The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
YA Paranormal Romance
Paperback
October 25, 2011
Harlequin Teen

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I will be with her again, or I will die. There aren’t any other options.

Once upon a time a handsome dark prince of the Winter Court met and fell in love with the half human princess of the Summer Court. The law states though that Winter and Summer can never be together, so the pair were threatened with banishment and death if they did not part. However true love cannot be denied and the lovers set out on their own to find their way in the world. When war came to Neverever, the lovers fought and won the Summer Princess’s right to be Queen of the Iron Fey.

The now Queen knew her beloved Winter prince would never survive in her kingdom of iron so with every ounce of love she possessed for him, she invoked his true name and banished him from her land; never to return. But the Winter prince had fought too long and too hard to be with his true love so he made an unbreakable oath on that day. He vowed, as her prince and knight, he would find away to be with her forever…or die trying.

This is his story.

*Tiny spoilers if you haven’t read The Iron Queen*

Often sequels never live up to their predecessors. Thankfully this is not one of those times. The Iron Knight continues with the same intensity and darkness; a dark lush multilayered fantasy that enchants and enslaves your imagination. In Ms Kagawa’s thrilling conclusion to her Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight, we are gifted with the Winter Prince’s story. Ash was devastated when Meghan exiled him from her kingdom in The Iron Queen. By using his true name and absolving him of his oath to protect her forever; she effectively banished him, allowing for no return. However, Ash has played this game far longer then Meghan and was able to countermand her edict. By proclaiming an oath to all that he would to find a way to be with her, he can now return to her should he succeed.

The appeal of this story is that we finally see the emotions and angst that has been long buried beneath the icy exterior of the Winter prince. Being Unseelie and part of the Winter court, he could show no emotion in order to survive the harsh arena that his mother rules with an iron fist. Ms. Kagawa slowly peels back Ash’s layers, sifting through the artifice and glamour to reveal the nature of the beast. He is not the ultimate, unbeatable hero. He is not your typical white knight who comes to save the heroine and whisk her away on his white horse. Ash has always been the dark whisper of warning parents give naughty children. The nightmare in your dreams. The fear under your bed. His past, present, and all future are laid out in an attempt to help him and us better understand who he is, was, and may become.

Ash sets out on his quest to find a way to be with Meghan with Grimalkin and Robin Goodfellow (Puck)-Ash’s once best friend and now mortal enemy. A past tragedy led to Ash making an unbreakable oath that he would kill Puck to avenge a death that nearly destroyed him. Ash has always felt that Puck doesn’t take his threats or the death of their friend seriously. Here we learn that Puck has always felt Ash’s pain along with his own and took the loss very hard, he just deals with it differently.

“You think I don’t know pain? Puck shook his head at me. “Or loss? I have been around a lot longer then you, prince! I know what love is, and I’ve lost my fair share, too.”

It’s only the memories of their past friendship that keeps Ash from committing the fatal deed. A deeper look of this event and the players involved helps us and Ash better understand all sides of the story and his role in it. Ash gets unexpected help on his quest that adds to the suspense and evolution of his character.

As this is Ash’s story and told in the first person, we don’t see many of the regular characters who beguiled us in the previous installments. It’s set up also slows it down, yet once the players make their stand, the pace picks up considerably and your hopelessly lost once again in their lives. Meghan plays a very small role in here and we do not see the other courts, Summer and Winter, at all. Yet we do meet some new characters that were discussed in the past and are allowed to venture into parts of Neverever that would normally be off limits to us silly mortals.

Puck is wonderfully annoying with his endless chatter and sarcasm. Though he has loved Megan far longer then Ash and resents their relationship, it is because of Meghan that he travels with Ash in order to help him succeed in his quest. His love for her is so deep that he is willing to give it all up for her to be happy. Even if it means allowing her to be with someone besides him. His gift of stating the obvious and commentary adds much humor and lightness to the story.

“You know, it’s always rafts and skinny little pole boats that you have to suffer thorough on these types of trips. Why can’t we ever travel to the End Of The World in a yacht?”

Sacrifice is the main underlying theme of this epic conclusion. Friendship, love, honor, life. It asks the question over and over in many different ways; what would you give up for the ones you love? We are gifted with an intimate view of what true sacrifice and love are in here and it leaves you curiously elated and yet sad at the same time as one by one, each character answers that question.

The ending grants us our happily ever after in an imaginative, convoluted way with some shocks and surprises that are indicative of this series. We are in Neverever after all and nothing is ever concrete. We are left satisfied and I for one was able to close this with a smile and a happy sigh. This whole series will hold a special place on my bookshelf and provide many happy re-reads.

Overall Rating: B+

Recent Reviews:
Vampire Book Club – 4/5
Caught in a Fab Romance – 3.5/5
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