The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa is so satisfying. I read the first three in the series a few months ago and couldn't wait to slip back into the Iron Fey world. Kagawa's writing helped me do that right from the first page.

The Iron Knight is the first book told outside of Meghan's perspective. I have to say, Ash was an excellent point of view choice. It's no secret that I'm a huge Puck fan, but that's not to say I don't also adore Prince Ash. Getting into his head was beyond interesting. We got to learn more about his past and how his Unseelie heritage effects him. We also have the opportunity to see exactly how he thinks about Meghan (and Puck, for that matter).

Personally, I could not get enough of the Puck-Ash interactions. The two of show more them together are brilliant. I love the back-and-forth bickering and death threats. The fighting, the laughing, and -- when completely necessary -- the comraderie and teamwork. They are an excellent dyad.

Something that surprised me about The Iron Knight was the exploration into humanity. Ash's quest leads him to consider the differences between fey and humans, and what it would be like to give up his immortality. Then, he needs to decide whether or not he still wants to make that choice.

Final thoughts: Buy it. Totally worth it. show less

Ash made a promise to Meghan – he would find a way to be with her in the Iron Realm, a realm poisonous to the fae. Even if that means becoming human.

Which calls for a quest – first to find Grimalkin because he normally knows, well, everything and from there a quest to make Ash mortal. To find him a human soul. All the while accompanied with Puck for his own brand of randomness – and the deep underlying pain that still strains their broken friendship.

A pain that only becomes more acute when they find the surprising identity of the seer that can guide Ash to humanity – and to Meghan’s side



This book, as can be guessed by the title, focuses on Ash. Hmmmm…

Ok I’m going to confess a “your mileage may vary” moment, but I show more don’t like Ash. I don’t like the whole centuries old immortal falling head over heels for a teenager after spending 5 minutes with them trope. I don’t like the idea of a centuries old immortal deciding to give up his life, his allegiances – just about everything that defines him – to dedicate his whole being to a teenager he’s known for a month, if that. The whole concept of Ash from book 1 has annoyed me.

Especially since this relationship defines Ash. His relationship with Meghan and his relationship with Ariella are pretty much all there is to Ash. I’ll go a step further and say that the only defining characteristic about Ash is his angst. He angsts over Meghan and being with her. He angsts over Ariella and her dying. He angsts over Puck causing Ariella’s death and further angsts over their broken friendship. He angsts over being an Unseelie fae and the darkness within him and what that could mean. He angsts over the politics of the court. He even angsts over all the bad things he’s done in the past as an Unseelie fae.

Add to this that Ash isn’t exactly romantic and glamorous in his angst. He sulks, he pouts, he becomes passive aggressive and snarky and doles out the silent treatment. He’s moody and just a little petulant; I suspect he looks like a teenager, but he’s supposed to be several centuries old, we would hope for a little more maturity.

And this book feels like a grand show case for the angst and every encounter feels like another way to develop more angst into the tale. Puck comes along with him – allowing lots of angst about Ariella being dead, lots of angst about Puck loving Meghan and even a side order of angst from Puck about how he never took his chance to be with Meghan. (And, side point again – but uckies, ew, creepy! Puck has been watching Megahn since she was a baby. He watched her all her life until the age of 16. The idea that he missed the chance to make his feelings known is just intensely, skin crawly creepy here. She’s 16! He knew her as a baby! Get away from her you creepy creepy person you).


And the seer – is she there for any other purpose than to pile on more angst and a love triangle plot? To have Ash doubt about whether he wants Meghan and to wring his hands for more moping and angst? We even have a random encounter with some Thornguards which seems to exist only to bring home to Ash how impossible it is for him, a Winter Fey, to exist in the Iron Realm for yet more angst about the hopelessness of it all.

Even the ending is positively saturated with angst

Angst, mope, angst, whine, angst, brood, angst angst angst. Can a dragon eat him now?

Frankly, I have little time for it and had a hard time dredging through the endless moping. The only redemption came, for me, from the side characters. Puck is always fun – wild and random and light and carefree and silly – but always, lurking under there, an edge. He seems so reckless and silly and playful but underneath there’s always a suggestion of how dangerous he can be, of how his pranks and japes can easily turn into malice and danger if he is sufficiently provoked. I like Puck, he’s a fascinating character and worthy of more time in his own right – once he’s away from Ash and his eternal angst field that can even make Puck start moping.

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Thankfully there was a fourth book. I don't think I could have handled it if the The Iron Queen had really ended the series.

I was a little worried about how I would feel not having Meghan in the book but even though she was missed. It was nice to have the focus be on Ash and Puck. It was nice to have things be in the point of Ash, so we could really see what goes on in that dark little mind of his. It just made me love him more, if that's possible. I will always be Team Ash but I don't think the books would be the same without Puck. Of course how would they find anything without Grim, he's a cat, he knows everything. I liked the big bad wolf and the idea behind why he is a part of Faery. There another new character that completely show more annoyed me but I got over it and that is in part because of Ash. He had a normal reaction but at the end of the day he knows what he wants and were he belongs.

I loved the journey of this book. Mostly because it was more of a quest. Nobody was chasing them out of dodge, they went on the journey of their own choosing. If at any time they wanted to abandon it they could, no questions ask and nobody the wiser. That is what makes Ash shine, his dedication to what he was setting out to do. Everything that they go through in the book makes sense to me and definitely fits in with the end game. I especially like the trials, they were not what I was expecting but I understood the purpose of them. The last trial was a definite teaser because I felt like I was waiting for the bomb to explode. Every minute of this book was captivating.

I just have to say...phew and wow.

There were some great extras at the end of the book. It reminded me of Japanese manga actually. Julie does a review with guest appearances from Ash and Puck. There is also a survival guide to the NeverNever. It emphasizes wearing clothes that you will be able to run in. It was very cute.

This series easily moved up my favorites list to at least second place if not battling it out with Harry Potter for first. I can easily say that if there are more books that involve this realm of Faery (i.e. Ethan)I wouldn't hesitate to pick them up.

The only question that still lingers on my mind....Does Meghan have a true name? show less

Warning. Do not read this review if you have not read the rest of the series, especially The Iron Queen, or do not care about being spoiled. Continue at your own risk.

Just when you think a series cannot get any more thrilling and perfect, Ms. Kagawa comes around and proves you wrong. The Iron Knight picks up after Ash has been banished from the Iron Realm as he is on his journey to find the Cheshire cat and a way to become human. Puck, his ever-faithful best friend/arch-enemy accompanies him on this perilous journey. The back-and-forth banter between Ash and Puck is at its best, while Ash discovers what it means to become a human.

Unlike some of the more fantastic, mythical elements of the Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight’s true horror show more lies in the exploration of humanity. Frailty and mortality are only small portions of a human soul, and the tests Ash faces on his journey highlight just how strong humans are, much to his surprise. It is a battle unlike any Ash or Puck has previously faced and a welcome surprise for readers who were wondering how Ms. Kagawa could possibly pull off a fourth story without rehashing previous plot twists.

More than any of the other novels in the series, The Iron Knight is about heart, courage, and strength of character. In a society that idolizes the supernatural and is always seeking eternal youth, Ms. Kagawa reminds readers that being human is not easy and involves its own kind of strength. She makes a reader proud to be human instead of wishing that the Fay or other supernatural creatures do exist.

Julie Kagawa knows how to finish a series. She stays true to each of her characters without changing their voices or mannerisms. She provides the happily ever after while leaving enough to the reader’s imagination to satisfy even the most discerning of readers. The Iron Knight is a satisfying ending to one of the best paranormal YA series out there.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and Lisa Wray from Harlequin Teen for my e-galley! show less

THE IRON KNIGHT, by Julie Kagawa, is the stunning ending to the Iron Fey series but with one difference, it is narrated by Ash. (swoon!) Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin embark on a journey to gain Ash a soul so that he can live with Meghan in the Iron Realm. But the journey is anything but easy and danger lurks around every corner.

I am simultaneously sad and happy about the ending to this series. I loved how Kagawa ended the story (Ash fans will be very pleased), but I am equally sad for the adventures to end. If you thought there was action and suspense in the previous books, watch out. Kagawa stepped it up a whole other level and tested her characters to their limits. With my favorite characters in tow, Ash reclaimed my heart with his show more determination to gain a soul to spend the rest of his life with Meghan. How adorable is that?

Along with old characters, two characters in particular join the trio for the journey. One was a previous foe and the other previously dead. No I will not spoil it! But I was definitely surprised by those additions.

Kagawa truly has a talent at helping a reader visualize her settings, especially in the Fairy Realms. I felt each new environment and (sometimes scary) creature unfold before my eyes. Overall, fantastic book, fantastic series. Fans of Kagawa will love it, and if you aren't a fan yet go pick up The Iron King and join the phenomenon!

Cover note: How yummy is Ash on the cover? Gorgeous!! (as usual for this series) show less

https://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/the-iron-knight-julie-kagawa/

The fourth book in Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series was a doozy.

The entire story is told through Ash’s eyes as he tries to reunite himself with the girl he loves and lost.

I have loved Ash since he first appears on the edges (literally) of the story. He is a bit taciturn and brooding but he has always seemed to have good reason. He was raised in an emotionless void of his mother’s winter court and faced down some pretty heavy losses.

All of that changed (as it always does) with the arrival of a girl.

Brooding and dark as he is, Ash knows that the only way to live the way he wants to (with love) is to drop his faerie defenses and become the thing faeries hold to show more be the weakest of all: human.

Because I want to avoid spoilers, I’ll just stick to impressions.

There is so much in this story about redemption and recovery. In many ways, Ash is all of us, learning to live and love and feel even though it may be the end of us. In so many ways, we guard ourselves from love, for fear that it will be our undoing, that it will make us weak.

In many respects, love does make us vulnerable. But it also makes us strong. It is the ultimate sacrifice of our own self in order to give that self to others.

Through Ash’s journey to reach a truly human and vulnerable existence, we are carried along on a journey that has little to do with the faerie world and everything to do with our own.

As a future therapist and someone in recovery, this book hit me square in the feelings.

The only drawback was that Meghan wasn’t really in the story all that much and I do love her, so. Still, it was kind of nice to spend some time with Puck and Ash.

Overall, a fitting conclusion to this portion of the series. I know that there are a few more books and I’ll probably get to them in time. For now, though, this was a good resting place. show less

Due primarily to reader demand, Kagawa extended her original Iron Fey trilogy to include The Iron Knight. This novel is Ash’s story, with Meghan installed as the Iron Queen, the UnSeelie prince can see only one way to be with his love – to become mortal.
Ash, along with Puck set out on their quest to find the mysterious Guardian who has the power to give Ash a soul. There is plenty of adventure and danger and as well as some lighter moments thanks mainly to Puck’s sense of mischief and Grimalkin’s generalized disdain. It’s a heroic journey and Kagawa plays it out masterfully. Yet the Iron Knight is driven by emotion as Ash confronts his past, his love for Meghan and the possibilities of his future.
Since I was never a huge fan show more of Meghan I didn’t miss her absence in the Iron Knight. I loved that Puck had a strong role in the story, if Kagawa could be swayed i would love a novel just about Puck, particularly given the ending of the Iron Knight. There are two new characters who accompany Ash and Puck on their quest, one is the big bad wolf of legend the other I won’t reveal for fear of spoilers but suffice it to say it will surprise readers.
The world building is, as it has been through the series, imaginative and interesting. I really like the author’s mythology which is a mix of creative license and familiar legend.
Apparently Julie Kagawa is planning a spin off series featuring Ethan (Meghan’s little brother) but I would be very interested in an adult title from this author.
I’m really of writing too much about The Iron Knight because if you have become a fan of this series then I don’t want to give away anything. The Iron Fey has been a wonderful series to read and The Iron Knight is a wonderfully satisfying conclusion which I think fans will love. show less