Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Paperback
Published January 21, 2011 by Mira Books
Originally published February 1, 2010 by Harlequin Teen
More about the author: Website // Twitter // Blog
Find the book: Goodreads // Amazon UK

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. - from Goodreads

My Review

After reading Julie's Immortal Rules, I knew I had to try out her other books. I don't really care for faeries, so I hadn't really read a book about them before. I wasn't really surprised to have been converted by this author. Julie Kagawa's faery world is a lot more menacing and wondrous than I would have believed with faeries straight out of your nightmares and beautiful world-building harking back to Lewis Carroll with a dash of modernity like Cassandra Clare's urban fantasy. Yeah. Ponder that.

The characters in this book are a mixture of a recreated and original cast. Readers may recognize the names of Puck, Oberon, Titania, and Queen Mab but all have been remolded for this plot. The main character, Meg has a close relationship with her little brother and is forced to travel into Neverwhere to save him from faery kidnappers. I really enjoyed her little brother and the supporting characters Ash, Puck, and Grim. Meg just wasn't my favourite, though she did grow on me over time.

Julie Kagawa just has a way with words. Having read her published works out of order, I can tell that she has grown over the years. The Iron King wasn't as fabulous as The Immortal Rules, but I did enjoy it immensely. I'll be continuing the series and hopefully soon! I recommend this book to fantasy and urban fantasy lovers everywhere.

Rating: 4/5 Stars