Julie Kagawa

The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey

Cindy Lee

Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher*
Thank you so much to Harlequin Teen! 

The Lost Prince was a bit of a disappointing read last year as my expectations were set quite high, but the Iron Traitor was an amazing sequel that was way better than the first. It reminded me of how much I missed the Iron Fey series.

What originally had me disappointed was how the set of characters doesn't even compare to the original. Now, I still prefer Ash / Puck / Meghan / Grim but the new group has its charm. As I've gotten to know them more, I can now thoroughly enjoy their adventures. 

This book is definitely way crazier than the first one. With Annwyl fading, Kierran is desperate for a way to halt the Fade. That includes our dear princeling running all over the Nevernever and mortal world, trying to find a cure. Meghan and Ash are looking all over for Kierran as well but no one can get a trace on him. He's basically disappeared completely. The quest starts when Annwyl shows up at Ethan's house, begging for him to track down Kierran. Everything goes pretty fast from there. From the New Orleans goblin market to the Seelie court, they go everywhere to try and save Annwyl. There was a lot of action with kali and glamour as they were quite unfortunate when going through their shortcuts. 

This book was all set on finding a cure for Annwyl. What I loved the most about this book is how I can get to know the characters more. I feel like they've really come together as a group. Kierran and Ethan have developed more of their uncle / nephew relationship but still carrying a grudge as well. What I didn't like was the romance. While it has definitely taken a backseat for the plot, I still think that Kenzie and Ethan's relationship developed too quickly and is a bit flimsy. It was just cute but that's about it. 

AND OMG THAT ENDING. THAT. ENDING. HOW CAN I SURVIVE WITH THAT ENDING. I LITERALLY SAT IN SHOCK WHILE MY SCIENCE TEACHER DRONED ON ABOUT IONIC BONDS. I WAS SOBBING ON THE INSIDE AND I'M LIKE, UGH I DON'T CARE ABOUT COVALENT BONDS DO YOU KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THE END... I think I lost myself for ten minutes there while I stared into the oblivion, shocked.

All I gotta say is, this book.. *thumbs up* I cannot describe how much action and surprise is in for you in The Iron Traitor. Especially with that ending. Prepare yourself; all you lovelies are in for a fun ride ;)

Jelke Lenaerts

Oh god, I'm so glad I decided to push through the original series to get to this one because I love it. The characters in this series are just so smart and capable. That might sound a bit weird but I was so annoyed with the characters of the first series and their dumbness that it just felt so refreshing. My biggest complaint with the series does come with the characters though. They feel a bit one dimensional and it keeps me from being fully invested in the story. However, the plot is so good though. Starting of you think one thing and as more and more keeps getting revealed your whole view of the situation gets changed. I think the overall topic of this series is so interesting and it actually makes me think a whole lot. This book was very high stakes and action packed. It kept my heart racing. I really liked the relationship between Kenzie & Ethan. Even though it started of very insta-lovey in the first book, it really developed well in this book. I really liked how they dealt with conflicts between the two of them. It just seemed very healthy and refreshing from other YA fantasy romances. Communication, who thought I would ever see that in a YA fantasy romance?