Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa


This is my first book review that I posted on Book Reviews couple of days back but never got to share it here. Below is the post.

Genre: YA Fantasy

Fantasy fiction novels introduce you to a new world bringing with it the story of an ordinary person like us. It is an absolute thrill for some readers like me and I cannot get enough of it. Yet there are only few such books that really stay with you for a long time. Remember Harry Potter? Twilight? Eragon? Therefore, I am delighted that I can add one more to my list - The Iron Few Series.

The Iron King is the first of the series and this review is only about this book.

The book is about a sixteen year old girl, Meghan Chase, who is half-human and half-faery. She discovers this shocking truth on her sixteenth birthday when she is forced to enter the faery world with her best friend Robin Goodfellow a.k.a Puck (who also happens to be a faery) to save her kidnapped younger brother, Ethan. Not just that. She also discovers that she is the daughter of the Summer faery King. She is shocked, worried and utterly confused. To make things worse, she also falls in love with the Winter court prince Ash whose mission is to kill her.  But something sinister awaits both the Summer and Winter courts and it threatens to wipe out their existence. So, Meghan, Puck and Ash (who are also sworn arch-enemies) along with Grimalkin (the cat) join hands reluctantly to save not just her brother but also the faeryland.

What works for the book?
The cover page draws you in immediately. It's mysterious, beautiful and haunting and you are tempted enough to see more. Just like some of the creatures in the book's faery world!

The writing is beautiful. Its very descriptive. Not in a dragging way but in a good 3D movie way. The writer has put in a lot of effort to help the reader visualize the whole fearyland. The English is not complicated and is an easy read.

The world of faery is not too explored (at least not many that I have read). So, the unique world pulls you in to it immediately. Combine it with the author's superb descriptions, you are totally captivated.

The well carved out characters play a strong role as well. You have some interesting characters like Grimalkin (a cat!), Puck (the notorious Midnight Summer's fame), Ash (the swoon-worthy hero) and of course Meghan (nothing ordinary about this girl when it comes to courage!). You start to feel for them from, say, page 10!

What doesn't work?
According to me, only one thing - too many feary creatures in the very first book. It was sometimes difficult to follow who attacked who but that, in no way, matters too much in the whole scheme of things.

Verdict
If you are a fantasy novel enthusiast, it is MUST READ. It would enthrall you, I can guarantee that much!
If you want to know more about the author, you can click here: Julie Kagawa

Comments

  1. Saru SinghalAugust 25, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    Will go with your review and search for the book:) Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 25, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Great! I am sure you would enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Spiritual SherpaAugust 25, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    :) so many twists and turns...but then what is a fiction novel without them...so when is your book hitting the stands...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Missie, The Unread ReaderAugust 25, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Yes, I remember feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of feary creatures I was constantly being introduced to, many without much of an explanation, as if I was just supposed to know what the heck it was. It certainly make the journey through the Nevernever more jarring. :)

    And... *le sigh* Ash!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mimi ValentineAugust 25, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    Oh my gosh, I love love LOVE this series! I totally agree that Julie Kagawa has beautiful writing -- I remember picturing everything like a movie in my mind. :)

    In my opinion, the other books in the series get much better, so I can't wait to see how much you love the next few! (And your reading it just in time, too -- The Iron Knight comes out in October! In Ash's point of view!)

    Awesome review, Shilpa! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 25, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    @India's No1 blog - You are right. That is what makes fiction so much fun! My book has a long way to go before it hits the stands. Its under revision. Thanks for asking! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 25, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    @Missie - Ah, I thought it was just me who couldn't get so many creatures. I had to get my reference book to know what they were after a while. But it could not distract me enough from Ash..:)

    @Mimi - Thanks Mimi! After reading this book, I couldn't wait any longer and read all of them last week and seriously, LOVED it! I devoured them! I cant wait for Iron Knight! I am hoping to put up the reviews next week...right now, counting days for the release. :D

    ReplyDelete

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