[Review] The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King
Julie Kagawa
[Iron Fey #1]
YA Fantasy
Published: February 1st 2010 (Harlequin Teen)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 363
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 of 5

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.

 
The cover of the book is what drew me in. I didn't know what it was about, but I didn't care. Only when I began to read it did I realize that it was about Fey, or a being having or displaying an otherworldly, magical, or fairylike aspect or quality (FreeDictionary.com). I don't know what I was thinking, but it wasn't that. I had never read a book about Fey before, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to. Yet, I still ventured on.

The Iron King is about a girl named Meghan Chase, and she is in for some real surprises in the book. When she was young, her father suddenly disappeared without a trace. One day he was there, then "poof!" he was gone. In light of that, her mother decided that it was time to move. She got remarried to a man named Luke and they had a son, Ethan, together.
For some reason, people are always forgetting about Meghan. Everyone, except for Robbie, her best friend. On her birthday, her younger brother is stolen from their house, and after a few secrets are revealed, Meghan decides to venture into the Nevernever (the Fey world) and rescue him. With the help of Robbie, of course.

To start out, I thought Meghan was an "okay" main character. I felt that she didn't do much, though this is redeemed by the fact that she didn't know how to. After getting Puck to take her into the Nevernever, and going on a wild chase, she meets up with a cat named Grimalkin.
I'd like to criticize one thing. Puck is named for a character from A Midsummer's Dream. I wish this were explained further, as I have never read it before. I hate when books make big references, then don't explain them. Subtle ones I don't mind, but ones where it is explained as being a reference, I hate.

Puck was an interesting character, and the kind of boy that I like: he is goofy with a bit of seriousness that doesn't always show. It reminds me of Naruto and I love Naruto! Actually, Puck, Meghan, and Ash all reminded me of Naruto characters. Which can be a bad thing in some retrospect, but I liked it. It was kinda like reading a fanfiction.

Grimalkin was a character that I loved and he was such a cat! Literally! But, I think that the cat attitude was down pact. He did things that benefited or amused him. I was starting to think that he wasn't, but in the end, it seemed like he still was. In a way, I'm glad to see one character not change themselves too much because of the main character.

The last character to mention is Ash. He is son of Mab, the Winter Queen, and reflects that himself. He is cold and as deadly as the icy land he lives in. I don't want to give too much away, but just know that he has a warm streak.

As the plot progressed, I found that Meghan was still not doing anything particularly useful, except making goo-goo eyes at Ash. She made the wrong decisions and got others around her hurt. I was tired of everyone sacrificing themselves for her sake. It got old fast. The romance is another thing I can't decide about. I don't know if I like it or not. Everything about it was slow and minuet, which is good, up until something actually happened with it, then it seemed to go too fast. Then again, maybe I'm reading it wrong.

Even so, I had no problems getting to the end of the book. It was a fast read and an enjoyable one. I'm planning on getting the second book, actually. I would probably even read it again. I definitely recommend it to anyone that likes magical creatures.

Final Rating:
4 of 5