Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Action, Adventure
Perfect for: Readers who are looking for a light fairy tale
Star Rating: 3/5
Taken 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."
I had the great honor of winning this book from a fellow blogger. I went into this book with high expectations because of the fan base it has. While this book didn't let me down per se, it didn't live up to expectations.
'The Iron King' is a fun read. Simple as that. It's lighter than the typical fey stories that have been out in past years (ie: 'Replacement', 'Tithe'). Funny, the book I can most easily compare it to is 'Twilight'. It had that same sort of feel. The story flow is very light, jovial-- even in times when the characters are in mortal danger. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just different from what I expected.
The romance is cute, even if it's totally predictable. At this point, I've gotten used to having instantaneous romances in my YA fantasy reads and 'The Iron King' is no exception to this trend. The romantic ties between the characters are formed fast. Thankfully, even with those quick love ties, main character Meghan doesn't fall into the trap that other YA heroines fall into. She keeps her cool and direction, even as she begins falling in love with a certain character. She keeps her eye on the mission at hand, while occasionally oogling the males in her party. (The end has a bit more of oogling, but I can forgive that!)
Pushing the storyline aside, I do enjoy the characters in this series. They all have at least one attribute that I latched onto. Puck, for example, has some great sarcastic lines that verge on snarky. Ash and his incessant need to battle Puck was entertaining, because you know neither one really means to do anything other but injure eachother. (It helps that he actually does come off as pretty darn hot on paper!) Meghan's 'go with the flow' attitude about her being part fey was refreshing. And Grim, well, I adore Grim. His Cheshire nature made me adore him instantly. He's the character I wonder about-- what are his intentions and what deals might he be calling in in future novels?
'The Iron King' is one of those reads that you should look at. It is a light story that sucked me in without me even knowing it. One of those reads where you'll find yourself rooting for the characters and even feeling bad for some of them!
This book gets 3/5 stars from me. I had to take off a few stars because I felt it was a bit over hyped. Still good, but just not as fantastic as expected. 'The Iron King' is on bookshelves online and in stores now. Take a peek!
4 comments:
Well, there's nothing wrong with a fun read! I know what you mean about the hype over this series though. I'll probably get around to reading this soon.
How have I not started this series yet?!?! Gahhh great review, Brooke! :)
My first introduction to this series was actually a negative review from someone I trust, so I went into this one with very low expectations. I ended up enjoying it a lot and I can't wait to read the second book. I do think, though, that if I had gotten wrapped up into the hype I would have been a little disappointed.
Yup, there's a lotta hype about this, and I still don't understand cause I haven't read it yet. But I'm looking forward to :) Great review!
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