Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Goodreads Blurb

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

This is, and will always be, my absolute favorite series and reading this was such a thrill!
The fourth, and final, book in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey Series, this book is in Team Ash's POV which had me, and many other girls, squealing with excitement. To see what the ice prince is feeling under all the layers? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! With Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin on another quest, this time for Ash instead of the NeverNever, we see the changes Meghan's absence has done to them, although Puck is still quite infuriating as usual.
When...a surprised guest shows up I jumped up and just stared at the book for the longest time then sat back down slowly. The same thing running through my head "It can't be, it can't be...I KNEW IT!!!"  You'll see another guest who most of you, if not all, will know from the novella Winter's Passage. Just a hint.
It was weird at first, I have to admit, being suddenly plopped into Ash's POV which is so unlike Meghan's you might as well compare ice to a cellphone! We do see a few similarities like Ash longing for Meghan and Meghan pining for Ash, their annoyed feelings toward Grimalkin and their...wariness of what lies ahead.
One of the things I hated so so much though, was that most of the time, it seems like...well, like Ash didn't really care if he was with Meghan or not, it was all "Because of the vow" stuff going on. Of course, the ending drove away all doubts, but still, this got on my nerves.
This book is one I've been with all the way. When the cover got revealed, when all the teasers were posted(many of which had me ripping out my hair), when the summary was revealed, when the Iron Knight first got released, and when the contest began.
So many parts had me crying, laughing, smiling, roaring, and all four at once! There was so much hurt, so many near escapes, so many...well, you'd have to read it to find out!
Did anyone hear of the spin-off series? Yeah? Who's excited?

Pages: 388

Series: Book 4 of the Iron Fey Series

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Rating: 5 stars

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Goodreads Blurb

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

I have to admit that even though the blurb was very...catching (funny use of word don't ya think?) it still took some time to convince myself to even start reading this book. Everyone who knows me knows I don't read that much realistic fiction except on Wattpad (a.k.a. Best Site in the WORLD!) unless it sounded good and had gotten high praise. This was one of those books, and yet, I was still reluctant to read it. Finally, I picked it up and started reading. How could I ever have thought it wouldn't be good?!

It takes much to touch me the way Stolen did. The only books that have done so so far are Delirium, Divergent, Across the Universe, etc. Really there've only been 5 total. Stolen, obviously, has no connections with them what with those books all being dystopia. And yet it still liked to a part of me. Miss Christopher writes this story beautifully in the form of a letter which not many try to accomplish. Even less people actually manage to succeed!

When Gemma is first stolen, she's scared of him, like any sane person would be! She doesn't trust him even though he hasn't hurt her nor r*** her. Interrupting this train of thought for a while, I just thought I'd say that though this is often classified as a romance novel, it focuses more on trust. How to find the strength to trust someone no matter what they've done to you. Back on topic, Gem tries to both kill herself, then tries to kill/harm Ty. Crazy, crazy girl. Not that I blame her from trying. And yet Ty doesn't get angry as much as one would think. Instead he's kind, caring. Showing her things he never showed anyone before. Although being in Australia in the desert with no civilizations miles round will do that. And even though SHE never fell in love with him till the end, I did. He was...despite his stalking (even if it is a big point) is everything you would want in a guy: sweet, caring, cute.

This review is going to be short or else we would be here all day with me spouting praises for this book! So long story short, this is one of the best books over, and you definitely need to read it!

Pages: 299

Series: Stand-alone book

Genre: Romance/Realistic

Rating: 5 stars

"When I get into court, I'm going to tell them the truth. My truth. I will say that you kidnapped me, of course. You did.I will tell them how you drugged me, and of your mood swings. I won't shy away from the evil you can be. But I'll tell them of your otherside, too."