The Iron Raven is the first book in a new spin-off of The Iron Fey series by New York Times bestselling author, Julie Kagawa and for fans of The Iron Fey series, this has been long sought after. I had the pleasure of meeting Kagawa in Melbourne in 2019 and she let slip that there was going to be another book based in the Iron Fey world. The excitement in the room was palpable, but when she further elaborated to say this book would be starring the one and only Puck, it exploded. Since then I have been impatiently waiting for it to arrive!
For readers new to the story, Puck is King Oberon’s jester (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream), a powerful prankster and joker. He is featured throughout pop culture and Kagawa has incorporated it all and gave him further life in The Iron Fey series. In the Faery lands, there are many legends of Puck, some are myth and some are true, but The Iron Raven is the beginning of setting the record straight. On top of finding out more about our favourite joker, a dangerous new threat is taking hold and will require Puck to team up with old friends and new to save not only the Faery lands, but the human world.
The Iron Raven, while being a spin-off, is written in such a way that it can be read without prior knowledge of the original Iron Fey series. Kagawa has done a wonderful job of introducing these old favourites with, at times, complicated and interconnected relationships to keep the story flowing for new readers while not being too repetitive for fans of the previous series. In fact if you are new to the series, I feel that the snippets of backstory provided serves as a tease to encourage readers to delve back into the original series. The glimpses of Meghan, Ash, and Puck’s adventures and relationships were quite stirring and made me want to go back and read them all again.
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a much-loved character from the original series and it is about time he got his own story! He is known as a troublemaker and a master of chaos, but he also came across happy and carefree in the original books. But readers are shown a darker side to Puck in The Iron Raven, which gives his character much more depth and it also gives glimpses of Puck’s past and how he came to be who he is today.
The inclusion of well-known characters Keirran, Meghan, Ash and Grimalkin allowed for Puck to relive his previous adventures and also explored more of the past they share. This is where a lot of the character depth and growth can be seen throughout the book as Puck explores his feelings around his relationships, particularly with Meghan and Ash.
As like all Kagawa books, The Iron Raven opens with a problem that the characters have to overcome. This time it is a giant, unkillable monster that manages to re-curse Puck and force him to deal with a half satyr form again. This unearths a darker side of Puck, Robin Goodfellow, and there is the struggle throughout to maintain his true self and not allow his darker side to overtake him. This new evil brings a whole lot of action and adventure and ends in a cliffhanger that left me needing the next book as soon as possible.
The introduction of new character Nyx was a welcome surprise! She is a total badass, edgy, and also plays the role of love interest for Puck. Fighting the new evil kept both Puck and Nyx quite busy so their interactions at times seemed quite rushed but I hope in future books their relationship and romance is given a bit more attention
I love how Kagawa mixes fantasy with real life popular culture. While at times cheesy, I 100% appreciated the Tolkein, Sailor Moon, and Shakespeare references to name a few and they were a wonderful way to break up some of the darker moments in the story. Another feature I loved was the dialogue and banter between characters. Puck is as funny as ever but when combined with Nyx, Ash and Grimalkin the effect was intensified!
Overall, The Iron Raven is a wonderful addition to The Iron Fey world full of adventure, high stakes, debonair humour, and an enchanting story that will keep you turning the page until the very end.
The Iron Raven is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Iron Raven? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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 never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.
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.
