This is a dark and hope filled fairy-tale. I’ve read the previous story written by Holly Black called Tithe, also a very good tale, but I don’t think..Show More » it’s necessary to read her works in order. This novel stands alone. It’s a wonderful fantasy of a runaway teen finding love and redemption in the reeling squalor of faeries run amuck in the iron poisoned city. The plot is highly inventive, the descriptions glaringly real and overall, it’s truly original. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it to those interested in the genre.

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I read a few of Holly Black's books when I was a teen and I thought they were amazing. I read both Valiant and Tithe, the prequels to this book, and w..Show More »as excited to revisit the world when I had the opportunity to download it.

Alas, the book did not hook me the way that the others did. Maybe it's because I haven't read the others recently enough, or because a lot of the things that ran true as a teen don't apply to me anymore. Also distracting was the narrator. For some reason her voice annoyed me. I think I would recommend reading this book instead of listening to it.

Holly Black does great work with the Fairies of the east coast and the concept of living with them in a divided world. She is obviously knowledgeable regarding fairy lore and she works well with the intricacies of their politics without making the narrative boring. Sometimes the dialogue, particularly that of Rooiben, seems stilted though.

I generally like Holly Black, and would definitely recommend her other work. But my favorite is still Valiant and I further feel that the story is complete enough without the addition of Ironside.

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