Title: The Iron King Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
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.
Note: This is the first written review that will incorporate my newly developed review formula. I’m sure that it will be less than spectacular as I try to work out the kinks in my process. With time, my reviews will become stronger. I appreciate your continued support and hope my review is helpful to you.
This is a novel about self-discovery, first love, and friendship. It is beautifully written in a distinct prose that is unique to Julie Kagawa. For me, it took a few chapters to become comfortable reading it without being distracted by the diction and sentence structure. But, much like Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, after a short time it flowed nicely. After becoming more akin to the writing style, I was able to focus on the plot, which was very enjoyable. The build of the plot was thorough and I felt like it developed nicely. The story line didn’t feel rushed but I also didn’t feel like I was waiting for something to happen. Each plot development occurred in what seemed like a natural pace. I liked the presentation of exposition and found it very interesting to learn about the characters, setting, and the general theme of fey. I will say that other than the Artemis Fowl novels, I’ve never encountered a novel or series that was set in the world of fey so I was totally new to it. Personally, I feel like this a great series to read if you’re new to the idea because the Meghan is also new to the fey world so you’re able to learn the intricacies along with her.
In addition to the great plot, I also really enjoyed the characters. Meghan is a very likeable main character. She is written very realistically and I felt like she could be an actual person (except for the whole her being a fairy princess and all). Her character development progresses nicely throughout the novel and I look forward to seeing her grow more in the remaining novels. The two male leads, Puck and Ash, have me conflicted. I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil the novel for anyone but there is a bit of a love triangle that has developed. As to their characterization, I can’t give a final determination yet because I’m still reading the series but at first glance, I thought that Ash’s character was pretty well-developed but inconsistent (which actually fits the story because he himself isn’t sure of who he is or how he should feel). I would have liked to see more of Puck but I have a feeling that his place is better served in further novels and that we will definitely be seeing more of him.
Overall, I thought this was a great first novel and I am definitely going to read the rest of the series. In fact, I can’t wait to read the sequel.
The Book Nook
Until recently, I have been on a very strict book buying ban. Weddings are expensive and so are books when you buy as many as I do. Alas, I knew it would not last and I am proud of myself for making it this long. On a routine trip to the book store on campus (it's called book buying ban not book looking ban, to those of you who raise your eyebrows at the word routine), I spotted some of my most anticipateds and one of them was signed! So, needless to say, I made a purchase. 
