Saturday, May 29, 2010

Review - The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Published by Harlequin Teen on August 1, 2010
Review based on eARC provided by NetGalley
Rating:  5 Bookcases

Summary from NetGalley:
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

WOW! The Iron Daughter is an amazing, layered, complex story. After reading The Iron King, I wanted to be able to spend more time in the Nevernever with Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin because those were my favorite parts of the book. I wanted to know more about both the Unseelie Court and Ash’s family and the Seelie Court and Oberon, more about Puck and Ash’s friendship and falling out, and if Puck would get to return to Nevernever. The Iron Daughter delivered all of that and more.

Right from the start, the story grabbed me and didn’t let go until the final pages. Part of this is because the characters feel like old friends who have had adventures you want to learn about. Meghan begins the story in Tir Na Nog at the Unseelie Court. After spending time at the Seelie Court in The Iron King, it is interesting to see just how different the Winter Court is from the Summer Court. This extra piece of information fills some gaps left in The Iron King. It also allows the reader to understand Ash and his actions better. As much as I liked him in The Iron King, having this extra information made me like him more.

The action soon brings the four main characters together as they try to keep the iron fey from destroying Nevernever and the other faeries and as they try to stop a war from occurring. It was wonderful to see both Puck and Grimalkin again. They each bring a different form of levity to the story. Puck is a great balance for Ash, because he is light and cheerful where Ash is dark and serious. And of course, the reader cannot forget about Grim, the Cheshire Cat-like giver of sage advice and snark. I have to admit that he is my favorite character and I was happy to see that he had his own part to play in The Iron Daughter.

I raced through this book because I had to know what happened next to the characters. Would they manage to hold off the looming war? Could Meghan get Ash to see how much she loved him? Did Ash feel the same way? What about Puck, where does he fit into all of this? I needed answers to these questions. While the book answered most of my questions it left me with many more. I see this as a good thing, because a book that answers all of a reader’s questions hasn’t done a good job of engaging them.

One of the biggest questions for me going into reading The Iron Daughter was what would happen between Ash and Meghan. I liked how Ms. Kagawa portrayed their romance. Without giving any spoilers, certain scenes between Meghan and Ash made me cry. They are a couple that I am wholeheartedly routing for. As much as I like Puck, I think that Meghan and Ash belong together.

The ending is amazing and perfectly sets the reader up for the next book, The Iron Queen. Of course, now I can’t wait to read The Iron Queen and find out what happens next to Meghan, Ash, Puck, Grimalkin and the inhabitants of Nevernever. The only downside is that The Iron Queen won’t be published until February 2011.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent review! I haven't started this yet but I am definitely looking forward to it. I am hoping that Harlequin Teen will make the ARC of Iron Queen available through NetGalley later this fall.

    I am glad that the book doesn't answer all our questions since there is at least one more book in the series. I am also glad that Puck and Grimalkin are both very involved in The Iron Daughter. They are great characters.

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  2. Fabulous review! I loved this one too. It's one of my favorite series now!

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  3. OK, well, now I have to read this! LOL I guess I should start with The Iron King, though ...

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  4. Your review just makes me want to read this book even more than I already did. My fav character was Grim too, but I really prefer Puck over Ash. Maybe that will change when I read this one.

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