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A review by bookph1le
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
4.0
I'll admit it, when I saw that this book was published by Harlequin Teen, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. I was afraid it was going to be a straight-up romance novel and, since I don't enjoy romance novels, I has some apprehensions going into this one. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that, while there is a romance, this isn't a romance novel. It's a complex story that takes old myths and fables and puts it own twist on them, and I couldn't put it down. Some minor spoilers to follow.
If I have one critique of this novel, it's this: I thought the romance was a little too insta-love for my tastes. The dangerous bad boy who's on the wrong side struck me as a set up that was a bit too obvious. I'm really over the romances where there's sexual tension between the heroine and her love interest simply because he seems dark and brooding--and, of course, wildly handsome. This particular theme has been done to death. Still, it could have been saved had more time been taken to show how Meghan and Ash gradually come together, but it's pretty much a given from the start that they're going to be an item. I never really got the sense that either of them found something loveable in the other. Instead, I felt the whole time like they were going to be together because it was inevitable. I found this really disappointing.
What I'd have preferred to see is Meghan falling in love with Robin. My spidey senses tell me that there's a setup for a love triangle going on here, and I hope I'm wrong about that. While Robin can be flip and rather callous, I felt like it would have made a lot more sense for Meghan to fall for him. She's known him for years and he's always looked out for her. It's true that he mislead her, but it's obvious that he cares greatly about her. He takes a lot of risks for her sake.
Plus, I frankly liked his personality better. While both he and Grim are a delight, I think Ash is a bit dull. I loved Robin's banter, and his lines contained lots of fun little jokes and quips that made me smile. I was also very fond of Grim, whose personality is so vivid he almost felt real to me. I'm very curious about how he'll figure into the story later, and I really hope he'll make a reappearance in the second book. It probably goes without saying that I have the same hopes about Robin.
The world building in this novel is absolutely phenomenal. Scenery is described in such a vivid way that I have a very clear picture of the world in my head. No small detail is overlooked, and the book is chock full of those small items that give the impression that the author really knows this world she's describing. Not only did the setting really pull me in, I thought the social structure was well established. There are just enough details to really give the reader an idea of what the fey are like, and this is done without coming right out and telling the reader, "The fey are cruel. They can be petty." It lends a lot of impact to just see small, casual episodes that provide a really creepy look at how the fey operate.
I also absolutely loved the addition of Machina and the Iron Knights. I thought this was such a clever, interesting idea. It was a great way to mesh the old with the new, and to show the tensions between tradition and progress. In that way, this book is about a lot more than just a story of faeries fighting with one another.
This is exactly the sort of novel I look for when I really want some escapist fantasy. The pacing is excellent, there are serious consequences to the choices the characters make, and there is a very entertaining and intriguing cast of characters. I'm very glad I gave this book a chance.
If I have one critique of this novel, it's this: I thought the romance was a little too insta-love for my tastes. The dangerous bad boy who's on the wrong side struck me as a set up that was a bit too obvious. I'm really over the romances where there's sexual tension between the heroine and her love interest simply because he seems dark and brooding--and, of course, wildly handsome. This particular theme has been done to death. Still, it could have been saved had more time been taken to show how Meghan and Ash gradually come together, but it's pretty much a given from the start that they're going to be an item. I never really got the sense that either of them found something loveable in the other. Instead, I felt the whole time like they were going to be together because it was inevitable. I found this really disappointing.
What I'd have preferred to see is Meghan falling in love with Robin. My spidey senses tell me that there's a setup for a love triangle going on here, and I hope I'm wrong about that. While Robin can be flip and rather callous, I felt like it would have made a lot more sense for Meghan to fall for him. She's known him for years and he's always looked out for her. It's true that he mislead her, but it's obvious that he cares greatly about her. He takes a lot of risks for her sake.
Plus, I frankly liked his personality better. While both he and Grim are a delight, I think Ash is a bit dull. I loved Robin's banter, and his lines contained lots of fun little jokes and quips that made me smile. I was also very fond of Grim, whose personality is so vivid he almost felt real to me. I'm very curious about how he'll figure into the story later, and I really hope he'll make a reappearance in the second book. It probably goes without saying that I have the same hopes about Robin.
The world building in this novel is absolutely phenomenal. Scenery is described in such a vivid way that I have a very clear picture of the world in my head. No small detail is overlooked, and the book is chock full of those small items that give the impression that the author really knows this world she's describing. Not only did the setting really pull me in, I thought the social structure was well established. There are just enough details to really give the reader an idea of what the fey are like, and this is done without coming right out and telling the reader, "The fey are cruel. They can be petty." It lends a lot of impact to just see small, casual episodes that provide a really creepy look at how the fey operate.
I also absolutely loved the addition of Machina and the Iron Knights. I thought this was such a clever, interesting idea. It was a great way to mesh the old with the new, and to show the tensions between tradition and progress. In that way, this book is about a lot more than just a story of faeries fighting with one another.
This is exactly the sort of novel I look for when I really want some escapist fantasy. The pacing is excellent, there are serious consequences to the choices the characters make, and there is a very entertaining and intriguing cast of characters. I'm very glad I gave this book a chance.