Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey #1

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.

Meghan Chase has never really fit in. Her only friend, Robbie is mysterious in his own right as well as oddly protective. A few days before her sixteenth birthday she starts seeing unexplainable things and is followed by a mysterious stranger that makes Robbie act really weird. After a disastrous prank at school she doesn't think things could get much worse for her, but then her brother goes missing and is replaced by a nasty little changeling. Her determination and will is put to the test as she sets out into the unknown to rescue her little brother. She will need all the help she can get if she hopes to survive this adventure in one piece, even if it means temporally aligning herself with the "enemy," especially if that enemy is all so yummy to look at.

I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan of Meghan's character in the beginning of the book. She seemed whiny and didn't show a lot of inner strength, making her seem really weak. However as the book went on I realized that she wasn't weak at all. Her strength isn't overly obvious, its more a strength of will and determination. Her potential has barely even been cracked at all, and I think as the series continues and as she matures both into herself and her powers she will truly become a force to be reckoned with as both the Fae courts fear.

The characters in this book are full of depth and history, and I feel as if we have only scratched the surface of who any of them really are. Robbie, or "Puck" is a light-hearted prankster who also seems to have a fierce loyalty to Meghan that makes me wonder if he doesn't have deeper feelings for her. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Ash, the winter prince, who seems to be Puck's mortal enemy. He also cannot seem but help to soften his ice heart a little towards Meghan. Then there is the cat named Grimalkin that adds a whole lot of fun and mystery to the story. These main characters when added to the secondary ones make for an incredible mix and a delightful book to read.

While the main plot gets wound up rather nicely, this book's ending is both a cliffhanger and a promise of things to come. I look forward to reading more of Meghan's journey into discovering the side of herself that she never knew, as well as the dangers and possible joy there might be. This series has great potential and I eagerly anticipate the next book.

Rating:

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The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)