The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9780373210367

5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:
My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.
My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

You want to know what The Iron Knight is like? It's like Kagawa ripped my heart out of my chest, put it on a platter and called it The Iron Knight.

 This is a captivating finale, and one that is sure to satisfy fans of The Iron Fey series.

 My favourite part about this was that it was told from Ash's point of view; which is rather frightening, to say the least. While reading The Iron Knight, you realize that his character has only been hinted at in the previous books and it isn't until now that we really begin to understand who Ash is and just how much he's changed. His deepest, darkest secrets are finally shared and explored with the discovery of just whispers of his past that you never really wanted to know.
 But it's addictive and beautiful, and entirely appropriate for this long-awaited ending.


 And I can't remember the last time I was so frustrated with a book. Can you remember the last time a book took you on such an emotional ride? The reader is spared no experience of Ash's turmoil as he ventures on the adventure of his (centuries long) lifetime.

 I honestly don't even know what I can say that will give this book the review it deserves. I can't explore it enough, I can't tell you how much I loved it enough.

Another thing I loved is how Kagawa showed that actions do have consequences. You can't run from your past no matter how hard you try; but it is up to you to make a choice regarding what you will do with that past and what you will do to impact your future. And it applies to her readers, just as much as it applies to the humans and faeries in her literary world.
I'm not even sure I should tell you what I hated most about this book, because it just doesn't seem fair. But I've never been a fan of Ariella, because I'm just not a fan of ghosts of the past haunting people and I have constantly wished throughout this series that she would just stop being brought up. And particularly in The Iron Knight, I really wanted to just shove her off the pedastal that Ash has placed her on. She doesn't get my vote of sympathy, but at the same time it is understandable in a book about Ash that this issue needed to be dealt with. And while I did not love how Kagawa dealt with this specific issue, I acknowledge that it had to be done.

 But really. The depth of Ash's character shines through and ultimately illuminates this book so well. There are so many twists and surprises within him, and each one is totally understandable.

And the best part is, I finished the book feeling completely satisfied. Nothing felt like it was left open, in my opinion, and as sad as it is that this is over, it was definitely worth the ride.

Special thanks to Harlequin Teen for providing me an advance copy of Iron Knight from Net Galley! No other compensation was received.

The link below is my affiliate link to take you to TBD page for $7.29 for a paperback copy - hardcover available as well, but this is the cheapest option :)

Winter's Passage & Summer's Crossing

There are two Iron Fey novellas available as e-books which fit nicely in the series as books 1.5 and 3.5. They don't take long to read, and if you picked them up when they were first available they were free on Kindle (but Winter's Passage is now $2.39 but Summer's Crossing is still free)! Because they're so short, I'm including them both in this review post.

Winter's Passage (The Iron Fey #1.5) by Julie Kagawa
Released: May 20, 2010
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9781426858321

3/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.
Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

I didn't realize that Winter's Passage existed until I went to pick up Summer's Crossing.... only to realize I had missed one. And I had meant to read them all in order, sigh. So I picked it up and read through it quickly anyways.

Since I've been reading through the series so quickly, I had a hard time remember which events occurred in which books. But Winter's Passage seemed to have a few flaws in my opinion. There were just a couple things that happened that didn't make any sense.

First of all, how come Meghan was able to use summer glamour here without getting sick? At this point, she's killed Machina and absorbed the iron glamour... right? Am I just missing something? This part just didn't seem to flow with the rest of the series. But I could be completely wrong on this one.

I also didn't see why Ash kissing her would save her from freezing to death. I'm sure it would surprise her- but still, she was passing out from the cold. I just couldn't see how that really made much sense.

I did like being able to read about how Ash and Meghan came to the Unseelie Court and what happened in between books 1 and 2. It felt like a little bit of insider info, which would be enjoyable to those who are fans of the series.

Summer's Crossing (The Iron Fey #3.5) by Julie Kagawa
Released: June 1, 2011
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9781459206403

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist. I haven't started reading The Iron Knight yet (I start that tonight- yay!) so I can't speak to how well Summer's Crossing fits in between books 3 and 4.

What I can say though, is that Summer's Crossing is a fantastic novella told from Puck's POV; and I'm sure you can imagine how much fun that is to read! I really liked how Kagawa revealed a bit more about Puck's feelings and the inner struggle he seems to be facing at this point in time in regards to the relationship between Ash and Meghan. It really added more depth to his character, being able to see that it isn't always fun and games with him.

It was also neat to see the relationship between Ash and Puck a bit more. I think we get a better sense of how they used to be friends, since most of the other books have been focused on them trying to fight each other constantly. But you can see that there is an underlying trust between them, that isn't found between many Fey at all.

The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Released:
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9780373210183

4.5 Stars/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.

The Iron Queen is thoroughly enchanting in every way; Kagawa seems to be able to find every possible heartwrenching method of drawing you even further into her magical fae world.

Remember how I mentioned in my earlier reviews of The Iron King and The Iron Daughter that Meghan kind of bothered me? Yeah, not anymore. Meghan matures beautifully from a girl into a strong young woman. But the progress is natural, and completely justified after everything she's gone through in the previous novels.

And Ash is even more swoonworthy than he ever was before. He's still Ash, and doesn't lose any part of himself that made him so attractive in the beginning, but there's a slight warmth and lightheartedness that wasn't there before. The relationship between Meghan and Ash is still complicated, but plausibly so. Summer and Winter together? It's obviously not going to be easy, and was never expected to be simple.

My biggest pet peeve was that Meghan was so honest about leading Puck on... but continued to do so up until a point. Just... give the poor guy a break already.

I was utterly entrhalled with The Iron Fey world and can I just say how much I adored the faery traditions? Particularly the one between a knight and his lady... sigh. It sounds lovely and truly romantic.

The theme of relationships is evident throughout the series, but particularly at this point in the series. Family, friendship and love are all valued very highly by Kagawa's characters and it's beautiful to see how these various relationships play out as Meghan navigates the Nevernever world. Something I really appreciated was how grave the idea of sex was treated. It comes up as an issue between Ash and Meghan as the sexual tension is building, but it's something they both treat reverently and don't barge into quickly. It really pleased me to see it treated that way, as something of a commitment between two people in a YA book.

The last thing that broke my heart as I was reading it was the revelation of Meghan's father. The thought of losing one's memories is something that completely terrifies me, and I know this was one part that really tugged at my heart strings.

I'm just really glad I waited to read this series until I had a copy of The Iron Knight on hand, because I really don't think I could handle waiting for more after the ending.