Customer Reviews

The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)

5 star:		(188)
4 star:		(114)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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William Shakespeare's faeries from A Midsummer's Night Dream have been popular characters for YA fiction of late. Following Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange and Darklight, The Iron King marks the third book to borrow Puck, Summer King Oberon and Queen Titiana and Winter Queen Mab. Both series also imagine a daughter for King Oberon who discovers her faery heritage and is drawn from the human world into the world of the fey. But that is where the similarities end. The Iron King is a much darker tale.

image On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Meghan Chase is confronted with a scene straight out of Pet Cemetery when she and her mother are attacked by her four year old brother. Her best friend Robbie (aka the famous Puck) saves her and reveals that her brother has been switched with a faery changeling and the only way to get him back is to find the kidnapper in the Nevernever (aka faeryland).

The world of the faery is as terrifying as it is beautiful. In her quest, Meghan is nearly eaten several times, ripped apart by trolls, drowned by nixies, impaled by a prince, raped by a herd of satyrs, and boiled by Goblins. And that's not even half of it. There is nothing sweet and gentle about the fey in this book.

There are a number of amusing characters who aid/impede Meghan along the way, most notably the cait sith Grimilkin (who is straight out of Alice in Wonderland), and the inevitable love interest Ash, youngest son of the Winter Queen and sworn enemy of Puck. The animosity between Puck and Ash along with each one's motivation for helping Meghan was a constant thread of entertainment.

Meghan does a fairly good job of acclimating to the revelations Puck presents her with. She struggles initially with the idea that faeries are real, but she doesn't blindly cling to her former reality either. She adapts and learns, and rarely makes the same mistake twice. Nor does she allow herself to become distracted from saving her brother. I did find some of her dialogue to be somewhat juvenile and her interest in Ash seemed to have little motivation beyond how 'inhumanly beautiful' he was.

I think what I enjoyed the most about The Iron King was the twist on the traditional fey mythology involving iron. I don't want to give anything away so I won't elaborate, but be ready to start counting down the months until August when The Iron Daughter is released as there is a bit of a cliffhanger ending. In the meantime I have a sudden nostalgic desire to watch Labyrinth.

Sexual Content: (YA books receive a more thorough breakdown) Kissing

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Okay, first off I didn't hate this book... it's not the worst book ever, I just didn't think it was very good. I really wanted to like it, I really did. I saw that it had 4 1/2 stars and I was intrigued by the back cover (I love things with fairies) but as I sat down to read it I was sorely disappointed (maybe because I had really high hopes).

So here is the basic premise: There's a girl, Meghan Chase, and her life kind of sucks. She's poor, her mom and stepdad overlook her, and she only has one friend at school. The book starts on the eve of Meghan's 16th birthday and we are led to believe that something significant is going to happen to her... I actually really liked the way that this was set up. The beginning of the book was good. It built up a nice amount of mystery. Some strange things happen to Meghan at school and then at home and it made me start to feel a little sympathy for Meghan. I liked her one friend -prankster Robbie- and her little brother Ethan, who is super cute and very sweet, even though he's a little spoiled. But I liked him, so when he is kidnapped by fairies and replaced with an evil fairy child, forcing Meghan to go into the world of Fairie to rescue him I was intrigued. Unfortunately this is where the story starts getting worse instead of better.

First we find out that Meghan's best, and only friend, Robbie is really a fairy named Puck (from midsummer night's dream), which bugged me! I was hoping for an original character. But I will give the author this... she did a good job writing puck.. he was probably one of the more interesting characters. Unfortunately I cannot say as much for the books heroine, Meghan. She bugged the crap out of me! Some other reviewers have referred to her as strong, which is true, but she is also selfish and disrespectful, rash and rarely listens to other people. It also bugged me that after finding out that her brother was taken she never asks Robbie/Puck why. She doesn't say "hey why would fairies want my brother?" She's just like lets go get him. And basically I just found her unsympathetic.... but that wasn't even my main problem with the book.

My biggest disappointment with this book was that I thought it was going to be much more of a love story, but the love story doesn't have much of a role until about 200 pages into the book and up until this point she spends much of her time roaming around with a TALKING CAT. And, although I actually liked this cat character, when your expecting a love story and instead you get an obnoxious girl running around with a talking cat, it's kind of disappointing. But I will say this, when the love story part finally did come into play I was interested... I'm a sucker for a handsome 'evil' prince. Unfortunately I can't say it was a great love story. It was a little on the flat side. There were a couple of good lines -some of which are at printed in the book before the start- but other than that it was only so so. I am sure that there will be other's who will really like it, but I just found it a little unoriginal.


My other problem was that I felt as if the author tried to cram way too much stuff into this story. The author did have awesome detailed descriptions, but because so many events happened in this book I felt as if half of the words used in this story were used to describe scenery, because Meghan was constantly moving around. She was in the real world, then she was in Fairie, then she was in the Seelie court, then she was back in the real world, then she was back in the Unseelie court... and it just kept going. And I can't even count how many times Meghan finds herself in a near death situation which she narrowly escapes -which for me made the book completely tensionless, which was too bad because it is obvious (from her many descriptions) that this author has a great imagination. I just wished she had taken out some of this books events and expanded on the others so that as a reader I could have felt more connected to the story. There wasn't that much build up to events, aside from the ending, stuff just happened, and it happened at once... and none of the villains were that threatening either. I think it was because in every scene there is a new bad guy, so each of these villains is on the one dimensional side.

So, sadly I can't really recommend this story, but I think I am in the minority with this.

Take Labyrinth, crash it full-speed into The Neverending Story, and mix well with The Matrix, and that's just a taste of the wildly imaginative ride you'll go on when you read THE IRON KING. It's such a pleasure to read a contemporary fantasy that's fresh and full of action, and doubly a pleasure to read the first of a series that stands completely on its own. This book is a fantastic voyage and a satisfying read, and now I'm heartbroken that I have to wait until next fall to get another bite. Highly recommended!

I give this book 5 stars with such a snotty review because I must. No originality lay on it's pages. Kagawa took ideas & characters from Midsummer Night's Dream, Labyrinth, random folklore, The Golden Compass, and set the blender on TEEN ANGST and The Iron King was what came out. I felt like I was reading a mash-up of fanfiction and Shakespeare. It was enjoyable fanfiction... minus the Iron King's wanna-be Goblin King speech; that part just irked me. *MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Iron King would be a great read for any Labyrinth fan due to the fact that this book has EXACT SAME PLOT as the 80s cult hit movie. Baby brother gets kidnapped by goblins, sister goes into rescue-mode, makes fairy-friends along the way while discovering her own strength, ends up in the Kingdom and faces the King who gives her an eerily familiar offer. *cough* Jareth&Sarah wannabe-ripoff! *cough* Overall, the same things happen but The Iron King is a nice read with lots of twists and good setting detail.

The characters are livened up by putting in (replacing Hoggle) with a talking & disappearing cat named Grimalkin (from Shakespear's play & an ode to Alice in Wonderland, perhaps?) who ends up asking for favors for helping Meghan. And there is a fairy prince named Ash (minus the Pikachu) for the love interest and he amazingly captures your attention. Puck, from Midsummer Night's Dream, makes a fantastically-lovable sidekick before turning into a bird 1/3 of the way in, coming back, only to then disappear inside a tree for the last important chapters.

All that being said, Puck was my favorite out of all the maddening random characters that lasted only for one page/chapter. He seemed to have background and didn't change much throughout the adventure. As a reader, I found myself wondering if Puck truly loved Meghan as a lover or simply as a friend but my thoughts on this were cut short as the plot got swept away again.

And a side note: Toward the end, while the Iron king kept talking, offering Meghan his kingdom, I kept hearing David Bowie's voice as Jareth in my head reciting his famous offer to Sarah. "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." Machina was an interesting concept but ultimately feel flat like a pancake as the villain. There was too much build up and he seemed to be just an idiot fey who came to power simply because of his ambition. Or maybe it was the earpiece that did it. The iron fey -did- seem to like Meghan's iPod...

Eh, bloody blah blah blah. It ended and practically nothing was resolved. Next book will most likely do the same. If you don't want to read this, here, just watch the movie: Labyrinth

I love teen fantasy, so I was really excited to pick this book up. But the book never quite gripped me; the only character who truly felt real was Meghan's little brother Ethan, who isn't even in most of the book.

While I think it's fun when people take ideas from classic storylines, this book just took it too far. It was a mess of fantasy cliches and it didn't feel like it was merely taking a spark of inspiration from Labyrinth and Shakespeare and classic mythology, it felt like she created this crazy unoriginal mashup of it all, and the result was hard to believe in.

I struggled to finish it, as a 32 year old reader. The cover led me to believe it was in that recent genre of teen fantasy that adults love too, but I think this one might actually be better for children, because they might be unfamiliar with the storylines this book stole.

I wouldn't say the writing was bad, it just didn't have that special spark that happens when someone creates a world that is truly different and feels real. I'd skip this book and go for Storm Born, by Richelle Mead, for a similar storyline that is much more engaging for adult readers.

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publishing Information: 363 pages; February 1st, 2010 by Harlequin Teen
Series: Iron Fey #1; followed by The Iron Daughter, the Iron Queen and The Iron Knight

Where I got it: E-book from the library

One sentence: Things start changing for Meghan Chase when she turns sixteen: she starts seeing odd things, learns new secrets about her father and best friend, and gets sucked into an otherworldly war.

Themes: Fantasy, faeries, bad boy, paranormal, magic, secrets, other worlds

Main character: 2/5
There wasn't anything particularly special about Meghan Chase- in fact, I found her slightly stereotypical and annoying. I'm sure that there are people whose situation in life at the beginning of the story resembles Meghan's, and with a different author, perhaps it would be more interesting. However, it felt cliché and over-the-top in its self-pity. The only thing I can give Meghan is that she seemed to improve through the story: she went from being obsessed with the football player and oblivious to tracking down her brother with a single-minded determination that I found inspiring.

Secondary characters: 4/5
It's at this point that I wish I could say that I have read A Midsummer Night's Dream. I know the concept, so I loved the idea that Kagawa re-imagined characters from the classic Shakespeare drama. Robbie, "Puck", was clever, witty and sharp and was a good foil to Meghan's steadfastness. Ash was...dreamy. I'm a complete sucker for the `bad-boy'. At first I wasn't sure about Grimalkin- he seemed like a sad rip-off of the Cheshire cat- but he definitely grew on me and I came to enjoy his presence and cat-like mysteriousness.

Writing style: 3/5
On the plus side, Kagawa's writing pace was fabulous. She left me with enough time during the down moments to breathe and take things in, but the pace kept me reading incessantly and I finished it in a single day. When I was reading, I didn't notice any awkward phrases or things that shocked me from the storyline until Iron Horse. Why did Kagawa find it necessary to write all his dialogue in caps? Some of the dialogue was a little gauche, particularly that of Meghan and Oberon although I suppose it belied their awkwardness with one another.

Plot: 4.5/5
Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I haven't really read any fae books so I was extremely intrigued by the premise. In particular, the iron fey in contrast with the Summer and Winter courts was fascinating, and how the evolving human worlds affecting the faerie worlds. While the plot elements were nothing new, I found them entertaining and rejuvenated with the mix of A Midsummer Night's Dream characters, the fey battles and the almost Alice in Wonderland feel to the novel.

Ending: 4/5
I knew this was the first of a series, so maybe I was just relieved that the major conflict of this book was solved. It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but at this point, everything was resolved, it just opened up the novel for the follow-ups.

Best scene: Meghan discovering the changeling

Positives: Writing pace, secondary characters, new twist on an old plot

Negatives: Cliché main character, uninspiring writing

First Line: Ten year ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeared.

Cover: Pretty, but not really my cup of tea. I liked the girl- that was how I pictured Meghan.

Verdict: I can see why The Iron King has attracted such a following. With a splendid blend of myth, classics and fae lore, Kagawa wove a tale that was highly entertaining.

Rating: 7 / 10

I liked it, I didn't like it, I liked it I didn't like it IlikeditIdidn'tlikeit...
I'm torn.
On the one hand, The Iron King can be a really fun read, and I think a lot of people are going to fall in love with it because it's going to give them what they wanted going in: a little faery lore, a little magic, a little otherworldliness and a little lovelust. If you can just read it on that level, it's not bad, a bit of fun fluff.

But at the same time, there are some real drawbacks for me. So here's what I'm going to do: the following is a bulleted list of my pros and cons in the book, and you can decide for yourself whether it's a good or bad review. As I said, I can't decide how much I like this one.

PROS

Kagawa is pretty successful visually. There was enough description to help me see the Nevernever, but it was never really overkill.
I really liked the idea of the iron fey. I don't want to give away too much, but it makes sense, it makes faeries current, and it adds another layer of BigBad to the already scary and dangerous fey world.
I think Kagawa gave herself room to grow in the series, and even though there are things you can see coming a mile away, she was able to wrap this book up fairly nicely while planting a hook for the next. I have friends who hate a hook, so let me be clear that it is not a cliffhanger type of hook; if you want to stop after The Iron King, you can and I don't think you'll feel like you didn't get a complete story, but if you want to continue on, there is something there to pull you back in.
The Pack Rats. I thoroughly enjoyed the Pack Rats, and elements like this made me see this as a potential movie, because I think they'd be pretty neat and visual.

CONS
The beginning was very slow for me, and thoroughly predictable (truthfully, predictability is a problem throughout, though at some point, I guess I just accepted it). The writing and plot seemed a little write-by-numbers, and other works (Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland, The Labyrinth, Peter Pan, Spiderman, etc) were alluded to or mirrored throughout, and it left me with an impression of unoriginality for a good portion of the book.
I felt Kagawa was rash with the love aspect; in the beginning Ash is aloof and, as we learn, wounded and closed off, and had there been a slow build up over the entire 3-book series, beginning with a grudging trust and some crushing, then some lovelust, I would have bought it more, but as is, it felt again like write-by-numbers: "I need a love interest, so this is going to happen, then she'll do this and he'll say that, and presto, aren't they just devoted?" It didn't work. Also, there's a whole lot of Puck v. Ash love triangle going around the blogosphere, and I just don't get it. I feel it's hinted at but not developed or even necessary in the book, and it's become so gimmicky anyway...
Weird continuity errors. This got on my nerves a bit. It was just stupid things, like Ash saying Meghan's name, then a couple of pages of stuff happening, and then Ash saying her name again and Meghan getting all fluttery that it's the first time Ash has ever called her Meghan -- when it's not. The first time was about five minutes ago, when he said "Meghan, blahblahblah"... Or, when Meghan is leaning propped against Ash's chest, so there's no way she can see his eyes, and he's telling his sob story (which someone noticed was like a scene from The King's General) and Meghan narrates "Ash fell silent, his eyes dark and haunted." Except you can't see them, so you don't know that. Grr.
Oy, with the deals already! Anyone who is familar with faery lore at all, or has read any fey book knows no saying "thank you" and NO making deals. Even if Meghan was lacking in faery lore before entering the Nevernever, she is told not to say thanks or make deals, and still, it's like practically every single badguy faery she meets, she walks up and plays Lets Make a Deal. She's smart about it once, but the rest of the time, she basically offers herself up on a platter. She'll be thinking, "I hope they don't want my firstborn child," or something along those lines, but she'll say "I'll do anything." What? Think, Meghan. Stop getting yourself into situations where you become the dumb damsel in distress and just THINK.
And speaking of the damsel thing, we're told that Meghan has loads and loads of untapped power, which I am always leery of (but more on that in a minute), but she gets herself into these situations and then stands there waiting to be saved. If you're so powerful, or will be so powerful, show some damn spunk.
[A sidenote on all-powerful protagonists: Just don't. If you're writing a book, just don't. Have the gumption to have an MC who isn't some deep font of powerpowerpower. It's too tempting a crutch to write your characters into an impossible situation and then have them finally "discover" the confidence and ability they've been shying away from using, and BAM, sticky situation solved. Just don't. Think how much more interesting it is, how much more tension there is, and edge-of-your-seatness, when the MC has some ability, some brains, and some pluck, and have to really work to get themselves through. It is so much more rootforable, so much more believable, and so much more relatable. I know it makes your job as a writer a little harder if you can't go all Deus Ex... but really, just don't.]

So. That's the list. As I said, if you can go into it willing to set some things aside and just enjoy it, it flows well and is a nice bit of funfluff. But I'm still torn, and am hoping for growth in book 2, which I have a review copy of, so that the Pro list will begin to outweigh the Con. But I guess only time will tell.

Iron King is a page-turning adventure/romance set in the faerie world. I read this book shortly after finishing Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, my first faery book. I'm glad I read Lament first - it only delves gently into faery mythology. Iron King dives right into the deep end of NeverNever land. If I hadn't had some basic knowledge about faeries I would have quickly been lost. I'd also advise you to read Midnight's Summer Dream before reading Iron King (which I have not done); I think you will appreciate Iron King much more.

Meghan Chase is a pretty boring girl in a small Louisiana town. She lusts after the school jock but will never win that game. She doesn't fit in anywhere, including in her family. Her only friend is Robbie, who is always there to brighten her day. On Meghan's 16th birthday everything changes. She comes home to find her mother collapsed on her floor and her 4 year old half-brother Ethan acting bizarrely. She soon learns that this new, hateful "Ethan" is a changeling, a faery. Ethan has been kidnapped and taken to NeverNever. Meghan can't believe it; faeries aren't real...or are they? Regardless, she'll do anything to save her brother. She heads to NeverNever to find him. With her is loyal Robbie, who is actually the famous Puck of faery legend.

Meghan heads to the Seelie Court of King Oberon. To Meghan's great surprise, she discovers that she is the daughter of King Oberon. This, ultimately, is the cause of all her troubles. She (and little Ethan) is a pawn in a great faery war. Seemingly derailing Meghan's quest to find her brother are the many people who want to kill her. The queen of the Unseelie Court sends her son, the handsome Prince Ash, to deliver Meghan to her. His quest takes a detour when Meghan, Puck, and Ash realize that a new force is present in the faery world, one that threatens them all. The three embark on a journey to rescue Ethan and save the faery world.

I have a few quibbles about the characters in Iron King - they're rather trite. Meghan is best described as "blah." There's really nothing interesting about her other than her determination to save her brother. That, of course, is a very redeemable quality, but she's just boring. Even as she grows stronger and more self-confident throughout the book, I still found her to be a flat character. Puck/Robbie is the classic funny, loyal best friend who is secretly in love with the girl, but she's completely oblivious. Ash is the stereotypical mysterious, handsome bad boy who steals away the heart of the heroine. It's not that the love triangle wasn't interesting - it was...but I've read this plot line 1,000 times. I actually thought the most interesting character was Grimalkin, the giant cat who guides Meghan throughout much of the story. His sarcastic, bemused look on life set added levity but not silliness to the story.

Despite a few misgivings, Iron King was a thoroughly enjoyable tale. The characters encounter a lot of danger along their journey. I definitely kept reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. The faery world is fascinating. Meghan quickly learns how different life is in NeverNever. Things are very black and white. Your word is unbreakable - even if you no longer want to fulfill a promise made. The words "thank you" actually have dangerous significance. Even your name has meaning. Iron King introduces endless mythological creatures. Each creature was interesting in its own right and thanks to Harry Potter and Lament, many were familiar. Iron King ends perfectly set to lead into the sequel; I am definitely excited to read more.

Ever since the disappearance of her father when she was six, things have never been right for Meghan Chase. Now living with her step-father, mother, and half-brother, Meghan is about to turn sixteen and life as she knows it will never be the same. Pulled into a world of Faeries, Piskies, and other mystical creatures, Meghan learns her life-time best friend is not who she thinks he is, and her destiny is one she was never prepared for. As the daughter of a mystical faery king, Meghan must defend her birthright and fight feelings for an enemy boy. In this mystical tale of honor, love and war, Meghan Chase not only has to survive being sixteen, but now must save those she cares for the most.



I had a hard time with this book in the beginning. The similarities to Alice In Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia really bothered me. Once I was able to look past these similarities and see this novel as something of its own, I actually started to enjoy it. I wish that Julie Kagawa had tried a bit harder to make this something completely different. The plot in itself was great and I really liked the main characters, but the first two parts of the book just were not original enough for me. It was just another story of two opposing courts, similar to the red queen and the white queen in Wonderland, and their battles with each other. Meghan Chase even gets to this land through a closet. I just could not get passed the similarities to other popular fantasy stories. However, putting that all aside, I was finally drawn in during part three. I enjoyed the relationship between Meghan and Ash, and I absolutely loved Puck. For those facts alone, I will read the next installment, and I hope that in The Iron Daughter, I will feel like I'm reading something new and not a copy of an already existing story. All in all, the story was interesting, the characters were great, I just don't feel like this was something original and new to read.


Review Originally posted on my blog Draw A Blank.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I got this book from my local public library! I can say whatever I want. :)

Meghan Chase is a pretty typical teenager. She is looking forward to turning 16 and getting her driver's permit if her mother actually remembers to take her for the exam. She doesn't really get along with her mother or stepfather and she feels like she is invisible to those around her. Meghan feels like only two people in her life really see her: her little brother, Ethan, and best friend, Robbie. Ethan has been complaining lately about a scary man in his closet, but everyone knows that monsters aren't real, right? Besides, Meghan has her own problems. A nasty prank is played on her at school and she has started to see strange things, like the gorgeous knight on a horse in the middle of the swamp. But Meghan's life gets really complicated when she arrives home one day to realize that Ethan isn't himself. He is acting strangely and has very sharp teeth and claws. Meghan knows that something terrible has happened to Ethan, but she has no idea that the Ethan in her house is actually a changeling and that the real Ethan has been taken to the Nevernever, the land of Faery. She is further stunned to discover that her best friend, Robbie, is better known as Robin Goodfellow or Puck. He has been chosen to guard her and keep her from discovering her true identity as the daughter of King Oberon. Meghan is still reeling from all of these sudden declarations as she makes her choice to enter the land of the Nevernever in pursuit of her beloved younger brother. But is she prepared to take on the land of faery and all of the dangers that lie therein...?

I was a bit skeptical of this book at first as I did not really enjoy the first couple of chapters set in the human world, but as soon as Meghan steps into the Nevernever, the story really takes off! This is a breakneck adventure with constant action taking place in every chapter. One of the best parts of the book is Julie Kagawa's extensive knowledge of faery folklore. She brings in all of the typical creatures including the Seelie & Unseelie courts of the Fey (light and dark faeries), trolls, ogres, goblins, satyrs and pixies, as well as the lesser known redcaps, chimeras, cait siths and more. I really enjoyed learning about all of the fey creatures that exist in the Nevernever and Kagawa's descriptions were thorough without becoming too in depth and slowing down the story. Each type of fey is only featured for a very short time, though, so enjoy the action while you can!

The plot is pretty simple as Meghan is searching for her brother, Ethan, in a foreign land, but the adventures that Meghan experiences along the way are what makes it fun! You know that eventually you will get from point A to point B, but I enjoyed the challenges and triumphs along the way. I also thought that the romance was a very nice subplot of this book. Usually, you are hit over the head pretty quickly with romance in books like this one, but there is a nice, slow build up of tension and attraction in this book. Sparks are flying all over the place and I was wondering if the two romantic leads are ever going to find a way to be together - good thing there are two more books in this series to come!

My main complaint with the book is the rather shallow characterization. I felt like I was traveling along with an acquaintance when I wanted to have a good friend by my side. I learned quite a bit about Meghan as she reacted to situations in the book, but I still felt like she was not fully developed and that she was not a real person. I also felt like the author relied on the capricious nature of the fey to excuse herself from fully developing their characters in any way. Puck, in particular, just gets to react however he wants and to be a trickster, a best friend, a potential romantic interest, a great fighter and whatever other role he is called upon to play at that particular moment. I liked Puck and I liked Ash, the Unseelie Prince, but I am hoping that I get to know a lot more about them in the future books to come. Ironically, the most interesting character in the book for me is the cat, Grimalkin. He reminded me a lot of the Cheshire Cat, in turns helpful and exasperating with a nasty habit of disappearing just when needed most.

There is a lot to enjoy in this book and I am thrilled to know that I will have an opportunity to visit this world again! If you enjoy fantasy books or romance books or teen books, you will find something to like in this book. It is a great adventure and, once the action begins, it does not let up until the last page - I can't wait for the next one to come out!