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A review by freadomlibrary
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
4.0
Critically
Plot - 4 out of 5 stars
Really slow in the beginning. I really enjoyed how the characters were referenced to be from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Once the first few chapters passed, it was fast-paced, intricate and mysterious.
Writing Style - 4 out of 5 stars
Simple, but sometimes boring. It was good with descriptions with some twists and turns that were unexpected which made it really interesting.
Characters - 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, all the characters were entertaining and complex. I felt like they all had a specific role to play. Meghan, our main character and narrator, was loyal, a very quick thinker, accepting and generally a tough gal. I liked how she presented herself in a place that was new an foreign to her. The other two main characters both male were completely different. One is stubborn but charming, loyal and honest. He's a brooder who takes life really seriously. The other is my fav. He's funny, loyal and protective. The ultimate jokester and prankster of all the land. He definitely livened things up when they got too tense for everyone.
Emotionally
The plot was good but sometimes it was really strange. It was slow in the beginning which makes sense for the world building, but it was also kind of boring in certain parts, confusing at other and exciting in some others as well. So it was kind of hard to stay on track with it. The pacing was also weird. It was steady which is good but it wasn't completely action packed or emotional. There were sections that were but it wasn't consistent throughout. It took until I got halfway through the book for it to get more exciting and that's when I started enjoying myself more. I would've liked it better if it had kept my interest the whole way through.
I liked Meghan okay. I feel like she should've been wow inducing, she should've been someone who impressed me right away and she didn't. She's loyal and quick on her feet and it showed a lot since she's in a completely new world. The only problem is that I wanted her to have a more extensive character development. There was some but I would've liked to see more specially after everything she goes through.
Ash, the Winter prince, was a little cold at first (pun intended). He's loyal to his court, a fierce warrior and had a certain vulnerability which I love in my male leads. The only problem with him is his romance with Meghan. I didn't understand where it came from and how it developed toward what we see in the end. I didn't connect with it so I didn't really cheer them on at all.
My favorite character of this entire book is Puck. He is my boo, my bae, my everything. I love his personality, he's such a jokester that in tense moments he's always trying his best to diffuse things. I feel like he brought such a good energy to the group of characters and to the plot and I loved it.
Grimalkin I'll mention briefly but I love him. He's the type of dry, sarcastic, uncaring character that is needed in such a diverse group. He shows up when he's needed and he has no interest in all the extra things going on and it's amazing.
The end was a bit of a cliffhanger. I wish Meghan would've gotten to stay with her family more time before having to leave to the Winter Court but it was not meant to be.
Plot - 4 out of 5 stars
Really slow in the beginning. I really enjoyed how the characters were referenced to be from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Once the first few chapters passed, it was fast-paced, intricate and mysterious.
Writing Style - 4 out of 5 stars
Simple, but sometimes boring. It was good with descriptions with some twists and turns that were unexpected which made it really interesting.
Characters - 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, all the characters were entertaining and complex. I felt like they all had a specific role to play. Meghan, our main character and narrator, was loyal, a very quick thinker, accepting and generally a tough gal. I liked how she presented herself in a place that was new an foreign to her. The other two main characters both male were completely different. One is stubborn but charming, loyal and honest. He's a brooder who takes life really seriously. The other is my fav. He's funny, loyal and protective. The ultimate jokester and prankster of all the land. He definitely livened things up when they got too tense for everyone.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I first added this to my TBR pile of March before I started reading but then I changed my mind and went with something else. But then I got it as my TBR jar pick and now that I've finished it, I'm going to continue with the series.The plot was good but sometimes it was really strange. It was slow in the beginning which makes sense for the world building, but it was also kind of boring in certain parts, confusing at other and exciting in some others as well. So it was kind of hard to stay on track with it. The pacing was also weird. It was steady which is good but it wasn't completely action packed or emotional. There were sections that were but it wasn't consistent throughout. It took until I got halfway through the book for it to get more exciting and that's when I started enjoying myself more. I would've liked it better if it had kept my interest the whole way through.
I liked Meghan okay. I feel like she should've been wow inducing, she should've been someone who impressed me right away and she didn't. She's loyal and quick on her feet and it showed a lot since she's in a completely new world. The only problem is that I wanted her to have a more extensive character development. There was some but I would've liked to see more specially after everything she goes through.
Ash, the Winter prince, was a little cold at first (pun intended). He's loyal to his court, a fierce warrior and had a certain vulnerability which I love in my male leads. The only problem with him is his romance with Meghan. I didn't understand where it came from and how it developed toward what we see in the end. I didn't connect with it so I didn't really cheer them on at all.
My favorite character of this entire book is Puck. He is my boo, my bae, my everything. I love his personality, he's such a jokester that in tense moments he's always trying his best to diffuse things. I feel like he brought such a good energy to the group of characters and to the plot and I loved it.
Grimalkin I'll mention briefly but I love him. He's the type of dry, sarcastic, uncaring character that is needed in such a diverse group. He shows up when he's needed and he has no interest in all the extra things going on and it's amazing.
The end was a bit of a cliffhanger. I wish Meghan would've gotten to stay with her family more time before having to leave to the Winter Court but it was not meant to be.