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    The Iron King
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    The Iron King
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    The Iron King
    Ebook385 pages6 hours

    The Iron King

    By Julie Kagawa

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this ebook

    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. 

    For Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face and find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

    Don't miss the first book in Julie Kagawa's highly anticipated new series, TALON, AVAILABLE OCTOBER 28, 2014

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin
    Release dateFeb 1, 2010
    ISBN9781426847806
    Author

    Julie Kagawa

    Born in Sacramento, CA, Julie Kagawa moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things; how to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks, and that writing stories in math class is a great way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives is Louisville, KY with her husband and furkids. She is the international and NYT bestselling author of The Iron Fey series. Visit her at juliekagawa.com.

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    Reviews for The Iron King

    4/5

    270 ratings156 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It’s a page turner makes you want even more. I started reading around 5pm and didn’t stop till 12:12 am???
    • 5/5
      Very Fun and entertaining! I highly recommend reading this book!
    • 3/5
      The plot is interesting and so is the world building, but the way it's written was lack luster and not detailed. Regardless, the end prompts the sequels very well, and I'm moving on to the next volume with higher expectations.
    • 5/5
      love Ash!!!
    • 4/5
      I
    • 4/5
      I ve seen alot people read this book so I decided to to give it a try.To be honest I thought it it was going to be about some pampered princess but then I started reading this book and I actually liked it .
    • 5/5
      Great! I'd call it 'Wizard of Oz' meets 'City of Bones' in faery land (or 'never never'). I couldn't put it down.
    • 3/5
      I was kind of surprised by my reaction to this book. I kind of swung between, "meh," and "Oh!"

      The Otherworld, Tir na Nog, and Faerie courts seem to be a current popular topic in YA. I've run across quite a few books lately that retread the ground of classic fairy legends, and I've honestly been a bit disappointed at the lack of anything new or innovative. In this book, we're introduced to the Iron Fey, which is a bit akin to the idea of gods of technology, as seen in American Gods. Basically, the Fey exist because of the creativity and imagination of mankind, and when man started working and dreaming metal and machining, the Iron Fey were born. They hid from other Fey because iron is traditionally and well known to be anathema to the Fey.

      It's an interesting twist on an old story -- anyone with a passing familiarity of fairy legends knows about the winter and summer courts (some legends also speak of autumn and spring courts), and we're familiar with injunctions such as, "Don't drink/ eat anything while you're in faerie," and "Don't listen to faerie music," and, "Don't dance at a faerie ball." All these were given their nod, the faeries were presented as otherwordly, beautiful, and terrible. But it was the Iron Fey that were the most intriguing, and it is the Iron Fey that make me want to keep reading the series -- it's a new twist, a different way of telling and looking at an old, familiar story.

      Otherwise, the book is average. As far as pacing and plot structure go, it's well done. As far as description and dialogue go, it seems a bit choppy and rough occasionally, but overall is good. Since it's the first in a three-book series, the writing can only go up!
    • 4/5
      I loved the adventure Julie Kagawa took me on in The Iron King. It reminded of so many different stories that I've love. Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland and a little The Never Ending Story. Not in a copycat kind of way at all, this story definitely had it's unique voice. It was a wild ride from beginning to end and I found myself not able to stop reading at some points. The story flowed easily from one conflict from the next and I found it easy to connect to the characters.

      I loved Meghan in the book. Probably one of my favorite female heroines. She isn't a complete dip that kept obsessing over every little decision. She is strong when she needs to be and weak when anyone would be. She slowly comes into her true self, rather than walking into Faery and having super powers out of nowhere. I really liked the progression of her character in this book and am excited to see what new surprises lie in store for the rest.

      Puck/Robbie is the easy going best friend who obviously has a crush on Meghan. I enjoyed the way his character ligthens the mood. I also like how Julie fits the lore of his character into the story as well. Although I could never picture Meghan with him, he reminds me of every girls best guy friend that is simply a friend. Ash on the other hand, I loved from the minute he was introduce. There is just something about the dark brooding type. I like the fact that he is kind of a villain, not the perfect prince charming. It gives a little more depth to his character. Besides who isn't a villain in the land of Faery. How could I not adore Grim, the matter of fact cat, he says how it is and doesn't spare feelings. I'm interested to see how he uses the "little favors" he seems to be collecting.

      I never thought I was into Fey lore, or books about it. The more I read the more I enjoy it. It's a magical world that isn't poises and roses. The Fey are mean spirited and selfish and I'm glad it was kept in tact in The Iron King. The Iron Fey make perfect sense and fit into the story well. What a great job.

      The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the romance between Meghan and Ash. I felt I needed a little more to make it believable. I kind of feel like there is more there. He never really acted like he hated her and had shown up in the mortal world which made me wonder how long he had been watching her. There is still much that is a mystery. I can only assume that their story will evolve more in the later books and this was simple the door that leads to that.

      Overall what a great book. I couldn't put it down and I'm anxious to get the rest of the books. I'm so glad they are all already out so I don't have to wait.
    • 3/5
      In general I liked this–the writing was strong and Meghan is a sympathetic narrator. But I was never captured or convinced by this version of Fairyland. I know I’m a bit particular about depictions of Fairyland, but I felt like the wonder and the…engulfingness of it were missing. [Oct. 2011]
    • 3/5
      I had the great honor of winning this book from a fellow blogger. I went into this book with high expectations because of the fan base it has. While this book didn't let me down per se, it didn't live up to expectations.

      'The Iron King' is a fun read. Simple as that. It's lighter than the typical fey stories that have been out in past years (ie: 'Replacement', 'Tithe'). Funny, the book I can most easily compare it to is 'Twilight'. It had that same sort of feel. The story flow is very light, jovial-- even in times when the characters are in mortal danger. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just different from what I expected.

      The romance is cute, even if it's totally predictable. At this point, I've gotten used to having instantaneous romances in my YA fantasy reads and 'The Iron King' is no exception to this trend. The romantic ties between the characters are formed fast. Thankfully, even with those quick love ties, main character Meghan doesn't fall into the trap that other YA heroines fall into. She keeps her cool and direction, even as she begins falling in love with a certain character. She keeps her eye on the mission at hand, while occasionally oogling the males in her party. (The end has a bit more of oogling, but I can forgive that!)

      Pushing the storyline aside, I do enjoy the characters in this series. They all have at least one attribute that I latched onto. Puck, for example, has some great sarcastic lines that verge on snarky. Ash and his incessant need to battle Puck was entertaining, because you know neither one really means to do anything other but injure eachother. (It helps that he actually does come off as pretty darn hot on paper!) Meghan's 'go with the flow' attitude about her being part fey was refreshing. And Grim, well, I adore Grim. His Cheshire nature made me adore him instantly. He's the character I wonder about-- what are his intentions and what deals might he be calling in in future novels?

      'The Iron King' is one of those reads that you should look at. It is a light story that sucked me in without me even knowing it. One of those reads where you'll find yourself rooting for the characters and even feeling bad for some of them!

      This book gets 3/5 stars from me. I had to take off a few stars because I felt it was a bit over hyped. Still good, but just not as fantastic as expected. 'The Iron King' is on bookshelves online and in stores now. Take a peek!
    • 3/5
      I put off writing a review for The Iron King because I don't have much to say about it: I liked it well enough while I was reading it, I didn't actively hate the main character and I don't remember wanting the book to be over or anything, but two days later, I had to reacquaint myself with the characters (and their flowing locks) and plot points before I could write a review. Junk food for the brain.

      Yes, this is yet another offering in the trendy "faeries with a twist" genre, but Kagawa writes it well enough that I stayed attached to it until I was done: sixteen-year-old Meghan follows her young half-brother into the Nevernever after he's abducted. Over the course of the book, she discovers she's half-fey -- and a princess, at that -- and gets to deal with searching for her brother AND being used as a kind of political tool.

      There are a lot of enjoyable literary references mixed into the story, too, like Kagawa's homage to Carroll's Cheshire Cat. And as is standard for this type of novel, there's a love triangle, although I wasn't really convinced that either of the Meghan-related arms of the triangle worked.

      While I might not easily remember all the details of the book, I do remember a few quirky things: some words that were used in strange ways that might have been technically correct but were still odd (like "scanty wardrobe" meaning a limited selection of clothing) and an instance where Meghan notes that another character has addressed her by her name for the FIRST TIME -- I know, right? pitter pat -- except he has actually done so at least twice before, and one of those instances was all of two pages ago.

      It's obvious that The Iron King is the first of a series; most plot points are wrapped up nicely but the ending is built for a sequel. I am not convinced that I NEED to read the next book in the series, but if I see it at the library, I'll pick it up.
    • 3/5
      The opening of The Iron King definitely worried me. It didn't look good. Meghan struck me as a bit stupid, her family as neglectful jerks and the school drama as obnoxious. Thankfully, this lasts only so long and, once the plot takes off, the book becomes much more interesting.

      I know that these YA fantasy romances are everywhere these days (I read a lot of them). Their quality definitely varies from absolutely atrocious to fantastically good. Based solely on this book (not on the following books in the series, which I have not yet read), I would place The Iron King among the upper half of this genre of books. There were some moments that made me eyeroll, but, overall, Kagawa created a world that's largely convincing and a story that moves along at a good pace.

      What was good about The Iron King?

      The References- William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was a huge influence for this story. Since that is one of my favorite plays (and movies), I have to give Kagawa props for that (at least since she did it well enough). She also uses the term "otaku," which is a reference to nerds in Japan.
      Meghan Chase comes across as a realistic girl. She is weak, skeptical, clever, awkward, strong and annoying at various points in the story. While she frequently needs to be saved by her companions, she also gets stuff done herself when she needs to.
      The story falls a familiar fantasy quest plot, which is comforting in its way. Meghan sets off on a quest (to save her brother), acquires companions (Puck, Ash, Grimalkin, etc.), loses companions along the way, and must ultimately resolve her quest alone.
      Grimalkin- I love this cait sith (fairy cat?). Despite his powers and the fact that he's a fairy, he's mostly just a cat. And it's fantastic.
      The Pack Rats- They're just so cute.

      There are some less good parts too, but the good outweighed the bad. It will be interesting to see how the story develops in the next books, which I will be reading over the next month.
    • 3/5
      I didn't know what to expect from this and was pleasantly surprised. The author does use many of the standard conventions (making use of the Oberon/Mab traditional stories) but she goes beyond them in many ways. Her new Iron Court is very creative and although it is pretty easy to predict where the book is going the journey is interesting. The main character is a bit irritating; I grew frustrated with her willingness to just go along with everything she's told or told to do but she does eventually begin to move beyond this. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
    • 2/5
      Good things first: this book would make a great drinking game!

      Take a shot if...
      - Meghan says or does something stupid
      - Meghan almost gets herself killed and rescued by some hot/sassy/mysterious guy
      - somebody (mostly Puck) is SMIRKING
      - somebody has beady or black eyes without pupils
      - something is being overshadowed by a shadow cast by something big
      - scenes change after two pages

      Thank me later for the most intoxicated night of your life.

      Also: I hate product placement it books; I don't care if a specific brand is part of the average teenager's life; instead of contributing to the authenticity of the plot I feel it cheapens the narrative.

      Furthermore, this book featured a description of a characters asset that I found so excrutiatingly stupid that I --now get this-- that I facepalmed.

      To reiterate: I actually PUT THE BOOK DOWN and SLAPPED MY FOREHEAD. I have never, ever in my life done this with ANY book. Ever.



      Now to the good stuff.

      First, me musing about stories and recycling ideas in general below the cut:
      This book is an amalgam of elements that have already been used in world-famous stories like Labyrinth, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Neverending Story, and, of course, A Midsummer Night's Dream on which the characters of The Iron King are mainly based.

      This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, since I believe that (almost) everything and all stories have already been told in one form or other and that there is nothing truly and completely original any more. And I am okay with that. I love stories that take elements that have already been done and combine them to give them their own wicked or unexpected twist or manage to disguise the fact that parts are heavily borrowed from somewhere else. I do, however, also think that "everything's already been done" is not an excuse or a blank pass for poor plotting, writing, and execution (or, worse, an automatic guarantee for quality).

      Because this is what this book is: poorly executed and lacking skilfull art and/or editing behind it. Yes, it takes some of literature's most fascinating and potentially interesting characters and tries to mingle them with ideas that, basically, have a lot of potential. But the execution just doesn't do it justice.

      Now let me just preface my rant: I generally love fantasy! Books, movies, comics, TV, anything, anytime.

      The characters, especially our "heroine", are incredibly flat and poorly fleshed-out. Puck in all his wicked glory had SO FREAKING MUCH potential to sweep the readers of their feet with his faery-ness-ness (yes, this is a word!) but... he is presented in such a shallow and flat way that you ALMOST don't notice him very CONVENIENTLY being disposed of in the last third, never to be seen again (at least in the first book), to make space for the bloodless lusting (seriously, who would call that love?) between Meghan and our tragical-dark-and-brooding-love-interest that is Ash.
      While Ash grew on me towards the end (but seriously, "shocking" backstory was painfully obvious), I never could figure what he ever saw in Meghan and why, all of a sudden, he was falling for her.

      Because you see, Meghan...

      ... might be one of the blandest protagonists and stupidest damsels-in-distress you might ever have encountered in YA land. See, I get that she is new to the Nevernever and doesn't know its ways but after the second or at least third time she gets herself into a life-threatening situation you would have reckoned she might learn something and actually try to think ahead. Never happens. Her stupid action get her in danger page after page, just to be conveniently saved by one of her cute love interest warrior guys. I really would have loved if Meghan was shown as helpless at first but somehow acquiring actual skills to save her own stupid ass sometimes.

      At times it read just like this:
      "I have to save Ethan! *hissy fit/forcing everybody to help her/determined look*" - *behaves stupidly* - *almost dying* - *BUT THEN THERE WAS ASH/PUCK/GRIMALKIN/OBERON/... (notice how they're all guys?)* - "Thanks for saving me! But now we have to save Ethan!" - lather, rinse, repeat.

      So much for a strong heroine. Sigh. I seriously don't get what everybody saw in her (or her alleged "power" that she even refuses to properly work for).

      And those life-threatening adventures page after page after page? They actually do happen with this frequency, it's almost ridiculous and dizzying (or, in my case, mind-numbingly exhausting). Bordering on sensory over-stimulation (man, if books were light, this book would be a stroboscope), one dangerous situation is mastered in one to two pages and then the next adventure happens, two pages later the next, and so one. No time to rest, take a breath and admire the wonder that is the Nevernever.

      Speaking of which, the world building...
      Yes, the scenes are often atmospheric and realistic enough, I could picture the situation more or less clearly in my mind. But that is not what good world building is about. I didn't see the Nevernever as an organic world. I wanted to know more: how does this work, what is this race, what's their back story, what about the magic? Nothing is fleshed out, everything is simply alluded to and you have to fill in the gaps by yourself, which actually isn't happening since Kagawa doesn't give you any hints and doesn't explain later.

      And how would an author, when there is so limited space and so many OTHER IDEAS that have to be used? Seriously, Kagawa tried to use every possible situation and every impossible creature in her novel, so much so almost all creatures (only described by their looks, nothing else about the peculiarities of their respective races or anything) introduced in one scene are simply COMPLETELY forgotten about and NEVER EVER seen again later in the novel. Bummer. Revelations were also almost always very anticlimatic. Yawn.

      What would have been great: focus on a handful of main ideas and characters and actually flesh them out, give them time to develop and room for the adventures to play out, and package that in such engaging writing that it never feels boring despite the "few" scenes/creatures.

      The writing, while not awful per se, is functional and truly has its moments. With at times slim descriptions it managed to pull me in -- just to jerk me out of the story moments later with some ridiculous phrasing, odd or overdone description, or simply some confusing and illogical dialogue.

      To sum it up: this book wasn't completely awful, and at times I was engaged enough to enjoy the read, but I never really felt the urge to pick it up again, and most of the time completely forgot what I read soon after. Towards the end, I just wanted it to be over.
    • 2/5
      Damn you, Ms. Kagawa, for writing a book with an interesting take on modern fantasy, with characters I could like and a plot that was fast-paced and a book I would really have loved if it weren't for what you did to the dog, to whom you even gave the name of my late and much-beloved Shepherd mix. Damn you for what you did to Beau.
    • 2/5
      Ehhhh. This one felt like a lot of stuff I have read before. If I hadn't read anything in this genre I think I would love this book. That being said, I just couldn't help feeling like I had read this book before. I do think a lot of teens will love this book, and I am happy to suggest it to readers.
    • 3/5
      Not bad, not amazing. The definition of a two and a half star book. Having just finished reading Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series I am really not up for another love triangle with no triangle so I'm at least pleased Puck seems to have some chance with Meghan. Having said that of course I know it's not actually going to happen because the people who read these kinds of books don't want the best friend lover, they want the super perfect tortured hero guy who bathes in angst and more angst.Meghan, apart from having a misspelt name, really isn't a great lead heroine. She's determined enough but can't actually accomplish much of anything without other people doing all the legwork. I'll continue to read the series as it's not pro-actively offensive but mostly I'll just be waiting to see what happens with Puck.
    • 4/5
      The Iron King by Julie Kagawa is the first in her Iron Fey Trilogy and tells the story of a young girl, Meghan, who always felt something wasn’t quite right with her world but nonetheless is astonished to find she is only half human, the other half is fey, and fey royalty at that. Drawing on many literary references about magical creatures from Shakespeare to Lewis Carroll, the story brings Meghan to the Nevernever on a quest to rescue her younger brother, kidnapped and being held by a new type of fey, one who is dangerous to both the Seelie (Summer Fey) and Unseelie (Winter Fey).On her adventures she is aided by various magical creatures and develops strong feelings for Ash, a prince of the Winter Court. This attraction could lead to future problems as Meghan is the daughter of Oberon, King of the Summer Court. The two courts are enemies of long standing. Other members of her team include a cat-like creature called Grimalkin, and, her father’s favorite lackey, Puck. When dealing with the fey, one must be careful what one promises, but Meghan, in her eagerness makes some rash agreements that look as if they will come back to haunt her in future books.I have to admit that I usually don’t care for books about fairies, but I found The Iron King not only very readable but actually enjoyable as well. The author moves her story along at a nice pace, doesn’t indulge in too much teen angst, and keeps a vein of humor running throughout the story. She nicely wrapped up major plot points in this book, while still leaving the door wide open for the next story. I have been ensnared by this fey series and will be looking for the second book soon.
    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable. Good mix of urban fantasy and fae mythology.
    • 5/5
      This is a great start to an awesome new YA series. Kagawa takes a genre that is quickly becoming overrun with lots of similar titles (YA fantasy fiction) and really gives it a fresh perspective. With a little bit of Shakespeare, a healthy dose of faerie tales, and a lot of imagination, the invisible world of fey explodes into technicolor in this novel. It does take a bit of time to get started--Meghan Chase has always felt a bit different, but she has no idea just HOW different she really is for sixteen years--but once it gets going, hang on tight!

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    • 3/5
      It’s official. Faeries hate me. Apparently even more than other humans. I mean, torture us and keep us as pets and kill us, but can you please make me like reading about you? (To any faeries reading this, I’m kidding. OK? I’m a stupid human, I’m not worth your time!)When people talk about birthday surprises, they don’t mean finding out that faeries exist, that your brother has been swapped for a changeling or that you must enter the Nevernever if you insist on rescuing said brother. Yet for Meghan Chase, this is exactly what happens. Somehow she must travel through the faery realm and survive the journey if she has any hope of saving Ethan and getting them both back safely to the mortal world. That’s easier said than done, however, especially when there’s three faery courts after her – Summer, Winter, and the third court, whose very existence has remained secret until now...I must commend Kagawa on her world-building. She has that wonderful ability to paint a very clear picture, taking into account details rather than simply giving us a general image. She knows exactly what this world looks like and she ensures the reader does too. In that sense, it really was as though I was right there in the Nevernever. I enjoyed seeing all the variety of fey there was and thought the idea of the Iron Court and how it came into existence fantastically original. I always love it when an author can add a new twist on something you were pretty sure you knew a lot about.But. Unfortunately, my hopes that this would make me like reading about faeries fell flat. I know there are people out there who didn’t like them either and then had their opinion revised with this book, and I find it quite disappointing that I can’t say I’m one of them. After a while I grew weary of the plot and by the last fifth I was skimming just so I could get to the end.Meghan, as a protagonist, didn’t cut it for me. I admired her determination to rescue her brother, but other than that she failed to impress me. She was persistent in one thing, and that was screaming. In every situation, whenever there was the slightest bit of trouble, that’s what I’d catch her doing. If someone had come up to her and said ‘boo’, I have no doubt she would have screamed. She also seemed particularly adept at failing to hide, even when clearly warned. As for her decisions, well. I could only stare in disbelief at how rashly she acted; she never stopped to think. I can recall only one instance when I gave a nod of approval at her forethought.I liked the love interests, though I didn’t love them. Puck perhaps I felt a glimmer of something for a couple of times, but it never developed into a full-fledged swoon. I loved his humour and the way he was frank with Meghan, and I felt sorry that she was blind to his feelings. I hoped he would make an appearance again at the very end, but sadly that was another hope left disappointed. Ash was great in a fight and despite his motives, he was incredibly strong to continue as he did on the way to the Iron Court. It was he who stopped Meghan from making another mistake at the end.Despite my pretty negative review, this wasn’t all bad. My three stars exist because of the fabulous world-building and the whole idea of and backstory to the Iron Court. Ash and Puck were decent characters, and I have to say Grimalkin was a favourite. He reminded me very much of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Oddly enough I also had a soft spot for the pack rats, metal rodents that collect metal junk. They were cute, OK? Unfortunately however, The Iron King is another case of me failing to become part of the hype. I will still be reading the next one though, because I’m quite curious to see what happens next after that ending.Uhh, I’m gonna finish here. I think I see faeries coming my way. (yeah, I have the Sight. Go me!)This review is also posted on my blog.
    • 2/5
      Through about 7/8 of this book I really didn't like it. At the very end it was okay. I hated all the bad language - even the big, bad word. It's bad enough to read that stuff in an adult book, but it makes it so much worse when it is labeled a teen book. Why am I surprised by the language I hear at the middle school I work at when it is thrown at them from every side? I could give a very big rant on society right now, but I will control myself. I also never connected with the characters. I didn't really care what happened to them. Am I supposed to love Ash just because he's gorgeous? Didn't happen. The Nevernever is filled with about a billion different annoying creatures. Maybe the next books get better, but I'm pretty sure I won't make the attempt to find out.
    • 3/5
      I first saw this book in my local library, and what caught me was its beautiful cover. It was gorgeous I can’t help but to buy it.The Iron King told us about the traditional fey court, Summer Court and Winter Court. The interesting thing about Kagawa’s fey court is the new court I had never heard before, The Iron Court. It was made because of todays technologies development and all. And the new Iron Court brought destruction to the fey’s world.Our main character, Meghan Chase, was just another girl from Earth, with her little brother who claimed that had been living in his closet. Meghan never believe him. Until the day he was gone, kidnapped into the fey’s world.I personally think that Meghan’s character was a bit undeveloped.She was not unstable or unconsistent, no. It’s just, she was a bit unmemorable.Ethan, Meghan’s brother, was better, in my personal opinion. I love it how he seemed to live in is own imaginary world with his imaginary friends.And there’s Ash, Meghan’s lover and the prince of Winter Court. I didn’t really get what he truly felt toward Meghan. He could be cold and indifferent at one time, but sweet and heart melting the other time. I like his personality, actually. It’s just his inconsistencies that put me off.The character that intrigued me most was-strangely-Grimalkin, the cat.It was strange when he could pop out of nowhere and left Meghan when she needs him most. But I think that Grimalkin’s personality was the most unique, and the most distinct from all of The Iron Fey’s cast.The plot was interesting too, with the new Iron Court, which add the spark that made Kagawa’s fey world unique.But it’s not really my style when the Meghan’s adventure was (over) throughoutly told, and many journey was made for reasons I cannot understand.Overall, if you like fey’s book and adventure, I think you could try this book. Many people love it. But for me myself, who’s more an urban-fantasy chick, I think this book is not for me.
    • 4/5
      PKThis book. Strolling through the library, looking for a new series to start reading. I had read many other series' that I loved such as Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl and even Harry Potter. But this book was a different kind. The storyline was a kind that I've never actually read before and it was intriguing.The cover definitely captures the fantasy of the book and that was mainly the reason that I picked the book up and started to read it.Meghan Chase goes on a chase to get her brother back from the Faerie world. In the meantime she finds out many other things that she had never known before. I loved the characters. They were amazing in every single way. the way that the author moulded them absolutely caught me.The main character Meghan Chase seemed like just an ordinary high school girl, not that popular with her peers and just has that one best friend that could count as a milion. At first, I thought that she was quite boring to write a story about, but as the book goes on, Meghan matures and changes just that little bit by the end of the book.Robin Goodfellow (known as Puck in the Fey world) is just about the bestest (he's so amazing that we have to use a fake word for him) friend you could ever have. Puck is funny, dreamy and definitely cute. He's protective of Meghan and wants everything for the best of her, you can gradually tell that he has feelings for Meghan and what happens later almost broke my heart.Ash, the winter prince is definitely one of the best characters and although he is just a fictional character, I felt as if I almost, just almost, fell in love with him. He is cold, calm, but when you get to know him, he's nurturing, kind and protective.ASH~I felt as if I really delved into the book, it made me feel a part of it and I could really, really picture the events happening in my head, I was so in love with this book, I even dreamt about it. I recommend this book to Fantasy Faerie book lovers and lovers of a good YA romance and Adventure book.
    • 3/5
      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 heartI 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.
    • 5/5
      I didnt think i would enjoy this book as much as i did. It was very enjoyable, fast ced and kept my interes the entire time. I cant wait to start reading the 2nd book!
    • 4/5
      I have had The Iron King in my classroom library for about a year, and I finally picked it up to read. I enjoyed diving into Kagawa's world of Faery because I loved the Wicked Lovely series so much, but I felt at times that the descriptions were just too much. I wanted to get right back into the action and move the plot along. Meeting Meghan, Puck, and Ash was great; now I can move on to book 2. Hopefully, my students will enjoy this book as well.
    • 5/5
      read this series! if you love romance, fairies, and aventures, this book is for you, it takes off like a rocket and doesnt slow down i read it in one day.
    • 3/5
      This is an engaging fantasy that does a good job of blending contemporary high school life with the faery world, with a satisfying resolution and a lead-in to the next book in the series.