Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book takes place in The Nightmare realm, Evenfall, which is described as being like in every horror movie she’s ever watched by Meghan. As a result, scenes are very dark, creepy, and feature a lot of body parts, blood and gore. Spiders, bugs and other insects are also mixed in. There are scenes of violence, and death, and a scene with a serial killer fey that involves detailed descriptions of how he likes to eat his victims.

The themes of sorrow, grief and loss feature throughout the book. Negative emotions are heightened in Evenfall and many characters wrestle with difficult emotions in this book. One character has to face a toxic relationship from their past which ended in betrayal.

With the final book of the Evenfall Trilogy, Julie Kagawa takes us back on a nostalgia trip as she returns to the narrative voice that started it all; Megan Chase. We started this journey with Megan way back in The Iron King when she was a teenager who had just learned about faerie. The Megan we meet at the start of The Iron Vow is a very different person, a Queen of a faerie court, a wife and a mother, and it’s her turn to look back over the past as she fights for those she loves.

The previous book ended with Megan and her allies jumping into a portal to take their fight directly to the Nightmare King by going into his realm. They had no idea what they would find on the other side, or if they would even arrive safely, but it was the only option. Behind them, the other Fey courts guarded their backs and kept the Nightmare king’s forces from entering the Nevernever.

Evenfall is nothing like what any of them have ever seen before, what they expected, and it’s a huge shock for all of them, especially Nyx as she pieces together her memories of her home as they make their way through the realm. What is particularly difficult for them is coming to terms with the idea of no magic; Evenfall is a dying world with little magic, and the magic they brought with them won’t last for long. For Megan, it feels like going backwards, back to a time when she didn’t know who or what she was, to before she found her place in the world. Before she found Ash, became Queen and a mother. It makes her question everything she’s done, and as their journey becomes increasingly more dangerous, Megan wonders what more she has to give before their mission is over.

As the last book in the trilogy, and according to the synopsis the last book in the Iron Fey series (what?!), expect an action packed book filled with nostalgia and emotion. I don’t quite know how to put into words the feelings that Kagawa’s send off managed to conjure up, what I will say is that I was sent back to that moment in a library where I picked up my first Iron Fey book. The one that started it all way back in 2016 for me. Yes, there were tears, but there were so many laughs as well, with Puck and Grimalkin’s banter hitting an all-time high.

The twists and turns in The Iron Vow will stick with you for a long time after finishing this one, and once again Kagawa draws upon the legacy of all The Iron Fey novels. Mixed in with new characters of Evenfall are some old familiar faces that pop in to remind us of the long journey that we’ve been on with these characters. There is a one new character who has to be one of the most creepies characters I’ve ever met, yet is so brilliantly written and such a laugh that I’m quite sad that if there is never any more Iron Fey tales as we won’t get to see them again.

There are incredible battle scenes in The Iron Vow, made even more interesting by the unfamiliar and magicless terrain of the Nightmare realm. This whole trilogy has been about our heroes fighting a foe that is unlike anything else in Nevernever, a foe that was ripped out of fey and banished by a group of ancient Fey. As their adventure comes to an end, it looks as though a sacrifice will need to be made. The question is how big will it be, and who will survive?

The Iron Vow is a compelling end to the Iron Fey: Evenfall trilogy and if this is the last time Kagawa writes in this universe then I am satisfied with how it ended. Although there is a small hint at the end of the book that suggests that maybe there’s another story to be told, so who knows?

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I first read The Iron King in 2010 and I think it was one of the very first books I received from Harlequin Australia for review. While it’s not strictly necessary to be familiar with the Iron Fey series which includes the four books of The Iron Fey (The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight) and The Iron Fey: Call of Forgotten trilogy (The Lost Prince, The Iron Traitor and The Iron Warrior), plus various novellas, you should have read the first two books of the Evenfall spin-off trilogy, The Iron Raven and the The Iron Sword, to enjoy The Iron Vow, which also serves as a finale for the for the whole of the Iron Fey series. I’ve read each instalment as it has been released, but if you haven’t, or you have forgotten what has transpired, given the books have been published over a 13 year period, Julie Kagawa helpfully provides a brief recap of the entire Iron Fey series in the first few pages of The Iron Vow.

“Let me tell you a story.
The story of a girl who went into the land of faeries, met a prince, and fell in love.”

As I had surmised given the previous books in the Evenfall trilogy, Meghan is the narrator for The Iron Vow, and the contrast between the teenager who first stumbled into the NeverNever and the Iron Queen of today is satisfying.

The Iron Vow begins where The Iron Sword left off, with our band of heroes, who attempted to stop the vengeful Nightmare King from breaking through from Evenfall, realising they had no choice but to enter his terrifying realm to ensure the immortal King never wakes up. So now Meghan, accompanied by her husband Ash, son Kierran, Puck, Nyx and Grimalkin, are in a deadly world with no natural glamour (hence no ready access to magic) on a dangerous mission to save not only all of Faerie, but also the Human world.

I don’t want to give too much away but the story progresses as you would expect, with the group battling their way through a hostile land populated by monstrous nightmares, offering plenty of fast paced action. They unearth secrets, find unlikely allies, and are forced to confront their own nightmares to reach their goal. To prevail demands a grand sacrifice, and unprecedented cooperation. It’s as tense, exciting, emotional, and entertaining as you would want from this series finale.

The characters remain true to who they have become over the series. Meghan is noble, Ash is protective, Kierran yearns for redemption, Puck cracks jokes, Nyx is deadly, and Grimalkin always disappears at the first sign of trouble. I’m a little sorry to say goodbye to them after all this time, though the epilogue provides some comfort.

I’ve very much enjoyed The Iron Fey series, and I’m sure it will continue to capture the imagination of readers of young adult fantasy. ( )