The Iron Raven

Written by Julie Kagawa

Narrated by Josh Hurley

Wicked faeries and fantastic danger… Welcome to book one of the new trilogy in New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey fantasy series, as infamous prankster Puck finally has a chance to tell his story and stand with allies new and old to save Faery and the world. For fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

‘You may have heard of me…’

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool…King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Filled with myths and faery lore, romance and unfathomable dangers, The Iron Raven is book one of a new epic fantasy trilogy set in the world of The Iron Fey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781867232438

Julie Kagawa

Born in Sacramento, CA, Julie Kagawa moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things; how to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks, and that writing stories in math class is a great way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives is Louisville, KY with her husband and furkids. She is the international and NYT bestselling author of The Iron Fey series. Visit her at juliekagawa.com.

Reviews for The Iron Raven

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With The Iron Raven, Julie Kagawa begins a fantastic and dangerous new adventure to delight fans of the Iron Fey series.It’s not strictly necessary to be familiar with the Iron Fey series which includes the four books of The Iron Fey (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight) and The Iron Fey: Call of Forgotten trilogy (The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor and The Iron Warrior), plus various novellas, to enjoy The Iron Raven, though it certainly enriches the experience. It’s been six years since I read The Iron Warrior, yet details came flooding back as I read.In the Iron Raven, Kagawa places Puck aka Robin Goodfellow at the centre of the narrative for the first time, and the story unfolds from his perspective as a dangerous monster spreading hate and discord stalks the realm of faerie. It begins when Kieran, son of the Iron Queen, former prince of the Iron Court and King of the Forgotten, asks for Puck’s help. Joining the King, and Keiran’s personal guard Nyx in the Inbetween, the trio confront a seemingly invulnerable mass of darkness and fury, but despite a fierce battle, the monster escapes into the NeverNever.Puck finds himself changed by the experience, not only does he again have horns and cloven hooves but traits of the Robin Goodfellow of old are also bleeding through. While he continues to spout quips and make light of every situation, Puck finds himself simultaneously battling the re-emergence of his darker nature. I enjoyed having Puck tell the story in his own irreverent way, and being privy to his thoughts. His inner turmoil is interesting, as is the history he reveals of himself.Some of that history naturally involves Puck’s relationship with his closest friends, Ash, the Winter Prince, and Megan, The Iron Queen. I loved seeing the trio reunited here, and fighting side by side again. With the monsters escape, Puck and Nyx travel to the Iron Court to ask for their help, but in their company, Puck is reminded of his hurt and resentment when Megan chose Ash over him, and under the sway of the monster he has to fight the temptation to make them pay. Luckily for them, Nyx, the silver-haired Forgotten Sidhe assassin who once served The Lady and now serves Kieran, provides Puck with somewhat of a distraction. Singularly unimpressed by his legendary reputation, and his ego, Nyx is more than a match for Puck, and their developing connection was very entertaining.There’s not really anything new or unexpected in The Iron Raven, it has a similar feel, rhythm, tone and progression to the other books in the series. This was a little disappointing because there was potential for Kagawa to add some maturity to the story, and the characters, to reward the fans who were teenagers when the earlier series were first published but are now likely well into their twenties. Nevertheless, with Puck’s wit, plenty of action, and high stakes, The Iron Raven is an entertaining read. Evenfall is coming.

[jmchshannon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Julie Kagawa’s books. If you have not had the pleasure of reading her Shadow of a Fox or Blood of Eden series, you are seriously missing out on two fantasy treasures. Up to this point, I would even include The Iron Fey series among that list. Unfortunately, the latest entry in that series, The Iron Raven is such a strong disappointment as to almost feel like it had a different author.The main fault I see with The Iron Raven is that Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, or whatever you want to call him, is not main character material. He is perfect as the funny, sarcastic sidekick, especially because a little of his personality goes a long way. Telling the story from his point of view is simply too much Puck.Looking at the world through his eyes is not exciting. Nor is it enlightening. Rather, it shows us just how self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and selfish he is. While we learn more of Puck’s origins as well as how he came to be a Fae with a conscience, the knowledge does little to make him likable as the main character. His internal struggles are always one-dimensional, and he never looks beyond himself before acting. Reading a story from the viewpoint of an eternal toddler is exhausting, repetitive, and boring.The Iron Raven is not without its good points. The introduction of Nyx is an intriguing addition. In fact, she proves to be far more interesting than Puck. Similarly, the new Big Bad has tremendous potential to be awe-inspiring and fun. Plus, we get to see Meghan and Ash and the entire Iron Fey gang back together again, which is never a bad thing.For those reasons, I am loathed to discount The Iron Raven altogether. I am too curious to see where Nyx’s and the Big Bad’s stories go to do that. However, I will have to give considerable thought should the story continue from Puck’s point of view. That is something I do not relish in the slightest.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the Iron Fey series. Thus the reason I was excited to read this book in this new series. Robin Goodfellow aka Puck was featured in the prior novels and I liked him. So I was glad to see him be more of the main focal point character in this new book. Ok, so the Puck in this book is not the joking one from the prior books. Yes, he does have his moments but readers also see a darker side of Puck. The addition of the new characters in this book are nice. Nyx is one of the characters that I am talking about. She challenged Puck and kept things entertaining. I hope to see her again in the future. Besides the new characters some of the old ones are back as well..like Meghan. It was nice to see her again. While, I enjoyed this book, It felt like something was missing. However, I still read this book in a fairly fast speed and do look forward to seeing how this series progresses.

[aneg81 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enchanting book that will take you for a ride into the world of faeries, elves, their queens, kings and the adventures of the main character, a mischievous Raven, Robin Goodfellow. The coexistence and balance of the human world and the magical world of faeries depend upon humans’ emotions, beliefs and technology. There is plenty of action going on and information to digest from the past and the present. The first chapters were a bit complicated since my brain did not adjust to the words Nevernever, Between and Coaleater to name a few, until the end of the book.I am going to read this book again.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Puck is the star of this episode and tells us more about himself as he and his allies battle a new threat the looks insurmountable.Puck himself is influenced by this monster which calls out everyone's worse self and throws Puck back into the days when he was Robin Goodfellow and an enemy to be feared. Puck has to come to terms with the person he was and no longer wants to be in this story.Led by Grimalkin, Puck, Meghan who is the Queen of the Iron Fae, her consort Ash who is from the Winter Court, and Nyx who is a moon elf from the Shadow Court along with others need to find the monster and find some way to defeat it.The world building is intriguing and very detailed in this story. The descriptions bring the various settings and characters to life. I really enjoyed hearing this story from Puck's very irreverent point of view. I can't wait to see what happens next since this one ends on quite a cliffhanger.