Review of The Iron King

My review of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa is based on a paperback copy of the book that I purchased for myself, the following review is my honest opinion of the work.

Goodreads Summary: "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'm going to start this review off with a little extra in the way of a disclaimer, mostly for those that would be new to my blog as all of my older followers are well aware of my love of all that is faery. So there you have it. I love the fae.

Meghan is different. Though portrayed as ordinary in most respects parts of her are distinctly extraordinary. The Iron King is told in first person from Meghan's perspective so you get to really get a feel for what kind of heroine she is. Think of her as a Mama Bear and all of those that she loves or holds dear are her cubs. When she gives her love/trust/loyalty she gives it fully and there is no stopping her from protecting all of those who have earned it. Even some that haven't yet earned it. She recognizes this as her greatest strength while others deem it her greatest weakness. I love that it can be both. Meghan is a great heroine and I look forward to seeing where her time in the Nevernever takes her.

I know the fact that there is a love triangle in this series has probably scared off a lot of readers, and I can't blame them, there are a lot of really badly done love triangles out there. A LOT of them. This isn't one of them. In The Iron King, Julie Kagawa has created one of those rare love triangles that actually work. What I mean by this is that both of the guys in the triangle are equally compelling in completely different ways. I understand why Meghan is torn because I'm just as confused by the two of them. I love Puck. I love Ash. I love them both. Puck appeals to the trickster in me, the one who wants to make a joke out of everything. I love to tease, play pranks and just lighten things up and he fits perfectly with that part of me. But there's another part who enjoys the darker things in life, that craves the bad boy, the darkness with just a hint of light and there you have Ash. Oh kudos to you, Julie Kagawa, for creating two fae boys who make me swoon.

This was my second time reading this book, the first time I really liked it but now I can honestly say that I love it. Both times the book has proven to be one of those that simply must be read in a single sitting, you can't have it any other way. There's a bit of a build-up to the plot, think of that epic climb to the top of the hill that starts off most rollercoasters, then a reckless ride down and around until it's over. That, my darling followers, is The Iron King. A literary roller-coaster in every possible way. I'm giving The Iron King by Julie Kagawa a five out of five stars review.