In the realm of the Faery, it’s time for Roiben’s
coronation. On the night of the coronation, Kaye, drunk from faery wine, declares
her love for Roiben and asks for a quest. Roiben sends her on an impossible one:
to find a faery that can tell an untruth, and everybody knows no faery can tell
a lie, even the tiniest one. See how impossible the quest is? Miserable and
convinced that she doesn’t belong anywhere, Kaye tells her mother the truth - that
she is a changeling in the place of her daughter. So Kaye ventures to the
Seelie Court to see Queen Silarial. In exchange for the human Kaye, she has to
give out Roiben’s real name. She uses a fake one, and escapes with Ethine,
Roiben’s sister. The two, along with Corny, Kaye’s gay friend, went into
hiding. Later, Kaye finds out about the Seelie Queen’s plan, to let Roiben
battle his sister to death for the Seelie throne. Will Kaye make it in time to
warn Roiben? Or will she fail to save her love because of the quest?
Author Holly Black brings us another tale of dark faery
politics and dangerous love. Darker and deadlier than the previous novel, Tithe( I haven’t read Valiant, and
judging by the summary, Valiant took place way before Tithe), Ironside is sexy and completely different
from the norm. Language lively and expressively vivid, the plot is complete and
not without a lot of twists and turns.
Kaye, as always, is brave and very likeable. Roiben is his
usual stay-away-from-me-as-you-will-hurt-yourself self. All of the characters
are fully fleshed out and lively.
Also, the relationship between Kaye and Roiben is as
heartbreaking as ever. You’ll cry and laugh as Kaye dances a figurative dance
of love with Roiben. I love how Kaye’s relationship with her mother shift and
change into a deeper, truer relationship. The misunderstandings are cleared and
lies busted, as Kaye learns that her mother’s love will never diminish, even if
she’s a pixie.
Intriguing and magickal, Ironside
is a dark modern faery tale with a fresh angle. A job well done by Holly Black,
though I wish there were more stories of Kaye and Roiben. Perhaps there are necessary
full-stops for wonderful stories.
Cover: This is a cover I Love! See how the well the black
contrasts with the shine?
Ratings: 5 stars
* For mature readers
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