Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Book:  The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa, Harlequin Teen, 2010, YA fantasy/romance.

Source: Library.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Thoughts:
This is a great second installment to this series, and I found that I tore right through it.  I did like the first book better, but I still really enjoyed this one.



Again, I loved this world that Kagawa creates, the faery tale Midsummer Night's Dream dangerous yet enticing fantasy world.  The creatures are so well portrayed that I can picture them easily. The danger is so real that I feel myself tensing up for Meghan, willing her not to do or say the wrong thing.

The love triangle develops more in this book - and I find myself liking both Puck and Ash for different reasons.  I did get a bit annoyed with Meghan for being so mad at Ash for being mean to her, even when he told her that they couldn't be together or they would be bannished.  She seemed so confused by his actions when he was acting pretty clearly.  There is also a bit of a Romeo and Juliet thing going on, with the starcrossed lovers and families who will never get along.

However, I did like that Meghan shows a bit more of her powers and abilities in this book and I can't wait to see if she takes even more action in the next books.  I hope that she keeps getting stronger.  The twist at the end and the way she can use her power is intreguing to me and I can't wait to read more.

Also in this book, the secondary characters are wonderful and add so much.  Grimalkin the cat is great, so aloof and smart and always there at the right time.  I also liked Iron Horse and his steadfastness. Even though he is made of iron, his loyalty and devotion makes him seem pretty likable.

Kagawa continues her exploration of faery/imagination versus technology/progress in this book.  I can see some of the lines potentially bluring, which is interesting.

Unfortunately, there were several grammatical errors in the text, maybe proofreading errors, but I find these annoying because they take me out of the book and the world created.

I would highly recommend this book to those who like fantasy books involving faeries, love triangles and plays on popular faerie mytholology.