The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa Series: The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1, The Iron Fey #8
Published by Inkyard Press (2.9.2021)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 336 pages
Source: NetGalley
Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.
With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten.
My thoughts
It was so great to dive back into the world of the Iron Fey! I love the magical setting so much, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it. It was also fantastic to see the characters again, and interesting to see how much had changed. From the outside looking in, Meghan and Ash seem to have almost god-like status – elevated and untouchable. It’s so vastly different to read about them as secondary characters instead of main ones.
Reading this made me realize I need a refresher re-read of the original series! It’s been a while since I read them, and I had forgotten about some of the side characters mentioned in this book. (Perfect excuse to pick them back up lol!) I was super happy to see my furry little sarcastic cinnamon roll Grimalkin again, though! I love him so much! No matter how many Iron Fey books Julie publishes, I’d probably always pick them up just knowing he’s in there somewhere. I never get sick of him!
I will say that this book felt very much like all the rest of the previous ones. That’s probably the only complaint I have about it, is that it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. They all read the same after a while – but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less! Even though it felt very similar to the rest, it was still fantastic to be back in the world I loved so much. It was also interesting to see through Puck’s point of view – he was a little twisted at times, taking the prankster vibe maybe a little too far (I mean daaaaamn he is dark inside for being all jokes and smiles); but it was still easy to understand where he was coming from. It was cool to see some of his important memories (meeting Oberon!!) and the little snippets of his life that make him who he is now. I have to admit I was always Team Ash (sorrynotsorry), so I’m not like a super hardcore fan of Puck even though I do like him. (Side note: Are we going to see a possible love interest develop for Puck in this series? Finally?!?!)
And of course, in typical Julie fashion, the book ends in a cliffhanger. Dang it, Julie!! I need the next book!
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4.5/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 5/5
Feels: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
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