The Iron Fey - Book 3 - The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Julie Kagawa does not give you much time to catch your breath or get bored in Iron Queen. This instalment of the Iron Fey was everything that I expected and more and having enjoyed this series so much, I am now truly a convert of Faerie.

SUMMARY

I will not say much in terms of the plot as many would not have had the opportunity to read this book yet and it would be a terrible injustice to give up the story before all of you have had an opportunity to read this book. I will say however that the story picks up with Meghan and Ash in the human world and seemingly at a loss at what happens next. They however find themselves back in the thick of things faster than they could have imagined and have to race to save all that is near and dear to them. The plot of this book is fast paced, nerve racking and heart wrenching all in one neatly packaged bundle. So rush over to whatever bookstore or website you buy your books at and get yourself a copy of this book! You will not be able to put it down.

WHAT I LIKED

I liked Meghan as a character. Initially (in the first book and for a short while thereafter) I though Meghan was going to be a typical whiney and dependent YA female character but boy was I surprised. From the onset Meghan took charge of her situation and even those around her clearly showing a backbone of steel one would not expect in one her age. It is clear she doesn’t always rush into decisions but thinks them through and weighs up all the possible repercussions her actions could have. I also loved that once Meghan had made a choice regarding her love life she was not swayed there from. I found this much more realistic than all those love triangles that I have been complaining about. In actual fact there was really very little about this book that I did not like and seeing as I finished it such a short time ago I am still basking in that feeling of rightness and happiness that you only really get when finishing a book you love.

But don’t go mistaking Iron Queen for just another boy meets girl, falls in love and lives happily ever after stories. These characters certainly have to face many challenges through the story of the Iron Fey and believe me I burst into tears more than once whilst reading Iron Queen. To be honest I might have cried at random intervals in the hours following my reading the last pages of this book just from thinking of the story and let’s be frank very few stories have that kind of a reaction on a girl.

I absolutely loved that Julie Kagawa had the courage to finish this book of in a way that was not only wholly unexpected but in total contrast with what has become the norm in Young Adult fantasy. I am now so desperate for the next instalment of this book, I will have to convince myself every day that it may be all the better for the wait!


WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

I do not doubt that there shall be things that some readers may not like from this book and it may not be every ones cup of tea, but truly, I was so engaged by the story in Iron Queen that I did not notice anything that I did not like. So frankly I have nothing to write on this topic today. Should I come across anything that I did not like when I reread the book, I shall certainly share that with you all then.

SO WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

You have probably guessed from my incessant gushing over Iron Queen that I absolutely loved this book. It was fast, generous with character description and the portrayal of the world and had everything that you would expect from a really good story. Humour, sarcasm, happiness, love, loss, despair… you name it, Iron Queen has it all. If this one is not on your reading list yet, you should be planning to read it next! This book gets an all stars blazing from me!

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Iron Queen is followed by The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa which is due for release sometime this year! We shall all have to wait patiently for more info!

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A big thank you for Harlequin Teen (through Netgalley) for providing this book to me for review!