Tuesday 27 March 2012

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
First published in 2010, my edition published in 2011 by Mira Books


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.

I'd heard so many positive things about this series for the past year or two, and I couldn't wait to get in on all the hype. When my birthday rolled around, I finally got the chance to read The Iron King, the first book in the series. 

Meghan Chase has always felt "different". With the exception of her best friend Robbie, she has no other friends and life at home isn't the best. When her four-year-old brother Ethan is kidnapped, the secrets come pouring out. Meghan finds out that she is the half-human daughter of Faery king Oberon and that her best friend is actually Robin Goodfellow, a.k.a. Puck. From there, she enters the world of the Nevernever in order to find her brother and bring him back home.

I enjoyed seeing how Meghan transformed from being a seemingly normal teenager to a determined heroine as she ventured deeper and deeper into the Nevernever on her quest. It was a slow character development, and Meghan made a few mistakes along the way, but the end result was a loving and determined character. 

Puck was quite the mischievous character, staying true to the personality he had in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. His sarcasm had me snickering at the pages at times, and I found him to be quite charming. What I liked about him most of all was that even though he had revealed his true nature to Meghan and that he was only in her life to protect her, he still cared about her, and it showed. I can't wait to see more of Puck in the next book.

Ash is the Winter Prince, sent out to capture Meghan and bring her back to Tir Na Nog, where she will be held prisoner by his mother, Queen Mab. Ash contrasts nicely with Puck: he's serious, dark, brooding and dangerous. The romance between Ash and Meghan is slow but sweet; I instantly felt the connection between them. It is a forbidden romance, since Ash is the prince of the Winter Court and Meghan is the princess of the Summer Court. Their romance is hot and cold, just like their origins. 

The adventure itself was a great one, and I enjoyed watching the characters grow as they went through harsh conditions and overcame various obstacles. However, I felt like I didn't connect with this book as much as I would have liked. I found it a bit slow-moving, thus I was slightly bored at times. This series does seem promising though, and with that ending, how could I not read on?

3 stars

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