IRONSIDE is the clever name given by Holly Black to the surface of Earth. It is a term used by the faeries of the Bright Court and the Dark Court who live in the hollow hills that surround us humans. They have an aversion to iron, so they use this derogatory term to refer to our world.
Some faeries must live on the Ironside – changelings and exiles from either court – and thus, they are an unhappy lot. Kaye is one such changeling, unhappy because she is in love with the King of the Dark Court, unhappy because she realizes that she was replaced for a human baby and that she wants her human family to be whole again. This is a continuation of Kaye’s saga outlined in Black’s previous young-adult fantasy novels, TITHE and VALIANT.
Reading those previous novels will help you here, as the world is not completely coherent on an initial reading. One never understands why the Bright and Dark Courts are at each other’s throats, nor why Roiben – Kaye’s true love – was once a Bright Court member and has now become the King of the Dark Court, nor indeed, why there is so much horrifying cruelty in both courts. The world of faerie seems to be a thoroughly nasty lot and the reader ends up caring a lot more for the human characters in the book: Kaye’s best friend, Corny; the new guy, Luis; and Kaye’s human family.
There are some very nice bits where Kaye and her friends outwit their opponents, such as solving the riddle of an impossible quest. And Kaye’s relationship with her human family is lovingly portrayed. Black’s style is crisp and fast-paced, maybe a bit too much so (boy, there’s something you don’t hear from a reviewer too often). I was yearning for more details about how the world of faerie worked, some of which she may have already detailed in earlier works.
This is marketed as a young adult book, but I would lean toward the later ages of adolescence. I know that YA books have come a long, long way since my days as a YA, and that’s good for the most part. But there’s nothing about this title that strikes me as particularly apt for the young adult; it’s very definitely a full adult fantasy, F words and all. With that in mind, and if you like the idea of the worlds of faerie and human interacting, then start with TITHE and work your way to this one. –Mark Rose
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