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A solid four star series thus far, Julie Kagawa truly outdid herself when it came to The Iron Knight. I was completely enamoured with this novel from start to finish. Told entirely from Ash's point of view, The Iron Knight tells us the tale of his quest for a soul and your heart will break for him several times before you reach the end. Kagawa's writing fell a little flat in The Iron Queen due to the sheer amount of action contained within the pages, but I'm happy to report that she got her flair back in The Iron Knight. Though there was still plenty of action, Kagawa truly shone. If you haven't checked any of her books out yet, I highly recommend you hop on the bandwagon. She's definitely one of the best YA authors I've ever come across.
The Iron Knight follows Ash, Puck, and Grim as they journey through the Deep Wyld of the Nevernever, past the Briars, down the River of Dreams, through a village of forgotten fey, until they eventually reach the End of the World. There lies the Testing Grounds and Ash's soul. I absolutely loved the concept of this story and Julie Kagawa delivered it beautifully. As Ash meets the Guardian and begins his first test, you know things are going to be rouch. I was utterly invested in this book, and my heart broke for Ash multiple times. Watching as he faced weakness, conscience, and mortality, I found myself completely absorbed. Kagawa has created a story that is completely unique and utterly unputdownable.
We meet a couple of new characters in this book - namely the Big Bad Wolf and the Seer. I can't say mych about the latter, but when we found out the identity of the Seer, I was shocked. To be honest, my initial reaction was anger. Why would Kagawa introduce this character now when things are going so well?! As the story unfolded, however, I found myself caring less, and while I never liked the Seer, their ending shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. I love what Kagawa did, I just wish I hadn't had to spend the novel dealing with a character I really didn't like.
The Big Bad Wolf, on the other hand, I loved from the off. Fearless, immortal... this wolf was a fantastic addition to the team. Though he has no interest in anything other than enhancing his immortality via the stories that would be told about Ash's quest, I found him a very interesting character. One thing that did kind of bug me, however, was when Ash mentioned that he and Meghan had met the Big Bad Wolf before. I genuinely cannot remember that, so I'm assuming it was in one of the novellas? I really should read those.
Despite all of that, however, Ash was definitely still my favourite character and I absolutely adored reading from his point of view. His dedication to Meghan is beyond belief, even without the promise he made. As I witnessed his trials, I became more and more invested in his story, and when the third and final test was taking place, I was cursing Kagawa. How could she do that to him?! Nevertheless, I loved Ash's story from start to finish, and I seriously hope we see him again in the spin-off series (that I will definitely be reading in the future!)
Overall, this book is definitely one I would recommend if you've read the rest of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and I'm absolutely devastated that it's over. If you haven't already grabbed yourself a copy of The Iron King, I highly recommend you do. The Iron Fey is an incredible series that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and have you questioning everything you thought you knew about the fey. Absolutely brilliant.
The Big Bad Wolf, on the other hand, I loved from the off. Fearless, immortal... this wolf was a fantastic addition to the team. Though he has no interest in anything other than enhancing his immortality via the stories that would be told about Ash's quest, I found him a very interesting character. One thing that did kind of bug me, however, was when Ash mentioned that he and Meghan had met the Big Bad Wolf before. I genuinely cannot remember that, so I'm assuming it was in one of the novellas? I really should read those.
Despite all of that, however, Ash was definitely still my favourite character and I absolutely adored reading from his point of view. His dedication to Meghan is beyond belief, even without the promise he made. As I witnessed his trials, I became more and more invested in his story, and when the third and final test was taking place, I was cursing Kagawa. How could she do that to him?! Nevertheless, I loved Ash's story from start to finish, and I seriously hope we see him again in the spin-off series (that I will definitely be reading in the future!)
Overall, this book is definitely one I would recommend if you've read the rest of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and I'm absolutely devastated that it's over. If you haven't already grabbed yourself a copy of The Iron King, I highly recommend you do. The Iron Fey is an incredible series that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and have you questioning everything you thought you knew about the fey. Absolutely brilliant.
