Editorial Review
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
Even better than the first! 
2008-01-28
I have to admit, I really enjoyed Tithe but Ironside blows it out of the water. Black's writing style was incredible throughout this book and I was unable to put it down. The story was fresh, she drew characters from Tithe and Valiant together and made you actually care about what was going to happen; may seem like a necessary element but books these days have not been doing this for me. I enjoyed the evolution of Corny's character in this one a great deal as well as getting to watch Kaye struggle with her identity; fenced between two worlds where she doesn't feel she fits in to either. Black has a number of highly creative moments in this book and as always, her descriptions of Faeries and the courts are exquisite; sucking you right into the world. I would have liked to see Val have a bigger role in this story but thinking on it I really wouldn't know how she could have fit in. My only complaint, and really it isn't much of one, is that Black has a difficult time writing sadness around a story that is quippy and comedic. When important people die I notice that it is swept under the rug fairly quickly with only a mere mention here or there. This doesn't bother me per se it just feels a bit off. I imagine to keep the overall banter going between characters it is a small price to pay. Excellent book overall!
Enticing and delectable read for all ages! 2008-01-23
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!
Love this series! 2007-10-31
I loved this book. So far I have really loved all the books in this series. This books continues where the book Valiant left off. Roiben is set to become king of the Unseelie court. Roiben struggles with what will happen when he is crowned king and the uncomfortable treaty with the Seelie court is broken; he wonders if war is inevitable. Kaye struggles with her place with Roiben and the Unseelie court. She is also struggling with the knowledge that the baby human whose place she grew up in is still alive and Kaye feels that she needs to reunite her "mother" with her true daughter. Corny struggles with his fear of fairy and his grief over the death of his sister.
This book is an easy read. The characters are all likable. A few new main characters are introduced. Luis is a great character and as likable and angsty as the rest of them. The book is fast paced and is a great book about faery. I have always loved urban fantasy, Charles De Lint being the first urban fantasy author I ever read. This book is a great addition to my collection. There are new fairies, action, duels, riddles, curses, you name it. I love how there is a little romance in the book but it is not overpowering; relationships are kept to simple hugging, kissing, and cuddling. There are too many fantasy book out there that get too physically in depth with the love thing, if you know what I mean (see Laurell Hamilton book review). This book leaves you with a happy pleasant feeling at the conclusion.
That being said I am always surprised that these are considered young adult books. There is a lot of swearing and also more "adult" topics to deal with. For example Corny is gay and the Unseelie court revels in a number of horrific forms of torture and killing. None of these things are gone into in overly explicit detail but still. I would say that mid to upper teens would be okay with these books; they are not books that I would read to my 10 year old or younger.
Still these books are fun and enjoyable. The author definitely has a love of fine literature and I enjoy all of the fine literature quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Black seems to pick these quotes with care so that they reveal and foreshadow the chapter to come. I love it!
I hope there will be another book; although this book is wrapped up pretty nicely so who can say.
A improved sequel: better characters and writing, still magical setting and human issues. Recommended 
2007-10-19
A direct sequel to Tithe, Ironside picks up two months after Tithe left off. At Roiben's coronation as King of the Unseelie Court, Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, who in turn sends her on an impossible quest to prove her love to him. Meanwhile, Kaye decides to tell her mother that she is a changeling, and the Queen of the Seelie Court attacks Roiben, leading to a series of quests wherein Kaye must find her human double, find a way to save Roiben, and bring Roiben a faery that can lie before she can see or speak to him again. Continuing with the vibrant magical atmosphere and faery world of Tithe, Ironside is the work of a much more mature and accomplished author: the characters are more realistically flawed while still being sympathetic, and the writing style is skillful and polished. Meanwhile, the story is still otherworldy, emotional, and honestly confronts difficult subjects. This book is not perfect, but it is a magical and enjoyable read, and I do recommend it.
I should note here that I have not read Valiant, which falls between Tithe and Ironside in the series. However, these two books do make sense without Valiant.
After reading Tithe, I had high hopes for Ironside. I hoped that it would have the same intense and well-conceived since of magic, but that it would exhibit Black's increased experience as a writer, and have better characters and a more polished style. I'm glad to say that my hopes were fulfilled on all accounts: Ironside contains all of the good qualities from Tithe and avoids many of the pitfalls of that first novel. The characters return, and continue with many of respective flaws: they drink and shoplift, they have deadbeat parents, they are immature and over-emotional. Yet these flaws are more realistic and the characters have gained good qualities. They have GEDs, they have real problems behind their emotional complaints, and they have become affectionate and sometimes even thoughtful. These are now characters that, however unusual or even non-human they may be, the reader can identify with, and the text benefits for it. The text also benefits from an experienced and matured writing style: the plot flows at a smoother pace and the climax and conclusion are better crafted and more complete, the repetition of phrases and actions is largely absent, and the overall text reads smoother and exhibits better editing. This book is written by an experienced author, and it is a sympathetic, well-paced, skillful piece of work.
Alongside these clear improvements, the magical and human aspects of Tithe remain in all of their glory. Black's faeries are vividly conceived and described, from the grotesque and violent Unseelie Court to the apple blossom-strewn Seelie Court. Even better: The Unseelie Court now has a sympathetic ruler, and the Seelie Queen is a villain, adding realistic complication and interest to the darks and lights of faery politics. Kaye's search for her human double explores new aspects of Black's faery life and culture, as does the journeys of the two human characters, one of which desires to be more than human, the other of which hates faeries. The multiple quests of the plot are a classic storytelling structure, and they create subtle but important character growth in all of the main characters. Black does not try to avoid mature subjects, but rather explores everything from homosexuality to love to death in a way that is respectful, honest, and still appropriate to a young adult audience (that is, there are no explicit sex scenes or exceptional gruesome deaths). Both magical and distinctly human, Ironside is at once enjoyable and avidly readable as well as meaningful and personally relevant.
While Ironside is by no means a perfect book (the characters and plot points are cliche, the dark court remains pointlessly dark, and Kaye and her friends in their personalities and experiences are not entirely realistic or deeply explored; all in all, it is not the most skillful or most memorable text), it is a great improvement and an enjoyable read. I believe that it makes more sense and is more enjoyable if the reader has already read at least Tithe, so pick up that book first. But Ironside shows a true step forward in Black's work as an author as well as being magical, meaningful, honest, edgy, and an approachable and swift read. I was happy that I picked up this book, and I do recommend it.
A satisfying merging of two great story lines 2007-09-15
Wow! Holly Black strikes again! This was a really good book - perhaps not as great as Tithe or Valiant, but satisfying nonetheless. With Tithe, you're introduced to Black's faery world - rich, dark, and creepy as all hell (which, I suppose, is her point). I loved it, and Kay is a wonderful charater in and of herself. When I bought Valiant, I was expecting more of the same, but the book delivered an alternate view of the same world, contributing to the exceedingly multi-dimensional aspects of the gritty, urban existence Black so exactingly creates. So, having read about Kay and then about Val, I wasn't sure what I would be gettin with Ironside: one or the other? Getting both was very fun. The world of Ironside is, as a result of the first two books, extremely detailed and complex - as are the characters - and, once again, a wonderful place to read about. Black's faeries aren't gossamer or wispy, but that's what makes them so fabulous. Those who have read Tithe may feel a little let down by Roiben's distance: he is both cold and inaccessible in Ironside, especially when one yearns for his love like Kay does. While Ironside can get convoluted at times - the blending of the two storylines can result in some confusion, and no one should read Ironside without having at least read Tithe first, and preferably both Tithe and Valiant - the result is, overall, an extremely pleasing, dark, and tangible faery tale that I highly recommend.
Excellent 2008-05-22
I was expecting a lot out of the sequel to Tithe, and I wasn't disappointed. My only complaint is that the book was to short! I liked how Black brought in characters from Valiant, and made them more a part of the series rather than being in a stand alone book. If you enjoyed Tithe and Valiant, this is definitely a book for you! If you haven't read Black's other books and you like fantasy at all, go out and get them right now! Overall a very good read.
Another Adult who got hooked on Holly Black's books 2008-04-14
Yes, the kids of a friend brought "tithe" and "Valiant" to my attention. Holly Black's books are not just for kids. This continuation of "tithe" is no obligatory sequel written because it was ordered by publishers. The author is sly in her insertion of clues throughout or at the beginning of the book. Then, at the end, after you've read it, you say, "Oh, that's what she was doing." She can do characterization, great suspense, gritty urban life, weird faerie stuff, pretty much the whole bit. Good ending and very smart. You have to read "tithe" first to get the entire picture.
Ironside, an excellent read 2008-03-12
I enjoyed this book evan more than the first. I had a hard time putting it down. Totally enjoyable.
Jbird 2008-02-17
Black has created a world that is not only believable but makes the reader want to join in the adventure.
Ironside 2008-02-09
It is a very nice book, shipped quickly and i'm very happy with amazon's service.
