Inspiring Insomnia

Review posted at: Read, Rinse, Repeat

Meghan Chase, the young heroine of "The Iron King," is very aptly named. Throughout the story, she is constantly chased by a endless variety of evil faeries, gremlins, and other ne'er-do-wells.

Just before her sixteenth birthday, Meghan was living the life of a teenage outcast. She also hallucinated, seeing strange beings lurking about. When her four year old brother, Ethan, is kidnapped and replaced by a snarling, biting changeling, Meghan realizes her hallucinations were real. Her only friend, Robbie, has been hiding some major secrets, and he reveals himself as the famous faery Puck. A disbelieving Meghan is lead through a portal in Ethan's closet into the Nevernever, and the hunt for Ethan begins.

I'm unfamiliar with faery lore, so this was new territory for me. I found Julie Kagawa's writing to be beautifully imaginative, although I read other reviews that commented that this story is very derivative of other faery stories. I thought every page just bristled with creativity and imagination, from the various creatures to the beautifully depicted environments. Meghan is aided throughout her journey by Puck, the maybe evil/maybe not evil Winter Prince, Ash, and my favorite - Grimalkin, Kagawa's version of the Cheshire cat.

This is my second book by Kagawa after The Immortal Rules, a far darker and, in my opinion, superior story. I'm intrigued enough by "The Iron King" that I will read the remainder of the series. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Nevernever, and I'm hoping that Meghan can get a bit more rest this time, without having to constantly run for her life.