Review: The Iron King

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Pages: 363

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.

The book was actually pretty good. But, I did have one big problem with it. And as a warning, I might start ranting.

Grumly roared, a roar filled with triumph and rage. He spun, surprisingly quick for his bulk, and kicked a redcap into the wall. Puck scrambled out of the way as the ogre raised a foot and stomped two more like roaches.

Okay, if you want a book with pretty pixies and Tinker Bells then you got the wrong book. This book is on the darker side of fairies, which is cool. You get the beautiful landscapes of the Nevernever, the fairies home world, and some beautiful Fey mixed with ugly monsters and tricky goblins.

The plot was pretty good. It flowed well and you didn't feel lost. Though I really didn't like the ending. It really didn't feel like the rest of the book. It just didn't seem to fit.

The biggest problem for this book is the characters. Some were great like Mab, the Queen of the Unseelie Court, and Grimalkin, a talking cat. Mab was overly confident, paranoid, and seems to be looking for a reason to start a war. And Grimalkin reminded me of the cat from Alice in Wonderland.

Puck is immortal whose lived hundreds of years. But he doesn't seem much more then a fifteen year-old prankster. He's suppose to protect Meghan, but all he seems to do is get her in trouble. I really didn't feel anything for Ash.

But my big problem was Meghan. She annoyed me. I now she's new to the world of Fairies, but she seems so stupid. She's told that some foods can be bad for her. So, what does she do? She eats berries that she doesn't know that gets her drunk. She's told not to make deals with Faeries as they are binding and very literal. So what does she do? Makes a deal with almost every new fairy she meets. I am surprised that that she didn't give away her soul, little brother, her mother, and first born child by the end of the book. It just seemed like she really didn't think. But maybe she just annoys me.

Other then the characters, the book is very solid. It's well written, flows nicely, and is a fun read. It would be a solid four star book if it was for the previously stated characters. So it's a three and a half instead.