Series Spotlight: The Iron King, Book 1, The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

I've discovered a new author and a new series that I've become entranced with and can't be more please with my new discovery.

The author:  Julie Kagawa

The series:  The Iron Fey Series.

It's excellent YA Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance.  Over the few days, I'm going to offer a review of all three books in the series.  It's one of the most unique in the genre I've found, and another that has found it's place on the coveted 'Keeper's Shelf'.  I hope you have a chance to try this wonderful series, if you're a fan of YA Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy, this is not a series to miss.


Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Pages: 368

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.

*****May Contain Spoilers*****

Meghan Chase is one of the invisible people, at least that's how she feels in her high school. She isn't one of the popular crowd, she's the step-daughter of a local pig farmer, good honest work, but not one respected by her classmates or one that will make her family rich. In one day, she'll be 16 years old and special things are supposed to happen to you at 16... you're first real kiss, learning to drive, prom... but she's having trouble believing any of that is going to happen for her. When she's asked to tutor her crush, Scott Warren, she thinks that maybe he'll finally notice her, and after a slight computer malfunction, he really does, but not in a good way.

Robbie Goodfell, Meghan's best friend, has always been there, even to watch the scary movies that keep her awake at night and afraid of the dark.  Robbie, well, he's a mischief maker, but all the teachers seem to love him. He's cute, likes Meghan for who she is, and he's always ready with a shoulder, and lately, she's needed a shoulder. When Meghan sees a strange boy hiding in the woods, Robbie assures her no one's there, even though she saw him with her own eyes, but then maybe she didn't.

But on the day before her 16th birthday, weird things start to happen.  First Beau, the family German Shephard who has always been gentle, attacks her four year old half-brother, Ethan. Though Ethan denies Beau was really attacking him (he swears it was the scary man in the closet), Meghan's Mom and Step-father gets rid of Beau anyway. On the day of her 16th birthday, weirder things start to happen, Ethan is acting strange, violent and vicious. When Robbie sees Ethan, he knows exactly what happened to him, he's been kidnapped and a fey changling has been left in his place. As Robbie begins to tell Meghan the true story of her life, it's unbelievable to her ears. Can she really be part fey? And who really is Robbie anyway?

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa is the continuation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream. Meghan Chase isn't who she thinks she is and Robbie isn't who he says he is, and Meghan's whole life is about to change. If you've read Midsummer's Night or seen the movie, you already know all the players in this story; King Oberon, Queen Titania, and Puck of the Summer Court as well as Queen Mab, her sons Sage, Rowan, and Ash of the Winter Court are all there as our story unfolds. Meghan as it turns out, is none other than the daughter of the Summer King, and she's destined to fall into a forbidden love with one of the Winter Court. But, Meghan doesn't know the rules of the Courts very well. And it turns out to be worse than high school. In high school, they might make fun of you, but in the Courts, they might kill you, and everyone has disdain for the half-breed. Once again, her only friend is Robbie who it turns out to be Robin Goodfellow or Puck the Trickster to his friends, that is until she dances with the Winter Prince, Ash. But she only allowed Robbie to bring her to Faery Court to find Ethan. To do so, she'll have to make bargains, deals, and contracts with some unlikely characters, as well as one with the Winter Court Prince, trading her freedom in return for Ethan's. But will the Winter Prince really help her or is he only using her to his own evil ends?

The Iron King has many twists and turns as the story of the Summer and Winter Courts takes on a new life. Iron is a long feared object of the fey, all kinds of fey. Iron kills fey if they're not careful, and if the legends of the fey are forgotten, the fey slowly fade away and die. With the advent of technology, Iron is taking over the fey world, and with the Iron age coming to the fey, a new brand of fey have proclaimed themselves, the Iron Court. Julie Kagawa builds an excellent world around the idea of an Iron Court, one that if left unchecked will take over the NeverNever, killing it as the fey fade away into oblivion, and instead of imagination and fantasy, technology is all that will be left. It's Meghan hope to not only save Ethan, but to prevent the Iron Court from killing the Summer and Winter Courts, and she might be the only one able, her human side gives her an immunity to the effects of iron. I highly recommend this series to all lovers of fantasy, especially those who enjoy a little Shakespearean reference. The new fey created in Ms. Kagawa's world are a force for the oldbloods to reckon with, and I can't wait to see where she takes this story.  Another new author for me, another new series to enjoy, and I find myself thinking it's one of the most unique in the genre so far.  I highly recommend to all fantasy lovers, old and young alike.  A quick read that doesn't let you go.

Book Trailer

(Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade, The Iron King playlist and my current ringtone!)

I received this ebook for Harlequin Teen and Net Galley for review. All opinions expressed are my own.