Review: The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

Source: Received an eGalley from NetGalley and Harlequin Teen.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 386 (Hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

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.

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If you haven't read The Iron Queen yet don't even read the blurb...seriously, just don't read it! I'm going to try not to spoil anything with this review, but I might not be able to refrain from spoiling bits for the earlier books...I'll try though.

I think the biggest change between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight is quite obvious...this one is NOT in Meghan's point of view, instead, it's in Ash's. I know lots of people were worried about Ash losing his mystery and all that, but honestly, I was never worried...Ash is even a mystery to himself ...seriously. haha I loved getting to read an entire book written in his POV. It only made me love Ash more. I loved getting to know his thoughts, and getting to see things from his side of the story. It was incredibly interesting and I think Ash managed to maintain his mystery...although I feel like I know his feelings for Meghan a lot better, which just made it even more awesome. Ash has always been able to make me swoon...honestly, I'll stop reading a sigh, no joke...so getting a whole book from his POV was a dream come true. Plus, I'm pretty glad that the story didn't actually end up being finished with The Iron Queen...as much as I loved that book, I think I would've been a bit upset if it ended there. :P

If you've read the other three books, you already know the characters, so you already know who you love and maybe some who you didn't love...but I'll mention them anyway. Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin, of course, are in The Iron Knight aplenty! The Big Bad Wolf and some other characters also pop up. The Wolf and Grim are hilarious together...seriously it's like Puck and Ash's banter, but they're animals...plus cat and dog jokes, that good stuff. I just mentioned Puck and Ash's banter...and I loved it in this one, I also loved getting to be inside Ash's head when he'd think about his past with Puck...or just think about Puck in general. It was interesting to get to see their relationship from the inside rather than just in passing through Meghan. Overall, the characters were fantastic in this one...as always, Julie always writes fantastic characters. :D

If you haven't started this series yet, then I'm just going to say right now that you should definitely go out and start it. If you're unsure, borrow the first book, The Iron King, from the library, and once you're hooked you can get your hands on the other books. :P

I'd recommend this one to fans of the series...although I'm sure by now most of you have read it already. :P And if you haven't started The Iron Fey series yet, then I recommend it to anyone who loves stories about the fey, stories with awesome heroines with some fabulous leading men, and anyone who's a fan of fabulous one-liners and banter....also, if you're a sucker for a forbidden (or even maybe impossible) romance you'll love this series. :)

Since this one's been out for a while, have you read The Iron Knight already??
If you have, thoughts?? Were you worried during some? (I was...I left it out of the review to avoid spoilers, but I was defintiely worried for a bit. :P)

If you haven't read this one, or even started this series yet, what's stopping you?
Or are you like me and have a monumental TBR list...and it's somewhere in there? :P

My Perfect Day with Ash

Well...since this is staying G-rated...and Meghan has super scary fey magic, I'll tell you my perfect day with Ash if we were just friends. Although as you can imagine, I would definitely not want to be stuck in the friend zone with him! haha...am I perhaps hinting at what's to come on this perfect day, well yes, yes, I am.

First, we would go for a walk in my small town, and since it's a perfect day, the weather would be sunny and wind free for once. We might even bring my dachshund along for the walk, she'd love it. :)

Then, we'd play Scrabble®, because what perfect day isn't complete without a fierce and competitive game of Scrabble®? Ash would win, of course, because he's been around for a long...loooong time, so he knows way more words than I do...plus I tend to get bored of Scrabble® after a while and stop trying, I do it with Poker, too. I start with a bang and fizzle out...anyways, while we're playing Scrabble®, we'll be listening to music ("Ice" by Lights, and maybe some "Ice, Ice, Baby" by Vanilla Ice...are you sensing a theme with the music here?), and we'll be drinking some nice hot chocolate, although Ash's might need ice cubes so that he doesn't feel uncomfortable.

After Scrabble, and hot drinks, we'll settle on the couch and watch...you probably guessed it, Just Friends. It's the perfect movie. It's funny, it's sweet, and...it has Ryan Reynolds in it. And since this is the "perfect" day, Ash really likes the movie, too. :D

Finally, with the day drawing to an end, Ash has to say goodbye, but when he leaves Meghan shows up, and we have a sleepover. She gushes about Ash like crazy, so I'm okay with only being friends with him because Meghan is awesome, I'm happy for her (and him), and on this perfect day, she and Ash are my friends. :)

---

If you're wondering why I'm posting about my perfect day with Ash, well it's because Julie's having a contest on her blog! This right here is my entry. :)

You can read the contest post on Julie's blog, here: Iron Knight arc contest: A day with Ash (or Puck)

Here are the details, copied from Julie's blog (in case you want a  peek before checking out her post): 

"One Ash winner and one Puck winner. I will choose my four favorites and let Random.org decide the rest. U.S. and Canada only this time, sorry. Contest will run to September 25th. "Inappropriate" posts will be disqualified. Don't forget to post your perfect day on your blog or other public forum. Thanks!"

So, I hope you liked my day with Ash...I amped up the silly just for you all. haha Good luck to everyone else who enters, and if you do enter, I'd love to read your entry, too, so don't be afraid to post a link. I'll definitely check them out. :D

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Source: Netgalley (originally) / My own personal copy. 

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: Already Released

(Click this link to go to The Iron Queen's Goodreads page.)

Eeek! I was so excited to read The Iron Queen that I swear I totally jumped and shouted for joy when I was accepted to read it on NetGalley! And I wasn't disappointed at all! The Iron Queen blew me away, and I was left totally drained because I had put so much of myself into the story while I was reading it that I felt like when I finished I was lost. 

I'm going to try my hardest to make this a spoiler free review, and because of that you're going to get a lot of me gushing about how much I loved this book. Anywho...I abso-freaking-lutely loved The Iron Queen! Julie did such a fantastic job on this book, and I think that while it takes you on a major emotional roller coaster, it is a book that most fans will absolutely love! 

I think my favourite part of The Iron Fey series, aside from my love for Ash, has been Meghan's growth and how much she's matured. Over the series she becomes a truly strong character, and a heroine to be admired. I was so proud of her in The Iron Queen, and while sometimes her actions made me sad, I always gave her mad props for making her decisions and sticking to her choices! I'm going to avoid talking about Puck and Ash to avoid spoilers, but fans should know that they both have pretty big roles in The Iron Queen, and I love them both for very different reasons! And Grimalkin, he's as awesome as ever in this one, which I'm syure everyone is glad to hear! :D

Along with the amazing characters, Julie has once again managed to weave a wonderful world with her words, and it left me completely enthralled in it. She's woven a world where the Summer, Winter and Iron court compete for dominance and their interactions make for some thrilling action. This book made me happy, it made me anxious, it made me sad, and above all it took me into a whole new world. The Iron Queen was a fabulous book, and for anyone who hasn't started the Iron Fey series, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so, personally, I feel like it's one of the best YA series out there right now, and it is definitely one of my favourites!

Here are a couple of links just for fun:

The Iron Fey's Facebook Page

Julie Kagawa's website

Julie Kagawa's blog

And here are the Goodreads pages of the other books in the Iron Fey Series:

The Iron King ---This is the book that started this series, and I'm sure that all of us Iron Fey fans are super glad that we found it. :)

Winter's Passage --- This is a novella that takes place between The Iron King and The Iron Daughter. If you haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. You can find it free for download on various websites, I got mine from NetGalley. I don't think this one's free anymore though, but you might get lucky.

The Iron Daughter --- This is book 2 in the Iron Fey series, so if you've finished The Iron King you really want to check this one out. :)
Summer's Crossing ---  Puck's novella that takes place between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight, it's set for release on June 1, and will be free for a limited time.

The Iron Knight --- There will be a fourth book in the Iron Fey series, this one's Ash's story! Right now Goodreads says its release date is October 18th! :D

Obviously by this review you can tell that I absolutely loved The Iron Queen, and now I can't wait to read The Iron Knight! Or Summer's Crossing! :D

How about you?? Any other Iron Fey fans out there?

Happy Reading!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

THE IRON DAUGHTER by Julie Kagawa

(Click here to go to The Iron Daughter's Goodreads page.)

I've already posted my review for The Iron King, which I loved! I started reading The Iron Daughter immediately after I'd read Winter's Passage, which I downloaded on NetGalley. I absolutely loved the novella too.

Winter's Passage was a short novella that showed Ash and Meghan's journey to the Winter Court and Queen Mab. It wasn't too long, and it packed a major punch full of action. I definitely recommend reading it if you haven't already. You can access it on various online sites. Here are a couple:
http://www.onread.com/book/Winter-s-Passage-191159
http://www.nightowlteen.com/nor/Reviews/Cgrotpeter-reviews-Winters-Passage-by-Julie-Kagawa.aspx
http://enterthefaeryworld.com/ironfey/#
It can be read online in some cases for free, and on other sites you can purchase it for download.
--------------
Now onto my review for The Iron Daughter...I didn't think that I could love Julie's Iron Fey world any more, but The Iron Daughter most definitely proved me wrong. It drew me into the realm of Faery even more, and I didn't want to put this book down at all. I wanted to read until I finished, and of course, once I finished I wished I had taken my time reading. I wanted it to go on forever, but of course books don't work that way, so I'll have to settle for rereading it sometime soon...maybe right before The Iron Queen comes out in February. :D

I loved that there were more details in this book. As Meghan learned more about Nevernever and the fey, so did we. I loved that we see even more types of Fey in this book, even if most of them are Unseelie fey and aren't necessarily that pleasant to meet. :P I loved the bigger characters, and the smaller ones that we see only briefly. I loved Ash of course, even if he was a douchebucket during some of the story...but isn't that why we love him? :P I loved Grim and Puck, and the comedic factor those two bring. I loved the action, the romance, the tension in this story. It had so many things going for it!

I felt like in The Iron Daughter, Meghan was forced to grow up a lot more. She faced more hardships on her own and had to learn to not rely on Ash, Puck or Grimalkin as much. This book was also way more emotional for me, but I love emotional stories. I’m a sucker for them and a sap, so the tears flow easy.


There was so much turmoil in this book, and so much emotion. Julie has a way of making you care for her characters and during the emotional parts, that really came into play. I was empathetic for the characters and it was so easy to lose myself in this story. A lot of stuff happens in this book, but it just flew by, and boy did The Iron Daughter end with a bang. I just love Julie and her cliffhangers, the anticipation builds and builds. I mean, I feel tortured and everything, but I still love ‘em...I must be a sucker for those too.

The Iron Fey has quickly become one of my ultimate favourite series, and thanks to Netgalley and HarperTeen, I was able to read the galley of The Iron Queen, which I will try and review shortly. The Iron Fey series is a non-stop emotional rollercoaster and action-packed ride. And I for one am so excited for more...especially more of Ash *swoon* ;)

Here are a couple of links just for fun:

The Iron Fey's Facebook Page
Julie Kagawa's website
Julie Kagawa's blog

And here are the Goodreads pages of the other books in the Iron Fey Series:

Winter's Passage --- This is a novella that takes place between The Iron King & The Iron Daughter, and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. You can find it free for download on various websites, I got mine from NetGalley.

The Iron King --- This is book 1 in the Iron Fey series, but if you're reading review, you likely already new that. ;)
The Iron Queen  --- This book comes out February 11, 2011...I personally cannot wait until it's out :D
The Iron Knight  --- It was also just released that there will be a fourth book in the Iron Fey series, this one's Ash's story! :D


If you've already read this series, what are your thoughts?? Ash or Puck??

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!

♪♫ Ambur

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 363 pages

Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

Iron Fey #1

(Click here to go to The Iron King's Goodreads page.)

I started the Iron King during the Halloween Read-a-thon, and I didn't finish it during the weekend because I had a Russian test the Monday afterwards and needed to do some massive cramming, but that doesn't mean that I didn't love every moment of this book...because I did. I thought it was an amazing story, and it had so much going for it, I'm not sure how I couldn't have liked The Iron King. It had faeries, love, action, a brooding prince, a funny best friend, and an amazing protagonist.

Meghan Chase is one of my favourite leading ladies, she is incredibly easy to relate to. She's an outsider and I think it's pretty likely that all of us have felt that way at least once. She has only one friend and no one ever seems to remember her, even her own step-father is constantly forgetting about her. It makes you feel fortunate that your parents both remember you in the morning at the breakfast table. She's incredibly humble too, and that shows when all she asks for on her sixteenth birthday is to go take her test for her learners permit. She's loyal and will do anything for the people she cares about.

Her best friend, who she knew as Robbie Goodfell, has many names, some of which you just might of heard of, especially if you've ever read Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Most people, you see, know him as Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, the trickster from the play, who gives Bottom the head of a donkey and makes Queen Titania fall in love with him. I think Puck is a fantastic character, and Julie did a wonderful job transcending him from a Shakespearean character into a slightly more modern one. Faeries are immortal and timeless, so they aren't exactly modern, but either way Puck adds a lot to the story. He adds in jokes, and is just his all-around awesome self.

Now, you've probably heard about all the Team Puck or Team Ash stuff if you've already heard of this story, and I've told you about Puck...now let me tell you about Ash...dark, brooding, mysterious, and incredibly sexy Ash. If you can't tell by that introduction or didn't see the Team Ash button on my sidebar...why yes, yes I am Team Ash. :D

I think Ash is the bee's knees. From the first moment we see him...and it was from a distance might I add, I thought he was awesome. Yes, awesome. I don't want to get into all of the ways that Ash pops up in the story because I think you'll enjoy it more if you read it yourself rather than have me spoil it, but there are plenty of swoon-worthy Ash moments throughout The Iron King. While I love Ash's dark brooding nature, I won't lie he had me a little pissed at him more than once, and while the strong independent side of me really doesn't want to admit it, that whole 'you-can't-have-me' attitude just made me want him more. Sure, he has his sweeter moments, and he is quite the dancer, but in The Iron King, he certainly excels at being standoffish and aloof, like he's playing hard to get with us...and he's a prince, that equals like an automatic swoon right there. Oh and he isn't hard to get all the time, which definitely didn't make me like him less. ;)

The whole Team debate in The Iron Fey series has an added bit of drama to it because Puck and Ash try and kill each other...repeatedly, I might add. This definitely makes you root for them even more. It had me torn, so I can only imagine how poor Meghan felt.

Now, all that lovely romance aside, this book has tons of action too. There are battles, giant monsters that try and kill people, like trolls and Iron Horses. I loved how Julie wove our world with the Nevernever. The Nevernever was amazing, with the territories and the various fey that live inside of it. I loved the Unseelie and Seelie court interaction, and their leaders: Oberon, Titania, and Mab. And the Iron Kingdom was so different from the rest of Nevernever, I'm not sure I'd even say it was part of it. I just loved how Julie created this incredibly intricate world, it astounded me, left me totally enthralled, and once I'd finished the Iron King, I was desperate for more! :D

Here are a couple of links just for fun:

The Iron Fey's Facebook Page

Julie Kagawa's website

Julie Kagawa's blog

And here are the Goodreads pages of the other books in the Iron Fey Series:

Winter's Passage --- This is a novella that takes place between The Iron King & The Iron Daughter, and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. You can find it free for download on various websites, I got mine from NetGalley.

The Iron Daughter --- This is book 2 in the Iron Fey series, so if you've finished The Iron King you really want to check this one out. :)

The Iron Queen --- This book comes out February 11, 2011...I personally cannot wait until it's out :D

The Iron Knight --- It was also just released that there will be a fourth book in the Iron Fey series, this one's Ash's story! :D

I hope that if you haven't already read this amazing story by Julie Kagawa I've maybe made you want to read it at least a little bit. These books are fantastic, and without a doubt, they are worth reading. So, if you've been toying with reading these books, go for it. They just keep getting better and better! :D

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!!

♪♫ Ambur