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The Iron King (Iron Fey #1)

by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads Author)

4.06 · rating details · 21,727 ratings · 3,526 reviews

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 protectiv...more

Paperback, 363 pages

Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

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May 03, 2010

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Recommends it for: fans of faery folklore and tales blending magic and horror

Shelves: favorite-books, 2010-reads

(Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

The Iron King . . . What can I say about this book? Well, it's probably one of the best faerie books I've read in a long time. (For the sake of giving a short but sweet review, I won't spit back the plot since anyone can go read the book synopsis if they're interested.) I loved how the book weaved together familiar and popular elements to make something fresh and remarkable. Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Pan, the Grimm Brothers' ...more(Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

The Iron King . . . What can I say about this book? Well, it's probably one of the best faerie books I've read in a long time. (For the sake of giving a short but sweet review, I won't spit back the plot since anyone can go read the book synopsis if they're interested.) I loved how the book weaved together familiar and popular elements to make something fresh and remarkable. Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Pan, the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, and faerie folklore from around the world were obviously some of the influences and inspirations for this tale, but it's done so well. Even while seeing the nods to Alice or Peter Pan, you have the feeling that you're reading something wonderful and magical -- and you are.

Faery books these days are a dime a dozen (I'd say faeries are almost as popular as vampires right now), but it's hard to find one that stays close to the roots of a "fairy tale" but also paves the way for something new in the genre. This book holds the mixture of horror and fantasy of Holly Blacks faerie books without the grittiness (don't let the Harlequin Teen imprint scare you off this title; this book, by itself, is much more an adventure than a romance); it has the spark of Melissa Marr's inventive fey world without the point-of-view flip-flopping (The Iron King is strictly first-person); and it is a book that does not rely on romance to draw readers into the plot (such as Wondrous Strange, Wings, and any number of faery stories on the market right now).

This book's plot is a true fairy tale -- the pre-Disney kind, where gruesome horror and magical fantasy walk hand in hand, where true love and a happy ending are never guarantees, and where nothing is gained without a hefty (and sometimes unforseeable) price.

And the characters . . . I am ready to start a Puck fan club right now, even though I've never really cared for the Good Fellow's other incarnations (even the original character in Shakespeare's play) before. (The Winter prince Ash is just not my cup of tea. I have my heart too set on Puck.)

So need I tell you more? You must read this as soon as you can get your mortal hands on it. The faeries won't forgive you if you don't. (less)

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Feb 07, 2011

Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it

Shelves: 2010, ya-kids-teen, harlequinteen, series-books, own, paranormal

The Iron King was an enjoyable read, but not exactly a memorable one. And while there were certain elements to it that were fairly original, the majority of the story felt like the same old tired scenario that Holly Black and Melissa Marr have already used. And because I'm ornery for details - the linguistically accurate term is fay, not fey. Just saying.

For a protagonist, I certainly enjoyed Meghan Chase more than whosit from the Holly Black book and Madam Skank from the other auth...moreThe Iron King was an enjoyable read, but not exactly a memorable one. And while there were certain elements to it that were fairly original, the majority of the story felt like the same old tired scenario that Holly Black and Melissa Marr have already used. And because I'm ornery for details - the linguistically accurate term is fay, not fey. Just saying.

For a protagonist, I certainly enjoyed Meghan Chase more than whosit from the Holly Black book and Madam Skank from the other author's book. Though prone to rash decisions and over-assumptive, Meghan seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and, when she wasn't jumping to conclusions, was a pretty reasonable character. Unlike a lot of other protagonists in fairy books, Meghan's motives and reasons for acting made sense to me, and she was easy to relate to - a definite plus. As for the other characters in The Iron Fey, I have to mention Grimalkin (the talking cat) and Puck...the dude from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck makes so many appearances in fiction nowadays, he's practically a stock character, and while I'm not sure I think he's a viable love interest, he was certainly a fun, sympathetic character. I like the way Kagawa portrayed him. Grimalkin the talking cat was definitely my favorite character - by a long shot. I guess I just have a thing for talking animals with a know-it-all and a Nell-if-I-care attitude. I tell you what, Grimalkin definitely had the best lines, that's for sure.
And it just wouldn't be a modern fairy story without Meghan falling in love with a fairy...dude. Sorry, but for me, Prince Ash was the worst character in the book. I know he and Meghan are going to end up together - surely - but it's a shame. One of the drawbacks I've encountered in paranormal fiction is the near-constant appearance of this type of love interest: the smooth-talking, cocky, oft-smirking bad boy (view spoiler). I just don't like bad boy characters as love interests, and I'd rather see them done-in than reformed, to be honest. So every scene with Ash had me rolling my eyes. And really, it's the reason I'm not keen on continuing the series with The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen - I don't think I can stomach more Ash. Blah.

It's a shame, too, because Julie Kagawa is a more than decent writer. Her style isn't overly-wordy and flowing with pace-slowing descriptions, but it isn't choppy, either. However, there was a repetitious pattern I noticed in The Iron King's plot. I can't tell you how many times Meghan and company would encounter scary, nasty creatures...then escape. Then they'd encounter more scary, nasty creatures...then escape. Here's something that I've noticed: it really doesn't matter how many scary, nasty creatures the characters encounter. It really doesn't. Because if the reader has guessed that nobody's gonna die, and nobody's gonna lose a limb...it just doesn't have the same effect.
As far as fairy books go, I'm not exactly sure why authors feel the need to portray fairies the same, worn way. The problem with portraying fairies amorally is that you really can't turn around and call the 'good guys.' Both of the courts (Summer and Winter, if I remember correctly) were portrayed the same way - so who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys? When the "good guy" characters act almost exactly like the "bad guy" characters, what kind of contrast exists? Tell me, how are Mab and Titania any different? And yet one is queen of the Unseelie Court...Unseelie usually implying malevolent. No contrast. And that's what frustrated me about the portrayal of fairies. (view spoiler).

Though I sound critical, I still enjoyed The Iron King, and I'm glad I read it. It was entertaining, but I don't really feel an overwhelming urge to continue the series. (less)

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Feb 07, 2010

Amy rated it

Shelves: 2nd-favorites

Wow!- As many others have stated, at first glance THE IRON KING appears to be your typical faerie book. Summer court? Check. Winter court? Check. Shakespeare-esque characters? Check. Yes there are similarities, but these lie only in the bare backbone of the story. Yes there are those faerie courts and A Midsummer Night's Dream characters (Oberon, Titania, etc), but they are necessary for the make-up of the story. From here on out, Julie Kagawa makes THE IRON KING shine in the already-faerie inun...moreWow!- As many others have stated, at first glance THE IRON KING appears to be your typical faerie book. Summer court? Check. Winter court? Check. Shakespeare-esque characters? Check. Yes there are similarities, but these lie only in the bare backbone of the story. Yes there are those faerie courts and A Midsummer Night's Dream characters (Oberon, Titania, etc), but they are necessary for the make-up of the story. From here on out, Julie Kagawa makes THE IRON KING shine in the already-faerie inundated YA world.

Julie Kagawa writes in a style that is easy and refreshing to read. She doesn't weigh you down with a barrage of information, rather, she slowly immerses the reader into her world, page after page. Descriptions flow off the page and her tone is never stilted. It's narrated in first person point of view, through Meghan's eyes, and I found this great because she had a voice that was believable and easy to relate to.

The thing I loved most about THE IRON KING was its multiple story lines. Meghan embarks on a journey that takes her far and wide, to diverse regions of Faeryland and all over America. There wasn't just one set plot where she travels into the Summer court and stays there for the rest of the novel. Nope, her quest brings her from one plot to another, from one crisis to a new one, from one mission to the next.

THE IRON KING has a more action and adventure feel to it, though that is not to say it didn't have romance. There was a love story, but it did not overwhelm the fantasy-like realm of the Nevernever (faery land) and its unique and engaging inhabitants. First off, I love the feel of THE IRON KING. It's like a quest in the sense that Meghan, the main character, encounters all sorts of odd and malicious beings along the way as she nears her main goal. Unlike many faerie books out today, there was SO much going on! And in a good way. The story wasn't just about faerie drama and court intrigue, although there was a good portion of that in the beginning, which was actually done in a superb way. There was a lot of fighting, which was written well so it wasn't boring- usually, I dislike fight scenes for their dull descriptions and constant sword clashing, etc, but in THE IRON KING, I was actually very very enthralled!

The romance was very well done as well. There was a "love triangle" going on, although that was subtle and not very well emphasized because one love interest took the backseat to the other, in a good way. I love the push and pull, the chemistry between Meghan and the guy, which was very believable and made it all the more satisfying when they admit their feelings, sorta.

And the characters! I loved them all, which is a rarity in these types of books, where only the main character and one or two others stand out and all others are only fleetingly described or mentioned. Meghan has a companion in a Cheshire-like cat named Grimalkin, whom I adored, and all the other characters were well fleshed out to the point where I could visualize them in my mind and understand their actions. THE IRON KING is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland in that there is this feeling of being in an alternate and extremely quirky and surreal setting, which is true to an extent because a lot of the novel takes place in the Nevernever, home to the faeries.

Although THE IRON KING is only 368 pages, it was 368 pages of captivating adventure and page-turning action. I wholeheartedly recommend this to all those who love faeries, and ok- everyone else too!(less)

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Jun 12, 2011

The Flooze (Michelle M.) rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, owned, vanquished_2010, ya_teen

**6.12.2011 ETA: Finished book three and this is one of the most frustrating YA series I've read to date. If you've no tolerance for angsty, bratty, obtuse heroines, steer right clear of it.**

**3.5-ish?**

Julie Kagawa’s YA novel is an interesting treatment of Celtic legend, with characters reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and the movie Labyrinth. Kagawa’s vision of Faerie (or the NeverNever) is fully-realized and her particular talent lies in description--her world feels...more

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Jan 10, 2011

Kat Kennedy rated it

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, the-great-shelf-of-meh

ICOFA (InCase of Fairy Abduction)

In the event that you are abducted by fairies, please adhere to the following guidelines so that I don't have to watch or read about you blundering through fairyland like an incompetent idiot.

1. Never thank a fairy for services rendered.
2. Never eat fairy food.
3. Never dance with fairies.
4. Never strike a bargain with a fairy unless you've agreed on the fine points.

The Iron King is a book about a sixteen yea...more

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Jan 28, 2010

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: own-arc, books-i-own, signed-arcs, signed-books

This book was outstanding. I mean really... I was totally enthralled from page one to page three hundred and sixty eight. I am blown away at the sheer awesomeness that emits from this book.

First off, I’m a huge fan of “Fae” in general, especially love reading this type of story. But at the same time, when it comes to book about fae there are a lot of similarities. Many books share the same mythology, the Summer Court and Winter Court, references to Midsummer Night’s Dream... The Iro...more

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Nov 25, 2011

仔, 我决定爱你一萬年 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ghost-djinn-witch-fairy-immortal-de, fantasy, 2010-2011-terjemahanku

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *belum selesai*

heeee ternyata belum direview ya *garuk-garuk*
ini buku bersejarah buat gw soalnya - jadi bingung bikin reviewnya

cerita aja deh +___+

ngelirik buku ini sebenarnya udah lama, covernya yang cantik itu bikin tergoda
ibuknya pun didonlot, dan terbengkalai lama ga disentuh2
suatu hari, ketika sedang menjelajah GR, ngeliat buku ini lagi, katanya mo diterbitin di indonesia
daan
penerbitnya bilang lagi nyari2 penerjemah - karena...more

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Dec 13, 2010

Arlene rated it

Shelves: faeries, read-2010, ya-paranormal

The Iron King definitely holds a respectable spot in the world of faerie fiction. Fans of the Wicked Lovely series will enjoy this highly fantastical adventure that spans across three fey courts; includes numerous seelie and unseelie characters that abide by the rules of engagement of faerie lore; and creatively parallels a beloved Shakespearian play. Well done!

The story does include your usual suspects found in most YA books such as your typical teenage girl who is unaware of her t...moreThe Iron King definitely holds a respectable spot in the world of faerie fiction. Fans of the Wicked Lovely series will enjoy this highly fantastical adventure that spans across three fey courts; includes numerous seelie and unseelie characters that abide by the rules of engagement of faerie lore; and creatively parallels a beloved Shakespearian play. Well done!

The story does include your usual suspects found in most YA books such as your typical teenage girl who is unaware of her true self and the bad guy romance turned forbidden love. For me, at least, it wasn’t until the final hour that I started to fall for this unlikely pair. To be completely honest, this book came together for me at the half. It took me over three weeks to read because I knew I was having a hard time suspending my reality to the level needed to appreciate Kagawa’s faerie world, so I set it aside for a bit. However, the second half of the book is where the magic began as I was submerged in a world of intrigue and high adventure, so I’m glad I didn’t give up on this book and gave it the chance it deserved.

Julie Kagawa’s writing is rather interesting. I was impressed by her ability to pen such a vivid and detailed account of the events and the setting of Nevernever, but at the same time, I found her writing periodically repetitive. I had to crack up every time she made mention of teeth. I think the author has a fixation with choppers. I read about needle-like teeth, sharp teeth, chattering teeth, teeth that resembled fangs and buzzing teeth. How do you make your teeth buzz? LOL It got a little distracting but not enough to pull me away from this story filled with page turning action.

I must make mention of one of the MCs…Ash… quite the character this one. At first, I was wondering if I met the wrong squee-worthy character many of the Bookers have fallen for. He came across IMO as mean and elusive, but then… that moment… yes that magical moment when he came to Meghan’s defense and dropped his guard for her and from there on out risked his life to get her to the Iron King…. I got it… I really did. Great character development on the part of the author as it takes a lot to have me change my feelings so drastically about a baddie turned hottie. Again… well done!

The ending was perfect IMHO as it left me with closure yet piqued my interest enough to want to continue on with this adventure. I’ll definitely be moving on to the next two installments and I can’t wait to see where Kagawa takes us as we reenter the world of Nevernever. (less)

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Apr 12, 2010

Christina rated it

Shelves: uf-ya

I honestly loved this book. It was hard not too. Kagawa created an enchanting blend of classical fairy tale and modern-day adventure(much like the aforementioned villain, the "Iron King", creating a neat parallel).

Though it isn't a particularly funny book per se, I personally appreciated the quiet sarcasm and quirky wit thrown in at random times. That is,the universe was darker than I'd thought when reading the blurb, but frankly, it was a nice change.

Th...more

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Nov 05, 2010

Jessica rated it

Shelves: 01-faves, 02-hall-of-fame-♥, 05-literary-crush-worthy, 14-faeries

Endearing Heroine? Check. Unique plot? Check. Gripping story that sucks you right in? Check. Loveable and interesting secondary characters? Check. Hot romance? Check!

You see? DING DING DING DING DING ! Jackpoooooot!

God, I literally devoured this book. As so many others I find it rather difficult to review books that I loved and seeing as the Iron King will join the rest of my favorite books in my personal hall of fame I can hardly come up with anything t...more

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May 08, 2010

Misty rated it

Shelves: cover-appeal, recommended, juvenile-ya, own, read-in-2010, sci_fi-fantasy, series, supernatural-paranormal, ya-challenge-4, fey, 2010-debuts__tenners

2.5
Meghan Chase is an outsider. She lives in the middle of nowhere, barely has any friends, and her own family sometimes seems to forget she even exists. And all of that is bad enough, when Meghan's 4-year-old half-brother is kidnapped, replaced with a violent faery changeling, and Meghan learns that her best friend is really a faery, and hey, so is she -- the daughter of the Summer King, Oberon. And so Meghan must descend into the Nevernever to rescue her brother and reconcile the life...more

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Nov 16, 2010

Joyzi rated it

Recommends it for: Those who love Tinkerbell

Recommended to Joyzi by: Goodreads

Shelves: e-book, ya-books, fantasy, fiction, reviewed, book-series, author-japanese, paranormal-romance

To have a more organize review I'll use pros and cons(as always^^, OC that I am!).

Pros:
1. Okay this is my 1st fairy book, considered that a plus. ***I'm confused though if this is the 1st fairy book that I've read because I've already read Artemis Fowl (is that a Fairy book?) and City of Ashes (there's a little Fairy scene in it too)***

2. The Fairy Realm created in the book was really creative I love the Seelie(Summer) Court and the counterpart of it the Unseelie(Winter)...more

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Aug 13, 2010

Andrea! added it

Shelves: fiction

Great description, pacing, and world-building; lots of creepiness, along with a good backing cast. And Grimalkin sleeps on Meghan? <3 I'll have to read more of this series.

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Sep 24, 2011

Jen rated it

Shelves: paid-full-price, read-in-2010, books-i-own

The Iron King is a breath of fresh air after a string of mediocre novels.

I guess that's not entirely fair. Some of the novels I've read lately have captured my interest and kept me turning pages to the end. But, in recent memory, I can't recall a book that has literally made me forget who I am and what I'm doing. I feel like I body-snatched Meghan Chase and was in her shoes for the whole 370ish pages.

I felt her worry for her brother, Ethan.

I felt her confusion and frustrati...more

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May 10, 2010

(´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´) rated it

Shelves: own

The Iron King is a fast paced, magnificently written story that kept me turning the pages. The settings are exquisitely detailed without being overly wordy and even the supporting characters are dynamic and real. The heroine is tough, stubborn, and somehow vulnerable at the same time, and much more empowered than the female leads that I've found in other YA novels. While there is a wonderful romance woven throughout the tale, this is not a story of a teenage girl pining over the mysterious bad b...more

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Jul 23, 2011

Kwesi 章英狮 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: owned, julie-kagawa, 2011

'O my god, this is the most precious book I ever found!' That was my first reaction and with no hesitation I bought it like I saw a million-cost jewelry. Well, from comments and reviews online, it was a promising book. Yes it was, and who said no. Unfortunately, the story is quite disappointing in my part and the big part of it is that this book is not really for boys. Okay, please, don't think any negative idea about what I said.

The book was all about faeries, feys, dwarfs and all m...more

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Mar 20, 2011

Melisa Mariani rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fantasy, 2011-reads, fav-covers

Phew! Menyelesaikan membaca buku ini penuh perjuangan! Tapi bukan karena bukunya jelek lho... ;-)

Yang pertama, saat saya mulai baca buku ini mood memang lagi jelek dan kejenuhan menyerang setelah baca Jane Eyre setebal 688 halaman.

Kedua, setelah sampai dengan selamat (walaupun agak kepayahan) di hal. 368, betapa kagetnya saya ketika melihat halaman di sebelah 368 bukan 369, tapi 385!!! Emosi rasanya naik ke ubun-ubun, pas lagi seru-serunya lha kok halamannya loncat! Esok ...more

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Jan 08, 2011

Bunny rated it

Shelves: 2011, ebooks

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

Okay, so I had unreasonably high expectations of Meghan. Mainly because her name was Meghan, and us Meghan’s simply have a higher standard to live up to. =] That said, I admired her. I admired her strength, cleverness, determination, and love for her little brother. This was an incredible book. I couldn’t put it down. It played on all of my favo...more

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Jun 13, 2011

Book Chick City rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, books-for-review-full-list, fantasy, reviews

Reviewed by Jo for Book Chick City.

I do feel that Fae are the new Vampire in the YA catagory, but I love faeries, so it's not a bad thing but its a question if the latest faerie book brings something new or not. I thought 'The Iron King' was really enjoyable, and the mythology it brings really is new and magical.

This book felt like an original fairy tale. Before Disney sugar coated things, fairy tales were a thing of horror, with gruesome plots and where love is never gua...more

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Mar 22, 2010

Parajunkee.com rated it

Shelves: favorites

I was at a breaking point when it came to YA faerie novels. Had enough. But I was pretty resigned to the fact that The Iron King was going to be the BWB YA pick...this book has been pretty popular among the bloggers of late. There is a reason for it's popularity. This is the best YA faerie novel that I have read, hands down. Gripping - check. Tough - check. Scary - check. Emotional - check. Creative - check. The list goes on...Ms. Kagawa you've written yourself quite a fairy tale.

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Mar 09, 2011

Anne Osterlund rated it

Meghan is an ordinary teen who lives beyond the backside of nowhere, wants desperately to get her driver’s license, and has extremely bad taste in hot guys.

Which might be more of an issue if her brother hadn’t just been kidnapped by the land of faerie. And her best friend hadn’t turned out to be one of the most notorious tricksters in the other realm. And she, herself, hadn’t been born the love child of a faerie king.

All of which was plenty of trouble.

And that...more

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Jan 01, 2012

Heidi rated it

· review of another edition

Four stars: A book with incredibly detailed world building. Welcome to the Nevernever.

Meghan Chase is turning sixteen. For most girls, this is a momentous occasion, but for Meghan, it is nearly forgotten by everyone. Meghan comes from a poor family, she is painfully shy and trying desperately to fit in. Her father vanished when she was six and her mother remarried. Meghan is often overlooked at home and school. Her one friend and companion is Robbie. At least he remembers her ...more

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Mar 06, 2011

Thomas rated it

I'm not going to add anything new to the table with this review, but I'll throw in my two cents - I enjoyed this story about faeries that utilized A Midsummer Night's Dream as its framework.

The writing and the plot complemented each other splendidly. Kagawa's prose is refreshing and easy to read while still including moments of magic that made the wondrous land of Nevernever come alive. The story is a combination of action and adventure and romance - beginning with sixteen-year-old M...more

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Jan 20, 2011

Nic rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. To begin with, I should say that this book does some things well. Faeryland has some neat stuff about it, and the glamour, plus the way agreements and favors work with faeries, are nifty. I also like all the Shakespeare references - not just Puck, Titania, and Oberon, but Grimalkin (who, because I'm a nerd, I know is the cat belonging to the three witches of MacBeth).

Two things I did not know about this book before starting it:

1. It is the first of a trilogy

2. I...more

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Jan 01, 2011

Sarah rated it

Shelves: not-translated, series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Curse you Ash! You made me forget about my mid-test tomorrow!

So, I was just unplannedly read this book, thinking to fresh my mind after the stupid math exam today and... Well, the rest was blur. Only me in The Iron Fey world for the past six hours.

This book slammed my first judge, turned out to be much more than I expected. also, the cover is very beautiful! I hope if the Indonesian version is released, it'll be the same cover like this!

First, the characters w...more

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Jun 16, 2011

Cara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, awesome-covers, e-book, fantasy, series

This is going to be an embarrassing revelation but I thought faerie and fairy was the same thing. Meaning the spellings was interchangeable. I know shameful right? Obviously it's not quite the same. When I started reading this story I knew it was going to be about normal sized faeire folk, but I learned a lot about the whole workings of how their societies work. And there were swords. If I see a sword I have to read it.

Meghan Chase (cool last name no?) at this point of her life is w...moreThis is going to be an embarrassing revelation but I thought faerie and fairy was the same thing. Meaning the spellings was interchangeable. I know shameful right? Obviously it's not quite the same. When I started reading this story I knew it was going to be about normal sized faeire folk, but I learned a lot about the whole workings of how their societies work. And there were swords. If I see a sword I have to read it.

Meghan Chase (cool last name no?) at this point of her life is worried about getting her license and getting noticed by her crush. Unbeknownst to her she has much bigger problems than that. Much bigger. On her birthday one weird thing happens after the other. She comes back to see her little brother acting strange, like a monster actually. It turns out that her brother has been switched with a changeling. With the help of Puck, her best friend, she embarks on a journey to bring him back. There is a reason why they targeted her brother, it turns out her father is the King of the Summer Court in the land of Nevernever. To make things even better she is attracted to Ash, the youngest prince of the Winter Court. Lots of complications and close calls ensue and there will be a COWABUNGA ending, don't you just love those?

In the beginning I wasn't feeling the groove of this book. Meghan seemed kind of flat because she was constantly being rescued by Puck or Ash. Believe me I see the appeal in that, but I like our girl heroes to be able to pack a punch as well. At first I feel like I didn't know her well, but towards the end I saw growth in her and she definitely can wrangle with the best of them towards the end.

There is your typical brooding type and the funny sarcastic friend that I usually root for but always loses. Sigh ,but the author sets up some cool concepts. The Nevernever world is in trouble because people don’t believe in them anymore and technology has become the new thing humans believe in. It's troubling to see their world wither away. I felt weird because I read this on an e-reader and trust me I felt the irony in that. I'm betting Kagawa (that name really rolls off the tongue) will be able to fuse the good of mythical creatures and technology, or at least I hope she does.

It seems the book has taken a few things from A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I haven't read. I would guess the story is more enjoyable if you have but it's not needed. The cover drew me in and I'm already on hold for The Iron Daughter. I'm ready to see more glinting sword clashing; there wasn't quite enough of that in this one.
(less)

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Dec 21, 2010

Mery rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: own, i-love-its-cover, gift, terjemahan, fantasy-romance-ya

Yay... Ini buku terjemahan Zaizai yang pertama...
Dan aku dikasih kehormatan untuk membaca bukunya lebih dulu...

Bisa dibilang ini buku pertama tentang faery yang pertama kubaca. Sebelumnya, aku tidak begitu tertarik, karena faery yang kukenal itu kan cuma tinkerbell. ;D

Tapi buku ini justru berbeda...

Bercerita mengenai seorang gadis biasa yang tidak populer di sekolahnya, Meghan Chase. *alur yang biasa banget kan?*

Tapi di sini, Megh...more

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Apr 13, 2011

Novels On The Run rated it

Michelle's Review:

I am more of a 3.5 - 4 stars for this book..inbetween... I liked it and I really liked it. Julie has a great imagination. I will read Winters Passage next the ebook then go onto The Iron Daughter. Hmmm I am liking the book I am!! but I need to think about the words I want to use for this review as I am an honest reviewer and I have certain reasons for my review star ratings. It has a beautiful cover and is worth a read.
I had similar reading experience with Ne...more

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Feb 23, 2011

Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it

Shelves: arcs-i-own, books-i-own, 2010-100-book-challenge, mundie-moms-review, debut-author-challenge

This was is on action packed, exciting read. I totally love the modern day faerie tale in which Julie has created. She has spun an amazing story wrapping in the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and a beloved character from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck, as well as Queen Titania.

Megan's about to turn 16 and the world as she knew is changing before her eyes and she's soon forced into a whole new world she didn't really think existed, after her 4 year old brother is kidnapped by the monsters...more

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Mar 05, 2011

Alicia rated it

Recommends it for: 12 +

Shelves: faeries, young-adult-fantasy, overdone-love-triangle-trope, urban-fantasy, reviewed, young-adult-romance, adventure, steampunk

A fun addition to the overflowing pastel-covered stacks of YA fairy fiction, with a lot less grit than Melissa Marr's series or adult urban fantasy like the Fever series. The Iron King also had a lot less romance than most other popular fae series, which I found to be enjoyable. It's nice to see romance take the back-burner once in a while to other concerns like family, identity, self-sufficiency and friendship. This is almost more of an adventure-quest type of story than it is a romance, so ...moreA fun addition to the overflowing pastel-covered stacks of YA fairy fiction, with a lot less grit than Melissa Marr's series or adult urban fantasy like the Fever series. The Iron King also had a lot less romance than most other popular fae series, which I found to be enjoyable. It's nice to see romance take the back-burner once in a while to other concerns like family, identity, self-sufficiency and friendship. This is almost more of an adventure-quest type of story than it is a romance, so it does seem a bit surprising that it's published by Harlequin Teen, but I suppose any kind of branching out on their part can only be a a good thing.

The first couple of chapters were rough-going, and I didn't think I was going to like it much. Initially the dialogue seemed very stiff, and all of the high school stuff (unpopular outsider girl who hates the shallow cheerleaders and crushes on an unintelligent jock) was very stale and cliche for me. However, a bit of persistence paid off, and once Meghan left the human world behind and entered the faery world, Nevernever, the story improved immensely. Aside from the way that Kagawa worked a subtle condemnation of human materialism and technology dependency into her faery mythology, there wasn't anything super fresh or innovative in this fantasy, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Meghan was a fairly respectable heroine, as YA heroines go, and I appreciated that she had goals and interests (she was fond of programming and web design, and was hoping to get into ITT Tech after high school). I thought she could have done with a bit more sticking up for herself, saving herself, and getting out of scrapes without the boy's intervention, but she had her independent moments and I didn't find her to be constantly playing the damsel in distress, as some reviews suggest. After all, she did (view spoiler). In terms of the love triangle, I'm definitely Team Robbie/Puck. I'm so not a fan of the arrogant, tortured, being-a-jerk-makes-me-sexy, I-want-to-kill-you bad boy thing that Ash had going on, although he was nowhere near as bad a perpetrator of that trope as someone like Jace in The Mortal Instruments Series, and Meghan didn't get more turned onto him by his indifference or beg for scraps the way that Clary does. Will be interesting to see who she ends up with, if anyone, and I sincerely hope that it isn't Ash.

By the last half the the book, I did find that some of the fight scenes were becoming dull, and I ended up skimming through the many descriptions of swordfights and hacking at dragons/gremlins/our creature flavour of the hour. It seems counterintuitive to say that the non-stop action and fight scenes were what really slowed down the pace, but I found that they were the most boring parts and would cause me to start to lose interest in the plot when there were several of them all crammed very close together. I would have rather had more introspection on Meghan's part, perhaps more backstory to Robbie/Puck or Ash, or just more character development in general than a 10th fight scene with some beautiful yet gruesome creature. The ending was enjoyable though, with just the right amount of resolution and remaining tension. I will definitely be continuing on with the series as an easy nighttime read. (less)

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