The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES IN THE SUMMARY.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
(Goodreads profile)

Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Format: Paperback
Pages: 386

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.

The Iron Fey series is one of my favourites. It's carved a spot in my heart because of the fantastic characters, stunning world and the COOLEST CAT TO EVER GRACE THE PAGES OF YA LIT, Grimalkin.

As soon as you begin The Iron Knight, the shift from narrator Meghan to Ash is apparent. The events of the The Iron Queen have left Ash completely and utterly destroyed. He is devastated and far from the emotionless creature others make him out to be. Honestly, I just wanted to reach into the book and give Ash a great big hug or maybe pour him a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Something that surprised me was how much I missed having Meghan around. While I liked her a lot in the previous books, I guess I didn't realize how much.

While Ash moped and glared at everything under the sun, Puck and Grim kept me very entertained. Puck was his happy, hilarious self and Grim (bless him) continues to be sarcastic and regal in his feline way. Grim, you may actually make a cat-liker out of me. I don't want to spoil this book for anyone, but there were also some new side characters that I really ended up liking. Kagawa always manages to create interesting characters for her novels, and this time is no exception.

One thing that I always love about this series is that there are trials and real danger. It's not always easy to see how characters are going to make it out of something, and I'm always transfixed watching them do it. Julie Kagawa isn't afraid to throw her characters into harsh circumstances and in the second half of this book in particular, I found myself holding my breath multiple times.

If you've read any of the books in this series, you know what I'm talking about when I say the world is simply enchanting. I feel like every corner of it has been explored but at the same time, there's more and more and more that I still haven't discovered. There is beauty and vibrancy, darkness and fear.

There is just one thing I have to say if you haven't started this series yet: GO. Seriously, drop what you're doing and pick up The Iron King. You won't be disappointed.

Cover Comments: This is my favourite of the series, which is saying something fierce. I love the chilling colours that are perfect for our favourite Winter prince and the back cover is FABULOUS.

5/5