Review: The Iron Vow by Julie Kagawa

 

Title: The Iron Vow {The Iron Fey: Evenfall #3}

Author: Julie Kagawa

Published: 3rd May 2023, HQ YA

Status: Read May 2023 courtesy Harlequin Australia

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My Thoughts:

I first read The Iron King in 2010 and I think it was one of the very first books I received from Harlequin Australia for review. While it’s not strictly necessary to be familiar with the Iron Fey series which includes the four books of The Iron Fey (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight) and The Iron Fey: Call of Forgotten trilogy (The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor and The Iron Warrior), plus various novellas, you should have read the first two books of the Evenfall spin-off trilogy, The Iron Raven and the The Iron Sword, to enjoy The Iron Vow, which also serves as a finale for the for the whole of the Iron Fey series. I’ve read each instalment as it has been released, but if you haven’t, or you have forgotten what has transpired, given the books have been published over a 13 year period, Julie Kagawa helpfully provides a brief recap of the entire Iron Fey series in the first few pages of The Iron Vow.

“Let me tell you a story.
The story of a girl who went into the land of faeries, met a prince, and fell in love.”

As I had surmised given the previous books in the Evenfall trilogy, Meghan is the narrator for The Iron Vow, and the contrast between the teenager who first stumbled into the NeverNever and the Iron Queen of today is satisfying.

The Iron Vow begins where The Iron Sword left off, with our band of heroes, who attempted to stop the vengeful Nightmare King from breaking through from Evenfall, realising they had no choice but to enter his terrifying realm to ensure the immortal King never wakes up. So now Meghan, accompanied by her husband Ash, son Kierran, Puck, Nyx and Grimalkin, are in a deadly world with no natural glamour (hence no ready access to magic) on a dangerous mission to save not only all of Faerie, but also the Human world.

I don’t want to give too much away but the story progresses as you would expect, with the group battling their way through a hostile land populated by monstrous nightmares, offering plenty of fast paced action. They unearth secrets, find unlikely allies, and are forced to confront their own nightmares to reach their goal. To prevail  demands a grand sacrifice, and unprecedented cooperation. It’s as tense, exciting, emotional, and entertaining as you would want from this series finale.

The characters remain true to who they have become over the series. Meghan is noble, Ash is protective, Kierran yearns for redemption, Puck cracks jokes, Nyx is deadly, and Grimalkin always disappears at the first sign of trouble. I’m a little sorry to say goodbye to them after all this time, though the epilogue provides some comfort.

I’ve very much enjoyed The Iron Fey series, and I’m sure it will continue to capture the imagination of readers of young adult fantasy.

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Review: The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa

 

Title: The Iron Sword {The Iron Fey: Evenfall #2}

Author: Julie Kagawa

Published: 2nd February 2022, HQ YA

Status: Read February 2022 courtesy Harlequin Australia

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My Thoughts:

 

“The end has begun. Evenfall is coming. Faery and every living creature that exists under the sun are doomed.”

While it’s not strictly necessary to be familiar with the Iron Fey series which includes the four books of The Iron Fey (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight) and The Iron Fey: Call of Forgotten trilogy (The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor and The Iron Warrior), plus various novellas, you do need to have read the first book of this spin-off series, The Iron Raven, to enjoy this direct sequel.

The Iron Sword begins where The Iron Raven ended, though this time the story is told from Ash’s point of view, as Ash, the unseelie Winter Prince with a soul, and his wife, Megan, the human Iron Queen, learn that their son, Kierran, King of the Forgotten, is missing after his realm in the Between was corrupted by a shadow monster. Joined by Puck, assassin Nyx, and Grimalkin, the party sets off in search of Kierran while trying to learn more about Evenfall, and the shadow monsters invading Faery. Their journey takes them into the mortal world where Kierran is protecting the survivors of his kingdom, and it’s here, with some help from Megan’s half brother, and his wife, Kenzie, that they will find the answers they all seek.

With Ash taking centre stage as the narrator of The Iron Sword, Megan and Puck are essentially sidelined. Ash is not a terribly complicated character, and I felt his narrative reflected this. His internal monologues were quite repetitive, declarations to protect his family at any cost, and a debate, influenced by the negative emotions stirred by the various shadow monsters, about the consequences of unleashing, or failing to unleash, his full unseelie nature.

Fortunately there’s plenty of fast paced action in The Iron Sword because Ash is a dynamic fighter, A few smaller skirmishes eventually lead to an impressive multi-staged battle that the group seem on the verge of losing until some surprising allies step in. Kagawa is skilled at conjuring these scenes so that it’s easy to visualise the chaos of swords and magic as the hero’s and monsters clash.

I don’t want to spoil the particulars of what Evenfall is, but I do think it works well within Kagawa’s established lore. I also liked the connections she drew between the real world and fey elements.

Unsurprisingly the book ends on a cliffhanger, with the whole of faery, and the mortal world, in danger of shattering. I expect it will be Megan who will tell the final instalment of the trilogy, and I’m looking forward to it. The nightmare of Evenfall is upon us.

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Review: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Raven {The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1}

Author: Julia Kagawa

Published: 24th February 2021, HQ Young Adult

Status: Read March 2021 courtesy Harlequin Australia

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My Thoughts:

With The Iron Raven, Julie Kagawa begins a fantastic and dangerous new adventure to delight fans of the Iron Fey series.

It’s not strictly necessary to be familiar with the Iron Fey series which includes the four books of The Iron Fey (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight) and The Iron Fey: Call of Forgotten trilogy (The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor and The Iron Warrior), plus various novellas, to enjoy The Iron Raven, though it certainly enriches the experience. It’s been six years since I read The Iron Warrior, yet details came flooding back as I read.

In the Iron Raven, Kagawa places Puck aka Robin Goodfellow at the centre of the narrative for the first time, and the story unfolds from his perspective as a dangerous monster spreading hate and discord stalks the realm of faerie.

It begins when Kieran, son of the Iron Queen, former prince of the Iron Court and King of the Forgotten, asks for Puck’s help. Joining the King, and Keiran’s personal guard Nyx in the Inbetween, the trio confront a seemingly invulnerable mass of darkness and fury, but despite a fierce battle, the monster escapes into the NeverNever.

Puck finds himself changed by the experience, not only does he again have horns and cloven hooves but traits of the Robin Goodfellow of old are also bleeding through. While he continues to spout quips and make light of every situation, Puck finds himself simultaneously battling the re-emergence of his darker nature. I enjoyed having Puck tell the story in his own irreverent way, and being privy to his thoughts. His inner turmoil is interesting, as is the history he reveals of himself.

Some of that history naturally involves Puck’s relationship with his closest friends, Ash, the Winter Prince, and Megan, The Iron Queen. I loved seeing the trio reunited here, and fighting side by side again. With the monsters escape, Puck and Nyx travel to the Iron Court to ask for their help, but in their company, Puck is reminded of his hurt and resentment when Megan chose Ash over him, and under the sway of the monster he has to fight the temptation to make them pay.

Luckily for them, Nyx, the silver-haired Forgotten Sidhe assassin who once served The Lady and now serves Kieran, provides Puck with somewhat of a distraction. Singularly unimpressed by his legendary reputation, and his ego, Nyx is more than a match for Puck, and their developing connection was very entertaining.

There’s not really anything new or unexpected in The Iron Raven, it has a similar feel, rhythm, tone and progression to the other books in the series. This was a little disappointing because there was potential for Kagawa to add some maturity to the story, and the characters, to reward the fans who were teenagers when the earlier series were first published but are now likely well into their twenties.

Nevertheless, with Puck’s wit, plenty of action, and high stakes, The Iron Raven is an entertaining read. Evenfall is coming.

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