Review: The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen

By Julie Kagawa

Publication date: January 25, 2011

My review:

Meghan Chase faces the ultimate sacrifice. The Iron Realm grows ever powerful as it expands, spreading corruption throughout the Nevernever. Meghan is the only one who can withstand the dangers of iron magic and venture into the stronghold of the false Iron King to defeat him. Meghan's dual nature as part fey/part human gives her protection but her ability to use her powers is hampered by the sickness she experiences when trying to perform the simplest of tasks. Ash and Puck must put aside their differences and work together at great personal risk to help Meghan on her quest. The consequences of failure would be unthinkable but the cost of winning may be too dear.

The Iron Queen is the third book in the Iron Fey series and it is in some ways the best book so far. Meghan has come a long way from the annoyingly whiny teenager we first meet in The Iron King. Her experiences in the Nevernever and the sacrifices she has made have caused her to mature into a brave young leader. The love triangle is also resolved which made the book much more enjoyable than The Iron Daughter. I didn't like Ash as much in the last book because of his cold aloof behavior but here I liked him more, especially when he teaches Meghan how to sword fight. The romance heats up and should please fans of Team Ash. Puck is back to being himself and he and Grimalkin add some much needed humor amidst the battle scenes.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Iron Queen after my disappointment with The Iron Daughter. The story is fast paced and includes a few surprises that I didn't quite see coming. I loved the bittersweet quality to the book and Meghan's growing maturity. There is at least one more book in the series, The Iron Knight, which will be from Ash's perspective and I look forward to reading it.

Readalikes: Need by Carrie Jones, The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney, Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Note: I read and reviewed an ARC of this book, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review