The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey, Book One

Publisher: Mira Ink

Format: Paperback

Published: 22^nd June 2009

Number of Pages: 496

Book: Bought

Genre: Fantasy, Mythical, Magic, Folklore, Fairy Tale, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy,  Action, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Some Swearing, Mild Alcohol References

Author's Blog: Julie Kagawa

My name is Meghan Chase. 

In less than twenty-four hours I’ll be sixteen.  Countless stories and songs have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her...

I DON’T THINK IT WILL BE THAT WAY FOR ME.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny – one she could never have imagined...

Something has always felt slight off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six.  She has never quite fitted in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her little brother is taken, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

She could never have guessed the truth.  Meghan is the daughter of a faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.  Now Meghan will have to choose between a normal life and her magical destiny – and between her best friend and a darkly dangerous prince.

It’s time for Meghan to enter the faery world...

Review:

Meghan Chase is an ordinary girl with her best friend Robbie, mother Melissa, her stepfather Luke and her little brother Ethan.  She doesn’t have the coolest clothes or a great social life, she’s just... Meghan.  But then her brother is taken, and a changling is left behind in his place. Robbie says a faery is behind this.  He tells her that to rescue Ethan they have to travel to the Nevernever, land of the fey.  But once there, Meghan finds out there is much more to her than she could ever have imagined...

Personally, I’ve always loved faeries.  When I was little, I was the one with the strange little imaginary friends.  Did you know, they say children can see otherworldly creatures, but the gift fades as they grow older and stop believing.  Me?  I still believe.  Julie Kagawa has made the faery land seem so real that it’s impossible for me not to have faith in the fey.  She took folklore and mythology and turned it into something new, something amazing.  Her imagination is absolutely incredible.  I want her world to be real. 

Meghan was a strong lead girl, and I liked her instantly (not just ‘cause she’s the first character I’ve come across with my name!).  She was determined, brave, loyal and loving.  She would do anything and go anywhere for the ones she loved.  I admired and loved her for it. 

As for the other characters, they were just as well thought-out and loveable.  Robbie Goodfell, Meghan’s best friend, was amazing!  He made me laugh so much with his practical jokes and brilliant tricks.  Plus, his hidden, rather notorious, fey identity was just genius!  (Can you guess it?)  Now, we have the Winter prince, Ash.  Dark, brooding, dangerous.  And I loved him!  He may have been harsh and cold on the outside, but – in my opinion – that was just his way of keeping himself from getting hurt again.  He was sweet, chivalrous and loyal: I fell in love with that intensity of his.  I never could resist mysterious princelings.  As for Grimalkin (Cait Sith or Devil’s Cat, as he’s also known) he was just my favourite.  He was rather refreshing, with his wonderfully snarky character.  As for his “I am a cat” explanations, they had me grinning. 

Now we get onto the other faeries.  I can’t begin to describe the wonder, magic and brilliance of Kagawa’s world, so I’ll settle for this.  Picture every fairy you’ve seen in Disney movies and discard them.  Go pick up a copy of A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  The faeries in this story are otherworldly and more than human.  There are the scary ogres, trolls and exterior beauty covering maliciousness.  And then… a completely new twist, unique to Julie Kagawa…

The idea that weaponry and machinery and science is slowing destroying the Nevernever is genius.  But, I am proud to say, I am keeping it together!  I have the belief of a five year old, as I mentioned previously.  Back onto the topic: the plotline, writing, world and characters were all just incredible.  I’m getting the next in the series ASAP!  I shall end on this note: Julie Kagawa, you are awesome!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Need by Carrie Jones

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Tithe by Holly Black

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

On My Wishlist (#2)

On My Wishlist is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City that runs every Saturday.  It's a place where you can put up all the books you're desperate to read, but haven't actually bought them yet.  They can be old, new or forthcoming.    And, even better, everyone can join in with too, because there's a Mr Linky so you can put your post up.  All you have to do is click on the link below:

Ah, still loving this meme.  But now there's even more books I want!  Oops!  Oh well, here's what's On My Wishlist this week!

Wither

Series: The Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book One

By: Lauren DeStefano

Found: On Recovering Potter Addict's Blog
Published: f

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

This looks so good: another brilliant-looking, if slightly scary, dystopia book.  Want this so much!

The Iron King

Series: The Iron Fey, Book One

By: Julie Kagawa

Found: On I Want To Read That's Blog

Published: February 2010

Synopsis From Goodreads:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I've been seeing this one on everyone's blog, and I am desperate to read it!  It looks amazing, and like a totally new take on the fairy genre.  Plus, loving the cover!

Once a Witch

Series: Witch, Book One

By: Carolyn MacCullough

Found: On Gripped Into Books' Website

Published: 6^th September 2010

Hardcover                                    Paperback

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

This looks amazing.  I love the sound of the Talented, and how Tamsin has to go on a quest to get her magic.  Plus, the covers are beautiful!  I'm not sure which one I like most...  I think I'm leaning towards the paperback.  Which do you think's better?

Feed

Series: Newsflesh, Book One

By: Mira Grant

Found: On All About {n}'s Blog

Published: 3^rd June 2010

Synopsis From Goodreads:

In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.
It raised the dead.
Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.
Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:
When will you rise?

OMG!  This looks absolutely amazing!  And the cover: 'The Good News: We Survived.  The Bad News: So Did They.'  Whoa.  Plus, it has blogging in!  I'm sold!

Wake Unto Me

By: Lisa Cach

Found: On Supernatural Snark's Blog

Published: 31^st March 2011

Synopsis From Goodreads:

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.
There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.
And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

This looks amazing, and I can't wait for it to come out!  Plus, the cover: love it, gorgeous and ghostly. 

Nightshade

Series: Nightshade, Book One/Witches War Series, Book One

By: Andrea Cremer

Found: On Amazon

Published: 28^th December 2010

Paperback                                      Hardcover

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

This looks brilliant, and once again, loving the cover and the little quote: 'She can control her pack.  But not her heart.'  Gorgeous colours, and an amazing-looking book!

My Soul to Take

Series: Soul Screamers, Book One

By: Rachel Vincent

Found: On I Want To Read That

Published:

2009                                   2011

Synopsis From Goodreads:

She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

I've heard lots of amazing reviews about this series, and I want to read it so much!  Plus, I've been told by Sammee (I Want to Read That) that if you like Vampire Academy, you'll like this series.  Well, I love Richelle Mead's writing, so I'm sure I'd love this one.  All I need to do now is buy it!  And, I love this new cover: I think I prefer it to the old one.

So, that's what's On My Wishlist this week.  Sorry it's a little late, but yesterday was hectic...  Okay, not exactly true: I was too busy reading Last Sacrifice.  It's too good to put down!

Anyway, what's on your wishlist?