>The Iron King By Julie Kagawa

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