ARC Book Review: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2

Published By: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
Rating: 4/5

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

*A copy of this book was provided by  Harlequin Enterprises Australia via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I feel like this book suffered a little bit from second book syndrome. Don't get me wrong it was still a great read but most of it was set-up for the end of this book and the next one in the series.

One of the best things about this book was seeing how far the characters had come since the beginning of The Iron Prince. Ethan  in particular has grown quite a bit. He's gone from someone who hates the fey and avoids them at all costs to accepting that he can see them and will likely be drawn back into their world whether he likes it - or them - or not. Kenzie got on my nerves a little bit. Due to her illness she ended up in hospital after her and Ethan returned home from the last adventure, it really hit home to Ethan that she was actually sick and their adventures in the the Nevernever took a toll on her health. With this in mind he tries to keep her away from the adventure this time but all Kenzie does is complain that he's just like her family, trying to stop her from living her life and doing what she wants to. I get that she wants to do what she can but Ethan was not in the wrong from trying to stop her from coming with him this time, after all she had not long come out of hospital and he doesn't want her to end up there again.

Puck and Grim are also, as always, great. Keirran was just tragic. Much of the book was spent setting up his motivations and the reason behind his changes. He's very much a Romeo character who will do and give up anything to save the person he loves. As the plot moves forward you can see him giving up more and more, and as he gets more desperate his choices begin to not only impact on himself but on the Nevernever as well. It was tragic to read because he becomes so much darker than he was in The Iron Prince. I felt really sorry for him and I understood why Ethan and Kenzie were trying to help him but I kinda wish they had slapped some sense into him early on in the book, or at least led Ash to them so he could do it himself.

I only had one issue with this book;  there was a short section where it was repeated several times that Kenzie had to be careful around Titania because there was a chance that Titania would turn her into a rose bush or something of the like just because she felt like it. Due to the short space it was repeated in I really noticed it and got rather frustrated that I had to read about it yet again.

Overall, The Iron Traitor was a quick and entertaining read that really sets the scene for the next book, leaving readers to wonder just how much impact Keirran's choices will have on everyone.