Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: February 1st, 2011 by Harlequin Teen

Details: 348 pages, paperback

Series: Book #3 in the Iron Fey series

Source: ARC from Publisher (Thank you Harlequin Teen)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary (goodreads):

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.

Amazon || Goodreads

o0.| My Thoughts |.0o

Meghan Chase, we meet again!

What can I say about this book without spoiling it? Honestly, I don't think there is a way to review this without including spoilers. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK/SERIES STOP READING NOW!

It's been awhile since I read this, so bear with me! 

The Iron Queen picks up where The Iron Daughter left off (was anyone else expecting a novella between the two?) and of course, something call's Meghan back to the Nevernever. Yes, ban your daughter who is the only one who can save your world then call her back. Real classy. If I was Meghan I would had been like "HAH!" but no, Meghan is much more caring than I am. 

I'll be honest, at first, I wasn't really feeling this installment of the series. I guess it was because there was too much Ash/Meghan and not enough Puck. And when there was a scene with Puck, he was always in a sour mood. Which made me in a sour mood. Kind of weird how that works, right? Also! That scene where Meghan finds out that Puck was "lying" to her this whole time and totally blows up on him? Uncalled for! I wanted to smack her myself. He was protecting you! Why is it so hard for her to see that? No one is after you! Well, besides your boyfriend's twisted brother and the Iron King. Poor Puck, he didn't deserve that!

As always, there was a lot of action. And since there was a lot of action, there would be some training. Meghan and Ash really need to work on their communication skills. Ash's bi-polar emotions gave me a headache. You want her to protect herself, you want to protect her and have her not fight even though you just spent all that time teaching her. I mean, come on man. GET A GRIP! I have to admit, I did like that Ash talked more and showed more emotion. Verified he wasn't a robot. And his proposal (not marriage guys, calm down) was very noble. I don't think Meghan fully understood his intentions and that made me sad for Ash, and made me want to smack Meghan.... again. I have to admit, she did do a lot of growing up in this book and she took charge like we all wanted her to, I should cut her more slack. The girl can't be perfect and she was just thrown into this world. Not to mention she's not even old enough to vote. Oh the pressure!

The ending made me tear. I don't know why, but it just did. Well, close to the ending, if it had ended there it would had been EPIC. I was sad to see Grim go, just like Meg was. And I loved Razor, what a cutie! Glitch wasn't so bad either, in the end. The (real) ending left us hanging for the next book The Iron Knight and I can't wait to see where this one takes us!

o0.| Favorite Line |.0o

I actually left my book at my parent's house so sadly I can't quote my favorite lines :(

*Amazon link provided will direct you to my associates link. Proceeds will help fund future giveaways for this blog. 

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Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: August 1st, 2010 by Harlequin Teen
Details: 359 pages, paperback
Series: Book #2 in the Iron Fey series
[ CLICK HERE for my review on Book #1 The Iron King ]
Source: Bought & Netgalley
Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary (goodreads):

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.

Amazon || Goodreads

o0.| My Thoughts |.0o

So, what's weird about this is that I was one of the people who got my hands on this copy a week before the release date and I'm just now reviewing it. With that said, my memory is a little hazy since I did finish this in August. I know, talk about slacker right?

If I thought I couldn't love a book more than I loved The Iron King, I was wrong. The Iron Daughter was ten times better! From the very beginning you pick up where you left off in Winter's Passage and you're introduced to a new character that's hard not to like. In the beginning, I was a bit annoyed with Meghan because she clearly did not listen to Ash or take him seriously with his warning and I thought her little thoughts of heartbreak were totally uncalled for. The boy warned you! What more do you want? A flashing neon sign behind his head?! I also grew very fond of Ash's brother Sage and I wish that we knew more about him. As for Meghan's out burst in trying to set things right with Mab? I think she had that coming. Did you really think the Winter Queen would believe you? She never liked you! Another thing that annoyed me about Meghan was that she didn't seem like she put much thought into her actions. Ever.

Through out our new journey through the Nevernever, we're introduced to more characters that I grew very fond of and even old characters you never thought you would grow fond of. Also, we're joined by my two favorites somewhere in there and I think I actually squeaked out loud when we were. Causing weird stares from my husband lol. The Iron Daughter was filled with much much more action than The Iron King was and much more emotion from the love triangle. Which by the way, Meghan and Ash... they really need to start talking things out. This whole guess-what-I'm-thinking thing causes trouble for the both of you! Teenagers!

I absolutely love this book and it's so far my favorite of the series (I'm half way through The Iron Queen right now and I still stand by saying that The Iron Daughter is still my favorite)! One thing I absolutely love about Julie's writing is that every character has their own distinct voice. Their individual personalities really show through their actions and their words. It's so easy to fall into these characters and know what's out of character for them. Which makes you think, if you can see it, WHY CAN'T MEGHAN?!

o0.| Favorite Line |.0o

I had about 15 different pages marked to quote for this review but I'm sure most of us have read this book and there's probably really no need to quote them!

*Amazon link provided will direct you to my associates link. Proceeds will help fund future giveaways for this blog.

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OMGOMGOMGOMG!

So I was crusin Twitter today, you know... minding my own business... finding reasons to put off my Psych exam and Julie Kagawa gave me an incredible excuse!

Okay obviously my Photoshop and Blogger aren't friends tonight cause I swear that looked so much bigger on Photoshop. 

Anyway, if you wanna know what she's talking about, check it out here!

I am extremely excited! Is it 2011 yet?! OMGOSH!

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Review: Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Details: ebook, 51 pages
Series: Yes, Iron Fey series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: NetGalley ARC
Summary (goodreads):
After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey. 

 They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

A short novella that takes us on the journey with Meghan and Ash to the Winter Court.  While this was an extremely short novella, it was a nice bridge between the first and second book in the series.

For all you Team Ash out there, you get more time with Ash and Meghan and there were some pretty sweet moments mixed in there. As for us Team Puck, there wasn't much for us in this one. Though I was rooting for his return! Ash spills details about the bitter feud between him and Puck and was kind enough to warn Meghan. But of course, Meghan being Meghan, she didn't bother to listen very well. Poor girl, he has centuries of experience ahead of you, listen to the boy! 

And of course Meghan gets chased. It was a pretty intense scene, but the end of the scene left me confused. Very very confused. 

Unfortunately that's all I can say about it without packing it with spoilers. It's not extremely necessary to read, since a lot of it is repeated again the beginning of the second book, but like I said, it was was a nice bridge between the two.

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Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Published: Feb 1st, 2010
Details: 363 pages, paperback
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Yes (Book #1 of the Iron Fey series)
Rating: 5 out 5
Summary (goodreads):
Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

OHMYGOSH! I totally get why everyone loves this series. Seriously. I don't even know where to begin this review!

Meghan Chase isn't the most popular kid in school, in fact they only mention her friend Robbie. She lives with her mom, her step dad and her half brother. Her step dad doesn't pay her much attention and hardly remembered it was her birthday. Her birthday day sucks, completely. And something strange happened to her younger brother. She suddenly realizes she doesn't know anything about her oldest friend Robbie and it seems that he know's what's going on and won't tell her. At least, not until her younger brother attacks her. What he tells her is unbelievable but she has no choice but to believe him and step into the Faery world to try and save her brother.

I know I told myself I wasn't going to re-summarize books anymore, but I didn't feel that the summary really told you anything about the story.

Where do I start? I thought it was ironic that her last name is "Chase" and through out the book, multiple different people were chasing her. I wonder if that was done on purpose. As soon as Meghan and Robbie stepped into Nevernever (the Fey world), I was swept away with Robbie... er Puck. Maybe it's because I have a thing for guys in hoodies. I loved how beautiful and how dangerous the world was, the chases were all so intense too! Grim is my absolute favorite character, probably because he reminds me of a more chatty Cheshire Cat and even though he won't admit it, I think he cares about Meg (aww). I wasn't a fan of her "dad" or anyone in his court really, everyone acted like they had sticks up their asses!

I'm sorry to say, I was not a fan of Ash either. Not even a little bit. He was so serious all the time! I loved that he could throw ice though, but that's about all that I liked about him. Well that and he stayed by Meg even if it killed him. He was so flip flop, I couldn't figure him out. 

And can I just say, I adored the pack rats? They were the cutest things ever! Can I have one? :)

So much happens in the 363 pages packed into this novel. This was one of those books that I had to take a few breaks from because it was getting so intense it was giving me anxiety lol. But at the same time I'd pick it up again and read more and more until I was done. I'm curious to know what will happen in Winter's Passage and The Iron Daughter. I loved the idea that they survived on peoples dreams and how the Iron King came into existence. 

Finishing the book left me curious... why isn't the main character ever part of the Winter Courts? Has anyone else noticed that?

In closing, if you haven't read The Iron King, you're definitely missing out!

Favorite Line:
"Redcaps," Grimalkin mused, wrinkling his nose. "You will want to stay away from them, human. Last time they came, a not-to-bright phouka challenged one to a rigged shell game and won. It did not go well."
"What happened?" I asked, wondering what a phouka was.
"They ate him."
- PG. 163


"Charming," Puck commented, gazing around in distaste. "I love the barren, dead feel they're gong for. Who's the gardener, I wonder? I'd love to get some tips." - PG. 211


"Oh, we're playing nice now?" Puck remained seated, looking anything but compliant. "Shall we have tea first? Brew up a nice pot of kiss-my-ass?" - PG. 227

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