The Iron Fey #1: The Iron King Review

Title: The Iron Fey #1: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Date of Publication: February 1, 2010

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Meghan Chase has always felt out of place both at home and at school. Ever since her fathers mysterious disappearance something has just not felt right to her. When Meghan turns sixteen all she wants is to be normal, instead she starts seeing strange creatures and her little brother is kidnapped. Meghan must travel into the world of faerie to save her brother from the evil clutches of the Iron King, who wants Meghan enough to destroy everyone she loves. With the help of the gorgeous Unseelie prince, Ash, and Oberon's jester, Puck, Meghan must rescue her younger brother even if it means trading away her soul.

My Review:

After the first 50 pages of The Iron King the chance of me liking this novel seemed slim. While it wasn't exactly a bad book I was bored and frustrated with the lack of action, however I pressed on to page 100 where things looked even grimmer. To my surprise by page 150 I started really enjoying The Iron King. From Ash's cold indifference to Pucks happy go lucky attitude I started to understand the high ratings given to this series.

My favorite part of The Iron King was the interactions between Ash and Puck. Sworn enemies, their constant threats toward each other and duels kept me thoroughly entertained. I liked Meghan's character, she was a naive but that's to be expected when she suddenly enters a whole new world. The romance between Meghan and Ash was a bit sudden, but not as bad as the dreaded "insta-love", their romance was cute and made me smile. I especially love Ash's character, his coldness melting away into a sweet and caring love interest.

After the novel picked up I found myself fascinated with the plot, I love Kagawa's idea that the Nevernever, the land of faerie, is built upon the creativity and dreams of humans. As technology takes over the world the Nevernever is slowly fading, leaving a barren wasteland in its place with the evil Iron King ruling over its frightening subjects. The Nevernever is a dark place, Meghan is almost killed several times, all while avoiding being kidnapped and trying to save her brother.

Other than the slow beginning The Iron King is an entertaining read. I ended up really enjoying this book and the cliff hanger ending left me desperate for the sequel, now that the story is set up I feel like the next book will not have as slow of a beginning. I would recommend this book to fans of the paranormal that aren't afraid of pushing through the slow start.

4/5