Release Date: 6 Jan 2012
Source: Publicist
Age Range: Young Adult
My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…
To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.
To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The last three book of this series was from the point of view of Meghan Chase, this one is narrated by Ashallayn’darkmyr Tallyn, our very own Prince Ash, his quest to find a way to be mortal and be with his Iron Queen Meghan. In his journey he was accompanied by his old rival summer court prankster Robin “Puck” Goodfellow, Grimalkin the wise cat, the big bad Wolf, and his lost love Ariella who were assumed dead in previous books. As the final installment of Iron fey series, Ash must take an impossible journey to find his way back to Megan. Since as Winter Fey he cannot survive in the Iron Kingdom and being a human is his only choice but will it be that easy to be human or more gaining a soul? Does he understand what that solution really means? Would he still want it if he did?
The book started off boring. I had gotten so used to Meghan's point of view that I found Ash's perspective too "knowledgeable." .It sounds weird but he had too much experience with the Fey to have interesting insights for me the reader. However, things got interesting when we began to learn more and more about his past. I love bad guy/girl turn good characters and, without giving much away, Ash was defiantly one of the baddest.
I think this was just a good conclusion end of this series. It was an enjoyable read, but it was not my most favorite book in the series. For me, the series was about Ash and Megan's relationship and that's the thing I missed in this final book. Though I am very curious for the next book by Julie Kagawa!
Q&A with author Julie Kagawa
What inspired you to write the Iron Fey series? Faeries, the old, ancient fey, not the glittery winged sprites, have always fascinated me. But I wanted to write a book that was different than other faery books. So I began thinking: what are the fey afraid of? The answer, in most ancient mythos, is iron. Faeries can't stand the touch of iron and steel. So, what if there was a new type of fey that had evolved with progress over the years? What if they weren't only immune to iron, their existence was slowly poisoning and corrupting the lands of the traditional fey? And I realized we already have "monsters" in machines: gremlins, bugs, viruses, ect. And from that thought, the Iron fey were born.Which book was the most difficult to write and why?
I think The Iron Knight was the most difficult, for a couple reasons. One, I was switching character points of view from Meghan, whom I knew very well, to Ash, who is impossible to get to talk. Their characters are so very different, and I knew readers would pick up on any inconsistencies in Ash's demeanour, so sometimes it was hard getting him to show any kind of emotion at all. The second reason was Iron Knight is written in a male point of view, and I tried to be very conscious of that fact. Not only is Ash a guy, he's a faery who has been around a long time and he's part of the Unseelie Court. He's much more logical and pragmatic than Meghan, who tends to wear her heart on her sleeve.
Do you see yourself in any of the characters?
I think all authors have a little bit of their characters inside them. I've been the outsider, the prankster, and the quiet loner, and I think that's true of everyone who writes because we draw on what we know.
Which part of The Iron Knight was your favourite to write?
The third trial of the Testing Grounds. I can't say anything more because of spoilers, but it let me write Ash in a completely new, unique way, which I really enjoyed.
What are your favorite book genres/authors? Have they influenced your writing? My favourite genre is fantasy (obviously), but I have far too many "favourite" authors to name. However, one author who has influenced my writing in a big way is Terry Brooks. His Shannara series had grand, sweeping plots to save the world, unforgettable characters, and-most important-his stories made me cry. Which is something that I strive to do with my writing; invoke that kind of emotion in readers. If my books can make people cry, laugh, get furious, or be terrified, then I know I've done something right.
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