The Iron Raven: Book 1 (The Iron Fey: Evenfall)

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I don’t know.” Keirran’s eyes went unfocused. “It was like a living shadow, almost insubstantial, but the way it moved was just wrong. Maybe it’s a new type of Forgotten, but it was like nothing I’d seen before. And it emanated…pure loathing.” He shuddered, looking grim. “I could feel this thing’s hatred. As if it despised everything and wanted all of us dead. Not just me and the Forgotten—everyone. All living creatures, in the Between, the Nevernever, and the mortal world.” The nostalgia was strong with this one. As I'm sure many readers will be able to relate to, I read the og Iron Fey books yearrrssss ago and I loved them. Ook de vloer ging schuil onder spinrag en aan het plafond hingen strengen, nauwelijks zichtbaar in het schemerduister.”

Now we have The Iron Fey: Evenfall. And after two books, I gotta say, I’m not loving it. Maybe it’s because I’m older now, maybe at this point, I’ve read way too many YA novels. Whatever the reason, this series has lost its charm. The darkness throughout this definitely kept everyone on their toes - including me. I just kept hoping things were going to get better and that Robin would fight the evil that was lurking within him. It helped that the people who knew him the best could easily see that something was different about him. On the whole, though, I thought it was great to be able to visit Kagawa’s faery world again, and seeing the familiar characters from the earlier series was a lot of fun. I think you could read this book even if you aren’t familiar with the Iron Fey series– most of the connections to things from those books are explained, so it doesn’t require knowing or remembering a lot. The Iron Queen glared at us all. "All those things, I suppose," she said in a flat voice that hinted at retribution later on.I mean, don’t get me wrong, the market is super sketchy and dangerous. Make the wrong deal, agree to the wrong bargain, and you’ll find yourself cursed or enslaved for a thousand years. Or under contract to give away your firstborn kid (not that I have any). Or in possession of a thing that wasn’t quite what you were expecting, in that it tries to eat your face off every now and again. The cowl moved, the hood lifting slightly, as if its wearer had just realized I was there. His icy blue gaze seemed dangerous for a split second, hard and cold, just like another faery I knew, before recognition dawned and he relaxed. I sent out a request for Grimalkin, but he hasn’t answered.” Keirran shook his head with another frown. “Of course, Grimalkin will come only if he feels like it, and he’s decided not to show. I’m running out of options. Since I can’t go into the Nevernever myself, I figured I would come here to try to get a message to the Iron Court.” Oh hey, guys.” I stopped, raising a hand to the dogs, who eyed me with flat, unfriendly gazes. “I come in peace. I’m not going to snitch your stuff.” They continued to shoot me baleful looks, and I offered a weak smile. “Um… I’ll trade you safe passage for a squeaky bone.” Now he faces even more incomprehensible odds. Their son, King Keirran of the Forgotten, is missing. Something more ancient than the courts of Faery and more evil than anything Ash has faced in a millennium is rising as Evenfall approaches. And if Ash and his allies cannot stop it, the chaos that has begun to divide the world will shatter it for eternity.

The small creature fled, gears and pistons squeaking as it scurried away and vanished around a booth. I wasn’t naive. I knew there were those in the Nevernever that still hated and feared Meghan’s subjects; I just hadn’t expected to run into such blatant hostility here. In the market, you left all grudges, feuds, and personal vendettas behind. It was how a Summer sidhe and a Winter gentry could browse side by side without killing each other. Or why a halfling could walk past a motley of redcaps without fear of having their limbs ripped off. One did not tamper with the sanctity of the market, especially since many of the vendors sold some of the most dangerous, rare, and questionable items in the entire world of Faery. Make trouble here, and the least that could happen was being banned for life. Not even I would risk pissing off the goblin market. She sighed, shaking her head. “This will be ignored I’m sure, but be careful, Robin. You might be in the good graces of the Iron Queen, but none of those things can be trusted.” Ballpeen and Springtrap exploded into a chorus of loud warning barks. I was going to say something, but my voice was drowned out in the cacophony of doggy fury. The writing is still good and very easy to follow. It’s clean and crisp, but can’t really make up for the shortcomings of the narrative.In the end, I did enjoy this one. It was a fun read and I recommend it to any fans of The Iron Fey. Zoals ik vooraf verwachtte heb ik ontzettend genoten van dit meeslepende verhaal vol magie, duisternis, avontuur, intrigerende personages en gebeurtenissen. Het einde belooft nog zoveel meer belevenissen, ik kan niet wachten! Ik heb altijd de stiekeme hoop dat Julie Kagawa een nieuw deel in deze boekenserie zal schrijven vanuit Grim. Puur omdat ik zijn stoïcijnse houding en sarcastische opmerkingen enorm waardeer en heel benieuwd ben naar zijn verdere achtergrond. Bovendien ben ik gewoon automatisch fan van een katachtig karakter in een boek alhoewel Grimalkin toch wel de uniekste is. We zullen het af moeten wachten. Regardless, that seemed a bit extreme. It’s not like the Iron fey have threatened anyone since the war with Ferrum. This novel is a classic adventure story, complete with a dangerous quest, set in the land of the Fae.