Book Review: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Traitor
by Julie Kagawa

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal / Romance / Faeries

Ages: 13 and up

This is the sixth novel set in the Iron Fey world, the second book in the Call of the Forgotten series. Here are my reviews of The Iron Knight and The Lost Prince.

I received an advance e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:


In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

My Thoughts:

Oh. Wow. This book is...Wow. I'm attempting to turn my incoherent sputterings of horror and glee into actual words. I laughed at Razor's antics, I sighed over the doomed romances of Ethan and Kenzie and Keirran and Annwyl, I scolded the characters (out loud, to my chagrin) and by the end I cried. And sputtered. And raged over the long months that that will have to pass before I can read the next book. This book was awesome. Possibly Julie Kagawa's most spectacularly evil novel yet.

Ethan and Kenzie attempt to return to normal life, which doesn't work so well when Kenzie's dad tries to get Ethan arrested for kidnapping. Turns out he doesn't like it when his terminally ill daughter disappears with a boy. I liked that he seems to finally be waking up and noticing Kenzie, even if it makes things that much more difficult for our hero. I also loved how Ethan has to learn how to protect Kenzie without treating her like glass. It's a thin line for someone as instinctively protective as him.

Keirran and Annwyl remind me of young lovers from a Shakespeare play; impulsive, wild-eyed and tragic. They just hurtle from obstacle to obstacle leaving disaster in their wake. Well, I can't really blame Annwyl as she is usually attempting to persuade Keirran to slow down and think before making bad decisions. However, he's the proverbial 'unstoppable force' and nothing slows him for long.

The Nevernever, already one of my favorite fictional worlds, is still practically a character in itself. The band of questers (for this book really is at its core a questing adventure) also take an interesting little side-trip into the Between and the magic-drenched city of New Orleans.

Questions I never thought to ask were answered in this book, like; why don't the Summer and Winter Courts mingle? I always thought it was a matter of politics and dissimilarity of magic, but what of there's a deeper reason? Ms. Kagawa continues to be one of my favorite authors for world-building.

However, she is also spectacularly evil. The ending of this book was so absolutely perfect and heartbreaking and completely, utterly, incontrovertibly mean. How can you do this to your loyal readers??? How can you torture us like this and make us wait who knows how long for the next book???

My only complaint for The Iron Traitor is that it ended. 

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it a a 7.10 for three uses of the f-word and some mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for some brief, vague hinting and some kissing.

Violence: 
I rate it a 6.10 for fighting and murder.

                       Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince
by Julie Kagawa

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Romance

Ages: 13 and up

Sequel to the Iron Fey Trilogy and The Iron Knight.

I received an e-galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

 That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My Thoughts:

Wow. Cute little Ethan is all grown up and has gone punk...sort of. After years of hiding from the Fey, he's developed a surly attitude and a bad reputation that acts as a wall between him and the human race. Plus his hair's all spiky and his ears are pierced. Like I said, sort of punk. But he's still cute. On his first day at a new school (he kind of accidentally set the last one on fire), he runs straight into trouble in the form of a bullied half-phouka. And so the adventure begins.

I love all the new characters in this book. Kenzie, who worms her way past Ethan's snarkiness by sheer force of will and stubbornly refuses to give up on him. Todd, who's a little peculiar but quiet promising, and Keirran. Oh, Keirran, I don't know what to think of you. All I can tell so far of Keirran is that anything to do with him promises to be very interesting and he has a marvelous pet, the entertainingly random gremlin named Razor. It was also lovely to see old friends again - Meghan, Puck, Grimalkin and brief glimpses of Ash. Can you virtually hug fictional characters?

This book is as beautifully written as Julie Kagawa's previous novels, perfectly swirled with rich descriptions and dark secrets. The Nevernever has become even more wondrous and dangerous than ever, if such a thing is possible.

I would recommend this book to all and sundry, though it is a good idea to read the rest of the series first even though it is technically the beginning of a new trilogy. I must also warn you that it spoils some of the plot of the film Serenity (it ticked off my sister when she read it, but I just loved the fact that Ethan is a Firefly fan).

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 2.10 for some mild swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for a couple of brief sexual slurs.

Violence:
I rate it a 5.10 for some fighting and injuries as well as murder.

                                           Lieder Madchen

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