BOOK REVIEW - THE IRON KING by JULIE KAGAWA

Title:   THE IRON KING
Author:  JULIE KAGAWA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: February 2010
Pages: Paperback, 363 pages

RATING:
4 STARS

Description taken from http://enterthefaeryworld.com/ironfey

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 will firstly admit that it took me a little bit to get through the first part of this book.  The use of characters from all different and currently existing fables and stories seemed a touch too much for me.  The hardest one of all was Grimalkin the disappearing cat - yep..... Alice in Wonderland style cat!!!  I am sure there would be plenty of other vanishing creatures or beings that could have been used.... but Julie chose the cat.  Nonetheless, Grimalkin turned out to be a handy character to have!

Being a YA series, I did wonder if the use of A Midsummer Nights Dream would have been understood by many.... though thinking this, by the end of the book Julie may just have stirred up enough interest in younger readers to pick up the original book and give it a chance - always giving more hope to the classics is great.

The forbidden love between Meghan and Ash is sure to give us some interesting reading in The Iron Daughter. Though I am sure Ash will be as cold as his Winter Court when required in the presence of Queen Mab.

The loyalty from Puck/Robbie is wonderful and I certainly felt the secret love he had for Meghan. Could this become something later on? - Who knows..... there must be a Puck - Meghan - Ash triangle in there somewhere... though at the moment there are no "teams" to choose - it is Ash all the way!

I may have struggled at first but the story unfolded and I was easily swept away into the faery world. I read through this book with imagery of a Tim Burton film translation and found it to be a wonderful read that I can so clearly see as a movie.

Julie has described the Nevernever  and it's occupants with such detail that it would be hard not to have a fantastic fantasy fueled vision.

Now on to the novella - Winters Passage......

Enjoy!

Marissa