The Iron King - Review

The Iron King (The Iron Fey, # 1)

By: Julie Kagawa

Published: February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

363 pages

Source: Freebie download a while back

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--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’ve had this series on my TBR list for a really long time. And so when I saw The Iron King was available for a free download, I jumped all over that. And I’m glad I did.

Julie Kagawa does an excellent job building her faerie world. The Nevernever, Tir Na Nog, the Iron kingdom. It’s all so wonderfully vivid. She pulls from existing faerie lore as well as adapting and building her own lore. I loved the story of how the Iron fey have come about and the names and forms that they take as well. I could see exactly what she was describing with no trouble at all.

I do have to say that I felt like something was missing in the relationship development between Meghan and Ash. I liked them of course and was rooting for them, but at this point, I don’t feel them being an “epic” couple like others I’ve read. I never felt all nervous and anxious for them. (Now that I think about it, I never really felt what Meghan was feeling during the book at all. Huh, that’s kind of a big deal and not in a good way.) I just felt like what they had was a crush because they hardly talked at all. They didn’t truly seem to know each other. But as so many relationships start off similarly (minus the faerie part), I’m hoping to see the building of their relationship over the next several books.

I also think that there’s something else up with Puck/Robbie/Robin Goodfellow (geez, how many names does one character need?) that wasn’t really addressed in this book. A crush maybe? Wouldn’t be complete without a love triangle involving the best friend. But of course, that’s just speculation at this point and could be completely inaccurate.

All in all, I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next with Meghan, Ash, and Puck. The ending of The Iron King perfectly set up the next book, The Iron Daughter—which I’m hoping to get for Christmas. The Iron King gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Iron King? What did you think? Let me know!