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Cover of Ironside

Ironside

by Holly Black

🌶️fade to black·spoiler·Modern Faerie Tales #3

Why Read This?

A cathartic exploration of identity and belonging that leaves you contemplating the fragile boundaries between worlds.

Synopsis

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.

At a Glance

3.99 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️fade to black
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

hidden identitysecret relationship

Mood

mysteriousdarkatmosphericmelancholicbittersweet

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.99 ★

Page Count

323 pages

Published

2007

Primary Genre

Urban Fantasy

Pairing

M/F

POV

Third Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Lauryn Allman

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

atmosphericdarklyricalimmersive

Story Pacing

medium

Emotional Weight

heavy

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

Atmospheric urban fantasy where the line between human and faerie worlds blurs with dark, melancholic tension.

Characters

FMC Archetype

secret identityoutcast / misfitdamaged survivor

MMC Archetype

tortured soulmorally gray

Relationship Dynamics

forbidden loveslow burnimmortal x mortal

Spice Details 🌶️

🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
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Spice Level 1

Spice Style

None

Getting Steamy

None

Bringing the Heat

None
Browse more books by spice level →
violencetorturedeathmurdergaslighting
Browse books by content warning →

World & Setting

World Type

urban fantasy

Primary Setting

big city / metropolisforest / wildernessunderground / underworld

Fantasy Creatures

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

Best Time of Year

winter

When & Where to Read

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