The Iron King - Julie Kagawa SUMMARY from Goodreads:

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 REVIEW:

Yey! I finally finished it! :) Hurray!

No doubt this book has everything in it: romance, adventure, fantasy and loads more. The book was well written and very imaginative. There are a lot of things I love about the book but then I also noticed a couple of not so good things but I adore the book either way.

Here are the things that I loved about this book:

* To me the story was unique in its own way. I loved how Ms. Kagawa depicted Nevernever. It was totally magical. I was spellbound. Nevernever almost seemed real to me. Too real that I would be able to find a trod behind my house. :)

* It was very well written. The book was filled with rich details that rouse the imagination and senses of the readers. It was as if I was seeing Nevernever through Meghan’s eyes.

* It was full of action. I easily get bored so it’s very important to me that this book had the right measurement of everything. The action was just right and so was the romance part.

*The characters were very alive like they could step out of the pages of the book anytime. Each character have their own characteristics that define them.

Meghan: The self-less heroine who’s weakness are the people who she cares for. She tries to be brave for the people who depend on her. I liked her because even though she knew saving her brother was dangerous she was still willing to sacrifice her own freedom for him. I admire that.

Ash: The vengeful prince of the Winter Court whose heart was as cold as ice until Meghan came. Of course he was handsome with silvery eyes and dark hair. I understood him more in the later part of the book. At first I was decided that I liked Puck better than him but I was totally swayed by him nearing the end of the book. Who wouldn’t want a prince as a boyfriend? :p

Puck: Also known as Robin Goodfellow or Robbie Goodfell. He was the best friend. The protector. King Oberon’s favorite and trusted jester. He was playful and adventurous. Loyal and trustworthy. I fell in love with him almost immediately. I know that Meghan is bound to be with Ash but still I hope he gets his happy ending too. He deserves to be happy too despite of what he did in the past that made Ash hate him so much.

Grimalkin: The Cait Sith. The disappearing cat. He kinda reminded me of the cat in Alice in Wonderland. He was the cat who helped Meghan reach the Summer Court. He actually helped a lot. At first I thought he was an enemy or something but I guess I’ll just have to check on the books too and see what happened.

King Oberon: The King of the Summer Court. He rules his kingdom with an iron fist yet he was fair and just. He knew he have offended his wife Queen Titania so he allowed her to let Meghan serve in the kitchen of the Court of a few days. Yet I know that he did not allow anything bad to happen to Meghan when she was there.

Queen Titania: The resident Queen Bitch of the Seelie Court. A book would never be complete without someone like her. She was ruthless and cunning. She was the total opposite of her husband who was more soft-spoken.

Queen Mab: The other Queen Bitch but this time from the Unseelie Court. She is Ash’s mother. She ruled the Winter Court. She was much like Titania. I both hate their guts.

King Machina: The King of the Iron feys. He was powerful and very manipulative. He was the one responsible for the kidnapping of Meghan’s brother Ethan. I guess you just have to read the book to find out more about this person. I hate hate hate him!

* The book was totally enchanting and magical. It was a breath of fresh air to me. Today’s popular novels were about vampires and angels so a book about faeries is very unique to me. As a kid I love reading fairy tales and now I am 22, reading the Iron King rekindled me with my childhood yet still manages to satisfy my want for something mature at the same time. Does that make sense? :p

* I LOVED how the book ended. Yes. It was a cliffhanger but Ms. Kagawa ended it in a way that wasn’t irritating. Most of the questions were answered like who took her Meghan’s brother and stuff like that. There was also the mystery of Meghan’s human father. It wasn’t answered here but it didn’t give me the feeling that it was supposed to be answered in this book. The Iron King was ended perfectly.

Okay here are the few things that I didn’t like:

* It reminded me of Narnia. Don’t get me wrong I love Narnia. It was just how I felt during the first few pages of reading it but then gradually it did disappear. I then realized that there was more to this book than what I thought of initially.

* I have an issue with Meghan and Ash. Don’t get me wrong I love their story. It has a little touch of Romeo and Juliet but I don’t mind that at all. Ash and Meghan belong together no doubt about it. What bothered me a bit was the transitioning of them hating each other and liking each other the next. It was a bit incomplete for me at that point. I had to go back and reread some parts to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I wanted Ash and Meghan to have spent more time together and gotten to know each other more rather than falling for each other so quick. It would have been nice to see how their relationship flourished.

I will say it again and again. I am totally in love with this book. It was a very great read. I am so going to finish this series and won’t stop until I do. :)

4.5 stars!