Book Review: The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King
Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase is turning 16, but it's not necessarily sweet. She's an outcast, hoping to catch the eye of the popular guy...but the joke's on Meghan. Fortunately, she has a loving mom, an adoring 4 year-old little brother, and a best friend Robbie to see her through the horrors of high school pranks. But no one can help Meghan when she channels Alice in Wonderland and trips through a portal to the world of the fey.

Notice that reference to Alice in Wonderland? When I first started this book, I couldn't help drawing comparisons to the famed story, and quite frankly, I was disappointed. From Meghan's bumbling into taut, outlandish situations to the Cheshire Cat wannabe, I was ready to close the book.

I am *so* glad I didn't.

Once Meghan gets to the Summer Court (which, for me, could have happened much sooner), the book starts to rock. And once the Winter Court was introduced, with icily handsome Prince Ash, stick a fork in me and call me late for dinner, cuz I couldn't put the book down. The fey are wickedly beautiful, living in a world I'm not sure I'd ever want to visit, despite its beauty. Wicked, wicked fey.

Sometimes you pick up a book where the characters strike a chord. There's something about them that sucks you in; they're written so life-life that it makes you want to hop inside the pages and dally around with them. This is one of those books.

Each character is a vivid creation that is almost real. You can see them, hear them, smell them. Ash is drawn as such a tempting bad-boy-gotta-have him, I just wanted to lick him. Puck is loyal, and goofy, and can make a witch smile. Meghan's motives for every action is clear and concise and well-constructed. The characters do not deviate from the paths drawn for them by the author.

The imagery is detailed. The plot, while slow in the beginning for me, is well-paced once Meghan gets to the Summer Court and the story moves forward.

And the cat? Best character in the book. He's witty, and arrogant, and disdainful with a cat-like superiority complex...and who's got the voice to tell off the world, when he can be bothered to address matters that he considers beneath him--like humans. Spot on.

If you enjoy the wicked fey, you'll love this book.