The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (The Iron Fey Series #1)

I really did adore this story. I bought the ebook a while back and it has sat on my virtual TBR shelf for months, but now I wonder what the holdup was.
The heroine is Meghan Chase, her ran disappeared when she was little leaving only his shoes behind. Her mom remarried and moved to a small town in Louisiana on a pig farm in the boondocks. She has a half brother, Ethan who is four. Her best friend is Robbie Goodfell and is a prankster, but pretty much her only friend.

The first few pages are Meghan recalling the day her dad disappeared, which looking back I think is the reason that it took me so long to read this or should I say, finish it. I had started it months back but never got past those pages where Meghan is reflecting on her dad leaving. It was just not interesting enough for me to keep reading. I guess that is a bad hook, but I am glad that I went back and started reading. Once I got to the current story line (which admittedly is only a few pages in, perhaps this says more about my attention span than the author's hook?), I tore through the book in 3 days.

Her brother Ethan, gets kidnapped and taken to Nevernever (love that name) and Robbie agrees to help her get her brother back, because the changeling left in his place is mean and he bites! Meghan ends up meeting her father, a cat who can talk (reminds me of the Cheshire cat), a best friend who is more than he seems, a prince who is hot then cold, and a would-be psychopathic suitor. I loved many of the characters that Meghan runs across through her journey to get Ethan back: Grumly the troll (or is he an ogre?), the little walnut skinned man who lives in the tree, the rat pack (my favorite), and others. There were villains that were great too: the redcaps, the goblins in the wyldwood, Virus, the kelpie, etc. Although, I couldn't bring myself to hate Ironhorse!

Usually, I have a whole list of annoying things with the main character that I feel compelled to share, but not with Meghan. There was once or twice when she annoyed me, but not enough for me to list them here :).

I can't wait to read The Iron Queen next!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

This is book 2 of 8 in the Iron Fey Series.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is well written. The plot is well thought out and a lot occurs throughout the book. I enjoyed many of the characters: grimalkin, Ash, Puck, Leanansidhe, Ironhorse. However, there was one character...the most important character that drove me insane enough to stop reading the books many times. Meghan Chase!

I will give the briefest of summaries (it will be brief because 1.) it took me so long to read it that I have forgotten many aspects and 2.) there are many little subplots that seemed to take forever to accomplish something larger). It starts out with Meghan being in the Winter Court. This part of the book was absolutely the most annoying and hardest to get through. Ash has apparently abandoned her and (without giving too much away), Meghan is too obtuse to understand what is happening. She came across as desperate, immature, whiney and not very intelligent. I cringed many times will reading that section and was so embarrassed for her.

Events unfold that force Ash and Meghan to flee the Winter Court on a mission to get the scepter of the seasons back from the iron fey (yes they are back and more annoying that last time those little rascals!). Ash goes his own way and Meghan, with the help of Ironhorse, Grimalkin and Puck set out to get the scepter themselves. There was a section in the briars that Grimalkin was downright mean and I wanted to pull his tiny little whiskers! This was also another time when Meghan got on my nerves. It was obvious that one should be quiet in the briars, but even with people shushing her, Meghan is regrettably loud, drawing the attention of a dragon upon them. Shut your trap Meghan!

At 50% through the book, my goodreads update says, "slow goings." Clearly I don't remember what was going on because I have been reading this same book for 2 months (while I read an additional ten or so books in between trying to finish this one). The last 30% went very quickly the end resolution packed with lots of action. (This is not the briefest of summaries as promised!)

I didn't like the love triangle going on either. I really liked Puck and it broke my heart that Meghan kept jerking him around. Ash was trying to push Meghan away for their own good, but Meghan kept throwing herself at him. None of the affection was believable except (at times) Puck's affection for Meghan.

There is something about this story line that keeps calling to me despite these things that drive me crazy. I am hoping that for Meghan, these are growing pains for her character and that she will mature into someone that I will enjoy reading about. Perhaps I am just a glutton for punishment to be annoyed by Meghan but I simply must know what will happen in the next book!