Ironside by Holly Black Review

"In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears."

Ironside is the last installment of the trilogy. It is certainly the most serious and questioning of them all. It took me awhile to read all of this, but mostly because I was busy editing some of my stuff (personal stuff). But now, I'm here again! And hi, everyone. Anyway, Ironside is the third book in A Modern Faery's Tale. It is a darker turn on the fairies, which is based on Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare. Needless to say, Oberon and Mab aren't the King of Seelie and Queen of Unseelie respectfully. Roiben (yep, based on Robin Goodfellow) is the King of Unseelie Court. Isn't that interesting? Well, all I can tell you is that this isn't Julie Kagawa with half-bloods and Prince Ash.

First of all, I will tell you that Ironside is very entertaining. I love all those little things, from quirks about iron to little references to here and there. It is all quite adorable, I will admit. Ironside goes by fast, quicker than a blink of an eye. I thought it would last a few hours, but Ironside seems to go by in a matter of minutes. The fast-paced plot changes the time. A really good book like Ironside can change time, making it unparallel. Some books are so good that you won't notice it is already midnight and you have a job to do tomorrow.

Roiben, for one, is one tough knight and Lord of Unseelie Court. His hotness is very debatable, but that isn't the point of this paragraph (although it could be...). Anyway, Roiben is undeniably struggling as a character. He may be unseemingly immortal, but he is full of flaws and feelings. Yes, he has feelings unlike a lot of faeries. He sends Kaye on an impossible task to protect her. He tries to protect his sister but fails miserably. Isn't he an interesting character? I totally think he is one hot character (yes, now I'm going back to his hotness).

Kaye has a bunch of insecurities. However, she does have intelligence, wisdom (and a bit of ignorance), and loyalty. In the end, she obviously does solve the riddle/quest. And she does it humorously. I love it.

The ending is perfect. It is about rising against your masters and stop listening to them. Let yourself talk. Don't listen to what other people say. Don't get drunk. Don't do stupid things. And now, I'm getting off track. But I will go to my original message. Ironside and the lesson overall is about standing up for yourself and others to do the right thing. It is not about hiding. It is about doing what is right and not what is safe.

Rating: Four out of Five