Book Review: The Tree That Grew Through Iron by McKenzie Austin

A rogue timefather. An immortal captain. A mythical earthmother. A dying continent.

These are just some of the things you’ll experience in The Tree That Grew Through Iron, as Nicholai Addihein joins Captain Kazuaki Hidataka and his crew in a quest to save the world, and hopefully, his love.

Austin has created a magnificent fantasy world, and the world-building stands out instantly. It will pull you in, captivate you, and take you on an amazing journey.

Much of the story, if not most, happens on board Captain Hidataka’s ship, and I loved it. It’s a kind of environment that makes for a lot of fun adventure, and bonding between the story’s cast (of which there are many, considering there’s a whole crew).

Austin’s writing is beautiful and captivating, and most importantly, never boring. I found the pace to be a bit slow a times, this is a long book, and I have a tendency to feel like it’s just a little bit drawn out at times.

I had the audiobook version, and as usual, I find it a bit difficult to keep track of names when I don’t see them written out before me, and some of the things that are going on, especially when it’s a story I don’t know from before. I didn’t for example realize until the end of the book how much time had spanned during the events of the book, even though I’m sure it was mentioned several times.

Also, I didn’t feel like the narrator was a good fit for me. I say it that way, because he didn’t do anything wrong, he was an excellent reader and did great work with all the characters, but I felt like something was missing. Something didn’t quite click with me, and I noticed I sometimes lost interested a little bit. I don’t know quite how to describe it, which is why I want to emphasize that it’s probably me, not him. Also, perhaps particularly toward the end, there was often a noticeable drop and increase in volume, which made me have to turn it up and down occasionally. Not a big issue however, by all means.

Austin has created a wonderful fantasy universe, with unique settings, adventures and characters. A pleasure to have read, and I’m sure the next installment will be just as captivating. Recommended!

You can check out The Tree That Grew Through Iron and other works by McKenzie Austin here!