Showing posts with label A Very Fairy February. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Very Fairy February. Show all posts

Thursday, February 23, 2012

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!!!

____________________________________________________________________

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

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Review - Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

STOLEN AWAY
By: Alyxandra Harvey
hardcover, 288 pages
Published January 17th 2012 by Walker Childrens



For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife . . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldrice - who may or may not betray them.


Why I wanted this book: It's no secret that I am obsessed with fairies so that pretty much explains it! 

Why I Did-Not-Finish this book: The first sentence of the book is Jo, main character Eloise's best friend, complaining that there are no hot guys in town. This is pretty much how Jo's character continues - oh! but she talks in British terms but doesn't use them in the correct context. Uh huh. The book is dual-first person narrative alternating between Jo and Eloise - but the two are completely indistinguishable. 

Being as I love fairies, I like to consider myself well-versed on the topic. So when I read a book where everything needs to be explained (i.e. - Seelie and Unseelie Courts, etc) this bothers me. This book just felt very rushed, not well planned or thought out, and ultimately I wasn't able to finish. The writing was not captivating either, and the dialogue was atrocious. I chose not to finish the book when I found myself continually checking what page number I was on and groaning about how much further till the end. That's when I know it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

I had no interest whatsoever in what happened to any of the characters at all. While I found most of the book (what I read of it, anyway. I made it to page 100) poorly composed, I did enjoy the description of some of the Unseelie characters like the Grey Ladies and the Crows. Other than that it was very difficult to visualize the characters and settings.

You might like this book if you liked: The Faeriewalker Series by Jenna Black


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Theme of the Month: Fairies!

So, I've decided to have a few themes for this year and I'm starting with February - my least favorite month to say (since it usually comes out febrerrarry. I don't know why I can't pronounce it!) and deeming it, "A Very Fairy February"!

To kick off my theme of the month, I'm starting with Alyxandra Harvey's Stolen Away. Below is a list of other potential Fairy-themed books that I will try to tackle this month. Also, since I own the ones listed, I'll be able to make a decent dent in my TBR Challenge as well - and who doesn't love killing 2 birds with 1 stone? (I really need to make up my own saying instead since being a vegetarian I probably shouldn't kill birds I suppose, lol)

Feel free to join in and leave comments with what Fairy books you'll indulge in this month!

 - The Iron King - The Iron Fey #1 - by Julie Kagawa
 - Wings: A Fairy Tale - Fairy Wings #1 - by E.D. Baker
 - Wings - Wings #1 - by Aprilynne Pike
 - Radiant Shadows - Wicked Lovely #4 - by Melissa Marr
 - Darkest Mercy - Wicked Lovely #5 - by Melissa Marr
 - The Enchanted Quest - The Faerie Path #5 - by Frewin Jones
 - The Iron Witch - The Iron Witch #1 - by Karen Mahoney

I know I won't get to ALL of the books listed above, but if I can get through a couple I'll be happy!!

Happy Fairy February, Everyone!

Until Next Time - Happy Reading!

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