Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

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.

When I first started reading The Iron King, I really didn't know what to expect. Apart from Wings (Aprilynne Pike) and Wicked Lovely (Alyson Noel), faerie books are not a genre that I've read much of. I had heard lots of mixed reviews about this series, as well as various arguments from members of "Team Ash" and "Team Puck", so I figured I should give it a shot. That, my fellow readers, turned out to be a very good decision indeed.

Meghan Chase has never been completely normal. Her father mysteriously disappeared when she was six years old, and now odd things are happening once again. When her half-brother Ethan starts acting up, Meghan knows something is wrong. What she soon finds out, however, is beyond anything she could have imagined--her brother has been taken and replaced with a changeling, her best friend is really a summer faery previously only existent in folklore, and she's actually half-fey herself.

Meghan is everything I love in a protagonist, especially a female one. She's strong, intelligent, and fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She's also stuck in the middle of a rather intense love triangle between Puck, her protector from the very beginning, and the ridiculously attractive Ash, a winter prince. Usually I can pick a guy from the beginning and stick with him, but with this book, the choice was honestly impossible. I'm still undecided after finishing the novel--just another reason why I need the sequels!

The world of Nevernever was so brilliantly written. The idea that the fey world is created by a little thing called imagination is fabulous. The Iron King reminded me quite a bit of Alice in Wonderland simply because of the attention to detail and various creatures described as the story progressed. My favorite character, despite my adoration for Meghan and love for both Puck and Ash, was definitely Grimalkin. I have no clue how "I am a cat" is an explanation for why he knows just about everything, but he made me laugh throughout the whole book.

The Iron King has something for everyone, including romance, action, adventure, paranormalcy, fantasy, and more. If you are particularly fond of the alternate world idea, this book is definitely for you. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars