Saturday, December 18, 2010

"The Iron King" By Julie Kagawa






"The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa is book one in what has become one of my all time favorite book series. If you like paranormal romance, love triangles and falling in love with a literary bad guy, then this book series is for you.


The Iron King starts with Megan Chase, a seemingly ordinary girl whose 4 year old brother is stolen and exchanged for a changeling. Determined to rescue her brother and bring him home, she embarks on a journey to the Nevernever, finding out her best friend Robbie is actually Robin Goodfellow AKA Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. She then finds out the man who disappeared during her childhood is not actually her father, but she is in fact the daughter of Oberon, the King of the Summer Fey.


Megan learns very quickly that as a half-human, there are many dangerous things in the Faery Realm that pose a risk to her. But since she is half-fey she also realizes she has powers she never knew she had. She just has to discover them and learn to harness her power while staying alive and rescuing her brother. Megan notices a dark figure, Prince Ash from the Unseelie Court, following her and tries to find out if he has a role in her brother's disappearance. Mortal Enemies, Puck and Ash reluctantly agree to help Megan on her journey to rescue her brother, though Megan must promise to allow Ash to take her to the Unseelie court to his evil mother, Queen Mab when the brother is returned safely home.


During their journey, they learn of the real culprit behind her brother's kidnapping, the Iron King. The idea of Iron Fey is a mystery and one the Summer and Winter Fey aren't sure truly even exists, as iron is deadly to fey.


Though Prince Ash has an icy cold exterior, we see occasional glimpses underneath as his feelings toward Megan change, and Megan tries to fight her feelings for a guy she knows she probably shouldn't have, while at the same time Puck starts to reveal his feelings for Megan.


This is a book I traded several hours of sleep for, because I just couldn't get enough of this book. This series is on my "must read" list. Go out and check it out for yourself. Oh, and say hello to Prince Ash for me.