Review: The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

"Wow" was the first word I said right after I closed the book.

You know how you wish all the books you read would just make you want to sit in a corner and read until the world fades away? That's what I felt while I was reading this. Whenever I encounter intense moments, I want to go to a place where I can just take it all in and read on. I was like that when I was reading the Hunger Games. I'm like that NOW.

Title: The Iron King (Iron Fey #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Pages: 363
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Source: Borrowed
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Summary:

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.

To say that I'm skeptical when I read this book is an understatement. I have tried reading books with faeries before, but I always end up not finishing it, or even if I do finish it, I don't enjoy the reading experience unlike when I read other books. Despite the attractiveness in which faeries are portrayed, they always lack something that interests me.

Julie Kagawa brought back my faith in faerie stories, and did a lot more with this book. The Iron King plunges you head on into the magical world of faeries, where readers are given front row seats to experience one teenage girl's adventure into a world she never knew existed.

Mixing elements from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream and Alice in Wonderland, Julie Kagawa created a world so fascinating, readers will find themselves pulled instantly into the world of the faeries, and the Nevernever, or Faeryland as Puck would call it, home to The Seelie Court ruled by Oberon and Titania, and the Unseelie court, ruled by Queen Mab. It's a magical world that exists as long as they exist in people's imaginations. Kudos to Julie Kagawa, I have found yet another author who's great in world building!

I truly appreciate books with characters that are equally interesting as the leads. I absolutely love Grimalkin! Grim, who is reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, is an intriguing character. Grim is the most interesting supporting character I've read in a while.

There won't be any shortage of action, and suspense in this book. Meghan's journey to find her brother leads her into a thrilling adventure in a land unfamiliar to her, a land who is as much part of her as the human world. Through her journey from the Summer Court, to the frozen lands of the Winter Court and the wasteland of the Iron King, Meghan grew from being a scared girl who refuses to believe that she is indeed part-fey, into a heroine strong enough to brave the world of the fey.

Strong heroines would need trusted friends, right? Puck is just that. Although I wish that he was given more of a fighting chance with Meghan in terms of romance, I'm sure we'll see more of it in The Iron Daughter. Puck is a fun, lovable character, your typical male best friend who can make you laugh in times when you feel like the world is against you, like this:

"Ladies and Felines," he stated grandly, grasping the doorknob, "Welcome to Tir Na Nog. Land of endless winter and shitloads of snow."

Though I knew that Ash and Meghan would eventually develop feelings for each other through the course of the book, I didn't saw it coming until that one moment when it happened. There's just something in Ash that makes me want to swoon, especially when he spews lines like this:

"You made me feel alive again,"

A boy who portrays a cold-hearted prince to the whole world, an Ice Prince, falling for the Summer Princess? Interesting. I like it how he seems vulnerable at times in the story, not like the typical hero who tries so hard to make the heroine think that he can save the world alone.

Also, I have to admit that I never get tired of love triangles. The Iron King seems to have the same formula when it comes to love triangles, and though its not yet as pronounced in this book, I would very much like to see if Julie Kagawa would be able to put a certain twist to this love triangle of Puck, Meghan and Ash. I always tend to give chance to the other party, like in The Iron King, I do think that the best friend would always have an unfair advantage over the other guy. Puck would always know Meghan better than Ash. And Ash would have to exert more effort to know Meghan more. We'll see what happens, but as of the moment, I am Team Ash!

An interesting point in the story, is the portrayal of "technology" as the enemy. I'm not sure why some readers/bloggers find this a bit off-putting, but I take this concept as something fresh and unique, if not good. For once, the enemy is not "someone", but "something". When you think about it in the perspective of faeries, who exists solely because of people's imaginations, it's a killer, and that's something new. Aren't we all looking for a book that isn't made to be the usual YA novel? I'm sure this will be explained more in the next books, and I can't wait to find out how it will be tackled.

The Iron King is an AMAZING start to a series. No wonder people are addicted to The Iron Fey books! I too, am hooked!

My rating

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:

I love how the swirls are embossed! Although I have to say that certain parts of Meghan's face should have been "cleaned" more, since the swirls are taking up parts of her face. Overall, I like the cover!