Review: The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight

By Julie Kagawa

Publication date: October 25, 2011

My review:

In this final installment of the Iron Fey series, Ash goes on a difficult quest to find a way to return to Meghan. With the help of Puck and Grimalkin, he sets out on what may only be a fool's errand to find the end of the world. Along the way, he must deal with the ghosts of his past and confront his worst enemy-himself.

The Iron Knight lacks much of the intensity of The Iron Queen. Perhaps it is the absence of Meghan or the threats of war present in the other novels. Instead the book is more internalized in the beginning and focuses on Ash and Puck's history as well as Ash's quest. At first I was disappointed with the introduction of a new character who felt like a third wheel or a dead weight. Fortunately by the end of the book, the need for this character was explained though I still think the character was annoying. There were also some odd moments with dream sequences that I didn't care for and a long segment showing Ash what his life could be like that I thought was overly drawn out. I struggled with getting into the story at first. It didn't hook me right away like I expected it to. Maybe that is because it was from Ash's point of view or because I just got tired of all the Puck/Ash banter. There were times when the story lagged and it was all too easy to put the book down.  Thankfully once the quest begins in earnest, the action held my interest.

What I liked about The Iron Knight was that it explored Ash's character and his growth from the person he was long ago to the person he is now and how part of the changes in his character are due to his grudging friendship with Puck and his relationship with Meghan. I also liked that there are consequences to the decisions Ash must make. In some books, that is glossed over but thankfully that was not the case here. It gives more meaning to Ash's choices. 

In the end, I am glad I kept reading the book because it did get better. I think the book (and the series in general) is very creatively written. There are some interesting creatures and ideas that are explored relating to faerie folklore. I do like quest stories and the author does a nice job of portraying not only Ash's physical quest but also the mental and emotional aspects of his journey. Overall, this was a good conclusion to the series and I think fans will be very happy with it. My reading experience with the Iron Fey series has had its ups and downs but at least it ended well.

Note: I received an e-ARC for review purposes from NetGalley