Book Review #92: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight
by Julie Kagawa

Genre: YA Fantasy

Ages: 14 and up

This is the fourth novel in the Iron Fey series after The Iron King, The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen.

I received an advance e-book from NetGalley for review.

Description:

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…

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible.  And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:

This book was simply beautiful. I had not read any of the Iron Fey series until I heard about this one and then I went through the whole, wonderful series in less than a month. After the ending of The Iron Queen left me sighing I was so glad that I had this one on my computer, just waiting for me. I read it in a single afternoon, reveling in every page of heartbreaking tragedy and irrepressible joy. This is a perfect ending to a perfect series.

This book is all about Ashallayn' darkmyr Tallyn, the darkly handsome, dangerous prince of the Winter Fey. Did you ever want to know more about his life before he fell in love? Or how he truly felt about Ariella and how he feels now about Meghan? I was always on Team Ash, despite Puck's devious attempts to steal my heart, and this book made me love him even more. He has done terrible things in the past, things that were hinted about before but were never fully revealed, but he overcame his ruthless nature and upbringing because of the love of two young women. In this book, he is tempted and tested in every possible way until everything he thought he was is stripped away. It was nearly painful to watch at times, but oh how wonderful were the results...

The Iron Knight focuses a lot on the characters and their interactions. Puck and Ash, longtime friends and arch-enemies, have such a wonderful and complex relationship. They go from trying to kill each other to saving one another. Puck would get on anyone's last nerve and I completely understand the impulse to slice that grin off his face, so it was a lot of fun to watch the tension and, surprisingly, the trust between them. Despite everything, they know that they can count on each other completely.

Meghan is only barely featured in this book, and at times it seems hopeless that Ash will ever see her again. This, combined with the surprise introduction of a new player, leads to a whole new level of emotional pain for Ash. Even with Meghan off-page, the romance in The Iron Knight is wonderful.

I love the world of the Iron Fey series. The Fey are deadly and beautiful, just the way I always imagine them. No sparkly Tinkerbells here. Nothing is done for nothing and make promises at your peril. I can practically see the creatures of the wyldwood peeking through the leaves, watching for you to make a mistake.

As an ending to my review, I would like to add a chuckle for the fun little interview attached to the end of the book and a virtual smack on the head for Puck because he got that song stuck in my head.

I would recommend this novel to lovers of fantasy, epic romance, sacrifice and wonderful characters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for brief mild and mid-level swearing and name-calling

Sexuality:
I give it a 4.10 for a couple of discreet fadeaways.

Violence:
I give it a 7.10 for fighting and death.

                                Lieder Madchen