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16th out of 612 books
—
1,313 voters
Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales #3)
by
Holly Black (Goodreads Author)
In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows...more
Hardcover, 323 pages
Published
April 24th 2007
by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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Nov 05, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews,
trt-gold-star-award-winner
Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished TITHE, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in TITHE and VALIANT, and takes the reader on another breathless journey into the amazing and deadly world of Faerie.
Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edg...more
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished TITHE, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in TITHE and VALIANT, and takes the reader on another breathless journey into the amazing and deadly world of Faerie.
Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edg...more
Honestly, I don't know why I keep reading Holly Black, because even while I enjoyed this -- and it was enjoyable; if you liked Tithe or Valiant, you'll enjoy this one -- I always find myself ending up annoyed by her books, which overrides any enjoyment I get out of them. I don't know, I just feel like her books are too coy, like they're full of inside jokes that I don't get, and okay, you know what, that's fine, she can put all the inside jokes she wants in her books, but when her readers feel a...more
5 likes · like · see review
Sequel to Tithe. The one where Roiben of the Seelie Court finds himself in charge of the Unseelie, and tries to protect his love Kaye, a pixie changeling, by giving her an impossible quest.
I really want to know what I'm doing wrong that I keep checking out books without knowing that they're sequels. Wouldn't you think they'd say so on the cover?
The backstory/exposition was very skillfully done here (unlike Wicked Lovely, this book understands the difference between suspense and confusion), so i...more
I really want to know what I'm doing wrong that I keep checking out books without knowing that they're sequels. Wouldn't you think they'd say so on the cover?
The backstory/exposition was very skillfully done here (unlike Wicked Lovely, this book understands the difference between suspense and confusion), so i...more
6 likes · like · see review
Ironside is the third book in Holly Black's Modern Faery series. I remember quite liking Tithe, enough that I bought Valiant when it came out in hardcover, which I also enjoyed, though not as much as the first. The world Black creates is intriguing. It's dark and gritty--these faeries ain't no Tinkerbell. In times it can almost feel too dark and disturbing, as the characters do their best to cause pain to others. There's always the bit of romance to offset the grittiness, though, and in fact...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I thought that this book brought the characters from both Tithe and Valiant together well and I enjoyed it more than the first two books seperately - though I was disappointed that Val wasn't involved more as she was the main character in Valiant - I would've preferred if she'd had a larger role. I thought that this completed the series well and brought things together. I found the writing to be better than Tithe and the characters to be more bearable in this book. I especially took a liking to...more
1 like · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jun 25, 2009
Wealhtheow
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Bordertown, Charles De Lint, Emma Bull
Ironside follows shortly after the events of Tithe and Valiant. Roiben was a loyal knight of the Seelie Queen, even after she sent him to serve her sister, the Queen of the Unseelie Court. After countless years of torment and cruelty, he brought about the Unseelie Queen's death and now presides over her court. At his coronation, he sets an impossible quest for his lover, the pixie Kaye, to keep her safe from the war between the courts. Of course Kaye will have none of this romantic nonsense, and...more
Ironside is the third novel of A Modern Faery’s Tale. It had been a faerly fairly long amount of time between reading the first two books, but I didn’t have a problem picking up where everything left off. It even helped me understand why Valiant was in the middle of these two books!
Kaye is unsure where she belongs in the world. She doesn’t know anything about the world she belongs to as a faery, yet she can’t get comfortable in the human world, even though she was raised there, because she isn’t...more
Kaye is unsure where she belongs in the world. She doesn’t know anything about the world she belongs to as a faery, yet she can’t get comfortable in the human world, even though she was raised there, because she isn’t...more
I liked this book and it does tie up the story very nicely, though I think I preferred the first two books over this one. The beginning dragged a little for me, but I was really into the story in the second half of the book - I wasn't sure how it was going to end and I liked that. A couple of minor things I guessed, but for the most part I was an on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen to everyone. There was also a couple of cameos from characters in Valiant here too (brief appearance...more
Ironside is the third book in Holly Black's Faerie Tale series, though it's actually a continuation of book one,
Tithe
. The second book,
Valiant
, takes place in the same world as books one and three but with different characters, some of which appear here as well. Kay and Roiben's stories however, are pretty much found only in books one and three. :)
Roiben is now King of the Unseelie Court, and against his wishes, Kaye has declared herself to him, thereby swearing loyalty to the Unseelie Court...more
Roiben is now King of the Unseelie Court, and against his wishes, Kaye has declared herself to him, thereby swearing loyalty to the Unseelie Court...more
A direct sequel to Tithe, Ironside picks up two months after Tithe left off. At Roiben's coronation as King of the Unseelie Court, Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, who in turn sends her on an impossible quest to prove her love to him. Meanwhile, Kaye decides to tell her mother that she is a changeling, and the Queen of the Seelie Court attacks Roiben, leading to a series of quests wherein Kaye must find her human double, find a way to save Roiben, and bring Roiben a faery...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I must admit, I picked up this book a little reluctantly because I only moderately enjoyed the other two books in the series, but I really did enjoy reading this book. I thought it tied in the other two book perfectly and gave you just enough satisfaction at the end without having an overly perfect "fairy tale ending."
In this installment, Kaye and Roiben are dealing with their uncomfortable pasts in hopes to create a better future for themselves as well as the faerie people. Roiben must come to...more
In this installment, Kaye and Roiben are dealing with their uncomfortable pasts in hopes to create a better future for themselves as well as the faerie people. Roiben must come to...more
Holly Black never fails to entertain. I expect this book will be as good as her others that I've read.
Update: Yep, Ironside was just as good as her other books. I was a little confused in parts, but it was my own fault for not re-reading Tithe first, the book that went before this one. It was no fault of the author's.
Holly Black's writing style continues to impress me. I really like dark urban fantasy in general, and her novels are very well suited to the genre. She has wonderfully descriptive...more
Update: Yep, Ironside was just as good as her other books. I was a little confused in parts, but it was my own fault for not re-reading Tithe first, the book that went before this one. It was no fault of the author's.
Holly Black's writing style continues to impress me. I really like dark urban fantasy in general, and her novels are very well suited to the genre. She has wonderfully descriptive...more
This is the third book in Holly Black's Faerie series for young adults. I picked up the first because I was curious to see what it really meant to be a "dark, edgy" YA book. Then I read the second and third because I got hooked. This third book feels mild compared to those first two, as far as a lack of sex, drugs, and language. And in some ways the third one reminded me more of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight than anything else. Except it feels more cleverly done. Holly Black includes fascinating qu...more
All the other books I read this month were surprise finds, but this one I'd been waiting for. I was so excited to see it on the shelves in my local B&N the night before it was to come out. I felt like someone was watching me as I surreptitiously snatched it off the shelf and scurried through the checkout line and out the door with it. I hope it was the benevolent bookseller who placed it out early, because I truly got my money's worth. What a fun read. I was very pleased with Kaye's storylin...more
Would you tell the mother who brought you up that you're not her daughter and that her real daughter is in the land of fairies and might be killed?
At last Kaye told her mom the truth and the shock and fright her mom gave her droved her back to the unseelie court. In the Unseelie court Kaye accidently drank too much and declared a quest to show her love towards Robin. Despite the fact that Robin also loves Kaye, he gave her an unfair and not accomplishable quest. However, at last she accomplished...more
At last Kaye told her mom the truth and the shock and fright her mom gave her droved her back to the unseelie court. In the Unseelie court Kaye accidently drank too much and declared a quest to show her love towards Robin. Despite the fact that Robin also loves Kaye, he gave her an unfair and not accomplishable quest. However, at last she accomplished...more
Jul 07, 2008
Marcy Jo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Marcy Jo by:
Katherynne
Shelves:
myalltimefaves
The sequel that is better than the original is a rare thing...but this one is.
Ironside is primarily about the characters from Tithe, but several cameos from Valiant are present, too.
Kaye is fiercer, Corny is...well...more pitiful and awesome at the same time. The plot is solid. The characters are believable and relatable despite the fact that we obviously can't have the same literal struggles they do (symbolism abounds here folks). And the prose is in-your-face-damnit-why-will-my-writing-never...more
Ironside is primarily about the characters from Tithe, but several cameos from Valiant are present, too.
Kaye is fiercer, Corny is...well...more pitiful and awesome at the same time. The plot is solid. The characters are believable and relatable despite the fact that we obviously can't have the same literal struggles they do (symbolism abounds here folks). And the prose is in-your-face-damnit-why-will-my-writing-never...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
I skipped over the second book in the Modern Tale of Faery series by Holly Black. That book, Valiant, veers away from the Kaye-Roiben story, which is what really interested me. I grabbed Ironside, book 3 in the series, almost as an afterthought at last week’s trip to Borders.
After a brief recap of the story in the form of a prologue, Ironside begins on the eve of Roiben’s coronation as King of the Unseelie Court. Kaye is unwelcome by his subjects, since she alone has the power to control him (us...more
After a brief recap of the story in the form of a prologue, Ironside begins on the eve of Roiben’s coronation as King of the Unseelie Court. Kaye is unwelcome by his subjects, since she alone has the power to control him (us...more
Nov 28, 2008
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben’s coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure only of one thing--her love for Roiben.
But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to him, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can’t see or speak with Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn’t exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.
Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the tru...more
But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to him, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can’t see or speak with Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn’t exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.
Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the tru...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
To be fair, the writing is definitely better than Tithe (I didn't read Valiant). The POV shifts are jarring sometimes, but it's clearer than the first book's shifts. Better language and better structure, definitely. Also, this time around, my attention was fixed on each passing scene, unlike the in the first book for which I skimmed most of the action scenes or POVs of people I don't really like. In this case, I actually like Kaye and Corny and Luis and Roiben's thoughts.
I'm beginning to think t...more
I'm beginning to think t...more
This is the sequel to Holly Black's impressive YA debut novel, Tithe, which chronicles Kaye's realisation that she is not, in fact, human as she had always thought, but a faery change-child, a green-skinned pixie who looks human only because of a faery glamour. In Tithe Kaye falls in love with Roiben and is instrumental in him winning the crown of the Unseelie (dark) Court, a grotesque and dangerous place, but perhaps no more so than the rival Seelie (light) Court which is ruled over by Roiben's...more
Oct 30, 2011
c a t h e y
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-twenty-eleven
So I already wrote a review, but it didn’t save (grrr), so here’s take two. And here’s me doing it on Microsoft Word, so if it does manage to screw up again, well, I’ve got my insurance.
Ironside is the final book in the trilogy comprising Tithe and Valiant. It was a good read: I managed to finish it in one sitting, and it was a nice and neat finish to the “Modern Faerie Tales”. I do love stories with faeries, mind you, not the sweet and cutesy ones, but the ones where the faeries are manipulativ...more
Ironside is the final book in the trilogy comprising Tithe and Valiant. It was a good read: I managed to finish it in one sitting, and it was a nice and neat finish to the “Modern Faerie Tales”. I do love stories with faeries, mind you, not the sweet and cutesy ones, but the ones where the faeries are manipulativ...more
I think this is actually book three in a trilogy but I didn't find books one or two at the library, so, I read this one. *grin*
The story centers around Kaye, a pixie, who has only recently found out that she's a changeling. Her doppleganger lives in the Seelie Court, under the rule of Lady Silarial, but for the past twenty years, Kaye has been fooling herself into believing that she's human. She's done a good job - her mother and grandmother don't realize, though her friend Corny has been made a...more
The story centers around Kaye, a pixie, who has only recently found out that she's a changeling. Her doppleganger lives in the Seelie Court, under the rule of Lady Silarial, but for the past twenty years, Kaye has been fooling herself into believing that she's human. She's done a good job - her mother and grandmother don't realize, though her friend Corny has been made a...more
On the scale of Modern Faerie Tales, better than the other two. On the scale of every book I've ever read, still barely ok.
I expected this book to bring Kaye and Val together. I mean, it only makes sense. But I was disappointed to see that Val doesn't even make an appearance until the last few pages of the book.
I will add that off all the the MFT books, this one is the closest to resembling the Black that wrote the worker series. I still am astonished that something as fantastic as that series c...more
I expected this book to bring Kaye and Val together. I mean, it only makes sense. But I was disappointed to see that Val doesn't even make an appearance until the last few pages of the book.
I will add that off all the the MFT books, this one is the closest to resembling the Black that wrote the worker series. I still am astonished that something as fantastic as that series c...more
Reviewed for TeensReadToo
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished TITHE, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in TITHE and VALIANT, and takes the reader on another breathless journey into the amazing and deadly world of Faerie.
Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edge. Changeling Kay...more
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished TITHE, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in TITHE and VALIANT, and takes the reader on another breathless journey into the amazing and deadly world of Faerie.
Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edge. Changeling Kay...more
No one is better at integrating world building with everyday reality than Holly Black. This tale continues Kaye and Corny's foray into faerie and the choices they make have far-reaching consequences, both in the world they've discovered and in the reality they've always lived in.
I love how both Kaye and Corny are basically flawed creatures, because teen-agers often are, right? They go off all hurt and want revenge, and they grow with each painful consequence.
Corny is actually my favorite in th...more
I love how both Kaye and Corny are basically flawed creatures, because teen-agers often are, right? They go off all hurt and want revenge, and they grow with each painful consequence.
Corny is actually my favorite in th...more
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Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Gl...more
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