Review - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Series: Iron Fey #1
By: Julie Kagawa
Edition: Paperback, 363 pages; ISBN 0373210086 (ISBN13: 9780373210084)
Published: February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Purchased
Categories: Fairies, Romance, Action, Page Turner, Fairy February Challenge

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 may contain spoilers; read at your own risk*

My Review Breakdown

Story/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Ending: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Final Score: 21/25 = 5 Cupcakes

My Rating:  Positively Enticing!!!

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STORY/PLOT: The plot is wonderful and unique. A third unknown Faerie Court that is killing the Nevernever? I love it. And I love the fact that what is killing the Nevernever, is technology and that people are forgetting and not using their imaginations anymore since we've become so reliant upon computers, and cell phones, and video gaming systems. At first I didn't really like the names and idea, it seemed almost cheesy or cliche but Kagawa executes it so wonderfully that it erases any hang ups I may have had. I like as well that the mortal world is included as well as Faeryland, but that nearly the entire book takes place in the Nevernever. And I love the relationship forming between Meghan and Ash as well, nothing like a little Seelie-Unseelie action!!

CHARACTERS: Meghan Chase is a great female heroine! She is strong, caring and loving, and never gives up even when she's told that there's no hope. Puck (aka Robin Goodfellow, aka Robbie) is a good character as well. Ash is probably my #1 Fictional Boy Crush now :)) Grimalkin made me think of a slightly more disgruntled, sarcastic Garfield, and being a cat-lover I totally dug his character. The only thing that kept me from giving a perfect score here, is that I don't know how I feel about these characters not being created by the author. There are many faerie books that use Oberon, Titania, Mab, Puck, etc but I like it when everything is unique. Kagawa; however, executed the story amazingly using these characters without losing their individuality. Plus, it makes sense that she used them since they are still alive because people remember them. So it all ties together nicely.

WRITING: I absolutely love Kagawa's writing style. It was easy to read, flowed wonderfully but contained so much emotion and visualization. The whole time I was reading this book it was like the movie version was playing along in my head the whole time. I could literally see everything Kagawa was describing, and it was like I was there in the Nevernever as well. Her writing gave each character their own personality and individuality and there were so many times where I'd read something early on not really giving it a pause for thought, and then later on it would click and explain something from the beginning. I loved that because it gave a sense of all loose ends being tied up nicely.

ENDING: The ending was perfect; it was what I'd have wanted for the story. It wrapped everything up but left plenty of room for the remainder of the series. I think it may have been just a weensy bit predictable but not wholly, so it didn't distract from the story at all.

COVER: I think the covers on the books in this series are all absolutely gorgeous! I am a total Cover Lover so it drew me in right away! And I like how the covers all tie into each other yet are individual. The different colors are nice and that all of the titles are the intertwined as well is great.

MY HOPES FOR THE SERIES: I cannot wait to see more of Ash :)) oh, and see how his relationship with Meghan grows, of course, after he turns her over to Queen Mab ... Curious to see if the dryads were able to save Puck; see who is ruling the Iron Court now - I don't think it's the end of Ferrum.

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE: The Chronicles of Faerie by O.R Melling; The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones