Monthly Archives: July 2010

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

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Summary:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan’s own fey powers have been cut off. She’s alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can’t help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Review:
Meghan is back, complete with the smoldering, bad-boy Ash and the fun-loving, red-haired Puck.. and now Meghan is starting to come into her own … power, that is.

Unfortunately, she also seems to be taking a step back maturity wise in The Iron Daughter. There were several moments when I felt like reaching into the story and smacking her around before the whining reached an almost impossible level to bear – but for all of Meghan’s faults, Grimalkin and Puck make up for them 10x over.

I cannot tell you how much I love Puck. What a fantastic male character. He does not have the emo, self-sacrificing brooding of Ash .. in fact, he cannot be further from Ash. Everytime he shows up in this story I feel myself get a bit giddy and he never fails to get a chuckle out of me.

And then, there is Grimalkin, the Cheshire-type disappearing cat who always seems to show up at just the right times. I enjoy his dry humor and the way he balances out the hormones of the teenagers more than you can imagine.

Now, a word of warning – if you’ve read Winter’s Passage, there’s a huge portion of it that’s put into the beginning of The Iron Daughter. For a moment, I wondered if I’d begun reading the wrong book. I can handle a short recap but this one was much longer than I’ve experienced.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

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Summary:

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined–the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

My Review:

Creepy forests, faeries, vicious pixies, a forbidden attraction, a group of ancient but familiar characters, machine vs. nature, faeries – all elements explored in this very fun, very addicting addition to the YA world.

I put The Iron King on my list because, as normally happens with the YA world, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I wasn’t disappointed with it in person and, happily, was not disappointed by the contents held inside that cover as well.

Meghan Chase is one of those strong female leads I look for – insecure? Sure .. she’s 16. But she does not depend on others to do her work for her when it comes down to the line. I enjoyed reading of her acceptance of who she was – but wished that her growth into her own power had come a bit more gradually and was treated with more depth. That was just one of very few issues I had with the book.

Overall it’s a beautifully written read, full of action, interesting characters, lovely world-building and I’m thrilled to move on to the short in-between novella, Winter’s Passage, next.

Oh, and did I mention this book was about Faeries?! (Yes, I am a fan =)

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