Wednesday 2 November 2011

Book Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Book:  The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa, Harlequin Teen, 2011, 358 pages, YA fantasy romance.

Source:  Library

Goodreads Synopsis: 
My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

My Thoughts: 
I just tore through this book - the exciting third installment of the Iron Fey series.  Kagawa continues with her amazing world building, something I love so much.  The Nevernever that she creates is so fun, strange and familiar at the same time.  There is a great mix of the faery tales we all know and love and new additions.  The back story from the other two books was presented really well, probably even better than in the second book.  Again this book is full of action, adventure, romance, heartbreak, friendship and twists.



I love Meghan's growth, she becomes stronger and more capable, not needing to be saved all of the time (yeah!).  She even recognizes this herself when she asks Ash to teach her to fight and takes an active part in the battles.  This shows huge development on her part.

I have to say that Meghan's conviction that her dad, the one who brought her up, the one she thought of as dad her whole life, is her real father and not Oberon, her biological father who she never knew anything about, made me happy.  As someone sensitive to adoption issues, I was pleased to see this, that your dad is the one who is there for you.  I didn't want to see Meghan abandon her family just because a biological father came out of the woodwork.

I still enjoy the interaction between Puck and Ash - they are such great foils for each other.  I like both of these characters, along with Grim the cat, and can't wait to read more about them.  Puck particularly adds some great humour to the book.

This book still saw its fair share of typical teenaged misunderstandings and overreactions.  As much as these things drive me crazy on one level because, as a reader I know more, I appreciate that Kagawa is being true to teenaged reactions.  There are also times when Meghan is a bit slow to grasp the bigger picture or implications of things, but that is probably typical too.

As with the other books, there are great explorations of nature vs technology, happy endings vs not so happy endings, and summer vs winter.  I find this fun to read and it adds an interesting dimension to the book.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have read the other two.  Also, be sure to check out my blog on November 6th for my stop on the Scavanger Book Tour for the fourth Iron Fey book, The Iron Knight.  I can't wait!!

Where to find more:
The Iron Fey Book Series Web Site
Julie Kagawa's Web Site
Julie Kagawa's FaceBook
Julie Kagawa's Twitter

4 comments:

  1. I loved TIQ! cried like a baby..... isn't that ending just killer? Glad to see you enjoyed it :)

    Diana @ The Lovely Getaway<

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  2. I know, I was glad to the The Iron Knight on hand to read right away. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I cried too! Love this series! Glad you like it!

    Book Addict

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  4. It was such an emotional ending. I was so glad that there was another one.

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