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forestgoblin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lovebites444's review against another edition
3.0
it was alright but puck was fine as hell in this book i cant lie. also the genre isnt really my jam but i tried nonetheless.
issianne's review
1.0
1.5. I…uh…didn’t like this one. It was cheesy, rushed, weirdly paced, and just all together lacking. I thought I was going to enjoy in the beginning, but it fell apart by the middle and then just slowly limped its way to the end. The romance was flimsy, the lore was technically there but executed weirdly, and the action happened within pages. I feel like Puck was the only redeemable character at times. I ended up skimming pages in the end to finish.
carolinemettens1333's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
emmawilhite's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the setting, but the characters started to lose me somewhere.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
1.0
I'm really disappointed that I didn't like this. It was recommended by a friend and I read it as part of a book club. I got halfway through and decided I wasn't going to finish it.
The story and idea behind the fae was interesting, but I feel the writing wasn't the best and I didn't really like the main character so they were my main decisions why I didn't continue reading.
The story and idea behind the fae was interesting, but I feel the writing wasn't the best and I didn't really like the main character so they were my main decisions why I didn't continue reading.
adelle_bookworm's review against another edition
Odkládám na dobu neurčitou. Vrátím se k tomu, až nebude co číst.
slpbookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite fairy series. It has mystery, romance, humor, and bravery. I get lost in the series every time I read it. The plot is well written, and is certainly not the average fairy court crisis. This series has a special place in my heart.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
1.0
Sometimes you know right from the start that a book isn’t for you.The marketing for The iron king put me off immensely. The genre, the synopsis, the big fat sticker on the cover that proudly names it, ’’The next Twilight!’' *cue eye roll*
But, as a big fan of Kagawa’s Blood of Eden trilogy, I pushed my prejudices away and tried to go into this with zero expectations. Spoiler alert: I should’ve trusted my sixth sense.
After trying to stay away from the paranormal genre, I decided to go back and read something that wouldn’t make me throw the book into a wall. Who better to start with than an author whose books I’ve read and enjoyed? Now having finished The iron king, I feel so, so disappointed. Could this really be by the same author who penned the Blood of Eden series? I should cut her some slack since it’s her debut novel, and yet I’m being more critical to it because I know how much more she’s capable of as a writer.
We have an annoying, immature heroine who does nothing but pass out in every other chapter, a ridiculous best friend who tries way too hard to be funny, and a huge, unmemorable cast of secondary characters. The only one worth remembering was the cat, who was actually smart, sarcastic and called Meg out on her stupid decisions.
We’re just as confused as Meghan, and this book might’ve been good had the world been explained more thoroughly. Kagawa’s creativity is in no doubt, and I wish the paranormal elements had been better explained and less messy. The few things that do make sense are no better; all dull and pushed into the background. The setting is just there, instead of adding a good background for the story and characters. Even though it’s similar to Alice in Wonderland, it doesn’t have the same whimsical and slightly haunting setting. There are computer creatures, talking cats; anything you can imagine. And it all comes across as very half-hearted.
Final verdict:
With excruciatingly slow pacing, characters dry as wheat and a sloppily built world, The iron king is one of the worst books I’ve read this year, and certainly one of the most disappointing ones. The fact that it comes from none other than the author of one of my favorite books makes it no less painful. Trust me, no one is more sad than me to admit it.
Do try [b:The Immortal Rules|10215349|The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349._SY75_.jpg|15114912] instead, which has kick-ass vampires and the perfect mix of gore, action and dystopia.
It’s lightyears better.
But, as a big fan of Kagawa’s Blood of Eden trilogy, I pushed my prejudices away and tried to go into this with zero expectations. Spoiler alert: I should’ve trusted my sixth sense.
After trying to stay away from the paranormal genre, I decided to go back and read something that wouldn’t make me throw the book into a wall. Who better to start with than an author whose books I’ve read and enjoyed? Now having finished The iron king, I feel so, so disappointed. Could this really be by the same author who penned the Blood of Eden series? I should cut her some slack since it’s her debut novel, and yet I’m being more critical to it because I know how much more she’s capable of as a writer.
We have an annoying, immature heroine who does nothing but pass out in every other chapter, a ridiculous best friend who tries way too hard to be funny, and a huge, unmemorable cast of secondary characters. The only one worth remembering was the cat, who was actually smart, sarcastic and called Meg out on her stupid decisions.
We’re just as confused as Meghan, and this book might’ve been good had the world been explained more thoroughly. Kagawa’s creativity is in no doubt, and I wish the paranormal elements had been better explained and less messy. The few things that do make sense are no better; all dull and pushed into the background. The setting is just there, instead of adding a good background for the story and characters. Even though it’s similar to Alice in Wonderland, it doesn’t have the same whimsical and slightly haunting setting. There are computer creatures, talking cats; anything you can imagine. And it all comes across as very half-hearted.
Final verdict:
With excruciatingly slow pacing, characters dry as wheat and a sloppily built world, The iron king is one of the worst books I’ve read this year, and certainly one of the most disappointing ones. The fact that it comes from none other than the author of one of my favorite books makes it no less painful. Trust me, no one is more sad than me to admit it.
Do try [b:The Immortal Rules|10215349|The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349._SY75_.jpg|15114912] instead, which has kick-ass vampires and the perfect mix of gore, action and dystopia.
It’s lightyears better.
callistag1's review against another edition
4.0
My rating: 3.5 Stars rounded up.
This is a book that gets better as you go on. Overall, I liked it, but there were a few things I didn't enjoy. I'm giving it a little bit of grace because it was written in 2010, but the "I'm not like other girls" vibes are definitely there and did get to me a little bit. I also wasn't a fan of how Meghan needed saving all the time but was suddenly able to shoot an arrow perfectly well? Her constant need to be saved made sense because she was a human in a world foreign to her and she had no fighting skills, but there were some scenes were she didn't even struggle. So that, coupled with how she was able to shoot an arrow that would have hit it's target had it not been blocked, kind of seems out of touch.
Same with how she was able to use magic all of the sudden when she tried it once and failed, and then after she could just do it. There was no build up, no use of smaller spells, nothing. It felt very far fetched.
While those are my dislikes, I did like a lot of the characters. Puck, Grimalkin, and even Ash (who's relationship with Meghan did feel kind of rushed) were well written and I liked how their personalities reflected how different they were than humans. I think the was the fae were portrayed altogether was really good, because they are tricksters, spiteful when they want to be, and they normally ask for a price when it comes to anything. It matches a lot of the myths concerning fae creatures. I liked how it showed the blurred lines of the fae and how manipulative, uncaring and even downright hateful they could be, and how they do not uphold themselves to human morals.
Overall, I liked this book. Will I recommend it to a friend, probably not. Will I read the other books in this series? Maybe. I'll have to see if my local library has them, or if I can find them for a cheap price online. I won't tell people not to read it, but I have far better books to recommend my friends than this one, so I won't tell people to read it either. Maybe my view on that will change if I get my hands on the second book.
Updated: I have read the second book, which in my opinion is drastically better than the first, so I’m going to put this as something I’ll be recommending to friends because the series seems to be getting better. My rating of the book stays the same though.
This is a book that gets better as you go on. Overall, I liked it, but there were a few things I didn't enjoy. I'm giving it a little bit of grace because it was written in 2010, but the "I'm not like other girls" vibes are definitely there and did get to me a little bit. I also wasn't a fan of how Meghan needed saving all the time but was suddenly able to shoot an arrow perfectly well? Her constant need to be saved made sense because she was a human in a world foreign to her and she had no fighting skills, but there were some scenes were she didn't even struggle. So that, coupled with how she was able to shoot an arrow that would have hit it's target had it not been blocked, kind of seems out of touch.
Same with how she was able to use magic all of the sudden when she tried it once and failed, and then after she could just do it. There was no build up, no use of smaller spells, nothing. It felt very far fetched.
While those are my dislikes, I did like a lot of the characters. Puck, Grimalkin, and even Ash (who's relationship with Meghan did feel kind of rushed) were well written and I liked how their personalities reflected how different they were than humans. I think the was the fae were portrayed altogether was really good, because they are tricksters, spiteful when they want to be, and they normally ask for a price when it comes to anything. It matches a lot of the myths concerning fae creatures. I liked how it showed the blurred lines of the fae and how manipulative, uncaring and even downright hateful they could be, and how they do not uphold themselves to human morals.
Overall, I liked this book. Will I recommend it to a friend, probably not. Will I read the other books in this series? Maybe. I'll have to see if my local library has them, or if I can find them for a cheap price online. I won't tell people not to read it, but I have far better books to recommend my friends than this one, so I won't tell people to read it either. Maybe my view on that will change if I get my hands on the second book.
Updated: I have read the second book, which in my opinion is drastically better than the first, so I’m going to put this as something I’ll be recommending to friends because the series seems to be getting better. My rating of the book stays the same though.