Georgia Kostopoulou

 

I have read Julie Kagawa books before and I loved them! She has a captivating way of telling stories and that is what makes her one of my favourite authors when it comes to fantasy books! Now, with “The Iron Raven” a new series start that tells the story of Puck, King Oberon’s right-hand jester from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which is a rather interesting one, as Puck or Robin Goodfellow if you prefer, is not a simple person.

Puck is all fine, minding his own business when he comes across a monster older than time and more evil than all monsters in the realm. But he is not alone in his path. Kierran, King of the Forgotten is actually the one that has first met that monster and he asks Puck to be his messenger. His trusty assassin, Nyx, a forgotten so powerful that Puck hasn’t seen in a good while, will accompany Puck. Together, they have to inform the realm about the danger that lies ahead and try to defeat it, without getting killed in the process. They meet up with the Iron Queen Megan Chase, Puck’s friend from a long time ago, and the consort prince Ash. Along with their companions, they set foot on a path they hope to get some answers from. The new oracle must know what is happening. Apart from her memories, she has the old oracle’s memories as well, so she should be able to tell them what’s coming.

Like I said, this book is the first in a new series, but not the fist in the Iron Fey Universe. Seven books have already been published before this one and all the characters we meet here, or at least most of them, are already known to the fans. However, this was my first book in the Iron Fey Universe and the explanations and background information given here, were enough for me to understand the whole plot, the politics and the dynamics between the courts and the characters.

I loved how the book started, with the glance back to Puck’s past. Who he was, how he acted and how he went to live in King Oberon’s court. I liked the snippets of the past, in order to get more understanding of the relationships between the characters. And I also liked how the new story unfolded. The fast pace and the action that kept coming were well received, as I like reading fantasy books with battles!

I really liked the parts where Robin Goodfellow used magic the way he hasn’t used it it a very very long time. Like since he was a person everyone was afraid of. However, I would like to see more of that power, more of that magic. I hope we get to see it in the next books!

I enjoyed Josh Hurley’s narration of the story so much! HE brings all characters to life and it’s so easy to follow the dialogs. I particularly enjoyed Grimalkin, who is a witty character and his narration was really amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ Young Adult for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.