The Iron King by Julie KagawaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
So, I had to read this series. Not only have I heard a ton of good things about it, but I also got a copy of The Lost Prince and didn't want to be lost when reading it!
Blurb from Goodreads:
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 have to say that I was a bit bored for about the first half of the book. That was disappointing to me. I thought I would start reading and be drawn right in. But the first half is very much about the world building and not much happens.
I love the cover of this book. It's just beautiful. I think it adequately captures the story in every way.
Meghan Chase, the heroine, comes off to me as your basic teenage girl. She's a little boring, not really into anything going on at high-school, kind of an outcast with no friends. She seems fairly family oriented, although you can tell she doesn't have a high opinion of her step-father. I honestly didn't get the feeling that she felt something was off with her, as the description of the book says. I thought perhaps we could see more of what she was able to do as she came into whatever powers she had, but that really didn't happen. And I was expecting a bit more of a building in her relationship with Robbie (Robin Goodfellow/Puck) but it really wasn't there.
As for Puck, I love his character. He's witty and kind. He's completely protective of Meghan and you can see that there is something else underlying their relationship.
Ash is certainly the male character to swoon over. He's cold and calm, and conceals his feelings quite easily. Yet, when tempted with what he knows he should not have, he takes it, gives in with all his heart. But he is hot and cold and that really bothers me. He is a friend and a foe at the same time. It's such a conflict in his personality. I certainly want to get to know more about him and where he's coming from.
I have to say that the cat, Grimalkin (Cait Sith) is my favorite character so far. He's just awesome. I love how he talks in riddles. He helps Meghan, always with some motive, but you can also see that he's becoming a genuine friend. I am certainly reminded of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland when I picture him in my mind. And his typical response of "I'm a cat" is hilarious. As if that will just explain everything away!
I would honestly like to see more character development from Meghan and Ash. I find them rather flat and I would love to see them become more whole and interesting.
The storyline is quite interesting. This is my first strictly Fae book. I have read other books with a mix of creatures in them (such as Need by Carrie Jones). So I was interested to see where the story was going. I like the separation of the courts, one being summer and one being winter. It gives an interesting contrast to the descriptions of the landscapes in the book. I found the pace rather slow at first. Nothing very interesting really happened and there were a few inconsistencies that bothered me. But it certainly picked up in the second half of the book, giving a bit more action and showing a bit more character development. I do love how Kagawa uses Shakespear as her basis for characters in this story. I do love how the author ties the Fae world into our present world, showing that without the imagination of children and others the Fae world would not longer exist.
I didn't find the writing to be all that enthralling. Considering the wonderful reviews I have seen and the raving over the books from my fellow reader friends, I really thought the writing would drawn me in more. But it didn't. Again, like the characters, I found the writing rather flat. I think part of this was because of the major amount of time spent on world building. Once the action started happening, I had a much easier time picturing what was going on in my head as the author described the scene. I am hoping the author shows some growth in her writing through the next books in the series.
3 out of 5 stars from me, and the hope that the second book will be more intriguing than this one.
Review also posted on the following sites:
http://thecovercontessa.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/iron-...
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Iron-K...
http://www.librarything.com/work/book...
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