Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Review - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title and Author: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Paperback: 363 Pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Review:
I wasn’t sure I would like this book when I started reading it, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.
The Iron King is a book about fairies that include a lot of well known characters from other books like Robin Goodfellow (Puck), King Oberon and Queen Tatiana from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Meghan, the main character, embarks on a journey to save her brother that takes her to Fairyland, where she encounters danger, adventure and love.
I loved the characters in this book. Meghan is a good narrator. She’s intelligent, funny, strong and willing to sacrifice herself for those who she loves. I especially liked the fact that she wouldn’t go down without a fight and that she was able to use her intellect to get her out of some difficult situations.
Puck was a great character as well, with whom I feel in love right from the start. He’s mischievous and sarcastic and is able to joke about anything and everything. Even when he’s in danger he’s able to laugh about it. Plus, he’s completely invested in helping Megan and keeping her safe. He’s her best friend, after all.
Ash, the winter prince, is a very interesting character. He’s dangerous and dark and he’s invested on keeping his emotions hidden from everyone. Meghan is able to get through to him, though, and unravel a whole different side of him.
Another character I really enjoyed reading about was Grimalkin, the Devil’s cat. He was a smart ass. He was funny and took great pleasure in watching Puck and Ash fight each other just like I did.
The romance and love triangle in this book was well written and didn’t overpower the rest of the story, since there’s a lot of action and adventure.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the plot was interesting and able to keep my attention. I loved the mythical world Julie Kagawa created and was captivated by it.
I would definitely recommend this book to all readers who enjoy Ya fiction and fantasy.

Rating: Somewhere Between Well Worth Your Time and Must Read ( 4 ½ Stars)

13 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this book too. I have the next two in the series on my TBR pile. I hope they are as good as the first one was.

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  2. Thanks for such an honest review! i just recently read the iron king, and i loved it too! i'm looking forward to reading ur review for book 2 ;)

    Diana

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  3. Very detailed review there, and you covered all the pertinent points. I liked this book as well, and Ash was certainly the most intriguing character!

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  4. I loved this book too. Wasn't sure going into it, but it really impressed me. I feel so invested in all the characters now!

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  5. Hey I'm Alisha and I just awarded you the stylish blogger award at my blog!

    www.blacknailedreviews.blogspot.com

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  6. @Lisa
    I read The Iron Daughter already and really liked it as well.

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  7. @The Lovely Getaway
    It's good to know you liked it as well. :)

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  8. Great review! I agree with all the points you touched on. I really liked the characters in this one. I wasn't expecting to like the book either, so it was a nice surprise.

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  9. Personally, I didn't like this book as much but its sequels get better and better! I definitely loved Grimalkin! (I love smart-ass characters.) I love the world-building in this book because it didn't portray the fey world as a cute place where everyone's happy. It was terrifying, dangerous, with dark corners where everything could jump out at!

    Grace
    Lust For Stories

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  10. Great review!! I was surprised at how much I loved this book too! All the characters have unique personalities that captivate you.
    -Cali W.

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