Iron Hearted Violet

Written by Kelly Barnhill · Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

A forbidden book's tale could unleash an ancient evil. Can a princess and her friend rewrite fate?

3.9/5 Goodreads · 3,793 ratings

448 pages· 68,742 words· Est. 9.5 hour read

$8.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Princess Violet, not your typical fairy-tale royal, discovers a forbidden book with her friend Demetrius. The book speaks of the Nybbas, an evil entity trapped in their world. As whispers of its power grow, Violet, Demetrius, and a scarred dragon must navigate the story's rules. Their choices could either free the Nybbas or save the kingdom. In a world where stories shape reality, can they change the ending before it's too late?

From the publisher

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

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