The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Pages [hardcover]: 363

Available now!

Book 1 in the Iron Fey series

Opening Lines: Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeared. No, he didn’t leave. Leaving would imply suitcases and empty drawers, and late birthday cards with ten-dollar bills stuffed inside.

Memorable Quote: The satyr gave me a sympathetic glance. She was shorter than me by a foot, with large hazel eyes that matched her curly hair. I tried to keep my eyes away from her furry lower half, but it was difficult, especially when she smelled faintly like a petting zoo.

Favorite Characters: Robbie and Grim

Summary:

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined–the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

Review:

I was very excited to learn that we just got this in at my local library, and I am thrilled that I only have to wait exactly a month [Iron Daughter, the next book in the series, is released August 1rst!] to get back in on the action. When first starting The Iron King, I was expecting the typical fairy book, maybe something a bit like “Wicked Lovely”, which I just recently read. I was very wrong! The Iron King is an original twist with leading lady Meghan capturing my attention and making me want to go on this journey with her through the Nevernever [a.k.a., Fairyland].

Meghan, when introduced to the world of fairies, acts as I imagine pretty much any teenage girl would. Disbelief and resistance to this new perspective accompany her in the novel. She isn’t immediately graced with great courage or automatically know how to wield weapons; she runs or stands frozen when faced with a dangerous foe and, when having one, wields her weapons a bit clumsily, as I imagine as beginners must. I know it sounds wrong to have a ‘weak’ leading character, but she grows throughout the novel at a pace that is realistic.

I love Fairyland in The Iron King-the Nevernever is beautifully discribed and easy to picture. I think Julie Kagawa is an author to watch out for; I love her style already.

The only slightly negative response that I have is that while there is the overlying plot, there are so many subplots that I sometimes forgot what the overall goal actually was. I’m not entirely sure whether this added or took away from my enjoyment but it’s nice to not get so distracted. I’m an easily distracted reader.

‘The Iron King’ gets 5/5 stars. I highly recommend this book! Watch out for the sequel, ‘The Iron Princess’, released August 1rst!