An Excellent Debut Novel- The Iron King by Julie Kagawa



Cover Art of
The Iron King



I adored the novel The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. The story is about faeries, and this is the first novel that I’ve read that is true to all the old folklore while creating an interesting new twist. The story is about Meghan Chase, a small town girl who is the step-daughter of a pig farmer. She doesn’t have many things, most are from goodwill or are hand-me-downs. This adds a down-to-earth feel to Meghan’s character. She is finally the sweet sixteen when her best friend Robbie opens her eyes to the fae world around her. But Robbie didn’t do this just because he felt like letting Meghan in on the secret. He did it because Meghan adorable little four year old half-brother Ethan had been kidnapped by the fae and a changeling (fae child) had been left in Ethan’s place. Now Meghan is determined to get her little brother back, even if that means going into the terrible land of Nevernever, where faeries do not go bibbity-bobbity-boo and would much rather eat human flesh.

Many references to A Midsummer Night’s Dream also occur within this novel. We learn that Meghan is not who she thought she was, and is indeed the daughter of Oberon, King of the Seelie (or Summer) Court. Also making appearances are Mab, Titania, and Puck. To complicate matters, the fae look down on the offspring of fae and mortals, often referring to them as “half-breeds”. No one much likes Meghan as she sets off on her quest to find Ethan, but no one wishes to feel Oberon’s rath either.

A few companions accompany Meghan on her quest, however. One, a sneeky yet knowlegdable cat named Grimalkin, two, a certain someone named Puck who is very much a joker and trickster, and three, a winter prince named Ash, and sworn enemy of Meghan’s father’s court, who, despite his attempts to ignore Meghan, is captivated by her. In the meantime, more trouble is brewing. A new kind of fae, the iron fae, might cause everything in Nevernever, and everything Meghan loves (Ethan, Ash, Puck, Grimalkin and many others) to meet a terrible fate. I highly recommend this novel to any fae/ya romance fan! You won’t regret reading it!