The Iron King

author: Julie Kagawa

published: February 1st 2010

publisher: Harlequin Teen

format: paperback

pages: 363

genre: fantasy

The following synopsis comes from Julie Kagawa's official website.

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 hear.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I absolutely LOVE this cover! It is so gorgeous. I find that it accurately represents The Iron King. I love that the title is raised and that the vines or thorns stem from it and are also raised up. It's so fun to touch! The cover is just beautiful.

Another awesome thing about the physical appearance of the book, is that on each of the chapter openings there is a border-type thing like the vines or thorns on the front. And then, on the pages where the different parts are separated (the book has three parts) the same vines or thorns (or maybe it's iron) are around the edges of the page, but even more so than the chapters. I think that's a really nice touch. It makes the inside pretty!

The Book:

I am a HUGE fan of the Fae. Faeries are officially my favorite mythical creature, so I am predisposed to want to LOVE The Iron King. The thing I like about books that are about mythical creatures is that they often all have a similar (if not the same) basic mythology behind it. The folklore is often the same. And I love seeing how different authors can take the same creatures and the same basic backstory and make completely different stories out of it.

The Iron King is (basically) about a girl named Meghan Chase who doesn't fit in and goes on an adventure to save her brother. Meghan is such a strong girl. She will do anything for those that she loves and I think that is admirable. On this adventure she meets many characters and they are amazing! The characters are all different and all lovable in their own ways. Puck brings a comedic feel to the story making stressful situations a bit less stressful. Grimalkin is a funny little guy. He's exactly as a talking cat should be. Then there's Ash. Swoon! He's gorgeous, he's dangerous, and he's actually quite sweet.

I love that I recognized some of the characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream. That was an awesome bonus to this story. I am a huge fan of the play and seeing those characters here, in a new light, was awesome!

The Iron King is such a compelling story and I can't stop thinking about it. I laughed a lot, smiled plenty, and cried a little bit. I was completely engulfed by it and couldn't put it down. I had to know what would happen next.

The Iron King gets five out of five stars!

The sequel, The Iron Daughter, hits stores in August 2010.

Here is the beautiful book trailer for The Iron King.