Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

Love, Betrayal & Ranting

Title: The Iron Daughter
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey
Publisher: MiraINK (Harlequin)
My ratings: 3 out of 5 stars.

Megan Chase is trapped. She is upholding her end of her bargain to go with the Winter Prince to the Winter Court and has been staying there for what could be days or months or even years in human time. Her faerie powers have been sealed away and she is awaiting her meeting with Mab, the Winter Queen. She hasn't seen Ash since the day she arrived and is confused and desperate to know what's going on. When finally she does meet Ash and the Queen it does not go she expected as the Queen belittles her while Ash is back being His Royal Iciness. Megan is convinced that Ash hates her and she will be stuck in the UnSeelie Court forever. Amidst all this angst, something terrible happens. The Scepter of Season which was in the safe hands of the Winter Court gets stolen by the Iron Fey, killing Sage the Winter Prince. The Summer Faeries are blamed and both the courts are in the brink of a war. Now it's up to Megan to find the Scepter of seasons and return it back to Mab so as to end the impending war which would unnecessarily take the lives of hundreds. Hence, Megan starts on another life threatening journey into Faerie to retrieve the Scepter.

I tried. I really tired but I can't seem to like Megan. She is so annoying. She suffers from serious damsel in distress syndrome. Even if she says 'she will have to buckle up and save the world' she always gets rescued by someone. She was improved from the last book but only marginally. I was hoping to see some character development but all I saw was lots of crying in beds, pinning for a cold guy and overall uselessness. In order for me to like a book I should at least have a passable likeness towards the MC but sometimes Megan had me wanting to shake her so handle that you could hear her little brain rattling. I hate saying these horrible things about a character who is obviously loved by so many reader but I felt she was simply pathetic.I think I may be moving into ranting territory but why and when did you fall in love with Ash? Okay, you shared a few kisses with him but that does mean you love him and are ready to sacrifice you life for him. All she thinks about most times is just Ash. If this is how teenage years are spent then I'm glad I'm over it.

" Lightning flickered flickered bright and eerie, and between one flash and the next, a white creature appeared at the edge of the slope.At first, I thought it was a horse. Only it was smaller and more graceful then any I'd seen before, more deer than equine, with a lion's tail and cloven hooves that barely touched the ground. Its horn spiralled up between it.s ears, beautiful and terrible at the same time. destroying any preconceived notions I had of the word unicorn. It regarded me with eyes as ancient as the forest, and I felt a shiver of recognition ,like a memory from a dream, but then it was gone.”

The love interest Ash and Puck were commendable. I don't know why they were interested in Megan but alas these great characters were wasted on her. Especially Puck. He was funny, charming and full of life. He would liven up a room and you'll never be bored when he is around. He obviously cares more about Megan and understands her way better than Ash will ever do. Ash on the other hand is the Winter Prince. Tall, dark, handsome and broody with a tragic past sounds amazing on paper but the way he is portrayed ruined him for me. I felt he was too cold and sterile in my opinion even if he is serious eye candy.

"They only see the outer shell, not who I really am, beneath. You have. You've seen me without the glamour and the illusions, even the ones I show to my family, the fare I maintain just to survive. You've seen who I really am, and yet, you're still here. He brushed his thumb over my skin, leaving a trail of icy heat. "You're here and the dance I want is this one."

So why 3 stars you ask? Well you have to read it to know. The book took me absolute ages to go through but Julie Kagawa has a wicked imagination. She weaves an intricate portrait of the Faerie world and I licked it all up. While reading my mind was full of creatures who were so vividly described that you could see them with your eyes closed. Recaps, Cait Sinth, Satyrs, goblins, unicorns, dragon, faerie spiders, my favourite of them all being Grimalkin. I love him as he is snarky, funny, sly and probably had the most sensible head of them all.. The faerie world was both beautiful and dangerous but it was lovable at the same time.

"His nearness was overwhelming, his face and lips just inches away. We started at each other, and I could see the hunger in his eyes. I trembled in anticipation, my lips aching to touch his, but a flicker of regret crossed his face and he silently drew back, ending the moment."

I will read the next book in the series as I really enjoyed the world even if Megan was a sorry excuse of a YA heroine.I got this series as I was impressed by Julie Kagawa's first book in her new series The Immortal Rules(Click here to read my review). Moreover, I have been assured that The Iron Queen is the best of the lot and hopefully Megan is grown and less annoying.

I would recommend this series for reader who love fantasy with great world building, action, beautiful covers and love triangles.

“Your kind of blind, you know?" Puck whispered, smiling to soften his words. "I wouldn't defy Oberon for just anyone. But, for you..." He leaned forward, touching his forehead to mine. "I'd come back from the dead for you.”