Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Series: Iron Fey #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Borrowed

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.

I should probably start by saying that I have really been wanting to find a faerie series that I enjoy, that I can't seem to like any of them as much as I want to, and that, because I want to like one so bad, I keep trying. Thus, we arrive at The Iron King.

I do like The Iron King more than other faerie books that I've read previously, but sometimes Meghan gets on my nerves. She sure does seem to trip and fall into Ash a lot. And it annoys me that she is yet another heroine who, for some unexplained reason, is attracted to a guy who might kill her, and who tells her as much on more than one occasion. There's no real bonding between the two of them (unless you count repeatedly tripping into him or falling and then having to be caught/carried), or even much conversation. So this frustrates me. A lot. Her redeeming qualities are her loyalty and determination. But she is also prone to making rash, idiotic decisions and often ignores good advice. Puck and Grimalkin are great characters though, and are easily my favorites. The only problem with them, really, is that they are both pre-existing characters, and I'm not sure if I like Julie Kagawa's versions of them, or if I just already liked them from other stories and that interest carried over into this book. Ash seems flat in his interactions with Meghan. The bits of his personality that do shine through are a result of his interactions with Puck.

I do like the plot. Meghan's brother is taken by the fae, and she must get him back. But there are also things that threaten to destroy the world which the fae inhabit. There are obviously numerous and varied threats to her in the faerie realm, which led to some fun scenes. The pacing is steady, and there's a good bit of action.

So I'm trying to decide if I should read the next one to see if Meghan will be less irritating to me now that she has some experience under her belt. She was my least favorite character in this one though, which is frustrating. Part of me wants to see if her attraction to Ash ever has a basis that is not superficial. Or if she ever stops being so infuriatingly blind to Puck's potential (not even necessarily as a love interest - just in general). Or if she ever stops tripping like Bella and learns to walk like a normal person. Does anyone slap some freaking sense into her? Does she experience that type of growth? Should I give Meghan another chance, or will I just be disappointed?