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| Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale | 
 enlarge | Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $4.08
You Save: $3.91 (49%)
New (39) Used (8) from $4.08
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 19750
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0689868219
EAN: 9780689868214
ASIN: 0689868219
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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| Customer Reviews:
 Greatly Exceeded of All my Expectations!! May 1, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Review does contain spoilers for Ironside, Read if you dare.
I will admit that I was more excited than most to hear about Ironside and followed it from being a meer mentioning to it's fruitation into published form. I was also a bit wary about it because I didn't see what else Holly could do with characters she had, to me, fleshed out so well. I did want to see what would happen with the Unseelie court and got that, and more, with Ironside.
The book aboslutely blew away my expectations of what a sequel could be while at the same time, bringing in side characters from Valiant that I did not see coming. I also didn't expect many of the themes that showed up in the novel to do so, which I felt brough so much life and enchantment to an already intriquite and mysterious world.
Corny really came through as the character I felt for the most. His struggle with the past events of the Unseelie court and his growth were really the highlight of the book for me as a reader. It was nice to see him almost take the driver's seat in many cases.
This book was also filled with action that I did not wholey expect, but was done so in a way that while the reader felt completely swept up in the story, they didn't entirely get lost either. Their frustrations, their pain and joy were mine as well, and Holly took no time to just pull the reader straight into a whirlwind of emotions.
If I had to say anything negative about Ironside it would be that Kaye/Roiben felt stagnet to me. Ironside wrapped up much like Tithe did, with Kaye and Roiben pledging to each other that they'll be there and not, back and forth. It almost felt as if Roiben was torn apart without being put back together, and the ending, to me, left far too much about his current state of mind open to the imagination. While Corney seemed to have come together as a person, it still seemed like Kaye was trying to feel her way around in her world. I feel that there is too much to say about Kaye/Roiben that can really be said in just two short novels, but a more concrete plan or thought would have definitely aided me in feeling more sure about the two. As far as Ironside ended, I wasn't 100% sure about the two's future as I was with Corney. Then again, in the world of faerie what really stays the same? Perhaps that's the real lesson that Holly is trying to teach us. Things change, people change, and it's ok to not be stagnet. If that's the case, Mrs. Black, you have accomplished your goal, albeit with a slight aftertaste of iron in this reader's mouth. <3
-Terri M
Enticing and delectable read for all ages! January 23, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was sucked into this trilogy upon recommendation by several friends. I must admit, I was at first quite skeptical as to whether or not a teen faerie tale would appeal to me, but I decided to give the first book (Tithe) a shot anyway. After reading Tithe, I was hooked on the delectable world Black had created, and wanted to read further.
Valiant, in some ways, was very disappointing to me at first. For the end of Tithe left some loose ends dangling precariously. I wanted to know, as many readers did I'm sure, what happened to Kaye and Roiben after that tale ended. Rather than picking up where Tithe left off, Valiant begins another story set in the same time and the same world. While mentioning some of the characters from the previous book, Valiant really is in many ways a stand-alone novel. Though Valiant doesn't really satisfy in terms of picking up Kaye and Roiben's story, it is quite an excellent read in and of itself. The lack of continuity between the books left me a tad skeptical to read the third. Nonetheless, the tales were both so downright intriguing that I had to read the third.
With Ironside, Black does a wonderful job of telling another wonderful tale, bringing in several characters from both books, and tying up some loose ends. Kaye and Roiben are back and the tension between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts has grown. Kaye, being the punk changeling that she is (I mean that in a good way) has gotten herself into quite a mess that she's working on sorting out. Luis is working on keeping him and his brother safe in ironside after the events that took place in Valiant. The Seelie queen's true colors are shining through upon Roiben's coronation, in which he formally claimed the Unseelie throne. Overall Black's writing seems to have developed quite a bit between all three novels, and it really shows in this final book. The plot is, for lack of a better word, much tighter and very well-developed.
On the whole, it's difficult to not fall in love with the world and characters Black has created in her "Modern Tales of Faerie," and it's hard to not find something or someone in these tales to relate to, no matter your age. I highly recommend the entire trilogy to any fans of fantasy literature, or anyone looking for a light-hearted romp through a fun and mystical adventure world. I'd love to see the characters come back in yet another tale in the future!
A great, great book! May 15, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
A great, great book! I love Holly Black's vision of the fairy world, a dark place that mirrors the worst reality of our own world--and maybe a bit of the best, too. I loved the romances in this book. I find that I can't love a romance if that is all the book is about, but when the romance is wrapped around real-life choices, around betrayal and courage, self-sacrifice and self-knowledge, then I want to stand up and cheer. Yeah, Holly!
A great read May 16, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
While I, too, was hesitant to pick up this book after being disappointed with TITHE, I must say that IRONSIDE is much, much better than I expected. The characters are revealed to be more complex, and the line between right and wrong is blurred. We learn more about the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Corny gets a plotline of his own (which I happened to *love*), and really gets a chance to grow and develop throughout the book. Kaye comes into her own as a faerie. The ending was unexpected, but in a satisfying way. My only quibble is that not having read VALIANT, i felt out of the in-jokes and references, while fairly aware of the reference to the book. Overall, though, I strongly recommend this book!
interesting May 21, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
this was a very good book with a few twists that made it interesting. it was sad for a fairy tale but it made it more realistic that way, as realistic as it can be with trools and faerys. it was overall a very good book.
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