{Review} The Iron King by Julie Kagawa {Iron Fey Series}

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.

Title: The Iron King {Iron Fey, book 1}

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publication: 01st February 2010

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

280 pages

This book is the first novel of a series.

My review

If you love fantasy novel, then this book is for you and you should absolutely check it out. All the ingredients for a successful novel are present: an exciting atmosphere, engaging characters and an absolutely fascinating storyline. As I'd read a lot of positive reviews, I was afraid to be disappointed, but The Iron King totally deserves those enthusiastic blurbs and it is a brilliant book. After finishing this first installment, I was completely delighted and eager to read more, I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel now.

In The Iron King, we meet Meghan an ordinary teenage girl that nothing seemed to predispose to live such adventures. Finally, she is more special than the reader expected her to be and she leads him into an unsuspected world. I immediately liked her, she is strong, determined, courageous and could do anything  for her family. And she nonetheless remains credible and plausible. It was really easy for me to relate to her.

I also loved the male characters who are both very different. Between Puck and Ash the tension is palpable and I think we will have some surprises in the next books. As for me I prefer Ash, who is more mysterious, but both of them are appealing. Finally, my favorite character is the cat, Grimalkin. I loved him and he made me laugh, he reminded me of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.

While some aspects of the plot are fairly predictable, the storyline is still compelling and I had some surprises. I easily dived in the story and I was hooked by the storytelling. The atmosphere is fantastic and captivating. I read it in only a few hours and was totally unable to put it down.

The descriptions are enchanting and mesmerizing. I totally loved them. In The Iron King, the readers travel to a totally magical and wonderful world. As the descriptions are very visual, you can easily imagine the beautiful scenery. In my opinion, it is one of the strengths of this book, but it's really not the only one.

Julie Kagawa's writing is pleasant and smooth. The dialogues are tasty and often funny. The storyline is compelling, full of twists and with a lot of action. I was quickly captivated and it was really easy for me to dive into the story. I was hooked from the first line to the last.

To sum up, I loved this first instalment. The characters are interesting and the plot is fast-paced. I'm now eagerly looking forward to reading the next book. Even if The Iron King does not end on a huge cliffhanger I really want to read the next one, as soon as possible.