Book Review: The Iron King

Have you ever read one of those books that you never want to end, it's so good? The Iron King by Julie Kagawa was like that for me. I literally could not put it down. Every scene made me shiver with delight. I devoured this book and enjoyed it so much that I immediately put it on my TO BUY list.

According to the book's blurb:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Now, there are quite a few YA Paranormals out there involving faeries. Wicked Lovely and Paranormalcy come to mind. And while I enjoyed their different take on faeries for different reasons, neither one made my toes curl or make me exclaim, "YES, this is EXACTLY what faeries should be like!" And not just the faeries themselves, but their world. Kagawa's faerie realm has the same dark magic as Anne Bishop's dreamscapes in Sebastian or Belladonna (both highly recommended books). It's like entering a place that you've never been before, but some part of you is able to recognize it. Places where good and evil aren't so easily distinguished, and it's so beautifully wrought that you feel disappointed when you come back to the real world. In a couple words: deliciously dark.

My favorite character was, of course, Robbie. I have a soft spot for tricksters and goofballs, but Kagawa crafts him perfectly, showing glimpses of more than just a carefree "friend." And all the other characters, even the minor ones, hold endless surprises.

Awesome setting and great characters make this book darn near perfect. Highly recommended!

Gah, I have to go buy all these books now!

Rating (out of five stars): 5!