The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
reviewed by Saluki
I love discovering new series, especially new series that don’t involve vampires. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about our blood sucking friends, but every now and again I need a change of pace. I started my fascination with the fey reading the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning (don’t forget, the last book in the series comes out this month!) I love the idea of a whole different world existing parallel to ours, with creatures passing the barrier between the two worlds without us even being aware. If the world of the fey intrigue you, step into this new series with me. I promise, it won’t disappoint.
This book starts out like many in the YA genre, with Meghan Chase, our sixteen year old heroine, living out her mundane existence. Her father died when she was young, and her mother remarried. She lives in a small town in Louisiana with them and her four year old step brother, Ethan. They are poor, and Meghan has never fit in. Her one and only friend, Robbie Goodfell is an outcast as well, making him the perfect friend.
When Meghan discovers that her younger brother was kidnapped and replaced with a changeling, Robbie reveals himself to be Robin Greenfellow (better known as Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream). It turns out Meghan is half fae – her father is King Oberon. Meghan plunges in to the Nevernever to rescue her brother and learns that he is being held by a new breed of fey that could destroy the Summer and Winter Courts forever.
I loved this book from the very first chapter. I have read theories that Shakespeare got the idea for A Midsummer Night’s Dream after visiting the Nevernever and meeting King Oberon. This books plays off that same theory, but adds a new twist. The ever increasing use of technology in the mortal world has caused humans to forget the old tales in favor of the internet, ipods and television. As a result, a new race of fey has been created. These new Iron Fey pose a dire threat to the Summer and Winter courts, since iron in any form is fatal to them.
Because Meghan is half fey, she is still immune to iron, making her a very attractive weapon to the Winter and Iron courts. And, although she is King Oberon’s daughter, she falls in love with Prince Ash of the Winter Court. The Summer and Winter courts are sworn enemies, but that doesn’t matter to Meghan. She is young, in love, and still new to the fey world. The consequences of her ill fated love affair are far from her mind as she leans on Ash to help her find her brother. And, we can’t forget Puck, who is also in love with Meghan. To complicate matters, Puck and Ash are more than sworn enemies – each has vowed to kill the other.
The Iron King is one of those books that has it all: fantasy, adventure, romance and mystery, all wrapped up in an interesting plot and strong characters. It’s refreshing to read a book where the plot line is well fleshed out, and all the sub-plots weave together to support the main story. There are no plots that don’t fit. I felt satisfied at the end of the book, but I was definitely left wanting more. Although the book is part of a series, a reader could stop after this book and feel that the plot came to a satisfying resolution.
Her characters are vividly written, from our heroine Meghan Chase, right down to Grimalkin, the Cait Sith, who reminded me of the Cheshire Cat. Grim, as Meghan calls him, is snarky, haughty, and just plain awesome. He is definitely one of my favorite supporting characters in the book.
Meghan is your typical teenager in many ways: emotional, naive and stubborn. But, she is also loyal, strong, and caring. The author did a great job of making her a complex character that just about anyone can relate to. There are times she makes decisions that made me grit my teeth, but how many of us always make the right choices?
Puck is one of those characters that is hard to pin down. He is part of the Summer Court and loyal to Oberon, but he only follows orders when it suits him. He is the ultimate jokester, but has moments of intensity and tenderness. One thing never in doubt is his feelings for Meghan – he is definitely not going to give up on her, despite her love for Ash.
Prince Ash is strikingly beautiful, cold and calculating. His mission is to help Meghan find her brother, and then take her back to Queen Mab. What he doesn’t expect is to fall for her along the way. He vacillates between tender and frigid, throwing mixed signals Meghan’s way throughout the story. It is clear that he cares for her, but his ultimate loyalty is to his mother and the Winter Court.
I guarantee you will fall into this world and never want to come out. The scenes in the book are so vividly written that you can picture yourself in Nevernever with the characters. Her writing engages all of your senses, plunging you into the story and making you feel, hear, and see what the characters are experiencing.
If you like faery lore, I highly recommend this book. It takes traditional mythology and mixes it with the author’s creation of the Iron Fey. I’m already reading the next book in the series, The Iron Daughter, so watch out for that review soon!
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LOVED this review! I am currently reading the fourth in the series, The Iron Knight, & I am completely smitten! ;D