Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Review - The Iron Queen


The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, #3)The Iron Queen
by Julie Kagawa
Paperback, 358 pages
Published January 25th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

Premise:

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.



My Review:


Yes! My favorite of this first series so far. Since I read The Lost Prince before this, I was absolutely thrilled to see Glitch. I think I like him as much as Grimalkin. Lol. Who shows up plenty, when he feels like it.

What was so awesome? Meghan. Ash. The conflict. The Resolution.

The world of Fey continues to grow, expanding with my understanding of it. They are so unearthly, borderline creepy and overwhelmingly beautiful at the same time. Puck is the most otherworldly example that travels right at Meghan’s elbow. He is thrilled to fight, unafraid of death, persistently in love with Meghan and persistently irritating. I can’t help respecting him… even loving him. Well… it’s true. He wouldn’t irritate me so much if I didn’t enjoy him so much.

Meghan wars between relationships and responsibilities. I love her clarity of thought. She recognizes her own emotions, especially as they differ between Ash and Puck. She loves her family and devotes a lot of time to them, coming to terms with her childhood… and lost memories. I love the way she faces her fate/future head-on.  Even when it kills her.

Ash. *shiver* So icy, so unapproachable and yet so vulnerable all at the same time. He needs someone to interpret the depth of his actions because he is so fey and Meghan loves humanly… and sometimes there’s a misunderstanding between the two. I love their conflicts. I love how they discover new depths of relationship. Ash is so much MORE when he’s full of love.

The conflict is amazingly complex. I just didn’t see how Meghan could have her family, have Puck, have Ash, have peace with Summer and Winter… defeat the false Iron King… all of these were impossible. I love how Meghan insists on finding a way and never giving up on anything or anyone, except, maybe herself. Which is the perfect resolution… she has to let it all go to keep it. Maybe the title is a bit of a spoiler, which for me, only increased the tension because it was just… impossible.  Perfect!

I need to read The Iron Knight NOW. I need Ash to bridge the gap Meghan has to make. It’s not enough knowing he will… I need to see how. I need to see Ash and Meghan again. I don’t want this series to end. Oh yea… it’s not! Yay!


My Rating: 5 - Maybe all these characters are growing on me. Maybe Kagawa's writing is. Maybe I think Ash is the awesomest guy that dared walk into fiction. *shrug* I love this book!!!!


About the Amazing Author:
Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn�t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel. 
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job. 
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time. 
Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.
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Catch all my reviews of Julie Kagawa's awesome books (click on cover to go to my review):

The Iron King (Iron Fey, #1)  The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey, #2)  The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)

BONUS FUN:

  

Enter to WIN a Manuscript Critique by one of these characters - winner will be drawn on Christmas Eve.

COMING SOON:

The Blood of Eden #2: The Eternity Cure coming April 23, 2013
The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2: The Traitor Son coming September 2013