Review: The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3)

Title: The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 384
Challenge: YA Series Challenge


My Rating:

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. -summary from goodreads.com

Review: *Warning: Ending Spoilers! Read at your own risk!*

Meghan is my new favorite heroine :) You see her mature so much throughout this book, big difference from her whinny attitude in beginning of book 2.  She sacrifices so much and risks everything to help those she loves. She has her heart set on Ash, and hopes to keep Puck around as a friend. Oh my… Puck! I will always love Puck. This book changes nothing; he is still hilarious, loyal, charming and caring. I will admit, you can’t help but fall in love with Ash… darn him and his chivalry. Gosh, he is just plain out amazing.

I would give this book 4.5 hearts... I loved it, but there was one thing that really bothered me; the ending (I need proper closure :) haha!). Meghan saves both the Iron realm and the Nevernever, but come on… why can’t she keep Ash? I mean I know I’m not his biggest fan, but poor guy! After everything he's done, he deserves to be happy! That stupid curse has haunted him his whole life and now it applies to his relationship to Meghan as well? Aye ya aye! I know the ending is set up for the new spin-off book Mrs. Kagawa is doing, but why couldn’t Meghan have talked to him one last time? During the epilogue, I was praying Ash would come out of the shadows, and tell Meghan that he’s planning on keeping his promise… but he didn’t. My question is WHY!? Such torture!... Agghh! My heart feels for Meghan, its broken, just like hers. I cannot wait to read about Ash and Puck's new adventures in The Iron Knight. Hopefully this book will finally give Meghan her happily ever after :)

Overall, The Iron Queen is an action packed, suspense and romanced filled read... it's a beautiful closing book for this wonderful series. You will not be able to put it down, it will leave you craving for more! If you've read both The Iron King and Daughter, trust me when I say, you don't want to miss this book!

Review: The Iron Daughter

Title: The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 359
Challenge: YA Series Challenge


My Rating:

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. -summary from goodreads.com

 

So I am totally behind on my book reviewing but I just finished The Iron Daughter and I knew I had to write down my thoughts while the book is still fresh in my mind. I have a TON of mixed feelings about this book. I'm still trying to decide if they’re good or bad. So w/that being said, there will be slight spoilers from the first book. You might not want to read this is you haven't read The Iron King.

The Iron Daughter starts off right where the first book left off. Meghan keeps her end of the bargain & returns to Nevernever w/Ash. Once He delivers Meghan to Queen Mab, Ash disappears leaving a freezing Meghan in enemy territory & w/no powers, her glamour is somehow cut off in the Winter court. After the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen by the Iron fey, our favorite trio (Meg, Ash & Puck) head out to get it back to set order and justice to the courts. 

Now, if you read my review for the Iron King, you'll know that in the first book I really loved Meghan! She proved to us that she'd do anything to get her brother back and that took lots of courage, strength and dedication. Even the whole “damsel in distress” scenes worked perfectly and were totally believable! (Be honest,  if you were somehow dropped into an unknown magical world, don't tell me you'd be walking around kicking ass your first day?!) But in the Iron Daughter, Meghan seemed... very whinny. She'd complain about almost everything, but wouldn't do anything about it. The first hundred pages she's practically waiting for Ash to come save her.... I constantly thought to myself, "Come on, Meghan! Your better than this, get your butt out of there!" As the book goes on she does start acting like the old Meghan we all know and love, but the beginning just seemed to drag on a bit because of her negative attitude. 

In this book we have we meet some new characters whom you'll love. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like Iron Horse, but he's just plain out awesome. We get to see a bit more into the Winter court as well as cameo appearances from the Summer court. There are many nail-biting scenes throughout the whole book! This is one action packed sequel you do not want to miss with surprises at every corner. It's crazy good!

Speaking of crazy, the love triangle... Omgosh! Ok, I'm definitely Team Puck. He's funny, charming, loyal, dedicated & handsome... what more does Meghan want? Oh, that’s right, she wants both of them. Personally, I stand my ground in thinking Ash is creepy, but you can’t help but fall for him by the end of this book. He sacrifices everything for Meghan. I guess the cold prince really does have a heart of gold after all. (Darn you, Ash, for being so wonderful. I was perfectly happy being in love with Puck, now all of a sudden I have mixed feelings!)

Overall, The Iron Daughter was an awesome read & a great sequel. I can't wait till February so I can get my hands on The Iron Queen!

Review: The Iron King

Title: The Iron King (Iron Fey #1)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 363

My Rating:

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. -summary from goodreads.com

I had heard nothing but awesome things about this book, and since I couldn't wait to get my copy and read it, when it came in the mail, it jumped straight to the top of my TBR pile. And let me tell you…. It was WELL worth it! I loved almost everything about this book! The cover is gorgeous, the story is fast paced, interesting, and funny!

In this story we follow Meghan Chase, a typical 15-year-old girl who lives on the outskirts of town, has always felt like an outsider, and it doesn't help that her family is poor. Meghan is about to turn sixteen, when she is humiliated at school by one of the popular boys that she's had a crush on forever (it was super sad! My heart broke with Meghan’s). Things only get worse when she gets home and finds out her younger step-brother has been kidnapped. Robbie (her only friend and somewhat of a trickster) and Meghan were supposed to be celebrating her sixteenth birthday, but instead they set off on an unexpected adventure.

I thought Meghan was a believable character who reacted like a sixteen year old girl would when confronted with strange situations and horrible threats. It does get a little old when a character that supposedly lived a normal human life, suddenly turns into superwoman and saves the world. I liked that Meghan was scared and broke down in tears at times, but she was also strong, grew up fast, and discovered hidden strengths she didn't realize she possessed. Her courageousness in the Nevernever is nicely portrayed, as is her devotion to Ethan. Yet she often wanders into danger without thinking or listening to warnings and I groaned as she repeatedly made bargains with Faery characters even after seeing the devastating consequences. But all in all, I really like Meghan.

Robin Goodfellow, a.k.a. Puck-- Three words: I LOVE PUCK! He’s loyal, charming and hilarious. What more can you ask for? I wasn’t a very big fan of Prince Ash. The only reason he felt attracted to Meghan in the first place was because she reminded him of his dead wife? Uh, creeeepy. But hey, the boy is handsome, mysterious and can dance (that’s a bonus!)… I’d like to see what happens with the Meghan/Ash relationship.

Overall, The Iron King has made a fan out of me! If you’re into the action, peril, romance and adventure, then this is the book for you! You will not be able to put it down. The next book in the series, the Iron Daughter will most likely find its way to the top of my “to be read” stack as well.