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| Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale | 
 enlarge | Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy Used: $2.88
You Save: $14.11 (83%)
New (38) Used (26) Collectible (1) from $2.88
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 113126
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0689868200
EAN: 9780689868207
ASIN: 0689868200
Publication Date: April 24, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: EX-LIBRARY; used item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned for refund. Buy with confidence - your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics!
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Product Description
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 doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie. Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen? Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too April 16, 2007
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I finished Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, and Holly Black most definitely does not disappoint. IRONSIDE picks up soon after the events in Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, 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 Kaye Fierch knows that she loves Roiben, but she feels increasingly unwelcome and out of place in the Unseelie Court. So the night of the coronation, determined to prove herself to Roiben and the rest of the court, she makes a formal declaration and pledges herself to him as his consort. However, faerie custom demands that a quest be undertaken before anyone can sit as the Lord's consort, and Roiben grants Kaye an impossible task: to find a fairy who can tell an untruth. Now she is forbidden from seeing or speaking to him until she completes something she knows cannot be done.
Kaye doesn't know where to go, because she has been feeling uncomfortable at home as well, knowing that she stole a human child's life. In a moment of desperation, she tells her mother the truth: that she is a changeling that was switched with Ellen's real daughter, the real Kaye, and she vows to retrieve her from the Seelie Court and return her to Ellen. She feels that this, at least, is something she can do, even if there's no way she can complete Roiben's quest.
But with all the tension between the courts there is nowhere safe, and in venturing into the Seelie Court to find her human counterpart, Kaye puts herself within reach of Lady Silarial. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she's willing to do anything, including using Kaye, to get it. Once again Kaye finds herself in the middle of Faerie politics, but this time Roiben's not there to save her, and she may not have a way out.
In my personal experience it is rare that a sequel ever lives up to the first book, but IRONSIDE does just that. Full of court rivalry, deception and betrayal, sword fights and murder, faerie curses, new romances, and even characters from Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, IRONSIDE is another wonderful foray into the dark, gritty world of Faerie and will not leave readers disappointed. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you pound your pillow in frustration and clap your hands in delight. My one and only complaint is that this is the last book set in this amazing world.
Reviewed by: Andie Z.
 Good.... but not what I had hoped for. Deserves no more than 3 stars. April 14, 2007
8 out of 13 found this review helpful
I read both Tithe and Valient, and Ironside didn't really live up to my expetations. Since Ironside is going to be the last book taking place in that world (from what I know) and is suppose to be the completion of Kaye's and Roiben's story, I expected it to tie up all the lose ends. I thought it would give the reader more of an insight to Kaye's past (as in her real parents and the reason she was switched) or maybe go into more depth with Roiben, but the book really did neither. It was still a good book, just a dissapointment to me.
One thing that bothered me, was the little we see of Roiben. Not only do we see little of him, but it is hard to understand his actions. Holly Black does let the reader into his head for a little bit, but even then he doesn't justify what he does. The conclusion hardly summed up anything for me, nor explained anything. I felt like most of the focus in the book was given to Corny and his relationships. Also, I didn't like how luis was displayed.
I don't mean to insult the book, it was merely dissapointing. All in all, it stayed true to Holly's dark fantasy.
Very well-done! Holly Black has me hooked! May 16, 2007
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
"Ironside", the third Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black, is the best of the series so far. Black writes beautifully and she manages to set up very evocative quotes from classic authors to set the scenes for each chapter.
"Ironside" takes up a bit after "Tithe" and "Valiant". Roiben's coronation for the Unseelie Court is scheduled. Kaye realizes if she is to claim her love, she must declare for him and accept the quest he gives her to prove her love.
Meanwhile, Kaye also tells her Mother who she is and must restore the human child whose place she took to their home.
Favorite characters from both of the prior two series are back. It was delightful to see the casts of both these tales merge. One thing Black does very well is create characters that you want to know more about.
Black's writing is also tighter. She pulls you in and doesn't let you go til the tale is over. Black's work is very well done--some of the best new fantasy in both the young adult and the adult genres.
Better than the other two books--the line between good and evil fades May 7, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
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 ties in the other two books perfectly and gives 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 terms with the horrors he was forced to perform as the servant of the Unseelie Court, but when his sister Ethine becomes entwined in the power games between the two courts, Roiben must risk everything good to protect those he loves. And Kaye must choose between the world she knows and the world of her heritage--a choice only made more difficult when she believes Roiben has rejected her love.
With the return of old characters facing new horrors, the line between good and evil fades into non-existence and the wrong move can lead to the inhalation of entire races. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat while still keeping you grounded with the humanity of the characters.
I love Black's writing style and her totally unorthodox characters. The language can be a little rough, and the storyline is not for the faint of heart, but don't let that detour you from a good read.
Enchanting April 18, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
We have all been waiting patiently for the past years for the sequel.
Ironside takes place right after Tithe and Valiant. Even though Kaye loves Robein and believed she was mortal for 17 years, she feels like she doesn't belong in either the unseeling court or in the mortal world.
In the unseeling court, she knows she is unwelcomed because their King is in love with an Ironside girl, and in the Mortal world she knows that the life she leads was a stolen one.
As the coronation for Robein nears, Kaye feels she needs to prove her love to the court. So she declares herself to Robein, but to prove herself worthy of him she must complete a quest. Robeing gives her an impossible quest: she must find a feary who can say an untruth.
So she must go on her quest to find a faery who can lie; so she may be with Robein.
Holly Black still knows how to enchant her readers, you believe you are in their world. The only downside, is that the romance was trully a teaser. And this truly is A Modern Faery's Tale.
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