The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King (The Iron Fey #4)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  MiraInk (6th January 2012)
Blurb:

My name – my True Name – is Ashallayn’darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining Winter Prince, son of the Queen of the Unseelie Court.

And I am dead to her.

MY FALL BEGAN AS MANY STORIES DO, WITH A GIRL . . .

Love is a weakness for mortals and fools. And Ash, heir to the winter court, is no mere mortal. But when he swore to be Meghan Chase’s knight, his oath bound him to her irrevocably. Now the girl ash loves is ruler of a realm where no Winter Prince can ever survive. To be with her he must have a soul and a mortal body, yet the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible.

There is one thing stronger than his will to live: his vow to Meghan. As Ash battles he larns truths that challenge his darkest beliefs and who him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Review:

The Iron Knight is a continuation of The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, this time with Ash as the protagonist instead of Meghan. In this book we see Ash’s quest to be with the woman he loves. Of course, Puck and Grimalkin deside to help him out – as well as some new characters.

To begin with I found this book difficult to get into, as Ash as a narrator just didn’t work for me. However, after a while persistance paid off and I found myself utterly absorbed in the story. Ash’s quest to find a way to be with Meghan was an epic journey, and it used the conventions of a fairy tale quest brilliantly.

Although I didn’t really get on with Ash as a narrator, he did make a fantastic protagonist. It was fun and interesting to watch his journey through the book. He’s one of the strongest characters in The Iron Fey series, and this book really illustrated his strength of character. There were a few tough choices he had to make along the way, but on the whole he handled them well. Of course, Puck had to tag along too just to make sure Meghan knew what happened to her knight if things went wrong. Puck is one of my absolute favourite characters and I really enjoy reading about him and his antics. I also think he is the strongest character in The Iron Fey series – as far as women go, he seems to have rotten luck! I’ve heard Ash and Puck be referred to as “frenemies” and to be honest, I’m not really sure that title can be applied to them. Personally, I don’t think they ever stopped being friends – despite how much they hurt each other. Then of course, there’s Grimalkin – what The Iron Fey book would be complete without him? I have a soft spot for enigmatic cats, and he ticks all the boxes!!

The whole of The Iron Knight was one big quest story, so the plot is pretty predictable. Despite that I enjoyed being along for the ride. There was plenty of humour along the way. There were also moments which reduced me to tears. The story was beautiful, and I’m glad that Julie Kagawa decided to write this book. Whilst I enjoyed the ending of The Iron Queen, and totally understood why she wanted to end Meghan’s story with it, I think this book adds something to the story – or at least lets you say goodbye to Ash and Puck and Grimalkin.