The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 336

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Released: 9th of February 2021 

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”

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 Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.

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. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.

What I Have to Say 

I love Puck so I was really excited to read this one. The only reason it took me this long was that it was my dyslexia got really bad during lockdown. 

This had all the elements of a great Julie Kagawa book. Adventures, Puck and Ash at each other's fronts, a little helping of Grimalkin and even a bit of Meghan! It was nice to see the old gang all back together again, even if they've changed so much since the first book. 

I really liked Nyx a lot. I love the concept of the forgotten and having a sexy moonlight powered assassin just added some icing to the top of a really interesting cake!! 

Can't wait to read on to the next book! 

4 stars

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review. 

Grim Anthology by Christine Johnson

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 454

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 25th of February 2014

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today.

What I Have To Say

I think most people who read these posts know how much I like fairytale retellings, so obviously Grim was a book I’ve been really looking forward to. Anthologies like this are ones I find hard to review. I mean there are so many very different stories. Reviewing each one would take forever. So I’m going to talk about my favourites, the two that really stuck out for me. 

The first one I’m going to talk about is my absolute favourite, Beauty and the Chad  by Sarah Reese Brennan. I wasn’t sure about the concept at first, it felt a little silly. But I really should have taken into account the comedic skills that Sarah Reese Brennan always shows in her writing, because Chad’s portrayal was perfect, a stereotype, but just on the right side of ridiculous. And the way he fit into the medieval society was hilarious.  

The fact that the heroine was disguised as a boy and the very insistent cutlery, the best part in my opinion, made this story a brilliant, light-hearted reworking of Beauty and the Beast. 

The other story I want to talk about is Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready. With references to Puss in Boots, the story is told from the point of view of a creature inhabiting a toy cat, a sort of guide, helping a musician find his potential. 

This story broke my heart. I fell in love very quickly with the figment and his feelings of rejection, being unappreciated and abandonment really touched me. 

There are so many stories from this book that I could write full reviews of and though, naturally, as with any book like this there were others that weren’t so good, most of them were ones I really enjoyed. 

One Wish by Michelle Harrison

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this e-arc. 

Pages: 346

Publisher: 22nd of May 2014

Released: Simon and Schuster

One wish only, understood? There are rules, so listen good . . .

The Spinney Wicket Wishing Tree can grant your heart’s desire – just wish out loud, or hang a message from its branches. It sounds as though the Wishing Tree is just a sweet old tradition, but Tanya is only too aware how real its magic could be.

Tanya can see fairies, and would love to meet someone else can see them too. When she meets Ratty and his cheeky fairy, Turpin, it seems at last she’s found them. But Ratty has a secret, and a dangerous enemy who'll stop at nothing to get to him.

Tanya must use her one wish to save her new friend - but wishes should be used wisely . . .

What I Have To Say

I adored Michelle Harrison's Thirteen Secrets trilogy so obviously I was excited to read the prequel. And it reminded me exactly why I loved Michelle Harrison's writing. 

This is how to write for young people. Anyone who thinks you have to dumb down writing for thirteen-year-olds needs to read this and see that it's just not true, because it's beautiful and emotional and completely right for the age group. 

It's been a few years now since I read the trilogy, so naturally I was worried that I'd forgotten too much. I had to get to know Tanya again, which luckily wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I settled back into the world really easily.

I think what's really great about Michelle Harrison's writing is that she has all the emotion and peril needed, but alongside is a sense of fun in her writing. She plays with words and ideas a lot, which I think can be seen most clearly by the rhyming speech of the Wishing Tree.

If you haven't read Michelle Harrison's books before then now is a great time to start. One Wish would be a great introduction to the series. And they've just given the books in these new beautiful covers that I'm trying to find an excuse to buy. 

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Synposis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Pan MacMillon and Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc.

Pages: 416

Publisher: Pan MacMillon

Released: 8th of May 2014

The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 'What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.'

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late . . .,

What I Have To Say

Some books can be tricky to review. This is one of those books, but only because as I sit down to write this review, I've realised, I have absolutely no idea what to call the main character. Her name changes so much. So I'm going to refer to her by my favourite of her names, Not-Triss. It's simple and states the facts with a hint of humour. And I think it's kind of cute. 

I honestly cannot think of anything that bothered me about the book. The only thing I can think of is the pace could be a little slow for some readers. But I liked it. This isn't a book you race through, desperate to find out how it ends, it's one to take your time over and enjoy the writing. Everything fits with the pace.  

And the prose. Oh how I love beautiful prose. This book is a work of art. Every sentence is an elegant, perfectly constructed gem. All right. I'm exaggerating a little. But really I found some very beautiful sentence. 

I'm trying to keep this fairly short, but I just need to mention some things. The characters were amazing. The fact that the point of view character was the changeling child and the way she had to work through the mystery and confusion surrounding everything was unique and intriguing. And the sister Pen and how they had to form a new relationship was so interesting. 

There are so many other things I could talk about. The whole dysfunctional family is something I could talk about for hours and I haven't even mentioned the people who took Triss and planted Not-Triss in her place. But I don't like long reviews. If I try to read one I tend to zone out after a while. Though this blog is not all about me. I want to do what I can to cater to you, my reader. So if you would like longer reviews when I have something to say, drop a word in the comments. 

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 384

Publisher: Mira Ink

Released: 1st of November 2013

Other Books In The Series: The Lost Prince

IN THE REAL WORLD, WHEN YOU VANISH INTO THIN AIR FOR A WEEK, PEOPLE TEND TO NOTICE 

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again. 

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

What I Have To Say

I don't think I can even begin to put into words my reaction to the end of this book. Especially without spoilers, but I'll try because what an ending! I'm not sure that shocking is the right word, but it's the one I'm going with, because who would have thought that Julie Kagawa would actually do /that/. 

I loved the darkness that's sweeping into Keirran's character and how it's affecting them all, even Razor! And the obsessiveness that he's showing in trying to stop the fade, which I think there may be more to than just trying to save Annwyl.

Ethan and Kenzie were great, as always. I really love their characters, Ethan's reluctance and tough boy exterior and Kenzie's drive just to live life to the fullest while she can. 

I think that there was only one thing that really got to me about the book and that was the fact that the female characters kept having to be protected. I mean you'd have thought Annwyl would know how to fight after having lived in Faery all her life. Especially since we know Kagawa can write really awesome, strong female characters. 

Anyway, I need the next book. Now! I don't know how I'm going to wait so long!

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 379
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: 23rd of October 2012

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

What I Have to Say

 I'm going to try very, very hard not to fangirl too much this post, but I just love Julie Kagawa far too much. I love everything she writes and this was definitely no exception. She has such interesting ideas and yet again she's managed to expand the idea of faery and put her own take on it. 

The forgotten are just as interesting as the Iron fey and Kagawa has managed to show her creativity yet again with more creative ideas for new types of faery, whilst still including some of the more traditional ones to make a rich and complex world. 

I love Ethan and his tough attitudes. He's a really good contrast to Megan who was so much more naive when she first went to faery. Ethan is more of a warrior. Training himself to fight against the faeries who taunt him. 

I also loved Keirran. He's such a cool mix of the three courts. There's also a lot of faery to him but at the same time, he's softer. It's clear that he's spent him whole life not fitting in to any court because he's a member of all three. I think there's a lot more to be explore with his character. And with all the new characters actually. 

While I'm loving the new characters and understand completely why there isn't so much of the old characters in this book, I do miss them a lot. It's nice when they pop up and I hope that with the rest of the series they continue to appear every so often. 

Can't wait for the next book.

Fiktshun's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Steal

 

 There will be spoilers in this post from My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save and My Soul to Keep. If you want to know more about the Soul Screamers books then check out my review of the first book in the series, My Soul to Take here! If you've already read My Soul to Take, then my review of My Soul to Steal is here! And my review for My Soul to Keep is here!

Synopsis (from the Waterstones Website) 

Pages: 304
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Published on: 21st of October 2011

Sometimes dreams do come true... and that's the last thing Kaylee needs working things out with Nash - her maybe boyfriend - is hard for Kaylee. She's already coping with being a teenage banshee. Worse, Nash's gorgeous ex-girlfriend just transferred to their school. Sabine's no ordinary girl. She's a mara, a real-life walking nightmare. Draining people's energy through their darkest dreams sustains Sabine...and makes her Kaylee's top suspect in a cluster of super-creepy deaths. To win back Nash, Kaylee's determined to unearth the truth. But Sabine knows the deathly secrets of Kaylee's subconscious - and she's not afraid to use them to get whatever and whoever she wants...

What I Have to Say

This book conjured up a few too many RL emotions for me, so I'll apologise in advance if this review isn't as good as usual. Still the plot was really good. I was great to see more of Tod. But the Nash/ Sabine/ Kaylee storyline was just too much for me right now.

I've decided that I really like Alec. I hope that we see more of him in the other books.

It's also really good to see Kaylee telling Emma a bit more about the Neverworld stuff. She really needed to know! 

That's all I can really say about this book. I'm sorry. Maybe in the future I'll reread it and put up a better review.

Fiktshun's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Keep

 

 There will be spoilers in this post from My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save. If you want to know more about the Soul Screamers books then check out my review of the first book in the series, My Soul to Take here! If you've already read My Soul to Take, then my review of My Soul to Steal is here!

Synopsis (from the Waterstones Website)

KAYLEE HAS ONE ADDICTION:HER BOYFRIEND NASH Like Kaylee, Nash is a banshee. So he understands her like no one else. Nothing - supernatural or otherwise - can come between them. That is, until something does. Demon breath - a potent paranormal drug with the power to kill. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. Kaylee and Nash need to cut off the source and protect their human friends - one of whom is already hooked. But Kaylee's plans are soon derailed when she uncovers another secret demon breath addict in their midst. Nash. Now she's ready to kick some serious Netherworld butt - but is it too late to save the boy who's stolen her heart?

What I Have to Say  

 I loved this book so much more than the other two! I was expecting something much the same, a stability in quality that doesn't make the series better or worse, but this was a real step up in quality. The emotions that she brings into her writing are just so touching.

The dangers of drug use (a very human issue) combined with the element of the Neverworld was really well written and led to a good story.

I did miss Todd though. There really wasn't enough of him in this book. Still when he did show up it was great. And I really want him and Emma to get together! They'd be a great couple and he clearly likes her!

Fiktshun's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

 

 There will be spoilers in this post from My Soul to Take. If you want to know more about the Soul Screamers books then check out my review of My Soul to Take here!

  Synopsis (From the Waterstones Website)

When teenager Kaylee screams, someone dies...So when teen pop star Eden dies onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul. The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld - a consequence they can't possibly understand. Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.



What I Have to Say

I didn't think My Soul to Save was any better than My Soul to Take, but I didn't think it was any worse either. They're both really great books, so this isn't a bad thing at all. Too many books try to escalate the drama until it becomes unrealistic - sustainable quality is a really good thing in a series and Rachel Vincent really pulls it off.


I liked seeing more of Tod and exploring other sides of his character. It made him more of a main character and less of just someone who's there.  I also really love the relationship between Nash and Tod. It works so well because it's both funny and realistic. 

Another good thing about this book is that we get to see Kaylee develop and start to learn about what she can do as a Bean Sidhe. She's getting more integrated into the supernatural world. 

Also we get to learn more about the Netherworld! Which is always cool and Vincent shows that she can be just as imaginative in creating faery worlds/ demon dimensions as the other writers around her. 

It's completely worth reading more of this series and I can't wait to read the next book (which I will do much sooner than I did this one!!! >< you can blame the reading I've had to do for uni for that xD). 
 
 

Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (From Julie Kagawa's Official Website)

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl… 

What I Have to Say

I'm splitting this section into two parts so as to give both the book and the series justice whilst not spoiling anyone who hasn't read the previous books. If you don't want any of the previous books in the series please don't read the section about Iron Knight.

About the Iron Fey series in General

Julie Kagawa is one of my favourite authors. I will buy everyone book she writes without question (or even stopping to read the blurb). The Iron Fey series is a really original but still pretty classic fey story. She intertwines the normal rules of Faerie with this new idea of combining fey creatures with iron to show the human effect on Faerie. Then she goes to show how damaging this is to the original fey. 

I love reading about fey. I love the stories people are finding to tell about them. But Kagawa takes it even further by finding something new that she can create by basing her iron fey on the age of technology. Her inventions range from powerful creatures such as Iron Horse, Glitch and Virus to adorable little things like packrats and gremlins (even if the latter is a bit of a nuisance xD). 

So not only has Kagawa described in wonderful detail her interpretation of the land of Faerie, she's also made it very original and interesting to read. 

If you haven't read the other books in the series I strongly recommend you read them before reading the rest of my review. It's your choice, of course, but they're amazing and you should read them :p. You can get them all off Amazon or from a decent bookshop (Order them from your local independent bookshop!!! They need the profit. Amazon will survive without your money!!!!)  

About Iron Knight in Particular (contains spoilers for previous books in the series) 

I think that Iron Knight is my favourite of the Iron Fey series. First of all because it contains Ash who I absolutely love, even if he's gone soft since falling for Megan. He's change a lot from his hard, cold, unseelie self, but there's still traces of the ice prince in there as well as flashbacks of him in his prime. I like evil guys!! I can't help it!!! 

I also really love him and Puck together. I love the way they bicker and threaten each other even though they kind of like each other really. They also make a really good team, which goes some way to show what they were like before their feud got in the way. 

All that said, I think the thing that made me love the book so much more from the rest of the series (which I didn't even think was possible before I read it) was the whole Arthurian feel it had about it. It was set out as a traditional Knight's tale: a group of companions setting out to face challenges together with the purpose of gaining the power to go back to the side of their leaders one True Love. You can imagine that it could big King Arthur trying to get back to Guinevere. Or you could if Arthur was an unseelie fey who'll throw ice daggers at anyone who annoyed him anyway xD. 

The book is also so emotional. You go through the trials that Ash faces with him and experience what he has to give up in the hope of being able to be with Megan again. 

I strongly recommend the whole of the Iron Fey series. 

 

 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis (From the Waterstones Website)

 Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs of Skarmouth. Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the blood from the sand. The mounts are capaill uisce: savage water horses. There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more deadly. To race them can be suicide but the danger is irresistible.

What I Have to Say 

I've loved absolutely everything that Stiefvater has written so far. She has a way with words that few authors have. The Scorpio Races is something really special. It contains in it a few pieces of writing that you just have to read aloud and share with anyone who'll listen. That includes you so listen up: 

"This last exclamation is because we've just got to a high point where we can see the ocean and the area around us. The land is perilous, low cliffs, cracked and cut deeply into the green pasture and then suddenly empty air and then pasture again. Below us and beyond us, the sea is whitecaps and foam and black rocks like teeth. A busy sea." 

This is such a wonderful piece of description of the sea, a central part of the plot. It shows its beauty and it's danger without slowing down the pace or being extraneous. 

I really, really loved every moment and every component of this book so I highly recommend it. 

Fiktshun's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

 

 Synopsis (From the Waterstone's Website)

Being a teenager just got much more complicated. There is something very wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh: she senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.



What I Have To Say

 The thing I think I love most about this book is how realistic the characters are. I like how damaged Kaylee is. Here's a main character who's been struggling with a  condition which she doesn't know anything about and as a result is being treated for mental health issues. She doesn't just live out a normal existence until one day she finds out that she has special powers. No, Kaylee has known that there's something different about her for her entire life and has suffered the consequences of this, with noticeable side affects. 

And what's more, she doesn't hide that much of her problems from those around her. Although, there aren't many people to hide if from and she does have to conceal some stuff once she finds out what is actually different about her. But mostly this is something that can't be hidden from those close to her (the screaming is a bit too much of a loud reaction to be able to hide). And because of this Kaylee has suffered. She's been institutionalised and strapped down with padded straps and she has the scars to prove it! 


It's just too common these days for characters to go through hell and then just walk away unscathed. Not that it's that much of a bad thing in a book. I think most people can enjoy books that don't have realistic features of trauma. But it's really good to get a book where there are characters who do have that kind of depth and reaction. 

Another thing I like is that all of this has happened in the past. I think a lot of authors feel that if something dramatic happens it has to be included in the book. It's good to have a story where they refer to it when we haven't seen it happen. And in such little ways too. Ways like just having the character shaken and afraid from someone holding her wrist. 


So I think this is the thing that I'm taking away from this book. The characters. It's really good depth. Rachel Vincent is an amazing writer and she writes Kaylee well. 

Next month I'll mention whether or not My Soul to Save keeps up this realism. Don't let me forget! 

Fiktshun's Soul Screamers Reading Challenge

 

So just another quick update to let you guys know that I'm going to be doing the Soul Screamers reading challenge. I read the first book a while back and really liked it but haven't gotten around to reading the rest so now I'm going to.

I need to reread get the first book from my parents house so it'll be a couple of weeks until the review of it comes up. When I start doing the reviews I'm going to post them up separately to my normal reviews so there will still be a weekly review alongside the reviews of the Soul Screamers books.