Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa

Paperback, 363 pages

Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

Iron Fey #1

(Click here to go to The Iron King's Goodreads page.)

I started the Iron King during the Halloween Read-a-thon, and I didn't finish it during the weekend because I had a Russian test the Monday afterwards and needed to do some massive cramming, but that doesn't mean that I didn't love every moment of this book...because I did. I thought it was an amazing story, and it had so much going for it, I'm not sure how I couldn't have liked The Iron King. It had faeries, love, action, a brooding prince, a funny best friend, and an amazing protagonist.

Meghan Chase is one of my favourite leading ladies, she is incredibly easy to relate to. She's an outsider and I think it's pretty likely that all of us have felt that way at least once. She has only one friend and no one ever seems to remember her, even her own step-father is constantly forgetting about her. It makes you feel fortunate that your parents both remember you in the morning at the breakfast table. She's incredibly humble too, and that shows when all she asks for on her sixteenth birthday is to go take her test for her learners permit. She's loyal and will do anything for the people she cares about.

Her best friend, who she knew as Robbie Goodfell, has many names, some of which you just might of heard of, especially if you've ever read Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Most people, you see, know him as Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, the trickster from the play, who gives Bottom the head of a donkey and makes Queen Titania fall in love with him. I think Puck is a fantastic character, and Julie did a wonderful job transcending him from a Shakespearean character into a slightly more modern one. Faeries are immortal and timeless, so they aren't exactly modern, but either way Puck adds a lot to the story. He adds in jokes, and is just his all-around awesome self.

Now, you've probably heard about all the Team Puck or Team Ash stuff if you've already heard of this story, and I've told you about Puck...now let me tell you about Ash...dark, brooding, mysterious, and incredibly sexy Ash. If you can't tell by that introduction or didn't see the Team Ash button on my sidebar...why yes, yes I am Team Ash. :D

I think Ash is the bee's knees. From the first moment we see him...and it was from a distance might I add, I thought he was awesome. Yes, awesome. I don't want to get into all of the ways that Ash pops up in the story because I think you'll enjoy it more if you read it yourself rather than have me spoil it, but there are plenty of swoon-worthy Ash moments throughout The Iron King. While I love Ash's dark brooding nature, I won't lie he had me a little pissed at him more than once, and while the strong independent side of me really doesn't want to admit it, that whole 'you-can't-have-me' attitude just made me want him more. Sure, he has his sweeter moments, and he is quite the dancer, but in The Iron King, he certainly excels at being standoffish and aloof, like he's playing hard to get with us...and he's a prince, that equals like an automatic swoon right there. Oh and he isn't hard to get all the time, which definitely didn't make me like him less. ;)

The whole Team debate in The Iron Fey series has an added bit of drama to it because Puck and Ash try and kill each other...repeatedly, I might add. This definitely makes you root for them even more. It had me torn, so I can only imagine how poor Meghan felt.

Now, all that lovely romance aside, this book has tons of action too. There are battles, giant monsters that try and kill people, like trolls and Iron Horses. I loved how Julie wove our world with the Nevernever. The Nevernever was amazing, with the territories and the various fey that live inside of it. I loved the Unseelie and Seelie court interaction, and their leaders: Oberon, Titania, and Mab. And the Iron Kingdom was so different from the rest of Nevernever, I'm not sure I'd even say it was part of it. I just loved how Julie created this incredibly intricate world, it astounded me, left me totally enthralled, and once I'd finished the Iron King, I was desperate for more! :D

Here are a couple of links just for fun:

The Iron Fey's Facebook Page

Julie Kagawa's website

Julie Kagawa's blog

And here are the Goodreads pages of the other books in the Iron Fey Series:

Winter's Passage --- This is a novella that takes place between The Iron King & The Iron Daughter, and if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. You can find it free for download on various websites, I got mine from NetGalley.

The Iron Daughter --- This is book 2 in the Iron Fey series, so if you've finished The Iron King you really want to check this one out. :)

The Iron Queen --- This book comes out February 11, 2011...I personally cannot wait until it's out :D

The Iron Knight --- It was also just released that there will be a fourth book in the Iron Fey series, this one's Ash's story! :D

I hope that if you haven't already read this amazing story by Julie Kagawa I've maybe made you want to read it at least a little bit. These books are fantastic, and without a doubt, they are worth reading. So, if you've been toying with reading these books, go for it. They just keep getting better and better! :D

Happy Reading and Do Svidaniya!!!!

♪♫ Ambur