Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey, #4

Synopsis (goodreads):  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, emotionless 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 solemn 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. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review

I had been waiting for this book for months so my expectations were incredibly high, and I must say, Julie did not disappoint. I could not have imagined a better ending to this amazing series.  This book was so intense and emotional and I enjoyed every minute of it. The Iron Knight is in Ash's point of view and that is part of what makes this book so amazing. You get to see his emotions and know what he's thinking. You get inside his head and read first hand about his past, the things he has done, his friendship with Puck, his love for Ariella and Meghan.. It's all there. You're with him through the entire journey in his quest for a soul. You read about parts of the Nevernever that most of the fey have never even heard about or seen themselves. I wanted so badly to be able to jump into the book and see it for myself, even if it would be incredibly dangerous. The world Julie has created is magnificent in all of it's glory, both the good and the bad.

There are a few twists that I never even imagined would happen, but everything came together in the end. I do wish Meghan had been in the book more than she was but I was still very please with the way it all turned out. And my love for Ash only continued to grow as I got further into the book. 

The characters stay true to themselves and even continue to grow. Especially Ash. His character definitely did the most growing. He learned a lot about himself, the people and the world around him, both Faery and mortal. I think it was perfect for Puck to be there along side him on this journey. It wouldn't have felt right for him not to be.

Julie Kagawa, you've done it again. Amazing. Simply amazing.

And now if only we could have a book about Puck.. ;)

I rate this book: