Jenn's Review: The Iron Queen

Summary:  In less than twenty-four hours I'll be seventeen.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Review:  Wow.  Just, wow.  Julie Kagawa has done it with this one.  It is fabulous.  She's won me over completely.  And what's more, I finally like Meghan Chase.

I commented on my review of The Iron Daughter that I just wanted Meghan to become more... anything.  Well, she became more everything.  No longer the meek girl who stepped into Faery over a year ago, Meghan has finally learned to take charge and there is no standing in her way.  She learns to make the tough decisions, and I love her for it.  Though at times she still needs to be coaxed out of her shell and to have the obvious explained to her, she wouldn't be Meghan if she didn't, she's grown.


While there were some twists I saw coming, there were some I was only betting on, and some that took me completely by surprise.  Julie Kagawa has a superb imagination and has created her own realms from mythology and faery tales that are unique and ever expanding.  The concept behind these books is brilliant.  The very detail that made The Iron King a bit plodding at the beginning is what carries her writing through the series.

I can tell this is one of those series that I am going to love going back and re-reading with new perspective and discovering new bits along the way.  I may have the short e-story Summer's Crossing to tide me over but that won't hold me for long.  Netgalley has The Iron Knight available for review and after reading The Iron Daughter, I was perfectly content to wait until it came out on October 25th, but no more.  I have already put in my request for review.  The Iron Queen is, by far, my favorite of the series and I can't wait to see how The Iron Fey ends. 

Final Take:  4.75/5.0

My Review of The Iron King
My Review of The Iron Daughter

Jenn's Review: The Iron Daughter

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—ironbound 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 stuck 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.


[The review below may contain minor spoilers, especially if you haven't read The Iron King.]

Review:  It didn't take me as long to get into The Iron Daughter as it did The Iron King (my review).  Julie Kagawa spent a significant amount of time laying out Faery in the first book, so in this one she was able to jump right into the story.  There is also a wonderful e-book short story, Winter's Passage that details Meghan and Prince Ash's deliciously perilous journey back to the Winter Court.  (It picks up right where The Iron King left off and leaves the reader just before The Iron Daughter commences.)  I think I enjoyed the short story more than the book.

At the start of The Iron Daughter I was a little disappointed with Meghan; actually, I wanted to shake her for the first 55 pages.  She went from fierce protectress in the last novel to wilting damsel in distress awfully fast. Yes, she's only a teen and she's under constant duress, but she completely forgets her common sense and spends the entire time mooning over Prince Ash.  It is especially frustrating because Ash explains to Meghan why he can't demonstrate his forbidden love for her around his super scary royal family.  While this explanation occurs in Winter's Passage, it seems fairly obvious even for those who haven't read it.  In which case, it came off as extreme for Meghan to become a blubbering mess when Ash turns cold in the Winter Court without at least questioning the situation.

Two books into the series, and I'm still ambivalent towards Meghan Chase as a character.  Ms. Kagawa has a great gift for writing characters as she demonstrates time and again with the remaining cast; I don't understand why Meghan seems so flat to me.  She's loyal to her friends, and can be brave when the situation calls for it, but for the most part Meghan gets by with luck and help.  She will do the right thing, but she's often motivated by her self-interests and too consumed by them to be curious about her own powers and abilities.  I know Meghan turned sixteen at the beginning of The Iron King, but she seems like such a young sixteen, especially after all she's been through.

There are several places, Ms. Kagawa was heavy handed with foreshadowing. I felt a little clobbered over the head with hints several times throughout the story.  Perhaps it's me, but I feel this does a disservice to the reader (For example, several reminders are dropped about the memory Meghan had removed in the last book, however it is Meghan who had a memory removed, not the reader... ).

Despite my criticism, I had a hard time putting The Iron Daughter down.  I love the secondary characters old and new. They have great depth and practically sparkle off the page.  New to the scene is Leanansidhe the quintessential muse, intoxicating yet unbalanced —everything a muse should be— whose story is far from complete.  Then there is Puck and Ash who have a fascinating history and relationship with each other and how all of that relates to Meghan is even more interesting.  I also love Grimalkin, the cait sithe, and how he always appears in the crux of a crisis, however, I can't help but wonder what his agenda truly is...  I was even starting to route for Meghan towards the end.

The series isn't perfect, but it is intriguing. Julie Kagawa has really captured something with the concept of combining fey and steampunk and the multifaceted,  multidimensional plot is incredible.  The story is addictive and has stayed with me.  It's one of those books that, upon finishing, you dream about at night and find yourself contemplating the next day —to the point where I will pick up The Iron Queen immediately because I can't wait to see where The Iron Fey series takes me.

Final Take: 3.75/5

Jenn's Review: The Iron King

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.

Review:  With the third book in the Iron Fae series, The Iron Queen, hitting the shelves last week, and rave reviews from fellow bloggers, I decided to give the series a try. The Iron King is Narnia meets Midsummer's Nights Dream, and while I love Shakespeare, I have only ever been able to get through C. S. Lewis on screen.

Needless to say, it took me a while to warm up to this one, and Meghan in particular. It isn't that Meghan is unlikeable... But I just couldn't seem to form an attachment to her of any kind. Perhaps that is due to the fact that before we really know her, we are plunged into Nevernever, the land of the fae, where there is so much chaos.

Julie Kagawa has an incredibly vivid imagination and her creation is filled with all manner of mythical beasts. As with Lewis, I think I would have been better off viewing it all on screen for it was far more than my imagination could take in. —Though I would never fault an author for the limitations of my own mind. But because of it, it wasn't until she reached the Unseelie or Winter Court, almost halfway through the book, that I really started to engage with the story. And more than anything, the change of interest was due to character development. Although, it was not Meghan's character that captured me, but her guides', Ash and Puck, from separate courts with a lifelong feud. Up until then, it was mainly Meghan's other guide, Grimalkin the cat/cait sithe that pulled me through the story.

Once I was engaged with the story it became much more enjoyable. The story began to take shape and even surprised me a few times. The denouement was a little too rapid, in my opinion, falling just short of abrupt. With many things unresolved, I'm sure it dovetails nicely into the next book in the series, The Iron Daughter.

I am still rather ambivalent towards Meghan as a character; she's honest and true to herself, though rather impulsive. However, I'm more interested in the surrounding cast.  I will continue reading this series, because I would like a resolution to some of the other story lines, and even though it was a rocky start for me, I really was beginning to enjoy it. If you are a fan of Narnia, then these books are definitely for you. If not, you may grow to like it as I did.

Final Take: 3.75/5