The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

[description from goodreads]

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

Review:

Right now, you might be saying to yourself, "Khy, I feel like I've read this summary a few times before, only with different names." Well, that's because you probably have. The Iron King sounds like many other faery novels out there: unpopular girl finds out she is a faery, and a powerful one at that. Bad faeries show up. Things happen. Dun dun dun and all that jazz. Now, you might be wondering "Does The Iron King stand out among all the other faery books out there?" The answer to that is a big YES! The Iron King doesn't have the edgy faeries of Tithe or Wicked Lovely, nor the lighthearted Tinkerbell-like creatures. The world is more fantasy; there are all sorts of creatures running around and causing trouble, rather than only Faery Court Drama.

The Iron King also feels more quest-y than other faery novels. Meghan has a sort-of guide in the form of a Chesire-like Cat, Grimalkin, and a few friends who help her out. She also has to get past a series of monsters and creatures before she can get close to the Most Evil Villian. Though it is a familiar concept, the constant fighting makes things insanely exciting. Once Meghan finally enters the faery world, there is non-stop action. She fights all sorts of scary, creepy, and bizarre creatures and instead Meghan of being all "Scary creature! *runs* Let the Supernatural Boys around me handle it!", she helps out. Meghan doesn't sit on the side; no, she is fighting too, describing all the things going on, which is super fun to visualize.

I also adored the cast of characters in the book. Grimalkin was so much like the Chesire Cat, but less creepy and more snarky. I loved his comments to Meghan and her reaction to them because laughs were almost guaranteed. Puck, Meghan's best friend and yes, the faery from A Midsummer Night's Dream, was also hilarious. I wish he was in the book more, because he had a ton of funny dialogue and provided much comic relief among all the dark battles. I don't really understand Ash, The Boy, though. Other reviews I've read talk about his relationship with Meghan and how they were so lovely, but honestly I didn't see much of a relationship other than the fact that they met, he helped her, and maybe they were interested in each other. But perhaps I was too busy being excited from all the fighting scenes to notice Ash very much.

The Iron King may not have the most original plot, but because it contains more than just faery drama, it's quite entertaining, and it emphasizes fighting instead of romance, it definitely make it stand out.

Book details: Harlequin Teen/Paperback/$9.99

Links: Julie's website/blog/twitter/the series website