Sunday 27 November 2011

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST THREE BOOKS I RECOMMEND  THAT YOU DO NOT READ THIS DUE TO SPOILER ALERT.
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



So, here it is.
Here is the review I've been dreading to write because it will make it feel final-
THERE AREN'T ANYMORE IRON FEY BOOKS!
I have finished this book a few days ago and ever since I've been walking around like someone died.


THE COVER: Well, all I can say is that I bit my best friend's head off (not literally of course) when she bagged it. I love it-of course I love it, it has a certain Unseelie Prince on it and the back is great too with the Summer Jester that we all love.

THE PLOT: This book is hopelessly romantic, Ash's quest to claim a soul to be with the woman he loves-it's so...I don't even have the words to describe it. Kagawa writes the perfect blend of romance and fantasy that is so hard to write without the other canceling out the other-trust me, I just started writing the second book of my series and I'm rewriting the first because it was to lovey duvy romance taking away the paranormal aspect. But that isn't all this book is about, it's about being human, about guilt and honor and promises that you make. In it Ash forgives Puck for his mistake and finds himself in a very difficult cross road, the person who you used to be in love with and still love or the person who is basically your life. I wanted to hate Ariella, I really did for wanting to take Ash away from Meghan but-she's one of those characters you can't help but like and I am so glad that Kagawa didn't make her one of those sterotype, stalker ex-girls friends that are so common in YA. Her selfless act at the end of the book was so....I don't think there's a word in the English dictionary to sum up the selflessness in the act the she preformed. I screamed when in the second trail when Ash wakes up in the Iron Realm with Meghan and asked her THE QUESTION. OH MY GOD MY BRAIN EXPLODED. Then the actual scene was down right hilarious. 
I didn't like seeing him as a old man, he just.....I was crying. 


THE WORLD: Kagawa returns with the same wonderfully....beautiful world that she has created. But this time it's darker and more dangerous-I know, even MORE dangerous-and I, personally, loved it even more.  The End Of The World is something that I have dreamed of, and the way she created it, the poetic-like  way that she described it was in-flooring and made me get lost in the book for hours at night, with school the next day and it was so good I DID NOT REGRET IT.  


THE CHARACTERS: First and foremost, Ashllayn' darkmr Tallyn. He was so driven by his promise, so focused about his promise to Meghan, but he wasn't completing this quest because he had to because of his oath but  because he wanted to be with Meghan always. Even once he found out that his first love was still alive and still had feelings toward him he kept going-and not to say that he never wavered, and the way he swore to make up for all the lives he took, for all the lives he destroyed....He did it with certainty, not a like a throw away promise that you make to make someone get off your back that you have no intention of keeping. I have been Team Ash since I read the first book and this only made me love him more.
Puck: Puck comes back as the Puck we all know and love. He has his witty remarks, the way he looks on the bright side of things. But you see a completely different side to him. He has his emotional moments, he has his points where he gets things off his chest and he has the turning point with him when he seems to...forgive himself for Ariella's death.
Ariella: She is the person who you want to hate but can't. She is such a realistic character and she is so shy and quiet. She is a big turning point in both the boy's lives and she gives them both what they need in the end-closure.
Meghan: I have to admit, it was difficult to adapt to not being in her head.     At times I would find myself imagining Ash as Meghan and I had to shake myself to remember that it was ASH. Meghan is a constant thought in Ash's head and the times they do see each other in dreams are so...wonderfully beautiful. 
Grim: My second favorite character. In this he kind of gets a Puck/Ash relationship with one of the new characters-The Big Bad Wolf. It is so funny how they fling witty and rude remarks to and fro, making me laugh in class causing everyone to stare at me like I'm crazy. 
The Big Bad Wolf: Three words, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. He will do what he wants, take on the favors he wants and do things on his term. But once he does he is loyal. Again, it's so funny with the battle of the wits going on between him and Grim-how he keeps threatening to eat him and how he just replies, I am a cat, had me in stitches.




This is my equal first series (along with the Infernal Devices) and if you havent read the first one, 1)why are you reading this? 2)Why aren't you at a book store buying the series?


5/5 stars. I will mourn the ending of this series for a LONG TIME.  
  

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