- Title: The Iron King
- Author: Julie Kagawa
- My Rating: 3/5 Stars
- Format: Paperback
I heard about The Iron King through GoodReads. I had noticed that it was added/read by many of my friends, so I figured it would probably be pretty good. When I read the synopsis, I was definitely interested in it, but I didn't get the feeling of 'Oh my gosh I need this now!' I didn't really know for sure if I was going to enjoy this book because of all the fantasy aspects. Don't get me wrong, I do love fantasy, I'm just not big on reading about it.
The Iron King is about a girl named Meghan Chase, who lives a pretty normal life up until the day her little brother gets kidnapped. Meghan doesn't realize all the things living around her until she is finally exposed to the truth of who she really is. She is a half-human and half-summer faery. When Meghan realizes all the things going on around her, it certainly takes her by surprise. She finds out that her brother was replaced by an evil creature, called a changeling, and she knows she must do whatever it takes to get him back. She also finds out that her best friend, Robbie, is actually a famous creature named Puck.
Puck agrees to take Meghan to the Nevernever, the place where her brother has been taken. When they get to the Nevernever, they have been followed so Puck creates a diversion and throws Meghan up into a tree. There she meets a cat, named Grimalkin, who agrees to help her find Puck for a favor in return. Grimalkin leads Meghan to the Summer Court where she meets her real father, the king of the Summer Court.
When Elysium, an event where the Summer and Winter Courts come together, arrives, Meghan meets the Winter Prince, Ash. When a crazy monster crashes the party, chaos breaks loose. That's when Meghan decides to make a run for it to head to the Winter Court in search for her brother. On her journey, she runs into Puck and also Ash. Puck and Ash despise each other for reasons Meghan can't seem to figure out.
While Ash and Puck are attempting to kill each other, some strange creatures come along and take Meghan away. Ash and Puck are stunned and they join forces to get Meghan free. Then, they find out that there is someone named Machina, the Iron King, who took her brother. Ash and Meghan make a deal for him to go with her to find the Iron King. They go on their search for Machina and while obstacles get in their way, Meghan eventually arrives at Machina's court to get her brother back.
I feel like that was a really long summary, but I wanted to be a little more detailed so it would make more sense. Anyway, for me, this book was very boring in the beginning. I didn't really get into it at all and I felt like I was always forcing myself to read it. Like I said before, I really do love fantasy, but I don't think I enjoy reading about it as much. The only time I really got into this book was towards the end, when all the action was happening.
I'd say the characters in this book were decent. None of them really got on my nerves, but they weren't the most interesting characters I've ever read about, either. I think my favorite character might have been Grimalkin, just because I found him pretty funny. Also, there is a bit of a love triangle in this book, and so far I believe I'm team Ash. I think most people really loved Puck, but I just don't see what's so great about him besides his sense of humor.
Once you start getting to the more interesting part of The Iron King, I think most people will enjoy it. On GoodReads, it has a average of almost 4 stars, so obviously a lot of people have enjoyed it. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea, but it was entertaining. I think I'll continue on with the series, but I'm in no rush to get my hands on the other books. I gave The Iron King 3/5 stars because while I did think it was extremely boring at first, it does pick up towards the middle and end. Also, can I just say that it really reminded me of Alice in Wonderland? Especially Grimalkin...he definitely reminded me of the Cheshire Cat.
Favorite quote: "Time to switch to decaf, princess. If you're going to shriek at every bogey that jumps out and says 'boo', you'll be exhausted before we reach the edge of the woods."
Do I recommend this book? Sure, especially if you're into fantasy. If you enjoy reading about faeries and magical creatures, this is definitely a book for you.