Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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.

Review:

Ever since hearing that Julie Kagawa would be continuing the Iron Fey series with the release of The Iron Knight, I had eagerly been anticipating the book. I loved the first three books in the series, and with the extreme ending the third one contained, I could not wait to see what was next for Puck, Meghan, and Ash! Thankfully, The Iron Knight was everything I had hoped and wanted it to be!

The Iron Knight picks up just as Ash and Pack are on the path to discovering the secret to mortality, the aspect Ash desperately needs to be with Meghan once again. However, their path is not as smooth going as they would like, as not only do they keep getting into petty little arguments over the past, but they also keep running into danger as well as dead ends in nearly every corner. They end up getting one break, though, which is Grimalkin, the cat everyone has a love hate relationship with. Now with Grimalkin as well as other surprise allies, Ash is on the path to getting what he wants…but when an unexpected guest from his past shows up and makes his question everything, will what he ends up wanting in the end be different from what he wanted in the beginning? Only time and more pages can tell in this exciting and thrilling conclusion to the Iron Fey series…one that will have nearly every fan holding their breath until the final word.

When I first heard The Iron Knight would be told in Ash’s perspective instead of Meghan’s I was excited yet a bit weary, because while I knew it would be interesting to see things from Ash’s perspective, I was worried I wouldn’t like reading from his POV nearly as much as from Meghan’s. In the end, though, my worries were thrown right out the window, because not only did Ash’s perspective bring a fresh change to the series, but it also gave even more depth to his character. He wasn’t just the icy ice prince anymore. Instead, he was someone who had feelings, concerns, and fears as well…someone who even had a heart somewhere deep down. In addition, I enjoyed finally seeing more the rival between him and Puck as well as his former relationship with Ariella.

With The Iron Knight also came the addition of several characters I have loved getting to know over the series as well as ones that were (somewhat) new. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing more about Puck, because he has to be my favorite character in this whole series! He’s so funny yet sweet…seriously can he just have his own book already? :) I also enjoyed Grimalkin, who was as mysterious and cunning as ever, and the Wolf, who contained more potential than I had first expected.

The plot in this was also thrilling! I was hooked from page one to the final one to say the least for a variety of reasons. One was the never-ending action as well as surprises. The adventure through the Nevernever to the End of the World contained excellent world building, some of which made this series even richer than it was before. The second was Julie’s amazing writing, because not only did she once again thoroughly flesh out the characters, but she also managed to present a fabulously crafted novel overall.

Containing twists, turns, and plenty of suspense, The Iron Knight is the perfect conclusion to The Iron Fey series. However, I have to say, I’m so happy that there will be a spin-off series!

Grade: A-

The Iron Knight (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley