Review: The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Book Rating: 5 Stars
Cover Rating: 5 Stars

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (October 25, 2011)
• Language: English

Received: NetGalley

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…

 This is yet another amazing book from Julie- I've been completely obsessed with the Iron Fey series since book one. I've never loved faery legends like  I do in this book. Instead of simply portraying each character, Julie brings them to life- I feel like I know everyone who lives inside the pages of these books, and more than any other book that I've ever felt that connection to. I cried, I nearly died of hysterics, and I felt Ash's confusion like it was my own. I've never been transported to a whole different universe so thoroughly. At first, I was a bit weary that it was from Ash's point of view, because Being so used to Meghan's, I was afraid it would seem like a different story. Well, it was different, but in an insanely good way. You get to see Ash in a whole new way, see that even ice-boy has a soft side. This book also offered a beautiful description of what it is to be human- not weakness, but strength. This book was, in one word, phenomenal. 
 The setting, in these books, is one of the best things about them. The Nevernever, the Faery world, is probably one of my favorite fictional places. The whole reason Ash has gone on his journey is so that he can be with Meghan in the Iron Court, because as a fey, he can't be around iron without becoming badly sick, and eventually dying. 

  One thing I feel compelled to tell you is that I am completely Team Puck. Not so much for him to be with Meghan, no, I'm leaning more towards me.  Not that I don't absolutely adore Ash. I just.... love....... Puck. I'm considering naming my firstborn son after him. I've always been a nature person, so maybe that's why. I love redheaded guys. I especially like guys who play with daggers and can pull a killer prank. (I mean that both literally and not.) So, enough of my babbling about incredibly drool worth guys. The characters in this book are all really well developed,  fitted to the story like... um.... fur on a dog? Well, yeah. Uhm, anyway, the only problem I had in that area was that I would have loved to get to know Ariella better. 

 Another fantastic thing about this book is the plot. At moments it had me panicking for one of the characters, laughing at a joke, or crying for them. It shows that you don't have to be immortal, or even inhuman, to be strong- which is a message that I've been looking for in a book for a really, really long time. No one  that I know has superpowers, or is Fey, or a vampire. I'm sure as heck none of those things. But this book broke down that wall that you find in a lot of paranormal books: only the strong survive, and only the otherworldly are strong. Truly a beautiful message. It has action (SWORDS HEHE!), clever cats, heart wrenching decisions, and lots and lots of romance. In other words, my perfect cup of hot chocolate. 

 When I finished reading this book, I had to go outside and run. I jumped up and down and laughed and then cried a bit, and the neighbors were staring at me with one hand ready to dial 911. It was totally worth it. This series is one of the two that made me fall in love with YA, and while I'm sad that it's over, I know I'll be re-reading them over, and over, and over again. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic series.  I highly recommend this book.