Take a photo of a barcode or cover
p0laris 's review for:
The Iron Knight
by Julie Kagawa
I've been waiting to post this review for so long! I didn't want to have it up too far away from the release date, but now I can finally post it!
The first thing I'm going to say, is that you REALLY don't want to read any spoilers for this book. If you see a spoiler warning somewhere on the internet I urge you to look away, and do it quick. In fact, be very careful, because a lot of the reviews I read didn't have any spoiler warning before they blabbed The Iron Knight's best secrets (*cough* spoilery Goodreads reviewers *cough*). You don't want to be spoiled for the surprises that await you in this book!
So once again, Julie Kagawa proves that she can weave an intricate and emotional tale. Events from the very first book, all the way through the third book, come into play in surprising ways. One of the things I admire about JK, is her ability to write these harrowing emotions out on paper. She can really get into her characters' minds, and see what's in there. She also has a knack for taking legends and bringing them to life in her books.
Being from Ash's point of view, we get a first class seat through his inner turmoil. Remember when we didn't know a lot about Ash? Well, that isn't true after this book. This is a hugely personal journey for Ash, and he is given an impressive character arc. Fans of Puck won't feel left out, either. This is full of Puck's best moments, complete with his signature clueless--but hilarious--actions.
Other characters included in this story are fantastic. Some surprising characters join them on their journey (can't tell you who, though), and they add a great dynamic to the group. I love the parallel of Ash and Puck's centuries of feuding, to Grim and his arch nemesis (oh yes). Their interaction was comical at times and intense at others. It is definitely my favorite team up of all the books.
Now why did I only give this a 99.4 rating? For one thing, some of the trials were things that are overdone, and they didn't seem nearly as dangerous (at least to me) as they were made out to be. It could be argued that the trials were chosen because that's where the legends of these trials came from. But I was just expecting, well...more.
For another thing, there were a couple times in the book where the story changed to other tales, and I found myself bored. I can't say when or why this happens, but when you read it you'll know what I'm talking about. The events were necessary, but the way they happened took me out of the story and it lost some of its urgency.
All-in-all, this is a fantastic story. Not as good as The Iron Queen, but definitely great. And it is by far the darkest, and the most emotionally ravaging. I have never been more torn as a reader; I truly felt sorry for Ash.
*I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally published on my blog: The Reading Fever.
The first thing I'm going to say, is that you REALLY don't want to read any spoilers for this book. If you see a spoiler warning somewhere on the internet I urge you to look away, and do it quick. In fact, be very careful, because a lot of the reviews I read didn't have any spoiler warning before they blabbed The Iron Knight's best secrets (*cough* spoilery Goodreads reviewers *cough*). You don't want to be spoiled for the surprises that await you in this book!
So once again, Julie Kagawa proves that she can weave an intricate and emotional tale. Events from the very first book, all the way through the third book, come into play in surprising ways. One of the things I admire about JK, is her ability to write these harrowing emotions out on paper. She can really get into her characters' minds, and see what's in there. She also has a knack for taking legends and bringing them to life in her books.
Being from Ash's point of view, we get a first class seat through his inner turmoil. Remember when we didn't know a lot about Ash? Well, that isn't true after this book. This is a hugely personal journey for Ash, and he is given an impressive character arc. Fans of Puck won't feel left out, either. This is full of Puck's best moments, complete with his signature clueless--but hilarious--actions.
Other characters included in this story are fantastic. Some surprising characters join them on their journey (can't tell you who, though), and they add a great dynamic to the group. I love the parallel of Ash and Puck's centuries of feuding, to Grim and his arch nemesis (oh yes). Their interaction was comical at times and intense at others. It is definitely my favorite team up of all the books.
Now why did I only give this a 99.4 rating? For one thing, some of the trials were things that are overdone, and they didn't seem nearly as dangerous (at least to me) as they were made out to be. It could be argued that the trials were chosen because that's where the legends of these trials came from. But I was just expecting, well...more.
For another thing, there were a couple times in the book where the story changed to other tales, and I found myself bored. I can't say when or why this happens, but when you read it you'll know what I'm talking about. The events were necessary, but the way they happened took me out of the story and it lost some of its urgency.
All-in-all, this is a fantastic story. Not as good as The Iron Queen, but definitely great. And it is by far the darkest, and the most emotionally ravaging. I have never been more torn as a reader; I truly felt sorry for Ash.
*I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally published on my blog: The Reading Fever.