The Iron Queen(Iron Fey 3)Author: Julie KagawaPublisher: Harlequin Teen, 2010
My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.
My Review:
A step away from returning to her normal life, to a new life with Ash by her side, and she is attacked! Meghan thought it was over but, with a false king on the Iron Throne and the Nevernever on the brink of annihilation, it is far from it. Meg and her friends will have to venture once more into the depths of the Iron Kingdom, uncovering secrets, joining rebel forces, and even gaining an army of minions. Meg struggles with her Summer and Iron magics, and sometimes the easiest answers to a problem are overlooked because they're simple. As Meghan learns more about the twisted Iron world, a world that seems to welcome her with open arms, she will have to ready herself to give it her all and save Faery.
Meg really rocked in this book. She’s stronger than ever and fighting to become even more so. She’s not happy with relying on others to always look after her anymore and she wants to learn to fight! And fight she does. Meg becomes a hardcore chick with all the sword fighting, and even throws a couple of badass lines like “I’m coming for him, and when I find him, I’m going to kill him.” Woah! No more shy and invisible Meg! This is a fairy princess talking and she’s ready for battle!
If cold prince Ash is sexy, and a tormented in love Ash is double sexy, then this new romantically sweet and expressive Ash is a melt-my-heart-and-make-me-swoon kind of sexy. Every time he opened his mouth to utter those knight-in-shinny-armor phrases my heart would just stop and bask in the words. Of course then my mind would get lost in sexy faery knight fantasies and I’d lose track of where I was reading. But damnit! If only guys talked like that in reality.
Puck’s humorous nature is always welcome, but (much like Ash) it’s when he shows his true emotions that he really shines. Puck will never give up on Meghan; that much is true. But at least he admits defeat and backs off knowing that Meg is truly happy with Ash. The stupid trickster almost made me cry at the end.
We spend most part of this book exploring the Iron Kingdom, the land of the lost for all things tech. Though it is a poisonous wasteland, I was surprised to find out it’s not without its beauty. I especially loved the trees “in full bloom, not with flowers of fruit, but with lightbulbs.” There are also tons of exciting new characters to be found in there, like Glitch, leader of the rebel forces, Razor, who rallies the “minion” forces, and Spikerail, leader of…well, I’ll leave that one a surprise. Oh and let’s not forget the gliders! Gliders on their own were cool. They’re like metal dragonflies which they use as gliders. Imagine now a battle while on a glider…awesome. And talking about battles, the final battle…oh man! I got chills just from thinking about it. Imagine one of the battles in Lord of the Rings, but with faeries, summer and winter magic tearing things up all around, iron faeries, and huge iron monsters.
Only one word to describe it all…EPIC.
My Review:
Puck, Summer’s thrill seeking prankster, will have to help Ash on a side quest, before embarking on the ultimate search for a way to enter the Iron Kingdom without getting sick. To repay the debt he owed to Leanansidhe, Ash has to find her violin that was stolen by the Summer Queen herself Titania. Puck, of course, can’t pass on the opportunity to create a little havoc in the Summer Court and so agrees to help. But the Summer King tempts him with a treacherous idea. Will Puck betray Ash, in the hopes of keeping Meg to himself?
I love Puck from the other books, and so reading this one from his point of view was quite fun. We get to see that though he is all fun and jokes, underneath there’s this cunning mind that runs a mile a second, and a big loving heart. After reading this there is no doubt left that Puck clearly misses Ash’s friendship. Now I can’t wait to read The Iron Knight, which is from Ash’s point of view!
Favorite Quotes:
~Book 3~
I was a freaking faery who couldn’t use glamour! Not without fainting, throwing up, or getting so dizzy I was practically useless. I was allergic to myself! How pathetic was that?
~
Fairy godmothers didn’t exist, and even if they did, they wouldn’t wave a magic wand and make everything better. (Not without a contract, anyway.) Besides, I had something better than a fairy godmother; I had my faery knight, my faery trickster, and my faery cat, and that was enough.
~
He swept the pole up with a flourish, and a bright green banner snapped open at the top, the silhouette of a great oak splayed proudly across the front. “I wanted to make it a picture of a flower or butterfly,” Puck said, smiling at my awed look, “but didn’t think that would strike fear into the heart of the false king.”
“Not bad Goodfellow,” Glitch said with grudging respect.
“Oh, so glad you think so, socket head. My mad crocheting sills finally came in handy for something.”
~Book 3.5~
“Come on,” Ash said, his voice even colder than normal. “We don’t have time for your idiocy now.”
“That’s what I like about you Winter fey…you’re all such scintillating wits, such clever purveyors of words, such wise and frolicsome—”
I ducked as a pinecone zipped by my head with enough force to have done more than muss my hair. A chuckle escaped me.
“Always good to know you care, ice-boy.”
~
“Ooh, I know!” I snapped my fingers. “A chameleon! That way you can perch on my collar and blend right in. It’s brilliant! And you’d make a very handsome chameleon, don’t you think, ice-boy?”
~
I put a hand to my mouth in mock delight. “Oh, ice-boy, it’s…it’s…so you!”
“I’m going to kill you for this,” Ash growled, then winced at how his voice sounded, high and clear. I bit my cheek to keep from howling with laughter.
