The Iron Raven Quotes

“In that moment, I almost kissed her. An instinctive reaction, really. I was Robin Goodfellow, the infamous Puck; I had kissed countless pretty girls, human and fey alike. Graceful nymphs, flirtatious satyrs, ethereal sidhe, and naive human females in the mortal world, none could resist my charm once I'd turned it on. I'd kissed a few boys as well, along with a mermaid, a trio of plant creatures that had no discernible gender, and one very disillusioned frog that thought it was a princess.
Kissing, and all the activities that came with it, was so common an occurrence in the Nevernever it was almost expected. Love was never an option, or even an afterthought. While some fey did grow quite attached to each other, even to the point of developing real affection, true love required work, sacrifice, and putting the other person before yourself, something few faeries understood. So while I had done a lot of kissing in my long years as Robin Goodfellow, very little of it meant anything to me.
With a couple exceptions, of course. The most notable was the queen we were on our way to see, right now. The princess I'd lost, who had chosen my greatest rival instead of me.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“Here's a notion, Your Highness," I said, pointing at him with one dagger. "Did you ever think that maybe I never quite forgave you for stealing her away from me all those years ago?"
"We are way past that, Puck." Ash's voice was soft; he hadn't drawn his weapon or even put a hand on his blade, but his whole posture was stiff.
"Really?" I sneered. "How long did you try to kill me after Ariella died, Ash? How many years?" I swept my other weapon up, pointing at the towers of the Iron Palace looming overhead. "More than the years you've spent with Meghan, that's for damn sure. And for what?"
Reaching up, I hooked two fingers in my collar and yanked it down, revealing a thin white gash across my collarbone. "This is yours, ice-boy," I spat at him. "Remember that? I have more than a few scars from the times you almost killed me, because you swore an oath of vengeance over a girl. Do you ever think about that? Do you ever think that maybe I was just as angry as you when I lost the one I loved? So, don't tell me we're past it, Your Highness. You know as well as I do, we're fey. Grudges last a lifetime with us.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“In that moment, I felt Puck truly die, as Robin Goodfellow of the woods rose up and took his place.
I smiled broadly as I turned to face the owner of the voice. Ash. Ice-boy. Son of Mab. Former prince of the Unseelie Court. Lots of names, but they all belonged to my greatest friend, and greatest rival, in all of Faery. He swept through the doorway in his long black coat, icy blade glittering blue at his side. Like his broody kid, he was dressed in stark black, from his shirt to his pants to his boots, but his dark hair and silver eyes gave him a dangerous edge that even Keirran could not match. I saw Coaleater take a step back and Nyx staring at him with a mix of curiosity and wary awe. I snorted under my breath. Ice-boy did have that effect on pretty much everyone. After the kings and queens, he was one of the strongest faeries in the entire Nevernever, and he had that presence that turned people into slack-jawed zombies for a moment of two.
Except me. I was pretty much immune to the ice-boy effect. In fact, I'd made it my personal vendetta to get under his icy cold skin as much as possible, just to remind him that his natural awe didn't work on everyone.
"Well, look who decided to join the party," I drawled as Ash strode to Meghan's side. Anger and resentment still simmered, but I tamped them down. Now was not the time for a Goodfellow prank, not in the middle of the Iron Palace, surrounded by Iron Knights, with the Iron Queen in the very same room. The best laid pranks always took a little time. "Always appearing at the most dramatic moment, ice-boy. Tell me, were you just lurking outside the door waiting for the perfect setup?”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“Plan is a four-letter word. I do my
best work on the fly. Besides...” I shrugged “...my best laid plans always
seem to backfire on me, so better not to have any to begin with.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“Are you listening, then? I forgive Ash. I forgive Ash, and myself, for everything that happened between us. I forgive myself for that thing with Ariella, I forgive Meghan for not loving me, hell, I’ll even forgive Oberon for being such a jackass all these centuries. Let’s start over, clean slate, blank everything. Free love for everyone, whaddya think about that!”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“Do you want to kill us, or do you just want a hug? I’m getting mixed messages here.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“You can’t be completely beautiful and funny and amazing and expect me not to notice.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“Oberon’s wife. Queen of the Summer Court.” I made a face. “Mistress
of Spite, Lady of Pettiness, and Monarch of Temper Tantrums.”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven

“If Titania was gone, I’d be
devastated; who would I play all my hilarious pranks on then?”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Raven