I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
The Iron Traitor
by
Julie Kagawa
It is part of the , series and is a fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by Harlequin Teen on October 29, 2013 and has 304 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Knight, The Immortal Rules, The Iron Queen, The Lost Prince, Eternity Cure
Second in the Call of the Forgotten urban fantasy series for Young Adults and seventh in the overall Iron Fey series. This sub set of the series revolves around Ethan, Meghan’s little brother. The focus in this story is on Keirran and his love for Annwyl.
My Take
This story is so irresponsible, and I did not like this one as much as the other stories in the overall Iron Fey series. Primarily because Ethan and Keirran do such stupid things: Ethan skips out on Kenzie for the New Orleans trip with the lame I’m-protecting-you-for-your-own-good trope while Keirran is jumping headlong into great dangers as if he has no clue about the Nevernever. The deal that Mr. Dust comes up with? It’s too extreme. Too juvenile an “offer”.
As for all the disasters that Keirran sets off, oh brother. It’s not as if Kagawa even offers up parents who are straitlaced and forbid Keirran from doing things. She allows us to assume this, and when we learn this isn’t the case, my thoughts for this story simply sink. It’s only reinforced by Keirran admitting that it was his father’s quest to rejoin Meghan and his forcing the Lady to promise to not drain other fey that have led to this crisis. Knowing his parents’ history, why doesn’t Keirran seek their help?
Now, if Kagawa had offered up some good reasons for Keirran to aid the Forgotten on his own, that would be another thing altogether. At least when Ash was running about defying his world, he did it with consideration unlike Keirran, who leaps in without thinking at all.
As for the mystery about why Ethan and Keirran should never have met? You’ll learn why at the end. And if you’re like me, you won’t particularly care. At least there’s Kenzie with her practical outlook: that Ethan is allowing the fey to win if he blocks out all contact with the people around him.
The Story
Yep, Ethan’s in trouble at school again. And Keirran has disappeared. Love has a way of causing that.
It’s one adventure after another as Keirran seeks a way to prevent Annwyl from Fading completely. Adventures that will end in the prophecy being fulfilled.
The Characters
Ethan Chase is Meghan‘s, the Iron Queen’s, younger half-brother, fighting an almost-fatal pull to the Nevernever. It’s only been a few days since events in The Lost Prince, 1. Mom is their mother; Luke is Ethan’s dad.
Keirran, the Iron Prince, is Ethan’s nephew and Meghan and Ash’s son. And there’s some mystery, some reason why Keirran should have been kept apart from Ethan. Ash is the Prince Consort of Mag Tuiredh. Razor is a gremlin from the Iron Court.
The dying Mackenzie St. James is a poor little rich girl whom Ethan likes very much. Michael St. James is her disinterested father. Alex is her half-sister; Christine is her stepmother. Brian Kingston is a bullying football star and major jerk who is very protective of Mackenzie. Regan, Zoe, and Chelsea are some of Kenzie’s friends who are shocked at her new relationship.
Robin Goodfellow, a.k.a., Puck, is, yes, that infamous faery. Annwyl is a banished Summer fey who’s Fading and with whom Keirran is in love. Leanansidhe is the Exile Queen who lives in the Between. Titania is the vicious Summer Queen. Grimalkin is a fae cat; I always think of him as a Cheshire Cat. Queen Mab is the Winter Queen.
The Forgotten are a new, deadly species of fey, woken when Ash journeyed on his quest to sit by Meghan’s side in The Iron Knight, 4, and Keirran has promised the Lady, the Forgotten Queen, that he will return when she asks. The Thin Man is an enforcer for them, the caretaker of a town for Forgotten fey. The Oracle, the ancient seer of Faery, meets her fate.
A goblin market is “a place where the fey come together to deal, sell, and make bargains”. Mr. Dust is truly wicked with his frightened children cure.
Guro Javier is Ethan’s martial arts instructor, who, it turns out, can see Them.
The Cover and Title
The cover is cold with its metallic grays and barely visible black curlicues of wrought iron while Keirran’s face overpowers the cover. He certainly looks older than his dad.
The title is true enough, for Keirran is The Iron Traitor in so many ways.
