Book Review: The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

Book 4 in the Iron Fey ties up the series from Prince Ash's point of view

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Book 3 in this series, The Iron Queen, ended quite sadly for fans of paranormal romance. Prince Ash and the new Iron Queen Meghan Chase were seemingly separated forever because her iron realm would kill him. This book is from Ash's point of view as he undertakes a massive journey through the fae realm to find a means to be reunited with Meghan.

While the other three books had primary plots which were action/adventure with a strong subplot of the romance between Ash and Meghan, this book is entirely about Ash's journey, which is both psychological and an action/adventure tale. Once again the author's amazing world-building skills are on display. For anyone who is a fan of stories of the fae and high-fantasy type plots, this book is a rich, imaginative treat. It is especially enjoyable to spend most of the book in the company of Grimalkin and Puck as they accompany Ash on his arduous journey. They are two of my favorite characters in this series.

I personally am a big fan of paranormal romance and I was disappointed that there was almost no chance to experience Ash and Meghan's relationship in this book. However, the book as written is definitely worth reading as a further opportunity to visit the brilliantly executed, fantastical world of the fae that Kagawa has created.

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Fantasy World-Building: 5

Writing:5

Action-Adventure Plot: 4

Romantic Subplot:2


Overall: 4

Book Review: Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

YA parallel universe fantasy with a strong heroine

Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: May 15, 2007
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Pages: 323
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

Princess Andrea lives in the medieval-style kingdom of Xaren, which exists in a world parallel to our contemporary United States. Andrea strongly resents the limitations of her life as a young, sheltered royal whose only prospects for the future are to endure a political marriage. Her dream is to train as a warrior as princes do, but instead she is forced to study boring court etiquette with her older sisters. This tedious regimen is more than Andrea can bear. In a fit of rebellion, she runs away and enters a forbidden portion of the kingdom that is rumored to be haunted. In the process, she almost falls over a cliff and is unexpectedly rescued by an uncle who is the family eccentric. He admonishes her to stay away from this dangerous place, but Andrea can't make herself obey. During another risky, exploratory journey there, she ends up in a cave just as the tide is coming in and almost drowns. Her relief at surviving is short-lived, though, because she discovers to her dismay that she has been swept into an utterly foreign world which has only one moon instead of the two moons of her own world.

Princess Andrea's unwillingness to settle for a very limited life leads her to fantastic adventures that are highly entertaining. Andrea is a strong protagonist who never gives up. There is action, romance, mystery, and amusing moments of comic relief in this delightfully original novel, as Andrea attempts to fulfill her heart's desire in the two separate worlds she becomes equally attached to.

Heroine: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Fantasy World-Building: 5

Writing: 5

Action-Adventure Plot: 5

Romantic Subplot: 5


Overall: 5