The Iron Knight, by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Knight, by Julie Kagawa
Book 4 – Iron Fey series
Review by Saluki
The Iron Knight is the final installment in author Julie Kagawa’s amazing Iron Fey series. Originally, this series was supposed to be a trilogy. However, after feedback from her publisher and fans that Prince Ash needed his own book, this novel was born. I have to say that I am extremely glad that the author decided to add another book to the series. Stopping with book three still would have left readers with an excellent series, but one that felt incomplete with the unanswered questions about Meghan and Ash. Although this book won’t be available for purchase until October, I read an ARC of the book and am so excited to tell you about it today.
To jump right into my opinion, I have to say that The Iron Knight is the perfect ending to this series. I finished the book with a heavy heart because the series is over, but couldn’t have been happier with the way the author brought Ash and Meghan’s journey to a close.
As you might recall from the last book, The Iron Daughter, Meghan was crowned the Iron Queen and banished Ash from her realm. Since Iron is deadly to Summer and Winter Fey, Ash couldn’t have stayed with Meghan without slowing killing himself. So, rather than watch him die a painful death, Meghan told him to leave and never come back. But, before he left, Ash vowed to Meghan that he would find a way for them to be together forever. Now, before I go any further I am going to say if you haven’t read the novella A Summer’s Crossing, which takes place between books 3 and 4, now would be a good time to do that. It focuses on Puck and Ash and gives some great insight on things that will come up in book 4. This final book in the series is the darkest, most poignant of the four in the series.
This book is essentially Ash’s journey. His vow to Meghan is sacred to him, and now that he has the tiniest hope of being with her forever he won’t stop, no matter how daunting the task. Of course, Puck insists on going along. He knows that if something happened to Ash, Meghan would want to hear it from him first. And, Puck is always up for an adventure. Our daring duo first have to find Grimalkin, which takes them to a desolate part of the Nevernever. I have no idea how old Grim is, but he seems to know everything – including how to get to the end of the Nevernever, which is where Ash must go. Why are they heading to the End of the World? Well, Ash has discovered a way to become human. Yes, Ash is willing to trade in all that being Fae means in order to be with Meghan. But, just because Ash has made the decision to become human doesn’t mean he really understands what that means. By the end of his journey, Ash will learn that with humanity comes weakness, regret and ultimately, death. I want to go on and on about the plot, but since the book isn’t available for purchase yet, I feel like I need to hold back. The basic plot is this – the group travels down the River of Dreams, dodging danger as they race to reach the end of the world. Once there, Ash must go through a gauntlet in order to gain his soul. The gauntlet is more than just a physical trial – it is a test to see if he can withstand what it is like to be human; he will lose his physical strength, see into the future, and gain a conscience. After all of that, will he still want to be with Meghan forever? That is the real test Ash must face. I loved this book from the very first page to the last. and literally could not put it down,
A few of the things I loved most about the book are:
1) I loved learning more about the history between Puck and Ash. We get to see their friendship close up in this book – the good, the bad and the very ugly. It becomes so clear that they balance each other out, which is why they work so well together. But, we also get to see different sides of both Ash and Puck on this journey, rounding out their characters even more. Ash and Puck must face their old feud once and for all and decide if the bitterness and anger that lies just underneath the surface can finally be put to rest. The author does an amazing job of peeling back the layers and showing us raw, unfiltered emotion.
2) One staple of this series has been its humor, and this book is no exception. I will never get tired of Puck egging on Ash by calling him Ice-boy, or Grimalkin’s dry, sarcastic wit. In a series that has plenty of dark moments, the author uses humor to bring much needed levity and comic relief at just the right times.
3) Holy Plot Twist Batman! I think this statement speaks for itself, but let me just say that there are a couple of big shockers in this book that will leave your jaw on the floor. While I was able to deduce how the book was going to end, there were enough twists and turns in the story to keep me from getting bored.
I give this book five out of five fangs. Julie Kagawa has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to find out what she comes up with next. Watch out for our interview with Julie, coming in August.
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