Date: October 25, 2011
Series or Standalone: Fourth in series
ISBN: 978-0373210367
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Source: Netgalley
Rating: C
First line: "Oy, ice-boy! You sure you know where you're going?"
Description (from goodreads): Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.
Unless he can earn a soul. (More)
First line: "Oy, ice-boy! You sure you know where you're going?"
Description (from goodreads): Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.
Unless he can earn a soul. (More)
Oh, The Iron Knight. Oh, Ash who I love so, so, so, so very much. Oh, how I was kind of disappointed. Oh, reader who is probably thinking of all the ways you are about to kill me for this rating.
This is the one time I will say I wish a book had never been written. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ash. This series is one of my favorites.
But for me, The Iron Queen was SO fantastic. It was the *perfect* book. And then I heard there was going to be another one. I was pretty darn excited--as was the rest of the world. But I have to be honest and say I was a little let down by this one. I'm not entirely sure if this is a case where my tastes have changed during the waiting because I've grown as a reader and so I'm not as easily satisfied OR if it's really the fault of the book. I will tell you all the reasons and then you can form your opinion.
Also, I have lost sleep over this review because I didn't want to write it. But as I'm trying to put my thoughts together, I know I have to say this to have an honest review. So. Here we go. I will try really, really, really hard not to spoil things.
It took me 60 (maybe more) pages to believe that it was Ash telling the story. It wasn't what I expected him to sound like. Then there was a point when I accepted it was him, and the voice didn't bother me as much. But then, there were other things that did. One example, he saw a lot of random things that I didn't understand. (Ie. the hairs on someone else's neck stand on end. How did he see that? How?)
Then there is the return of a character who I a) totally knew would come back b) was not happy that this character was back and c) completely predicted the reason the character was back. It was a trick that left me really dissatisfied because the character was supposed to create tension, and didn't really do that.
Everything happened really quickly. Our characters are on a quest here to do something really epic--give Ash mortality so he can be with Megan--and it's built up in the book as impossible. No one ever survived the quest. But then, as Ash, Puck and company go along, they complete it so quickly. Every chapter was Ash and company defeating a new challenge. I know that it was happening so it would all be done in one book, but I wanted SO much more than I got. I would have rather had less things happen and them take longer, than to have so much crammed into one book. There was so much happening I still don't know the point of some of those things they did--and definitely can't remember them all.
The ending was a really, really, really big let down. I'm not going to say anything as to what happens, but the POV switches in the last chapter and I still can only think of how much that was the one moment I wanted to see from Ash's perspective and didn't get to. So sad. So sad. That's probably the biggest thing that made me like it less. The other things I could've gotten over, but not that.
Not everything was bad.
The best parts of this book were Grim (as always) and, surprisingly for me, Puck. Puck and Ash had such great banter and comroderie that I can't even begin to express how much I loved it. It was so perfect. Seriously. Perfection. For me, maybe because Ash doesn't work as well as a narrator, Puck made the book. Shocking, I know since I'm team Ash.
All in all, I think everyone who loved the series will read the book. Most people will really love it. If you were like me and totally fell hard for The Iron Queen then you may want to think and wait and let some of this review marinate with you. Check out some other opinions. I may be the only who feels this way. It was a hard adjustment for me.
What else should I say.....? I am a cat.
This is the one time I will say I wish a book had never been written. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ash. This series is one of my favorites.
But for me, The Iron Queen was SO fantastic. It was the *perfect* book. And then I heard there was going to be another one. I was pretty darn excited--as was the rest of the world. But I have to be honest and say I was a little let down by this one. I'm not entirely sure if this is a case where my tastes have changed during the waiting because I've grown as a reader and so I'm not as easily satisfied OR if it's really the fault of the book. I will tell you all the reasons and then you can form your opinion.
Also, I have lost sleep over this review because I didn't want to write it. But as I'm trying to put my thoughts together, I know I have to say this to have an honest review. So. Here we go. I will try really, really, really hard not to spoil things.
It took me 60 (maybe more) pages to believe that it was Ash telling the story. It wasn't what I expected him to sound like. Then there was a point when I accepted it was him, and the voice didn't bother me as much. But then, there were other things that did. One example, he saw a lot of random things that I didn't understand. (Ie. the hairs on someone else's neck stand on end. How did he see that? How?)
Then there is the return of a character who I a) totally knew would come back b) was not happy that this character was back and c) completely predicted the reason the character was back. It was a trick that left me really dissatisfied because the character was supposed to create tension, and didn't really do that.
Everything happened really quickly. Our characters are on a quest here to do something really epic--give Ash mortality so he can be with Megan--and it's built up in the book as impossible. No one ever survived the quest. But then, as Ash, Puck and company go along, they complete it so quickly. Every chapter was Ash and company defeating a new challenge. I know that it was happening so it would all be done in one book, but I wanted SO much more than I got. I would have rather had less things happen and them take longer, than to have so much crammed into one book. There was so much happening I still don't know the point of some of those things they did--and definitely can't remember them all.
The ending was a really, really, really big let down. I'm not going to say anything as to what happens, but the POV switches in the last chapter and I still can only think of how much that was the one moment I wanted to see from Ash's perspective and didn't get to. So sad. So sad. That's probably the biggest thing that made me like it less. The other things I could've gotten over, but not that.
Not everything was bad.
The best parts of this book were Grim (as always) and, surprisingly for me, Puck. Puck and Ash had such great banter and comroderie that I can't even begin to express how much I loved it. It was so perfect. Seriously. Perfection. For me, maybe because Ash doesn't work as well as a narrator, Puck made the book. Shocking, I know since I'm team Ash.
All in all, I think everyone who loved the series will read the book. Most people will really love it. If you were like me and totally fell hard for The Iron Queen then you may want to think and wait and let some of this review marinate with you. Check out some other opinions. I may be the only who feels this way. It was a hard adjustment for me.
What else should I say.....? I am a cat.
Get more info/pre-order:
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The author on the web:
Blog ||| Twitter ||| Website
Goodreads ||| Amazon ||| IndieBound ||| Book Depository |||| Barnes & Noble
The author on the web:
Blog ||| Twitter ||| Website
This is a great review. I've heard so many great things about this book. I should definitely bump my reading of this series up on my list.
ReplyDeleteFinally I read a review that I can relate to !
ReplyDeleteI still haven't finished reading this book but it took me ages to get used to the fact that it was from Ash's POV.
I LOVED IRON QUEEN TOO!
(and now after reading this review I'm a little afraid of finishing this book as I love Puck in this book too )
Great and Honest review!
Krazyyme @ Young Readers