The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa

When I got to the end of this book I was bit surprised to read that this is the last in the Iron series.

I still remember reading Kagawa’s first venture into the Fey world with Megan, when she had to retrieve her baby brother from the claws of the Fey. Now Ethan is all grown up and fighting his own battles.

The end of the Iron Traitor (The Call of the Forgotten #2) left readers in shock. With Ethan somewhere between life and death, the Veil lifted to reveal the Fey and then closed again, and all at the hands of the Iron Prince.

Kierran made a choice between his love and his soul, a decision which has left cracks in both the Fey and human world. Once the golden boy and heir to the Iron Kingdom, he is now a traitor as far as his fellow Fey are concerned.

In the Iron Warrior we see Kierran become the pawn of the Old Forgotten Fey Queen and the leader of the huge Forgotten army. Aim: to destroy the Veil and restore the Forgotten Queen to power. Unfortunately the majority of the Fey don’t remember the era of her terrible reign, which means they can’t really comprehend the danger and risk coming their way. A few of the ancient Fey do remember and decide to intervene in the so-called fate propelled prophecy.

It was great to see Kenzie get a bigger and more active part in the story, although I personally felt there was too much romance and too many intimate moments taking up space in the book.

As I read the last chapter I was still quite unaware of this book being the last in the series and I was already busy thinking about where Kagawa could possibly take it from there. I believe it is a case of quitting before the air goes out of the story, and whilst it is still quite a popular read. I can’t fault her for that thinking, but I admit I will miss this quirky bunch of Fey, especially Razor who is the equivalent of Potter’s Dobby. No more sarcastic Grimalkin or snooty Puck, no more icy Ash or any of the drama driven Fey monarchy.

It is certainly an ending worthy of the Iron bunch & Co.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of The Iron Warrior.

Buy The Iron Warrior at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

It seems as if Kagawa is experiencing a peak in her writing at the moment. She seems to be ticking all the boxes in her newest books.

The Iron series The Iron King started as a bland mixed bag of sweets with a penchant for ripping off fairy tales and the legends of Fey.

That series leads into this spin-off featuring the son of Ash and Meghan. Kagawa has grown as a writer and turned this series into a challenging and entertaining YA experience.

In this book the prophecy begins to rule the outcome of events. The role that Keirran will play in the Fey game of chess slowly becomes apparent. It is almost like looking back upon the first fissures Megan created during her early years in Fey. Keirran acts without thinking through the consequences of his actions and he does it all in the name of true love.

Meanwhile Ethan is split between supporting his family and acknowledging his real feelings. It takes a visit to a goblin market for him to unlock the subconscious anger that has been slowly drifting beneath the surface.

His anger in combination with the darkness growing inside Keirran is a ticking time-bomb waiting to implode. Question is who will lose control first?

The ending was a cliffhanger and dramatic extravaganza par excellence. I am not going to reveal any spoilers but what I can and will say is that in the next book all hell is going to break loose. Life as they know it in Fey, the Never Never, the Inbetween and the good old real world will never be the same again.

Yes, the ending is that good.
I highly recommend the series for younger and older readers alike and have actually purchased the entire series in paperback for my 15 year old.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

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