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Kelly Barnhill
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Iron Hearted Violet Paperback – Illustrated, March 18, 2014

by Kelly Barnhill (Author), Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 443 ratings
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Newbery Medal winner Kelly Barnhill spins a wondrously different kind of fairy-tale: In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. But this isn't most fairy tales...

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being, called the Nybbas, imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true--not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon-the last dragon in existence, in fact-may hold the key to the Nybbas's triumph or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules.

Iron Hearted Violet is a story about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.

A 2012 Andre Norton Award Finalist

A Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    448 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Dimensions
    5.35 x 1.55 x 7.65 inches
  6. Publication date
    March 18, 2014
  7. ISBN-10
    0316056758
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0316056755
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A 2012 Andre Norton Award Finalist
A Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner

"Barnhill inverts common fairy-tale notions...[and creates] the most inventive rendition of architecture since J.K. Rowling conjured Hogwarts....Poetic."―The New York Times Book Review

"A splendid fantasy...layered and complex, Barnhill's story brings a modern feel to age-old fairy tale tropes."―Publishers Weekly

"Storytelling plays a key role in the book, intriguingly blurring the line between what is real and what is imaginary....Triumphant."―The Horn Book

"Wonderful read-aloud potential...with a likable hero and heroine, a well-paced plot, and a daunting villain."―Booklist

"[Violet] is a princess for our century."―VOYA

About the Author

Kelly Barnhill is a poet and writer who also wrote The Witch's Boy and Iron Hearted Violet. The Mostly True Story of Jack, her debut novel, received four starred reviews. Kelly lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (March 18, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316056758
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316056755
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 11 years, from customers
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.35 x 1.55 x 7.65 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 443 ratings

About the author

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Kelly Barnhill

Kelly Barnhill

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Kelly Barnhill is an author, teacher and mom. She wrote THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, THE WITCH'S BOY, IRON HEARTED VIOLET, THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF JACK and many, many short stories. She won the World Fantasy Award for her novella, THE UNLICENSED MAGICIAN, a Parents Choice Gold Award for IRON HEARTED VIOLET, the Charlotte Huck Honor for THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton award and the PEN/USA literary prize. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children's Literature. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three brilliant children, architect husband, and emotionally-unstable dog. She is a fast runner, a good hiker, and a terrible gardener. You can visit and chat at her blog: www.kellybarnhill.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
443 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kevin Hasker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Author, Great book, buy now.
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
This woman is a certifiable genius. This book, like "The Girl who Drank the Moon" is a must read for all young ladies (9-13). It is also a brilliant book for others to read, but for girls in that age group... wow.

One thing I do want to say is that there's a lot of dark foreshadowing throughout the book. Having read "The Witches Boy" I was afraid it was too scary for my nine year old daughter. It's not, she's read it twice so far. For adults--who will enjoy the read--the underlying symbolism (like "The Girl who Drank the Moon") is frankly inspiring. Not heavy handed, you'll have to think for a bit to see it... but it's just so... amazing.

Negatives? The narrator is (by his own admission) sometimes rather pedantic. So the narration occasionally annoyed me. But my general impression is--despite "The Witches Boy"--that I now want to buy everything by this author.

(Personally I felt that "The Witches Boy" was too dark for readers under 14, but both of the other books I've read by her are brilliant--and my daughter's favorites.)

My daughter says "It's perfect for someone who doesn't know what a princess is." She means that this book will teach you what a REAL princess is like.

In short, we both love it.
25 people found this helpful
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Robert Rosenthal
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it - Mature and accessible story, for young and old
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
Truly a well-written masterpiece that had my daughter excited to read each night and quite rewarding for her old father. Strong friendship and understanding of forces that influence others, who are not bad, so much as swayed by the ideas put before them. Lead characters are able to right themselves, but not with out faults. Lotsa fun and good read for those who do not want more of the same, in every book.
5 people found this helpful
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K. M. Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read-Aloud Potential
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Rich, textured language fills this tale of a girl, a boy, a dragon, and an old god imprisoned who now might have schemed his way to being free. Violet is a princess. But she is not the typical fairy tale princess with clear skin, long hair and gorgeous eyes. Violet is plain, has mis-matched eyes, unruly hair, and blotchy skin. She knows she isn't the perfect princess but she is also clever and stubborn.

He best friend is Demetrius. He is the son of the stablemaster and he becomes Violet's closest companion. Together they roam the castle and the area around the castle looking for adventure and just doing what kids do. One day they find hidden tunnels that are just large enough for them to crawl through and, while exploring, discover a hidden library, a picture of dead-eyed dragons, and a book. Demetrius just knows that the book is dangerous but Violet's curiosity compels her to take it away with her.

This story revolves around story. Everyone knows all the stories and learns from them. But one story is secret. It is so dangerous that only a few know it. It can't be told because stories become real and become life. But it is a story that has to be known. It is a story of a cruel and malicious god who was imprisoned in this mirror world by the other gods. It is the story of a god tempting and suborning and lying to gain its release from its imprisonment.

This story is told by the court storyteller Cassian who tells the story and talks to us in the audience, too. Normally, I don't care for it when the story's narrator pulls me out of the story by talking to me as a reader. This time it worked for me.

This was a wonderful story with marvelous language. I can see it being a great read-aloud.
12 people found this helpful
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Nesta
5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK EVER
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
-Had an amazing story line
-Had excellent twists
-Very touching
-Great use of first person perspective
-The one thing I would change was the Dragon dieting even though it was very heroic and A touching sacrifice
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godzilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, multi-layered, and entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
A uniquely imagined world, a bold and imperfect heroine, vividly drawn allies and a horrifying villain— and dragons. The author never panders to her audience, but keeps building the enchantment and the suspense. A page-turner with heart.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Junkie
5.0 out of 5 stars Like it
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
What's there to say? It's a very well written story that would appeal to anyone who likes to read well written stories.
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Terri M.
4.0 out of 5 stars A MAGICAL STORY ABOUT A NOT-SO-PRETTY PRINCESS
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
Since I started listening to audiobooks more consistently, I’ve taken up perusing what’s in stock each time we visit Half Price Books. This hidden gem, Iron Hearted Violet, was on the shelf after several visits. And since I have a soft spot for books about dragons and it was relatively short (just over 7 hours) I decided to give it a shot.

After only two or three drives, I knew I had to have the physical copy of this book for my collection. There were just TOO many quotes I wanted save. This is a book about STORIES specifically LOST stories and a not-so-pretty princess. I HAD to have it. So I headed over to Amazon, used a gift card and purchased a physical copy of the book to accompany my audio CDs. Much to my surprise, after it arrived, I found the story was studded with line drawings illustrating the happenings in the novel. As I got further and further into the story, like Violet, I felt I had discovered something special.

Iron Hearted Violet is a story about forgotten stories, friends, the sacrifices you make for them and doing what is right. The story is told from the point of view of an older court storyteller. Simon Vance did an excellent job of setting the stage and telling the story. I was always anxious to learn more about the Nybbas and Demetrius and Violet. The adults in the story learn a great deal from the courage of the children in their lives. Everyone learns the power of stories.

Fans of Harry Potter, readers who love dragons and those who love twists on the traditional princess storyline will love Iron Hearted Violet. If you have young children, you might try reading this one aloud to them. This little middle-grade novel caught me by surprise and I’m happy I took a chance to listen to it as well as page through the physical copy. It’s sure to stick with me for a long time.
27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Kunde
3.0 out of 5 stars Epic middlegrade story with a taxing narrator
Reviewed in Germany on February 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
This was a good, solid middlegrade book. It follows Violet who is a rather plain princess in a country set in a world with a mirrored sky. Stories are very important there, as is the art of story telling. But there is one story that is forbidden and it is about the Nybbas, and Violet, curious and reckless, wants to find out more about it.
The narrator of the book is Cassius, the castle's story teller, so parts of it are from first point of view but in a lot of places it reads like an omnicient narrator. This was probably intended to make the story feel like it's not a novel but a story told to you which kind of worked but felt a bit weird at times, especially the parts written in first person. Cassius is a character in the story but you don't really find out much about him and his story arch feels like it was stuffed in the margins. Because you don't know much about him you can't really fathom his decisions which got a bit on my nerve.
I did like the family bond and the lore and the message that you don't have to be beautiful to be a princess, that beauty in itself isn't a defining factor which I think is something girls of the intended age group should definately hear.
I liked the epic dimensions of the story, how the situation gradually evolves into a war that demands certain sacrifices. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, but overall I still thought it was a good story.
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