Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Tori's Review: The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

 The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Book Three in The Iron Fey Series
Published on January 25, 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance
358 Pages
My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.
NOTE: This is the third book in the series. There will be spoilers for the other two books.

After we left Meghan Chase in The Iron Daughter, we knew that Meghan had chased (get the pun?) Ash into the mortal world, both of them exiled from Faery. After Meghan and Puck being the majority of The Iron Daughter, there's no doubt that The Iron Queen is purely Meghan and Ash. Strangely, I had no problem with this.

If you've read my reviews for The Iron King and The Iron Daughter then you'd know that I wasn't a big fan of the Meghan and Ash coupling. Let's just say that Ash in The Iron Queen definitely converted me. Especially this quote here that Ash said. I died in cuteness. I had to read it over and over again.

"'My name is Ashallyn'darkmyr Tallyn, third son of the Unseelie Court.' Though his voice was soft, it never wavered, and I felt breathless at hearing his full name. His True Name. 'Let it be known--from this day forth, I vow to protect Meghan Chase, daughter of the Summer King, with my sword, my honor, and my life. Her desires are mine. Her wishes are mine. Should even the world stand against her, my blade will be at her side. And should it fail to protect her, let my own existence be forfeit. This I swear, on my honor, my True Name, and my life. from this day on...' His voice went even softer, but I still heard it as thought he whispered it into my ear. 'I am yours.'"

I swooned. Did you?

Other than the swoon-worthy quote I just gave you from Ash, this book completed me. The one thing that this book had that made me want to laugh/hurl was the angst. It was all over the place. Meghan is one angsty (this is not a word, but let's pretend it is) teen, though I have to admit that if I had to save the Faery world at age sixteen while a dark prince is being ice cold (another play on words. Sue me), I'd be a bit angsty as well.

In all honesty, the characters are well-developed in the third book, mostly Ash and Meghan. Those two have come so far since the beginning of the series. I'm like a proud mother. Meghan learned to grow a backbone, and Ash learned what it takes to feel emotion and open up to another person.

The ending was perfect. Sad, but perfect. I won't say anymore in fear of a spoiler, but just know that the ending was everything I hoped for in this series.

This beautifully described almost-conclusion was intriguing and crafted in a way that keeps the reader's attention. The characters are relatable and realistic, seemingly coming off the page like a real life person. As we come to the end of Meghan's journey in Faery, I'm glad to say that I experienced what she experienced. This is a must read if you've read The Iron King and The Iron Daughter. Even if you're iffy about it right now, know that I'm in love with Ash and Meghan after hating their coupling with my soul.

I will end this review with a Puck quote.

"...Puck said, tracing a finger through the dust, drawing a smiley face with the tongue sticking out."


1 comment:

  1. This series was good, I liked it. I adored Puck but my favourite character was Grimm. Who doesn't love a sarcastic cat lol
    Monique @ Mo_Books

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment! If you leave a link to one of your posts, I will probably return the favor! (: