Thursday 8 December 2011

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa - Book Review



Title: The Iron King (Iron Fey #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 2010
Pages: 275
Format: E-Book - EPUB
Genre: YA / Paranormal
Source: Free Copy from Publisher (Competition)



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. (Goodreads Synopsis)
Well, I sadly found this book something of a disappointment. I have been hearing so many great things about this series that perhaps I was expecting too much.

I found the first two thirds of this book really dull. It just seemed like the story was left waiting while the author kept introducing new mythical creatures. Sure, it shows she researched her faery legends, but it didn't advance either the story or the main characters.

Meghan never really gripped me as the heroine. I didn't sense any real growth in her through the story and I just didn't care enough about her to be worried when she got herself into trouble yet again or threw a tantrum about what clothes she had to wear. The romance with Ash also felt forced and came on too suddenly to be believable.

By the time I was a couple of hundred pages in, I thought I'd be giving this a two star rating. But then things suddenly picked up. I loved the explanation of the Iron Fey and where they have come from as it was an original and interesting concept. The pacing at this point improved dramatically and the story really started to move forward. My interest was final caught and I made a mad dash to the end.

I finished this book with mixed feelings. The concept overall was good, but the book fell flat for me in a few places. A strong ending saved it and has left me willing to read on in the series; although, I won't be rushing out to buy them unless I see them cheap somewhere in the future.

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