My Urban Fantasies: Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey, #1

•Source: Purchased
•Publisher: Harlequin Teen
•Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Opening Line: Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeared.

Megan 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.

The fey are born from the dreams and fears of mortals. As long as a fey is remembered they will remain immortal. The fey live in the Nevernever. Some choose to go back and forth between our world and theirs. Here they can feed off the dreams, emotions and talents of mortals. The only things harmful to the fey in our world is technology and iron.

What would happen if our dreams turned to technology and science? A new kind of fey is born. The iron fey. As our success with technology continues, we dream bigger and better ideas. But the iron fey are poison to the other fey and the Nevernever. Other than the obvious, being made of iron, the iron fey are too logical. Cold. Passionless.

There are several things about The Iron King that I liked. The imagery is beautiful. The storyline is interesting. The characters are strong. I love Puck's sarcastic personality. Ash is cold, yet completely scrumptious. It really is a good book. So why a low rating? There's just one thing that made a huge negative impact for me.

Meghan Chase is on a mission to save her brother Ethan. Sounds like an urgent matter, something that should be completed rather quickly right? Apparently not. There is no sense of urgency in The Iron King. Meghan could complete her mission in five days or fifty years and you get the feeling the outcome would remain the same. While this was more than a minor annoyance to me, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Favorite Quotes

"You can see through the Mist and the glamour, Floppy says so."

"Don't get your royal pink panties in a twist."

"I worked hard on that dress. Do try not to get yourself killed."

I licked my lips and whispered, "Is this where you say you'll kill me?"

One corner of his lips curled. "If you like," he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. "Though it's gotten far too interesting for that."