Page count: 304 pages
Expected publication: October 29th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Original title: The Iron Traitor
Edition language: English
Iron Fey series website:https://www.theironfey.com/
Series:The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2, The Iron Fey #6
Characters: Razor, Ethan Chase, Kierran, Kenzie
ISBN: 9780373210916
Price: USD 9.99
*Spoiler Alert* If you haven’t read any of the Iron Fey books, please do not proceed. This review will be a spoiler fest.
The Iron Traitor is the 6th book from the Iron Fey series. I have been following the the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa for quite some time now, and the latest Iron Fey book, the Iron Traitor, is by far the most frustrating one among all other Iron Fey books! It’s a good that that instead of buying the books, I read iron fey series online free. Well, sort of. I’m a Netgalley member, and an advance reader, and therefore, I’m entitled to review books before it’s published.
So the story starts where the The Lost Prince left us off. Ethan and Kenzie is back in the real world, but trouble ensues and they are forced to go back to Nevernever in quest to stop the Forgotten from destroying faes from all court with their glamour sucking abilities.
The story is pretty much infuriating, really. Well, at least to me it feels infuriating, especially when I can’t really feel the chemistry between the characters the way I felt for the original characters, Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin. Unlike reading the original iron fey series where I could actually feel that I’m thrown into Nevernever and experienced the adventures and romance first hand, the Iron Traitor did not give me the same feeling. It feels like I’m standing outside of an aquarium and just looking at the fish swimming…yups, it feels like I’m reading something from a third person point of view, and it’s not really fun. Reading the new Iron Fey series is like reading a fanfiction, and to be able to really enjoy the new iron fey series, I really have to forget about the original ones….something I cannot do….not when I could actually feel the intense chemistry between the characters. So far Iron Traitor felt like a fanfiction, through the storyline and plot is quite amazing.
To be honest, I struggled to read the first few chapters of the Iron Traitor. It not only lacks chemistry, but draggy as well in the beginning. The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa only gets interesting after awhile, where readers are thrown into the whirlwind of adventure once again.
But I’ll give credits where it’s due. There’s major character’s development where Ethan and Keirran is concerned. If you hate Ethan Chase in the previous book, then you’ll probably find that he is much more likable in the new iron fey series. In this book, you’ll see that Ethan has matured greatly. From an obnoxious brat, he became somewhat a man who will do whatever he can to protects his family and his loved ones, though not to an extend where he would do something foolish in order to accomplish his goal, unlike Keirran, the prince of the Iron Court (Keirran is the son of Ash and Meghan Chase. He was first featured in an alternate universe, where his personality is different and altered. In Iron’s Prophecy he is seen by his mother, Meghan Chase in the Dreaming Pool. He is immortal and ageless)
Ethan knows the limit of his sacrifices, and despite the fact that his girlfriend is dying from cancer, he refused to make a bargain with the faeries to keep her alive any second longer should the time come. Now, that is something I applaud; his bravery to let go instead of hanging on to something inevitable. Apart from that, Ethan finally understood and forgave Meghan’s action and kept a distance from him once he saw what the Oracle showed him; the prophecy that starts it it: his death at Keirran’s hand. Another brownie point for Ethan Chase.
Keirran, on the other hand, did the most terrible thing just so that he could keep his love, Annwyl, a former handmaiden to Queen Titania who was banished and exiled from the Summer Court alive when her existence is threatened by the forgotten. Yes, Keirran is willing to do anything for that summer sidhe, and that includes killing Ethan without giving it a second thought. He’s willing to destroy everything and starts a war just for her, something that irritates me greatly because I know so little about his love story with the summer fae, Annwyl.
I felt that what he did was not justified at all. All we know about Keirran and Annwyn is just a tidbit here and there. I couldn’t relate. I couldn’t feel the passion, and couldn’t empathize with their relationship because all it was revealed in the Iron Traitor is just snippets of their initial meeting. And to make it worst, it was revealed at the end of the story that Annwyl was commanded by Queen Titania of the Summer Court to get the attention of the said Iron Prince and seduce him before betraying him. (Though we come to understand later that Annwyl really did fell in love with Keirran for real afterwards). To me, it is not worth to destroy everything for just one girl, who in my opinions, lacks backbone and character.
The Iron traitor ends with a terrible cliffhanger, where Keirran stabs Ethan with his sword, and the last page ends there: Ethan Chase all shocked, bloodied, and dying; just because Keirran thought that it is all right to kill his own uncle so that Annwyl can be saved. So great! First Kierran made a bargain with the Queen of The Summer court, Titania so that she would consider lifting Annwyl’s exile and allow her to go back to the Summer court only to kill off a mystical creature deep in Tir Na Nog and starts a war with the Winter Court, then he go and stabs his own uncle, Ethan just because The Queen of The Forgotten told him that’s the only way to give Annwyl a chance to live and make the human believe in faeries again. Can it get any stupider? Well, I don’t doubt it can, but of course, I will have to wait til 2014 to read what happened to all of them.
So, did I enjoy the book? Well, yes. Kinda. In a way I enjoyed it…the adventure part, but not the rest of the book. Like I said earlier, I couldn’t feel the chemistry, passion and romance between the characters, and therefore I find it difficult to relate, unlike the original iron fey series where I felt that I am one of the characters. Reading the new iron fey series is like reading fanfiction, and from author;s point of view, I feel that the entire spinoff is just portraying the author’s writing skill instead of a real storytelling. 🙁 The saving grace for this book is still the minor appearance of Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin.
Overall, it is an okay read…if you’re into teen angst, that is. I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars for the story and plot development. I received an ARC of the Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa from Netgalley, and I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review.
The Iron Traitor: Call of The Forgotten Book Trailer
Book description
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.
Intrigued but new to the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa? The world of iron fey can be quite confusing, so here’s the iron fey series in reading order:
( Iron Fey series .epub and Iron Fey series .pdf)
- The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)Â #1
- The First Kiss (free short story #1.25 – Ash’s POV)
- Winter’s Passage (The Iron Fey) (#1.5 - the novella that takes place between The Iron King and The Iron Daughter)
- The Iron Daughter (Harlequin Teen)Â #2
- The Iron Queen (Harlequin Teen)Â #3
- Summer’s Crossing (The Iron Fey) (#3.5 – a novella that takes place between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight)
- Ash’s Letter to Meghan (#3.6 – free on author’s website)
- The Iron Knight (Harlequin Teen)Â #4
- An Iron Fey Valentine (#4.4 – free short story from author’s website)
- Iron’s Prophecy (The Iron Fey) (#4.5 – a novella)
- The Lost Prince (Iron Fey #5)
- The Iron Traitor
The Iron Legends: Winter’s Passage/Summer’s Crossing/Iron’s Prophecy
Where you can get the iron fey series: :https://www.theironfey.com/ or check out the Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
The author of the iron fey series, Julie Kagawa has also compiled a song list along with extras for each of the books, so you can check em out here too in the Iron Fey Exclusives.
