The Iron King
by Julie KagawaDownloaded to my kindle for the blogwithbite.com group review.
PJV's QUICKIE POV: I was at a breaking point when it came to YA faerie novels. Had enough. But I was pretty resigned to the fact that The Iron King was going to be the BWB YA pick...this book has been pretty popular among the bloggers of late. There is a reason for it's popularity. This is the best YA faerie novel that I have read, hands down. Gripping - check. Tough - check. Scary - check. Emotional - check. Creative - check. The list goes on...Ms. Kagawa you've written yourself quite a fairy tale.
REVIEW: Meghan Chase is the step-daughter of a pig farmer and the wearer of thrift store rags. Her only friend is a goofy neighbor who likes to play pranks. She doesn't fit in, in fact, people barely even remember she is there. The one time she does get noticed, she screws up majorly and turns the popular kids against her because of a bizarre computer error. Meghan Chase is destined for anonymity and a life of lameness...that is until she starts seeing odd creatures out of the corner of her eye and her little brother suddenly sprouts needle-sharp teeth and begins chomping on her leg...oh and her best friend declares himself to be the legendary Puck.
Boring, forgetful Meghan Chase now finds herself on an adventure to rescue her little brother and maybe changed the land of fairy in her wake.
An adventure fairy tale like no other, the faeries of The Iron King are scary, beautiful and a little bit charming. The Iron King mixes fairy myth with steampunk in a compelling young adult voice that had me hooked from page one. I loved all the main characters, Puck had me laughing, Ash had me shivering and Meghan had me cheering for her. The end had me desperate to read more. A must read for fans of the fae.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Nothing for parents to be concerned with in this one, the fae might be a bit on the scary side, but nothing gory or in-your-face violent. Teens 12 and up should enjoy. Adults should also like this one. Also, adults, if you have already read this novel and enjoyed it, might I recommend another of my fae loves, the adult series by Richelle Mead called the Dark Swan
series.
BWB Rating 3/4
1. What did you think of the feud between Puck and Ash? How do you think that might play out in the next two books?
I really believe there will be a love triangle with the 2 boys. Puck of course taking the less likely candidate. Ash being the forbidden fruit. The oath Ash swore is supposed to be unbreakable, so I don't see them rectifying that, unless the author takes a Stephanie Meyers out (divine intervention or something easy/cheating like that)
2. Favorite scene or line from the book? Could you relate to any of the characters?
My favorite scene from the book was when Meghan and Ash were holed up hiding from the poison rain. It was very touching. Relate to the characters? I actually really liked Ash, he was trying to be cold, but you could see underneath his facade.
3. With whom did you identify with the most? And Why?
Poor Meghan, I really felt empathetic for her being in this crazy world and not understanding. What kind of drove me crazy though was that they kept on making hints around her about who she was and her power and she never clued in to it. But other than that, she held her own.
4. Did you find the concept behind the Iron King- being a technology fueled modern day faerie- original or unbelievable?
I really liked that idea and thought it made sense.
5. Kagawa used a lot of mythical faeries in The Iron King, such as King Oberon, Queen Mab and Puck. Which fae from myth would you have liked to have seen added into the pages of The Iron King besides the ones she used?
I've always wanted to see a story with the Far Darrig, a faerie that wears a red coat and hat and likes to play evil little practical jokes.
1. What did you think of the feud between Puck and Ash? How do you think that might play out in the next two books?
I really believe there will be a love triangle with the 2 boys. Puck of course taking the less likely candidate. Ash being the forbidden fruit. The oath Ash swore is supposed to be unbreakable, so I don't see them rectifying that, unless the author takes a Stephanie Meyers out (divine intervention or something easy/cheating like that)
2. Favorite scene or line from the book? Could you relate to any of the characters?
My favorite scene from the book was when Meghan and Ash were holed up hiding from the poison rain. It was very touching. Relate to the characters? I actually really liked Ash, he was trying to be cold, but you could see underneath his facade.
3. With whom did you identify with the most? And Why?
Poor Meghan, I really felt empathetic for her being in this crazy world and not understanding. What kind of drove me crazy though was that they kept on making hints around her about who she was and her power and she never clued in to it. But other than that, she held her own.
4. Did you find the concept behind the Iron King- being a technology fueled modern day faerie- original or unbelievable?
I really liked that idea and thought it made sense.
5. Kagawa used a lot of mythical faeries in The Iron King, such as King Oberon, Queen Mab and Puck. Which fae from myth would you have liked to have seen added into the pages of The Iron King besides the ones she used?
I've always wanted to see a story with the Far Darrig, a faerie that wears a red coat and hat and likes to play evil little practical jokes.
