The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Edition: Paperback
* Purchased on my own.

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.

My Thoughts:

So, before even beginning The Iron King, I could tell you what team I was on. Which one is it? Team Ash. Why? Because I'm always a sucker for guys like that--well, in books at least. And now that I've spilled what team I'm on, it's on to the actual review!

Meghan Chase has always felt out of place--and having her little (half) brother (Ethan) suddenly replaced by a changeling isn't helping matters. Then, of course, there's Puck (who Meghan knows as Robbie in the beginning) who constantly calls her princess--though she's told him again and again to stop it. Anyways, once Ethan is kidnapped and replaced with a changeling, Meghan goes in search of the real Ethan which takes her into the Nevernever and to the Seelie Court--and then eventually to the Iron Court. Along the way, she learns about who she really is and meets a bevvy of characters who are all equally interesting. Well, that is to say that my favorite minor character has to be Grimalkin (a cait sidth) whom ends up helping Meghan quite a lot throughout The Iron King. Er, okay, okay, I'm leaving out the fact that she's briefly glimpsed Ash in the mortal world--with his horse--before running into him in the Nevernever and then the Seelie Court. Also, the Nevernever? It sounds beyond gorgeous--albeit dangerous--from Julie's descriptions. In terms of lore, it's pretty much dead on accurate to how most fae tales play out and well, the Iron Court is interesting for its own reasons--on top of the fact that they really can deal with iron.

The plot is well paced and if you enjoy stories involving the Fae (and for some reason you haven't picked up this series yet) I'd suggest picking up a copy. My one gripe? Meghan seems to do a lot of screaming in The Iron King. However, she redeems herself as the story progresses--although I can't really tell you why without giving you a spoiler (or three). As The Iron King draws to an end, Meghan really begins to come into her own and again, I can't tell you more than that!

Overall Rating:  ★★★★★