Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: February 1, 2010
Genre: YA, fantasy
Pages: ebook
Series: The Iron Fey
1. The Iron King
2. The Iron Daughter (August 1, 2010)
3. The Iron Queen (January 25, 2011)
4. The Iron Knight (October 25, 2011)

Synopsis:
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.

From Goodreads

Since I got my Kobo, I pretty much resigned myself to reading “priority books” (A.K.A. review books) on it. I finally decided that I should use my Kobo to read an ebook I’d actually spent my own money on. THE IRON KING was book number one on my list.

I loved everything about this book: the story, the writing, the characters. Everything. I love how the main character is a young female who is flung into this world she never even knew existed. And then she’s told she’s actually a part of this strange and different world. Then there was the action and adventure aspect, which was really explosive and engrossing. It did kind of remind me of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, mostly in storyline. But what I really loved about this story was how different it was from any other book about fey that I’ve heard of.

The adventure in this story was so captivating that I had a hard time putting it down. As soon as the characters got past one obstacle, there would always be something else coming at them. The persistence of both the enemy and the main characters was awesome. And it never gave you a chance to put the book down! When I think back to how much they actually had to go through to get to the end, it’s crazy. It’s almost too much to shove into one book, but Julie writes so well that their constant insecurity isn’t overwhelming.

I really loved the characters. Meghan is a strong girl, very determined. From the first moment she leaves on her quest, she never forgets what she’s going for. Puck was always great for comic relief. He always had a witty comment in reply, whether he was talking to his BFF, Meghan, or his mortal enemy, Ash. Ash himself was a troubled character that you couldn’t help but wonder about. I have to say, I haven’t declared a Team yet. Puck or Ash? I’ll have to read more of the series and get back to you on that...