My Thoughts On The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

5 January 2015

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Faeries are strange creatures, and it takes someone with an incredible amount of imagination to write a book about them, and even more so to make that book almost realistic. The world that Julie Kagawa has created is mind-blowing. She seems to have left no stone unturned in her quest to create a world that readers can actually picture in their minds, and I applaud her for that. Too often, we find ourselves immersed in a story, only to be distracted by questions pertaining our temporary world, but Kagawa went above and beyond in The Iron King and created a novel with an amazing world and an interesting plot to boot.

The Iron King sees Meghan Chase, a normal sixteen-year-old girl dragged into a world filled with things that want to kill her. After her brother is kidnapped by faeries, Meghan heads into the Nevernever to find him. The plot itself is fantastic, and Kagawa's writing really makes you care. You want Meghan to find her brother. You need to know that he's safe. It's fundamental that, after all the trials and tribulations, Meghan does what she set out to do. Of course, nothing's ever that simple. With the introduction of a new kind of fey - fey born of iron - we witness Meghan uncover a horrible truth: the Nevernever is dying. Technology is growing and the "oldbloods" are being forgotten.

Though Meghan annoyed me at the beginning, she slowly began to grow on me. Once her brother was kidnapped and she finally realised there are more important things in life than being popular, or having guys notice her, she grew a backbone as she was made to venture into a world where it seems everything is out to get her. Though Meghan is incredible foolish at times, it didn't annoy me as much as it could have, mainly because those little outbursts were fitting for a teenager. Kagawa didn't try to take away from the fact that Meghan is only sixteen, and I appreciated that.

Puck was a strange character, due purely to the fact that half the time you have to take him with a pinch of salt, and the other half you can see the devotion he has to Meghan and how serious he can be. Though he is a complete joker, he's an absolutely lovely guy, and his heart is definitely in the right place. Ash, on the other hand, is cool and brooding, and it takes a long time before we see any emotion at all from him, other than a curious indifference. Despite that, however, he's an incredibly complex character that I can't wait to learn more about.

Though I adore all three of the main characters, none of them even compare to the one and only Grimalkin. Who doesn't love a talking cat? Being a huge cat lover already, I adored Grim before I even knew anything about him. He's smart, cunning, and has a very strange sense of humour. But that's probably because he is a cat.

Though romance isn't a prominent feature of this novel and doesn't really come into play until pretty late on, there's always a strange sort of undercurrent that tells you it's coming. Throughout the novel, it's hinted at that Puck has feelings for Meghan that go beyond friendship, but we all know that Ash is the main love interest here. Unfortunately, Ash's interest in Meghan seemed to sprout up suddenly with no real explanation. It was all a little unrealistic for my taste and I'm hoping that Kagawa gives us some real development in the sequel.

The Iron King is an interesting take on faery literature. Kagawa has come up with something completely new and woven a wonderful story that will keep you captivated until the very last page. I just hope that she can keep up the pace and deliver a sequel worthy of the title.