Ironside (Modern Tale of Faerie Series #3)

Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished TITHE, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in TITHE and VALIANT, and takes the reader on another breathless journey into the amazing and deadly world of Faerie.

Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edge. Changeling Kaye Fierch knows that she loves Roiben, but she feels increasingly unwelcome and out of place in the Unseelie Court. So the night of the coronation, determined to prove herself to Roiben and the rest of the court, she makes a formal declaration and pledges herself to him as his consort. However, faerie custom demands that a quest be undertaken before anyone can sit as the Lord's consort, and Roiben grants Kaye an impossible task: to find a fairy who can tell an untruth. Now she is forbidden from seeing or speaking to him until she completes something she knows cannot be done.

Kaye doesn't know where to go, because she has been feeling uncomfortable at home as well, knowing that she stole a human child's life. In a moment of desperation, she tells her mother the truth: that she is a changeling that was switched with Ellen's real daughter, the real Kaye, and she vows to retrieve her from the Seelie Court and return her to Ellen. She feels that this, at least, is something she can do, even if there's no way she can complete Roiben's quest.

But with all the tension between the courts there is nowhere safe, and in venturing into the Seelie Court to find her human counterpart, Kaye puts herself within reach of Lady Silarial. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she's willing to do anything, including using Kaye, to get it. Once again Kaye finds herself in the middle of Faerie politics, but this time Roiben's not there to save her, and she may not have a way out.

In my personal experience it is rare that a sequel ever lives up to the first book, but IRONSIDE does just that. Full of court rivalry, deception and betrayal, sword fights and murder, faerie curses, new romances, and even characters from VALIANT, IRONSIDE is another wonderful foray into the dark, gritty world of Faerie and will not leave readers disappointed. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you pound your pillow in frustration and clap your hands in delight. My one and only complaint is that this is the last book set in this amazing world.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

great read!

To really understand this book, you should read Black's other two, 'Tithe' and 'Valiant' first. Otherwise, you might get a bit confused. 'Ironside' is the sequel to 'Tithe', and while 'Valiant' is a completely different story line, the characters from the first two mingle and overlap in 'Ironside'. I think it's so neat how she intertwines the stories! The plot flowed nicely and it's easy to get wrapped up in the intricate emotions of the characters. I definitely wouldn't say that it's predictable - some things you don't see coming - but the book flies by, and the ending left me wanting more!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ironside is a good conclusion to the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy

Ironside is a good conclusion to the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy. The series returns to the story of Kaye and Roiben, picking up at the time around Roiben’s coronation. Of course, not everything goes as planned, or we wouldn’t have the dark story we have come to expect. I like how the novel explores the gritty thoughts and feelings of Corny, Kaye, Roiben, and others as the story unfolds. I like that Ironside brings back some characters from Valiant to help tie up loose ends, although I would have really liked to see more of Val and Ravus. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who has read and liked the other two.

Awesome!

LOVE LOVE LOVE. One of my very favorite series. If you like faries and magic, you'll love this series.

No Cullens here!

Ironside is the third book of a modern faery tale series. It starts where the second one ends. Where a faery, named Kaye, is caught up in the middle of faerie politics. She is in love with the leader of one side of the politics, but must prove herself to stand by his side. Kaye find that proving herself to the leader well be impossible. From the first part of this story, in Tithe, Kaye finds out she's a changeling. A faery swapped at a young age with a human, so she lives that humans life. Feeling that she can't to anything with the task that is impossible she sets out to find the human with which she was switched with and to return the human. But in order to save the human she must go to the other side of the politics which leads to a chain of event in which Kaye completes the task she thought impossible. Thus all is well in the land of Faery. The major message of the book would be that love always finds a way. I liked how this series was written for teenagers with the content of the pages. Everything that happens is what might happen with teenagers. I didn't really dislike anything about this book. I highly suggest this book for an escape from life, if you will. Also if you enjoy real faeries, not what we have created at the mention of faeries.

dont evn read the synopsis

This book picked up from the first installment which made no sense. The author made the second book about a different girl but made the third about the first girl. Makes no sense right? Yeah i doesn't. If you haven't read this series yet i don't recommend it because it was just a jumbled mess in my opinion. When i read the second book i thought it was going to be one those series where each book has a different main character with the same background info but no...the book picked up the first novel. BOOK 1-> Kaye BOOK 2-> Val BOOK 3->Kaye again This back and forth thing made no time for the reader to get to know the characters well enough to get into the book.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorite series!

Youll fall in love with the characters instantly. I wish she would have continued the series. These were the first books of Fae of read and have been hooked since. She is a favorite author of mine. She does not disappoint.

Excellent Conclusion to a Unique Series

In Ironside by Holly Black, the characters of Tithe return for another adventure. In Tithe, Kaye Fierch learned that she was a changeling, a pixie who had been swapped with a human baby during childhood. In the process of discovering who she really was, she met a sinister and sexy faery knight, Roiben, became a prisoner of the dark and violent Unseelie Court, a gathering place of faeries, and encountered dangerous creatures who threatened her life.
In Ironside, Roiben, the newly-crowned king of the Unseelie Court, is seeking to end the war against the Seelie Court, a battle that has caused chaos and unrest among the faeries. After drunkenly declaring her love for him, he is forced to send Kaye on an impossible quest- to find a faerie that can tell a lie, which they are all unable to do. In the process, she decides to tell her mother the truth: that she is not her daughter- which turns out to be a bad idea.
In this thrilling conclusion, Holly Black explores new concepts of dark and light. In this case, the Bright or Seelie Court, is as wicked and cruel as the Night or Unseelie Court, despite its lovely appearance. Certain characters have also learned to balance their own dark and light sides, specifically Corny as he fights to overcome his rage at his sister's murder, his feeling of worthlessness being a powerless human, and desire to be powerful and dangerous, and replaces them with love for Luis, and newfound confidence. The plot had many surprising twists that I admittedly did not see coming, and will surely please. My only complaint would be that Kaye falls a bit flat, lacking some of the charm she possessed in Tithe. Other than that, Ironside is a brilliant conclusion to an excellent series. I highly recommend this book.

Edgy Fairy Tale

Holly Black presents the reader with a edgy modern fairy tale with her series Modern Tale of Faerie. Your main characters are not your typical everyday characters. They are more dysfunctional and real.

It was okay.

Just average. Maybe a fun Sunday afternoon book.

A great teen series

Another beautifully written story by Holly Black. Wonderful imagery, poetic descriptions, lyrical word-play, edgy topics, and a darkly modern and urban story line. This is one of my favorite young adult series. The series of three should be read in order to fully understand all the characters. A fantastic quick read!

Beautiful

This book was beautifully written. There is no specific order to read the books, but it makes more sense to read 'Tithe' first, 'Valient' second and of corse 'Ironside' third - actually, yes, read them in this order.
They aren't exactly a "series" but Ironside is a future collision of 'Tithe' and 'Valient' - with the same characters and rules of the fantasy world used. - Its really not as complicated as it sounds.
I really enjoyed this book, I even liked it more than the other two, it was interesting and creative.
I feel as though she wrote Ironside a little differently than her other books, but it was wonderful. So much more creativity and emotion included.
I loved how she made the relationship with Corny and Luis, most writers don't have the balls to do so, but I loved how her fantasy realms were so out of the mainstream, it was refreshing.
I also really loved how realistic her characters were - I hate it when you can tell that a parent has written the book, you know what I mean by that?
Definetley read these books, they contain unique fantasy and are worth it - it will take you meer days to finish one of them because they are all such a capturing read.
This book has a GREAT ending by the way :)

Could be Better!

I for one loved TITHE But IRONSIDE could have been better!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Um...

I've read Tithe and Valiant.
Do they all come in a specific order?
xD If so, i think i read them wrong.
But i really enjoyed the book.

From the other books i've read it's pretty different. And i'm surprised i can tolerate so much drug usage in these books seeing as i can't really stand it.

The Best of This Series Still Isn't That Great

I think out of the series so far, this would have to be the one that I most enjoyed, but all of my prior criticisms still stand. If you don't know what those are, here's a quick list:

-Black doesn't manage to capture emotion.
-She goes for shock value over substance.
-Her characters are hard to believe.

Holly Black's books are generally mediocre, but they're not terrible to read if there's nothing else lying around.

If there's a sequel coming, I'm certainly not going to make a run for it.

Got it yesterday....

And finished it same day. I'd say it was a good read, complete with twists and parallellisms to keep you interested the entire time. I typically don't read sequels and I was afraid Ironside would disappoint, but it did not. It gave a fast-paced, thoughtful ride and even a happy ending. And the authoress managed to continue keeping the teenaged cast behaving like normal teenagers! I'd say that it is almost as good, if not *just as good*, as Tithe.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved this series

I just read Tithe, Valiant and Ironside and I enjoyed these books a lot! The story was very good and enjoyable. I wish there was more.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This was a really good book. A great plot, an interesting setting (faeries in the modern world), and well developed characters. This was a great book for anybody who loves faeries. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves faeries and can handle swearing.

i loved this book

this book was so good i could never put it down. i cant wait to read the next to. i hope there as good as thins one.

amazing!

This book was amazing its a series with two other books and I loved every one of them. Holly Black is an amazing writer.