The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter
Iron Fey Series, book two
by Julie Kagawa
copyright: 2010
publisher: Harlequin Teen
format: paperback
pages: 350
source: own

Back Cover:Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.  Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

First Sentence:
The Iron King stood before me, magnificent in his beauty, silver hair whipping about like an unruly waterfall.

My Thoughts:  A simple pleasure is obtained when a favorite chocolate is eaten; it’s absolutely yummy all the way to end, but yet there is still a desire for more once finished. When the piece of chocolate comes to an end, and another is laying in wait, I grab it, and start the devouring process once again.  While that chocolate is still very yummy it is not quiet as satisfying - not the same intense satisfaction of yumminess; saturation and quality are factors.  That is how I feel about The Iron Daughter, book two of the Iron Fey series.  While it was still a captivating read, and I most certainly devoured, I was not fully satisfied with it as I was with the first book, The Iron King.  Here is why...

This time, a few events were a bit too unbelievable even though I know this is a fantasy, coming-to-age type book.  Meghan avoided many negative circumstances¹, and I would find myself saying, “really?”.  Not only that, I felt the plot was a bit rushed and chock full of the quest².   This did not help me from rolling my eyes numerous times.  The Iron Daughter started to loose a bit of its yumminess, and allure when the focus switched from the fey world to the quest.  I love the fey world; I wanted more of its inner workings as it is full of awesome stuff.³

Yet, through it all, I was riveted, albeit,  at some points a bit more than at other points; this I cannot deny that.   Even with a few bumps along the way, I continued to really like this series. The story really is yummy; easily digested & ever so sweet while reading.  I continued to unabashedly love the triangle between Meghan, Puck and Ash.  My heart thumped with each encounter especially between Meghan and Ash. No denying, I am on team Ash, that’s true. Still though, Puck tugs at the heartstrings.   You know what I liked even better? The fact that this love triangle complemented the story fantastically, and that even with a few annoyances, the story flowed well; the pacing kept my attention.  It reads smoothly, and quickly

The ending met my expectation of this book with flying colors!  It stayed true to feelings, and the characters. I was intensely reading to see what decision would be made. Seriously, the way things played out in the end is what psyched me up for the next book.

Bottom Line:  Yummy chocolate, but not quiet as tantalizing as The Iron King.  Even so, it does provide an interesting fey world, and a heart thumping love interest. It does fulfill the desire of a quick, easily digested story that is captivating even though it does not fully satisfy.

Book Cover:  I love this cover. I found myself admiring it time and time again while reading the story. The colors work for me, and bonus, there is a texture feeling which adds to the appeal. This is my favorite cover of the series.

Footnotes:

1. I find it very difficult to “review” a book in a series because I try my best to not reveal any spoilers.  That means, I cannot shoot straight and to the point with my thoughts. I can give you an idea, but I will not give you an exact example. My example may influence whereas without it you would be neutral. Also, examples could potentially ruin the story and that I do not want to do.

2. The first half of the book deals with the Winter Court, and then we find ourselves dealing with the iron issue which takes the characters away from the fey world which then led to many unbelievable events, for me. I think mostly, what irks me, is how a young girl can go from pretty much knowing nothing in way of defense but yet can defend herself quiet well. Enough said.

3. The most exciting and riveting part of this book was when the story was taking place in the Winter Court.