1

Chapter 1

Slowly, Rose released her grip on the cold, stiff hand of her captain, allowing his corpse to be swept away on the churning current. His spirit would have to settle for this, the closest thing she could give him to a sea burial in the tradition of his fisherman ancestors, because she couldn't imagine carrying his heavy body with her injuries.

Of all her dead comrades, he was the one who would have wanted a burial closest to that which they all got. Yet his was the last body she consigned to the river water, for he had been their leader not only officially, but spiritually. Now he was dead, and as she watched him sink and disappear into the violent current, she felt as if the peace and order symbolized by the watchmen also passed away.

With a bloody hand, Rose wiped away tears, the movement tugging at the deep gash in her shoulder. She hardly cared; she had been wounded so many times, it felt like her whole body was a mass of torn flesh. She had buried many friends today, for she was the only survivor from her patrol of road watchmen. Though she marveled that she still lived, she could hardly bring herself to feel grateful at the moment.

Allowing the water to wash away the blood on her shaking hands, Rose tried to stand up using her broadsword for support. Moving caused a sharp pain in her abdomen, and she stumbled and fell back to her knees, moaning. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and she could feel her guts pushing against the deep wound in her belly as if trying to escape. Not good signs.

Part of her wanted to lie down and rest now, but she knew what would happen if she did that, and they—she and all her comrades—had fought much too hard for her to throw away the only life they had managed to save. Besides, there were still things she wanted to do someday, even they seemed farther away than the safe hometown of her childhood. Gritting her teeth, she tried again to rise, and this time succeeded with a gasp of agony to begin her stumbling search for help.

#

Father Isaac sat with closed eyes in his study, looking sound asleep in his favorite armchair for all his movement. In reality, his mind felt nearly as active as his young assistant Jerome, working the small garden out back. The thoughts troubling him concerned the recent string of bold robberies and murders by bandits on the nearby busy road. It had long been mostly devoid of such crimes thanks to the watch which had been commissioned in Isaac's childhood. A shrewd marshal had convinced the local merchants to subsidize the group to keep the peace on major roads around the city of Seil, though Isaac could no longer recall his name.

Then, he had thought of the watchmen—officially the Royal Interprovincial Enforcers of Law, though everyone either called them RIEL (pronounced reel) or the watchmen—as a nuisance, for that was how his father, being a drunk and a bully, had referred to any and all members of law enforcement. Nowadays, in his sixties and still fairly strong and healthy despite having acquired a well-rounded belly, he was glad for their presence, because his roadside church of Odin would otherwise be easy prey for bandits. Besides, once in a while a couple of the watchmen would stop by, bringing news of the outside world and welcome company.

The thought of guests calmed him, for he always enjoyed meeting new or old friends, and he began to drift off. However, a weak tapping sound brought some of his consciousness back, to his annoyance. Dismissing it as his assistant or the wind, he tried to continue dozing off.

A few seconds later, the irritating little burst of tapping repeated itself. It could have been knocking, but he wasn't sure, and really didn't want to get up and walk all the way to the door to find out. If somebody's there, knock louder! And if it's the stupid wind, bugger you, wind! Shut up and let me sleep!

In response, the tapping might have gotten a shade louder, but again, he couldn't really tell. Couldn't that useless Jerome hear it better from outside, and couldn't he open the door? Maybe Jerome was in the shed. Isaac supposed that he would have to check himself. He rose, walked towards the door, realized he wore only a bathrobe, and decided he didn't care. Besides, whoever it was would probably be more upset at waiting any longer than seeing him in a robe, since he was still fully covered. If there even was anyone...

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was answered by a loud bang on the door. Okay, that had sounded like an earnest knock, but wasn't it customary to rap multiple times? Exasperated at his visitor's lack of etiquette, he opened the door.

Isaac's first thought was to run away as fast and far as his feet would take him. His second was to put his faith in the All-Father to the test and brandish his raven medallion while screaming, Begone, foul creature of undeath! The power which shapes the heavens and earth demands you disperse! Apparently, a walking corpse had picked today—as good as any day, he supposed—to come knocking on his front door. The person—well, former person—was tall, strongly built, filthy, pale-skinned, and covered, of course, with blood and ugly wounds. And had a big sword. And, on closer look, was female.

Isaac weighed his options. He was hearty for his age, but still pretty old, and besides, the church had no other door to exit through—how damn stupid was that? He wasn't about to fall out a window, break a leg, and lie helpless while the zombie ate him alive. So he opted for the second choice, grabbing a stool in case his priestly powers weren't up to defeating the incarnation of darkness.

He let fly the aforementioned battlecry, and before he even finished it, let go of his medallion—which was fortunately part of a necklace—to grasp his holy weapon with both hands. Wasting no time to see whether the creature would disperse or attack, he swung his stool fiercely and faster than most would have expected, something he credited to his youth as a bar-brawling ruffian following in his father's footsteps.

With similarly surprising speed, the zombie dodged the stool coming at its head. Wait a second. Zombies didn't dodge, did they? Maybe it was a ghoul? Isaac knew he was dead; ghouls had more than the mindless strength of their zombie cousins, but also agility and cunning. He would have stood little chance if he was thirty years younger, armed properly, and had Jerome at his side. Jerome, who had probably been eaten while he tried to fall asleep...

Isaac was then amazed by the speed with which all this had passed through his mind, because he had gained these insights between when the ghoul had dodged his swing and now, as it struggled to keep its balance after leaning back and then fell clumsily onto the ground, its face contorted with... pain? Realizing then that he had indeed been given Odin's divine favor, Issac raised his stool triumphantly.

Stop, the thing gasped bloodily, and Isaac obeyed with a start.

The surprised priest slowly lowered his stool, trying to force words from his mouth. You—you speak? I didn't think undead could do that.

Well, some do—at least I've heard of such in stories, but I'm—I'm alive, it—she—answered. My name's Rose Agen. I'm a member of the road watchmen—farther downriver we were attacked by a group of... men, they looked like bandits but didn't... act it. They were bold, relentless; and showed no fear of us. I'm the only one left. She sounded honest—if she was alive, she was probably in too much pain to lie. Still, Isaac had to make sure, and reached down towards her thick neck. You're going to take my pulse?! Hurry up, if I don't get patched up better soon, there won't be any blood left to pump!

Done. My lord, you are still alive, somehow. How far did you walk here with these wounds? Pity filled Isaac, and his wariness melted away. He began to pick her up, but found her heavier than expected. The effort tired him, and he set her back down before he dropped her. Well, she was a big girl, and extremely solid... Where the hell was Jerome?

#

Rose smiled gratefully at the old priest's effort in the spite of the pain caused when he set her down on the hard ground, none too gently though he tried his best. He yelled for Jerome to no answer, then looked helplessly around. At last, he grabbed her shoulders as if to drag her, but Rose didn't want to know how it felt to be dragged with her wounds across the bumpy old floor she saw inside.

Just give me a second, she said, and gripped the side of his door.

He stared with amazement as she summoned all her willpower and pulled herself to her feet, to stand swaying and taking ragged breaths while fresh blood seeped through her makeshift bandages. Now help me into a bed, okay? I really hope somebody here knows how to stitch up wounds. Some of them would be, ah, hard to do myself.

The old man supported her as she walked. Well, my assistant Jerome should know what to do. He trained as a tailor when he was a kid, cloth and skin can't be that different can it? And we've got plenty of wound dressing, they keep bringing it here for us to treat injured travelers. We haven't gotten many of those, and I'm glad about that. I figure you'll use up a lot of our stock getting better, huh?

Rose knew he attempted to cheer her up with humor and the implication she would be all right, but also knew herself wounded enough to kill most men, and was still too numb with grief to appreciate forced jokes. So instead of responding, she hung her head and pretended not to hear as he helped her to the guest room.

But he surprised her when they reached the bed by asking, Your friends who died, where are their bodies? I'll go bury them sometime, while Jerome takes care of you. I'm a priest, I'll make sure they get the proper blessings.

She looked at him and replied with a sincere, Thank you. But I already took care of it. I'm no priest, but after the ordeal the gods put us through today, they would have to be crueler than the worst villains I've met not to give us some respite when it comes to proper funeral rituals.

#

Isaac finally got the girl—she was a heavy one indeed!—into the bed, and after getting her some water, began to remove her shredded clothes. Somehow, the poor thing was still conscious; as he jolted her maimed body repeatedly trying to get a good look at all her wounds, she finally screamed, unable to hold it back any longer. He looked at her hesitantly, and to his surprise she nodded, face covered with sweat, for him to go on.

After inspecting and washing her gruesome wounds, he started to sew unsteadily, calling upon the basic skills Jerome taught him when they had both been bored. Where was the boy?! Then again, it was not uncharacteristic for him to go get firewood, or fishing, in the middle of the day. It just irritated Isaac that he had picked this particular time, when he was needed most, to disappear. Not Jerome's fault of course, but still, Isaac had enough excitement and stress for the day and wanted some damn help!

Eventually, Isaac finished doing what he could for the girl, and was again amazed by her ability to retain consciousness when she asked him what he had to eat. After he told her, she requested some fish soup. When Isaac returned, however, he found her finally asleep.

Now he took a closer look at the girl—Rose, she had called herself. She was even younger than he'd thought at first, in her teens and little more than a child in his estimation. She wasn't as tall as he had thought when mistaking her for a corpse, though still the equal of many a man in height, but was as powerfully built as a young ogre. The ends of her wavy, voluminous dark hair, caked with blood, rested messily on her broad shoulders. Her face was round and pretty, with soft pink lips and eyes he recalled were a light blue color, like the spring sky.

Isaac felt tears well up in his eyes as he recalled the terrible wounds she bore. He had closed their exteriors, but several of them had been very deep. He doubted she would ever wake up again, but that was up to the gods, and Rose herself, now. After saying a few prayers for her, he tried to put her fate from his thoughts, but could not bring himself to leave her bedside. As he ate the tasty fish he had prepared for her, he found himself worrying about another matter at hand.

Over an hour had passed since Isaac heard the knocking at his door, and that made at least two hours since he last saw Jerome. Before, he assumed the boy had been working in the garden, but now it became clear he was not nearby. Gathering firewood usually got done quickly, but fishing could take hours. So there was no real reason for him to worry, and yet he did. Isaac waited for the rest of the day by Rose's bedside, but saw no sign of his assistant even well after sunset, and eventually fell asleep.

#

Rose awakened to the harsh sunlight burning into her morning-sensitive eyes. She tried to cover them, but couldn't quite muster the strength to raise her hand. It felt like she hadn't eaten or slept in a week, and every breath engulfed her in unbelievable pain. Boy, she had never felt this weak in her life! Rose saw the priest asleep in the seat next to her. The thought he'd prayed for hours for her touched her, and she smiled gratefully at the insensate man.

Well, she was glad to be alive at least, whoever she had to thank for that. At the same time, she thought of her dead friends, and began to sob softly. But she feared she would wake the priest and knew he needed his rest, so she stopped in spite of her grief. She looked around for her trusty broadsword, and took a small measure of comfort in seeing it propped up by her bedside.

#

Isaac heard the front door opening and looked to see a familiar face. Jerome, you're finally back! Make breakfast, and come check on this young lady when you're done. I'm exhausted; need a few more minutes of rest, and hot food. What young lady? Oh, you wouldn't believe what happened last night. I almost killed an injured girl who I mistook for undead. Gods, she was hurt as bad as anyone I've seen alive. Actually, I think I should check if she's still alive.

She was, but had not awakened and looked terribly frail. Shaking his head, Isaac walked to the lavatory (a room with a hole in the floor) to take a piss, came back, and sat again. When he opened his eyes after what seemed a relatively long nap, he saw there was still no food to be had and realized he again badly needed to use the bathroom.

What's taking so long? he yelled, and looked at Rose to find her awake and gazing at him curiously.

He hasn't come back yet. You were dreaming. The girl was as pale as before, and her voice small and weak.

Isaac sighed. I know. I knew it when I woke up for real. I was just hoping I was wrong. I'll be right back. He got up and repeated the actions of his dream, only this time he made breakfast himself. As he began cooking, he thought he saw the shape of a man among the bushes outside his window. It disappeared before he could call out to it, and he decided not to investigate further. It could easily have been a shadow or figment of his imagination, and even if there really was somebody snooping around, at least they hadn't tried to harm him yet. He had no desire to do anything that might tempt them to do so.

So Rose, what exactly happened to you? You said you were attacked by bandits? Could any of them have followed you here? Isaac hoped she would say no.

No, they're all dead. It was unbelievable—it's not that they didn't seem to value their lives, because they did. They all fought with every ounce of effort to stay alive and win, but never tried to run until it was too late, when they were too badly wounded to get away. It was like they had the utmost confidence in their abilities; even as their fellows died around them, none of them considered the possibility of their own failure.

Isaac frowned. Sounds like they were insane. How many were there, and how did you encounter them?

Rose paused as if to steady her nerves. "They attacked us as we were moving to hunt them down! Four of our members had gone missing recently, and then we found their heads outside our doorstep. So our whole Watch House went out after them, all sixteen who were left. We were fully armed for battle, and yet just after we left the outpost to look for them, they came at us in broad daylight. We couldn't have been more surprised if they attacked our base when we were sleeping.

"They rushed out of the forest dressed in foliage from the bushes, and for a moment I thought they were monsters. They fought like monsters too, many wielding weapons in both hands with shocking precision. It seemed at first they possessed incredible skill, but I wouldn't have thought men with that kind of training would have to settle for being common bandits.

Now that I think about it, it didn't seem like they had much in the way of technique, but their coordination and reaction speed were just amazing. We were hard pressed to keep up with them, but everyone who fell died fighting. I like to think it was our determination and resolve that made us nearly a match for them. Still, it took more than one of us to kill most of them, and often—she sniffed—the only opening they gave was when they were killing one of us.

Seeing she was close to tears, Isaac felt guilt at stirring up her painful memories, but out of curiosity persisted. How many of them were there, exactly?

Now a bit of shame joined Rose's grief, as she replied hesitantly, I'm not sure, but perhaps... a dozen of them?

Isaac wasn't surprised. The way she had described them, these men had been real terrors. Now he wondered at the wounds she bore—had she fought to the very end and emerged victorious, if it could be considered victory, or fallen wounded early on, sparing her from the mutual destruction of both sides? What was your part in the battle? How did you survive?

Tears had begun to flow down her downcast face, but at his question Rose looked proudly into his eyes and the faintest trace of a smile tugged at her mouth. I killed four of them. It was all I could do to repay them for the friends they took away.

Realizing that Rose was more than the gentle girl he'd seen thus far, Isaac said, Go on.

She continued shakily. "Their aggressiveness made many of us hesitate in fear, but I charged them as soon as I realized what was happening. The first one I came at from the side when he wasn't looking at me, and nearly cut in half. Then I saw their leader kill a watchman and attacked him, but another came to his aid, hoping to kill me quick. They cut me many times, but I crushed the second one's windpipe with the edge of my shield. The leader stabbed me deep in the breast, and thinking me done turned to find another victim. That mistake cost him, for I grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck.

By then most everyone else, friend and foe alike, had fallen. I fought the last one myself—damn, he was fierce! He put his sword in my gut, and that's the wound I'm afraid may be my undoing. But I sliced him on the side and then kicked him in the same place, and he tumbled into the river. Having finished her ugly tale, she let out a huge breath and seemed to deflate.

Isaac gaped. You're that good?

She shook her head. I don't think I'm that good. I got a few lucky breaks, though I suppose what really saved me was that I take a lot of killing. It surprised me how much I could suffer and go on. I guess there was no other choice, but to die...

That was true, but most people would have easily died from suffering what she had. Isaac felt strong admiration for Rose, and hoped more than ever for her survival. He suddenly remembered the shadow he had seen. You knocked one of them into the river? Are you sure he's dead?

Rose shrugged, but winced as she did so. The wound I gave him wasn't necessarily fatal, but I doubt he made it out of the water with it. Why? Her face grew worried.

Before Isaac could answer, he heard a crash outside the front door. Stay here, he ordered, then realized Rose wasn't likely to get up anytime soon. Picking up his stool, he crept over to the door and listened. Something moved. That was it; he couldn't bear waiting any longer. He opened the door, hoping with all his heart to see Jerome.

Instead, he spotted a lean, dirty man dressed in rags with a dark bloodstain on his side, on his hands and knees next to a flower pot he had tripped over. The man rose and walked towards him. Well, at least he was wounded, exhausted, and couldn't even walk right. Maybe things would be okay after all. Isaac tried to swing the stool, but as he raised it, the man tackled him to the ground with surprising speed and began to choke him. He realized then if the man had been armed, he'd already be dead.

As it was, he was still in grave danger. Within moments he came close to blacking out, and his assailant's hands might as well be an iron vise for all he could budge them. Desperately, he grabbed the man's bloody side and squeezed. Screaming, the man released his chokehold to try to pull his hand away, but agony made him weak and he could not easily move it. Isaac used the opportunity to roll over on top of him, still clutching his wound.

With his free hand, he thought to grab the largest rock within reach, but that rock was a pebble. Instead, he balled his fist and punched. The thrashing man still reacted swiftly, and moved his head so that Isaac only scored a glancing blow. However, the pain of his wound became too great and the man went limp, moaning and semiconscious, underneath him. Only now did Isaac realize his back hurt excruciatingly from the fall he had taken when tackled.

Somehow, he managed to tie the man up and drag him inside. He thought to lock him up in the storeroom, but Rose asked to question him. Isaac felt she was in no condition to do even that, but didn't want to argue with her either. So he put the prisoner in a chair, and tied him up some more just to be sure.

#

Her eyelids were heavy and head light, but Rose wouldn't sleep until she knew why a group of bandits dared to engage in such brazen violence against agents of the law. What infamy they could gain would be worth little, as it would only last until they were hunted down and executed. When the man recovered awareness and saw her, recognition immediately dawned on his face.

Anger and a little hatred showed in his eyes, to be sure, but no more than what would be expected of someone who had lost all his companions to her and her allies' blades. Certainly not the kind of fanatical loathing it would have taken for the bandits to essentially throw their lives away, even if they won. Mixed with these emotions, though, there seemed to be a bit of admiration in his gaze.

Unnerved, Rose went straight to the point. Why did you attack us? You knew you were going to die, one way or another.

The man coughed, and she realized he was in worse shape than she'd thought. He shook his head. I don't suppose if I tell you, you'll be lenient on me? I wouldn't expect it, but I'll try to explain nonetheless. I'm not really sure myself, so maybe you could help me figure it out. No, we didn't know we were doomed. I'm not sure why—until we fought you, for a number of weeks, we had thought ourselves somehow invincible. It sounds crazy to you, I'm sure, who beat four of us yourself; and I know it is. But even now, I can't help thinking... if we fought again, I would kill you!

At that Rose bristled, and saw her tension reflected in Isaac, who stood behind the bandit with chair in hand. Ignoring this, the prisoner went on. Before our delusions, we were like any other pathetic group of bandits. We took from the weak and avoided the strong. But then, many—perhaps all, though some were more vocal than others—of us decided we needed to test the limits of our skills. We took on large caravans, with guards that outnumbered us, and won easily! We were better than we had been before. It was exhilarating, indeed! But it wasn't enough. We wanted a challenge, but we already knew we would win. We just needed to prove our strength to ourselves.

Wait, you said you were better—better how?

The man coughed again and grinned. "We were faster. We saw faster, felt faster, reacted faster—we thought faster. We could see blows coming like they were slow strokes used in training to teach rookies. We could easily keep track of quick movements. And we could do multiple things at once more easily, and think about them independently. We felt godli-"

Isaac interrupted. Bewitched! Improved perceptions? Sounds like a witch cast a spell on the lot of you to further the spread of chaos in the world. Now look where it got you!

There are no witches nowadays, Rose pointed out quietly. But you have a point. It does sound like magic—she started chuckling painfully—or becoming sober.

"I don't think

Reviews for Iron Flower

[lritte · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Billy Wong gives us a female warrior that is quite heroic in her actions and deeds. We follow along learning her story and how magic dabbles in their world. There are not many females warriors in books so this is nice to see.

[debra_armbruster · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Reminiscent of a 2nd ed D&D adventure I played as a kid, Iron Flower proved to be fun in an innocent way. The language was anachronus in places and the characters a bit cliche, but Mr. Wong's passion for heroic fantasy comes through loud and clear.

[lisa.perkins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book, the second in the series, is an interesting mix between Arthurian legend (with a heroine instead of a hero) and zombie apocalypse fiction. I haven't read the first book of the series, but I didn't need to in order to understand this one. I didn't really get into it because the world that the author created for this story was quite strange to me, much more zombie apocalypse than medieval, judging by the characters' diction and the narration style. It just wasn't to my taste. Everything about the relationship between Rose and Finn seemed quite childish, like a contemporary teenage romance without the technology, which frustrated me. The story certainly was action-packed and exciting, though, that's for sure.

[jaiw-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another of Billy Wong's medieval style fighting adventures with an incredibly strong and fast healing heroine. Rose is likable and loyal. The underlying plot seems vague but you hardly notice with all the battles.

[wolffaerie17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rose Agen is an exceptional fighter, who helps the people of Brushknoll, making a stand in the face of Prince Wilner's army from Coblan. Rose knows that the fighting won't end until either Rose or Prince Wilner are dead. Rose battles Prince Wilner to stalemate and amazed by his recovery time from his injuries. Rose is also sick of fighting because she mourns the loss of every person with knowledge that could've been passed down to the next generation. Rose misses her love Finn, it's been a long time since she's seen him. Rose finds comfort in her other friend Derrick, a scholar, helping the people of Brushknoll. Why is Prince Wilner attacking Kayland? Will Rose reunite with Finn? Will the Coblan army be defeated? Will Rose continue to fight? Your answers await you in Iron Flower.I definitely see alot of change in Rose from Iron Bloom to Iron Flower. Rose appears to be more cautious in regards to magic and what it can do. Just because Rose has more strength than ten men together doesn't mean she can't hurt. I love the way the author shows many facets of Rose's personality and depth of emotion from her is priceless. I look forward to reading the next book in the series~Iron Bonds.

[handybear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book features a strong female main character Rose, her partner Finn and their friend Derrick. The excellent writing brings the characters to live and it is nice to see a strong female warrior as the main character rather than a supporting one. The story follows Rose through the years and many battles as their adventures encounter lost sorcery. It does seem to be left open for a sequel perhaps exploring Finn and his new magical abilities.

[roadway2000_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good book about a very powerful woman fighter who apparently cannot be killed. The story does get a lot bloody, but tells about her and her friends lives and fighting together. Good read.

[barbeloangel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After winning this second book via LT, I got really involved in this series and I must say I really did enjoy every moment. You most certainly need to read Iron Bloom (Legend of the Iron Flower Book One) first just like I had to, and I'm so glad that I did. They are filled with heart-throbbing action and adventure, magic, friendship, companionship and loss.I adored Rose straight away. Such a strong, powerful and unique woman; just wish I could be that strong tbh, you get so involved into the storyline. Rose has most certainly got her heart in the right place, she thinks more of others than she does herself. Surprisingly after all the wars that she's encountered and all the injuries she herself has suffered, Rose keeps on coming back for more and even tho she doesn't agree with battles, she doesn't like anyone getting hurt so she protects; she's a born Warrior and protector and I believe she gets tougher all the time.Thanks Billy for putting this into LT, so I had an opportunity to read and review this amazing story of yours. I will be most definitely be catching up with Rose again hopefully in the next series.

[sheriawilkinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Iron Flower (Legend of the Iron Flower, #2) by Billy Wong Rose Agen aka The iron Flower is a superior warrior. She is one of the toughest out there. She teams up with fellow warrior Finn and Derrick (a scholar) to protect her people. She is faced with one of her fears, magic. Along the way she finds her relationship with Finn is turning into love. They meet new friends and must fight many enemies but Rose never backs down from a challenge.A fantastic tale of adventure. I really like Rose, she is a strong woman in so many ways. I love strong willed and powerful female leads. Finn and Derrick are likable as well. I find that fantasy lovers will enjoy this series. Next I will be readingIron Bonds, book three in the Legend of the Iron Flower series.

[madamediotte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought Iron Flower was better than the first book in the series. The characters were more believable, there was a good flow to the story, and Rose's companions did not get replaced on a regular basis.

[caroltilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rose is back in book 2 and the series just keeps getting better. Sadly, Roses love dies in the first book, so did many of the other folk that fought side by side with her. Rose has also lost so much to betrayal. She no longer wants to be a warrior, she wants to live quietly - but that dream is too faraway to be a reality, once again - she becomes an even better warrior than before. This is not a repeat of the first book! Yes, there are tons of gory battles - but each one is different. The ethical issues she faced earlier are cloudier.Rose will need everything she has learned to face her new challenges. Alongside with her new partner Finn, she now seeks what she fears the most. Magic. It is time to bring magic back into the world. Not everyone agrees with this. When the magic does start to come back, the costs are high. It is not out of the ordinary for Rose to kill well over 100 men by herself in one single battle. Now there are other creatures to face. The hardest battle of all though, is Finn. We sometimes forget that Rose is a woman; she has the same wants and needs as any other woman out there. How does she compete for the love she so desires, and is Finn strong enough to be that love? Find out more in Book 3, Iron Bond.

[alicehreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like books with female protagonists who aren't scared of swinging swords, so when I saw the cover of Iron Flower, I knew it would be entertaining. This is the second book in Billy Wong's Legend of the Iron Flower series, and it is a fun sword and sorcery story. Some of the story could have benefited from removing certain (more boring) scenes, but the story had entertaining elements. Some of the characters were more fun than others, but I definitely liked to read the action scenes. The book is worth the read if you like good fights.

[carmenmaranda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The amazing Rose is being her invincable self, in fact , a veritable Ox of a women. The battle of Rose and Prince Wilner was amazing. But of course our Rose survived to return to her love but did they live happi;y ever after!!! But no. Well not exactly. Derrick was reading the mail seems as strange as everything else. Whats the next aadventure.carmenmaranda

[mtchrista · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In book 1 we meet Rose Agen, a young girl who by the age of 16 is a warrior of so many battles to rival that of a seasoned veteran. Battles where she gained fame for her strength, endurance and skill and seemingly miraculous recoveries from wounds fatal to anyone else. But being the tender girl she was she suffered from her part in the taking of so many lives and from the loss of comrades and friends, at times, more than she thought her poor heart could take. Book 2 takes place about 2 years after the end of book 1, Rose is a young woman now, a mightier warrior than ever. While knowing that her presence on the battlefield can bring a faster end to conflict lessening the number of lives lost it still is a burden she carries in her heart. So I was happy to see that now she has brave loyal friends (turning to love with 1) by her side, companionship she desperately needed. Rose still places herself in harms way wherever the fight for good may be, she faces many skirmishes on the battlefield as Kayland is invaded, fighting a foe greater than any other before and against magical forces testing every skill she has. Author Billy Wong once again keeps the action rolling, leading Rose and her companions from 1 predicament to the next. He gives more of an introduction to what many considered "old world magic" than that which was slightly touched on in book 1. This new addition to the storyline left me eager to start book 3, Iron Bonds, and see what Rose faces next!!

[kencluff · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Iron Flower (Legend of the Iron Flower Book Two) is a sword and sorcery fantasy novel. It’s heroine is a young woman, Rose, whose physique rivals the greatest Amazon warrior you can imagine. The narrative carries her from one battle to another in a story that’s light on plot and heavy on battles.If you’re in to that sort of thing, you’ll enjoy the book. For myself, I couldn’t finish it because there’s no real “quest” driving the plot forward and the prose is stilted at best. I wanted to get caught up in what Rose wanted to do, but there wasn’t enough in common between us for me to empathize with her, to make her quest mine.Usually epic sagas have a great quest or some compelling need driving the protagonist forward, such as destroying the ring in Lord of the Rings. I kept looking for that in this book, but the closest thing I found came was her desire to rid the realm of something labeled a “Clarity.”In the end, I wanted to like the book. There is a great story here, but it suffers from too many grammar and style errors and a plot that took way too long to develop to hold my interest.

[ravynwhyt · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I had a real hard time with this book. Not because it had a bad premise, but for me the execution was not so great. The changing of tense was hard to follow, and an overall lack of cohesiveness. It left you with some interesting characters.The characters were great and you really wanted to get to know them better. The battle scenes, however, were epic! The real downfall, I felt, was going from battle scene to battle scene, leaving me to wonder where the story was... what was the world like there? What did the characters like to do? If you like a lot of battle, and strong female warriors this book might be for you.