The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey #3
Release Date: October 21, 2011 (UK)
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher
Rating: Enjoyable

In less than twenty four hours, I'll be seventeen. Although, technically, I won't actually be turning seventeen. I've been in the Nevernever too long. When you're in Faery, you don't age. So while a year has passed in the real world, agewise I'm probably only a few days older than when I went in. In real life, I've changed so much I don't even recognize myself. My name is Meghan Chase. 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. - Goodreads

The Iron Queen is action packed, and because of this it is definitely my favourite in the series so far. I loved The Iron King, however the Iron Daughter left me very disappointed. TIQ almost makes up for that though, because of the constant action and well written story. The plot is ten times better, and I feel that Julie Kagawa’s writing has greatly improved.

In the previous books I was rather annoyed by Meghan and the silly deals that she made with various creatures in the fae world. I was very cautious going into this book, as I was expecting much of the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised, and I definitely enjoyed reading from Meghan’s point of view up until the book was over. Meghan has grown a lot during this series, and I think most of the character growth has happened during this one book. She is less dependent on others (*cough*Ash*cough*) and she becomes a strong female lead.

I am a huge fan of Puck, and really didn’t see the attraction between Meghan and Ash until this novel. Before, it felt very rushed and just plain silly at times. However I ended up enjoying reading about their relationship in The Iron Queen, and I was kind of rooting for them towards the end.  

Now, as I mentioned, I am a Puck fan. So I can’t say that I wasn’t a little disappointed by this book although I won’t say why in an attempt to keep this spoiler free. I knew what was coming though – thank you to the US bloggers who read the book before us UK people – and I can’t say I was surprised.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book due to the non-stop action. The climax was fantastic, and was almost perfectly written.

The Iron King Blog Tour - Part Two: Review!

As promised, here is some more Iron Fey goodness! Firstly, there's my review (which I definitely recommend reading, despite the length and standard ramble.) and then I'm also giving you information on where you get snag yourself a free copy of The Iron King e-book!


Visit Part 1 of the blog tour to read Julie Kagawa's post on the love triangle in The Iron King! 

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. - Visit The Iron King's GoodReads page.

As you can see from the GoodReads summary, this novel is a classic case of normal girl finding out she’s not really entirely human. However, it is also so much more than that. Meghan Chase travels to a completely different world which is parallel to our own in search of her brother, meeting cruel and evil beings (which are all described wonderfully, FYI) along the way.

The world building is what made me fall in love with this book. While the Fey aspect of the novel is certainly nothing new, the world that Julie Kagawa created is truly breathtaking. Julie has done an amazing job with that! It's one of the main draws of the novel, and I wanted to find out as much as I could about this fascinating place.

The pacing of the story was quick enough to grab and hold my interest, and the story literally flew by for me. I was done before I knew it, and now I can’t wait to read book two!

What didn’t particularly work too well for me is the fact that I do feel that certain romances happened far too quickly. This is a series, after all. I feel that more development was needed between the characters, and this could have been built up throughout the first couple of books, but instead it felt rushed. I'll let you read the book and figure out which characters I am talking about - I don't want to ruin the book for you in this review!

Meghan as a main character was interesting, and it was fun watching her character develop - but she slowly became quite annoying. She seemed silly and almost naïve at times, as she continued to run into various situations without thinking, and then she had to be saved by one of the other characters. I thought she would have learnt from her mistakes, but I guess not. That being said, this is what makes her character more realistic. She’s a teenage girl who’s just had her world turned upside down. I suppose she needs to be cut some slack. 

As for Puck…  I loved Puck! He was mischievous and funny, and he obviously cared deeply for Meghan, and greatly favoured their relationship. I just wish he had been in it more. His character was a star, and I fell in love with him from the word go. He's definitely the side I favour in this love triangle. I want a real life Puck! *swoon*

I don’t feel I’ve seen enough of Ash to actually analyse his character, but from what I’ve seen so far, he seems perfectly alright. Although I still prefer Puck, Ash is the strong, heroic warrior type who would rather fight with a sword than with magic. I can certainly see the attraction there! *wink wink, nudge nudge*

I especially loved Grim, the talking cat. I thought he was an amazing character - yes, he is much more than an ordinary house cat! - and I hope to see him in future books! His funny comments were the best, and the way he kept wandering off and then reappearing was kind of creepy.

Overall, I give The Iron King a rating of 5/5 for being so incredible. The positives more than make up for the negatives, and this book truly exceeded my expectations. 

For more information on the Iron King and to find out about forthcoming releases from Mira Ink visit their wonderful website: www.miraink.co.uk 

Amazon US | Book Depository | Amazon UK

Series: Iron Fey #1

Published on 21 Jan, 2011 (UK) by Mira Books

Paperback edition; 384 pages

Giveaway time!

So if you decided to read through my review, or you just scrolled down to here - skipping the most important part of the post, I might add! - I'm going to tell you about a giveaway that's currently being held over at The Sunday Express website. They're giving away 1000 free copies of The Iron King e-book. So now's your chance to go and win one! Go, go, go!

ETA: Apparently all of the copies had already been claimed a while ago. Sorry guys! No one told me they were already gone. :(

The Iron King Blog Tour - Part One: Guest Post from Julie Kagawa

Hi all. Today I have a post of epic proportions for you all to enjoy. I have welcomed Julie Kagawa (Yes, THE Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series) to my blog. She has written a guest post on the complicated relationship between the characters in the first book in the series - The Iron King. Enjoy!
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Source: GoodReads

Hello, I’m Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series. Since Valentine’s Day just went by, I thought I would examine the love triangle between the character’s in The Iron King, specifically the two boys: Ash and Puck. We’ll take a look at their flaws and virtues, and try to decide which one is the better choice. First up on the list is:


Puck: The eternal trickster. Playful, snarky, sarcastic, and mischievous. Puck was appointed Meghan’s guardian by her father, King Oberon, and rarely left her side in the mortal world. A formidable bodyguard, Puck is known by another name: Robin Goodfellow, an ancient, legendary faery whose appearance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream has made him infamous. Puck is light-hearted, cheerful, and completely loyal to his princess; he would do anything to protect her and keep her safe.


Unfortunately, those same virtues could also be Puck’s downfall. He is rarely serious, hiding all deeper emotions behind an endless stream of jokes and sarcastic remarks. If he harbours feelings for Meghan, he never shows them, which can lead to confusion about his true intentions. If Puck is to have a chance with Meghan’s heart, he must shake off his flippant nature long enough to show her how he really feels. Or risk losing her to someone else. 


Which brings us to:
Ash: The Unseelie Prince. The youngest son of Queen Mab, Ash is the embodiment of a Winter noble: dark, beautiful, and deadly. At first glance, Ash appears arrogant and cold, but dig a little deeper and his true self begins to emerge, one that is brave and honourable and surprisingly gentle. His icy barrier hides a dark past, but those who try to see past it might find a completely different person behind the cold facade. One who would give his all without hesitation.


Of course, Ash’s flaws are many, and Meghan may find that the odds stacked against them are too much. Raised in the Unseelie Court, the Winter Prince is no stranger to cruelty and violence. By all accounts, the daughter of the Summer Lord is his enemy, and Ash’s loyalty to his queen runs deep. If they are to have a chance at love, Ash must turn his back on his court, his queen, and everything that he knows. Can he and the Summer princess stand against all odds and make it work? Or will Meghan finally realize Puck was the better choice all along?


What are your thoughts? Who do you think is the better choice? Cheerful, light-hearted Puck? Or honourable, brooding Ash? Meghan’s tangled love life continues in The Iron Daughter, where she realizes just how deep Unseelie loyalty runs, and how far a certain Summer prankster would go to protect her.
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Thank you for stopping by, Julie, and for writing that brilliant post! I loved reading it. So, fellow readers, who do you choose? Do you even have a preference? I definitely know who I'm leaning toward! See if you can guess before reading my review.


If you would like to read my review on The Iron King, then go visit Part 2 of The Iron King blog tour!