Book Review: The Iron King

The Iron King

By:  Julie Kagawa

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

Publish Date:  February 2010

Format:  Paperback 363pgs, 5 1/4"x8"

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Series:  1st book in The Iron Fey series

Recommendation:  Yes, if you enjoy the fey setting and the characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a little twist.

Book Synopsis:
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.

First Sentence:
Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeared.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Meghan is turning 16, and wants what all normal teenagers want; her drivers permit and the cutest football star to notice her.  But when the football star does notice her, it is turned to the opposite of what she wanted.  Ethan, Meghan's 4 year old half-brother, tells her of the "monsters" he's seeing and are scaring him.  Then his stuffed animal the floppy rabbit has Ethan warn Meghan.  With all these crazy things, Meghan starts seeing and dreaming strange things, and having strange things happen to her.  Meghan comes home from the worst day of school to find her half-brother missing and replaced with a changeling.  Meghan convinces her best friend Robbie to not make her forget, as he is to do, but to help her find her little brother.  Meghan is introduced into the Faery world.  Once Meghan is in the Faery world, Nevernever, she meets many different fae and learn different things at each meeting, in a world where humans are a snack or a play toy.  But the Fae don't always play fair and twist words to a new meaning.  So watch what you promise...

This was a quick and easy read for me.  I didn't feel as I had to think hard and concentrate on the meanings behind everything, although I could do so as the fae always have hidden meanings.  And the added fun for me was the twist to the old take of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I enjoyed in high school when we read it.  But it was a light read for me following Meghan as she learns of her fae half and the world it's from.  Meghan really is a little naive of the fey way and you start to see her open up to it some and learn the way. 

The books full of colorful atmosphere with the fae along with the world created but the story line centers around Meghan trying to finder her brother and get him home safely.  In doing so Meghan learns things about others and and herself, with just how far she will go for her brother and others so quickly be-friends ~ makes promises to some that could lead to a big future in books here.

There is a little possible love story here as well.  Although it's not in full bloom just yet.  But I feel there is going to be two possible love interests for Meghan.  And I find at this point I really like both of them, although I am leaning to one more than the other.  But I'm sure the further I go in the series I might sway back and forth.

I would suggest this read for YA readers as the book kept moving forward and kept the interest with the characters.  The chapters even have short sections with in so you come to stopping points quickly as to read for a few minutes then stop if need be.  Although, they may not want to stop if they start enjoying it.

I won this book from a fellow blogger, Chasity at Livin' Lovin' Life.  Thank you!  As I had been wanting this book for some time before.  I'm glad I finally got to reading it as I did so with a few fellow bloggers on Twitter, and had a wonderful time chatting the book with them.  It really brought me to enjoying the book even more than just speeding through it.  Thank you all!

I will be carrying on with the series as it was an enjoyable quick read for me.


This book was for my own enjoyment.

This book qualifies for the Speculative Fiction Challenge, hosted by Floor to Ceiling Books, and YA Reading Challenge hosted by Jamie Loves YA.