Scavenger Hunt for The Iron Knight

I know I am not the only one who is really excited about the release of Julie Kagawa's fourth novel in the bestselling Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight.  To celebrate the official release of her novel on October 25th, I am participating in a fun scavenger hunt that began on that date and runs into the month of November.  Before I give you the scavenger clue, here is a synopsis of her new novel.


Unable to survive in the kingdom of his beloved due to his supernatural nature, a warrior prince sets out to turn himself human. But first he must cross deadly lands and overcome nightmarish obstacles before reaching the fabled testing grounds, where he will endure a series of challenges. He is joined on his quest by a team of fantastical creatures, each with an agenda of their own—one, a faery prankster whom the prince has vowed to kill for past misdeeds; another, a wise-speaking cat who claims to be a truthful guide; the third, a legendary and villainous beast pulled right from the fairy tales; and finally, the last, a seer who appears to be the resurrection of the prince’s former love, long thought dead but now restored to life and as beautiful and tempting as ever. With these dubious allies by his side, the prince sets off to achieve his ultimate prize, but to do so will require overcoming the greatest challenge of all in his quest for a human soul—himself.


When exiled faery prince Ash swears an oath to his love, Meghan Chase—the half-human ruler of the Iron Fey realm—to return and be with her forever, he knows what that promise entails. Her Iron Kingdom is anathema to a fey creature such as himself, and in order to survive in it he must renounce his powerful supernatural nature and acquire a mortal soul. Only then will he be able to return and be with his love. But even as a prince of the fabled Winter Court, Ash knows only rumors of how an immortal can become human. Ash needs help, even if that help comes from the last set of creatures in the entire Nevernever realm that he would ever want to join him.

Excerpt:
“I thought you wanted an adventure,” I said, just to annoy him.

Puck snorted.“Oh sure, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for tromping to all five corners of the Nevernever, getting chased by angry Summer Queens, sneaking into an ogre’s basement, fighting giant spiders, playing hide-and-seek with a cranky dragon—good times.” He shook his head, and his eyes gleamed, reliving fond memories. “But this is like the sixth place we’ve come to look for that wretched cat, and if he isn’t here I’m almost afraid of where we’re going next.”

Look for the next excerpt tomorrow at Our Life Upstate.


1.  For you, what was the hardest part in writing this series or writing in general?
Lately, it’s been making myself turn off the Internet and not check Tweetdeck every time I get stuck, lol!  I get distracted very easily and “checking email” can turn into an hour of doing nothing but playing around online, very bad for the writing day.  Sometimes I’ll unplug the modem or disconnect myself from the internet or I’d never get anything done.

2.  Do you have a favorite line or two you could share with us from The Iron Knight?
Certainly!  Here is an exchange between Ash and Puck:

“Hey, ice-boy, you okay?  You’ve got your brooding face on again.”            

“I’m fine.”  

“You’re so full of crap.”  Puck lounged in the cradle of a tree, hands behind his head, one foot dangling in the air.  “Lighten up already.  We finally found the cat—which we should get a freaking medal for, the search for the Golden Fleece wasn’t this hard—and you look like you’re going to engage Mab in single combat first thing in the morning.”            

 “I’m thinking.  You should try it sometime.”

“Ooh, witty.” 

3.  Did you always know you’d be writing a spin off series and can we expect to hear more of Meghan, Ash and Puck’s story in the future?
Actually, I was approached by my publisher when The Iron Fey series was wrapping up and asked if I had any more Iron Fey stories floating around my head.  Which got me thinking of Ethan, Meghan’s little brother.  He was the one who started the whole adventure, in a way.  What would it be like growing up, able to see the fey?  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Ethan had a story to tell, too.  As for Ash, Meghan, and Puck, I’m sure there will be a few cameos in the new series. 

For all of you who read this series, enjoy!!!!