Friday, November 13, 2015

The Iron Warrior Review: Ethan

Book: The Iron Warrior

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: The Call of the Forgotten (aka The Iron Fey sequel series)

Standing: Book 3 (final book)

POV: 1st person by Ethan, past tense

Setting: Nevernever (faery world)

Genre: YA fantasy


Source: Physical copy

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 384

Release: October 28th, 2015


The Iron Prince—my nephew—betrayed us all.

He killed me.

Then, I woke up.

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the world of the fey will be changed forevermore.
 

(Goodreads)


                            ✭ 


It's over. Everything. Including my heart.


If you don't know, the Iron Fey is my absolute favourite series. I owe so much to it, and now it's over. Like, OVER, over. There won't be another sequel series to look forward to. It's done*Insert sobbing* ALL MY FEELS.


Okay. Onto my actual review.


This book picks up after that horrendous ending of The Iron Traitor. We find out that the prophesied has happened: the Forgotten has banded together under the leadership of the Lady, the First Queen of the Nevernever, and she has every intention of a) conquering Nevernever b) tearing the Veil apart, which would allow humans to see the faeries. And leading the army is Kierran himself. Or, rather, not himself. Kierran has changed completely, a result of having given his soul to Annwyl in order to try to sustain her life. And now Ethan and his friends are on a quest to find a way to get Kierran's soul back before he does the unthinkable and wages war against all the courts of the Nevernever.


Ethan. How he has changed from the first book. His broodiness and sarcasm really was hilarious to read. As the final book, we get to see his character finally mature. The theme Ethan's character follows is one of family and acceptance of who they are, and becoming willing to stand up for them. He makes his peace with Meghan's decision, along with accepting Meghan's world as part of his family. He's grown so much, and is able to see the bigger picture. It's not just about him, but his family. And it's not just about his family, but the entire world.


Mackenzie remained to be downright awesome. Yes, she's Ethan's weakness and she's vulnerable, but she can bargain like any fey. She's become a master at loopholes and words, easily able to compete with any fey in their games. She's not useless, not at all. Her skills play an equally critical part in the story, and she never really becomes a complete damsel in distress; she's always thinking of something to help Ethan help her get her out of the mess. Between Ethan and Kenzie, Ethan is the muscle/can fight like a fae, and Kenzie is the brains/can barter and use words like a fey. Both make up a fantastic team, and alone, they would be screwed. There's no way Ethan would have made it out alive if it weren't for Kenzie.


Kierran. That fool. I want to hug him, but I also want to kick him for everything he's done. We definitely get to see what becomes of his character, after everything he's done. I was quite pleased by his character arc, and though his ending left me reeling, I sort of understand why it ended the way it did.
I particularly liked how we got a lot of crossovers from The Iron Knight, including characters and places. Ethan basically explores a part of the Nevernever that Meghan herself has never gone befo
re, and thus he carves out his own legacy.


Contrary to what any others say, it wasn't Kierran's ending that got to me, but it was Ethan's. I felt that there should have been a little more for him, since he's gone through so much. I know he didn't want anything to do with Faery in the first place, but I was hoping he would at least get something out of saving it. Ethan's ending was a little too open-ended for me.
The only thing I kept noticing was that there were a lot of parallels to this book and The Iron Queen. Not that I minded, since I loved the Iron Queen, but it was just something I noticed.


All in all, an absolutely fantastic ending to a much beloved series. I'm giving this five stars, because after enduring all the emotions, I simply can't give it anything less. I'm not ready to say farewell to the world of the fae, to my love of my life Ash (ASH <3), to Puck, who always cracks me up, and to Julie Kagawa's brilliant world and plot twists/devastations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cry quietly in a corner as I try to mend my heart together (Cody, please join me else I'm never going to recover).


"It sucks," she admitted, her eyes going dark. "sometimes the world is like that. Sometimes we just have to play with the hand we're dealt. But let me ask you this--would you trust this to anyone else?"


6 comments:

  1. Oh the feels. This book was actually hard to read at times, I needed a few minutes to collect myself *sobs*
    I loved Ethan's character arc, he definitely matured and this book his own. I mean, continuing to save the person who quite literally stabbed you in the back? Brava, I'd be holding that grudge for years hahaha.
    Poor Kierran, it will take some time for me to get over his ending, I just feel so sorry for him! Perhaps I shall journey to the Between to check on his every now and then and of course if I do that, I shall proceed to The Iron Court because you know... Ash is a really defenceless faery and may need my help (by help, I mean a shoulder to cry on there's no way I'd be helpful in a fight hahaha)

    I absolutely love the enthusiasm in your review, you can tell it's your favourite, if I hadn't already read the book I would be picking it up right now. Except we have, we're heartbroken and our feels are all over the place. How do we move on? OH WAIT I KNOW....
    READ SIX OF CROWS and discover the glorious Nina & Matthias ;) prepare yourself!!!
    Fantastic review, although now I'm sad all over again, when will the pain stop?

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    1. I know right? The pain. My heart is breaking all over again every time I think about it. Sigh.
      I think your trip to the Between and the Iron Court is a fantastic idea, Kierran must feel so lonely, and Ash is absolutely defenceless and will surely need your help to get over what has happened.
      SIX OF CROWS. Yes, I'm getting to that, but my heart is still reeling from this book. I feel like I might have to read it twice just to make sure I experience everything without heartbreak...

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  2. I've still not read this! I need too! Your review is making me want to go and buy it right now! I just can't wait anymore! Fantastic review!

    Carrie @The Book Goddess

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    1. Thanks, Carrie! You definitely should, this is one book you do not want to miss out on! :)

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  3. I love this series. <3 I'm so excited to read this one but then again I'm also really dreading it because it's the last book and that just makes me so sad. LIKE NOOO. I'm not ready to say goodbye and I don't think I'll ever be (I mean, Ethan, Mackenzie, and everyone else are just too awesome). But I'm sure I'll love it when I do read it, even if it'll break my heart. Haha. Great review! :)
    ~Cari @ myaddictionbooks.blogspot.com

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    1. I felt the same way! I wanted to prolong the experience, because once it's over, it's OVER. I put this book off a few days, but after that, I simply couldn't take it and ended up caving and reading it...sigh. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. All the heartbreak, all the sobs...yes, completely worth it ;)

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