The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)

This books takes place after Meghan is in the Unseelie Court. It does go through her mind and shows Ash taking her there and what happened when she first arrived. Her time spent in The Winter Court is awful, Ash pretending he doesn't love her and then all hell breaks loose the night the Scepter of Seasons is stolen by the Iron Fey. A Winter Prince turns traitor and Ash has to help Meghan escape. Puck comes back! I am totally team Ash but Puck is so funny and awesome all in his own right. Meghan is left to find the scepter as a war breaks out between summer and winter. As Meb thinks summer stole it. Meghan and Puck along with Ironhorse who has vowed to help her create a plan to get it back. Ash goes his own way, telling Meghan that they simply can't be together. Their courts won't allow it.

Things kept getting in the way of their plan, Ash is turned into a puppet by the false Iron King and Meghan has to save him with an iron power. Do they ever get the Scepter of Seasons back? Does Ash and Megan get to be together? Does our heroes get to stop the war? You're going to have to read this book to find out.

I love The Iron King, it was awesome, but to me, this book was so much better. More action, more romance and the steaks are higher because not just Ethan is in trouble, but all of the Nevernever. Ash is just perfectly Ash and I love him in this book. The writing is flawless as what I've come to expect from this author and it's so easy to follow.

I know a lot of people don't like reading about fey or fairies very much but this series is just too good not to read. Give it a chance and I know you'll love it... or at least love Ash or Puck, or both. Both is good.

"We see you, Meghan Chase. You will not escape."

In The Iron Daughter, the second book of the Iron Fey series, the half-human/half-faery Meghan Chase returns to Winter Court with Ash. A major betrayal, a stolen scepter, and a series of misunderstandings leads to a declaration of war between the Winter and Summer Courts.

For me, some of the magic from The Iron King has worn off. Meghan's boomeranging emotions and inability to think rationally when it comes to Ash is beginning to grow tiresome. He loves her, he loves her not. Every time Ash denies his feelings for Meghan, something that occurs with irritating frequency in this book, we readers know he doesn't mean it. So why doesn't Meghan? She falls to pieces one moment and is in near ecstasy the next.

But there is plenty to like in The Iron Daughter. Meghan's stalwart allies - Puck, Grimalkin, and Ironhorse - remain by her side. A new character, Leanansidhe, a total diva and more than a little dangerous, breathes some fresh air into the story. And Julie Kagawa's ability to paint a beautiful, mystical world is still firmly in place. I'm not giving up on this series. The ending gives me hope that my problems with this book will not be an issue with the next one, and we're left with a juicy cliffhanger that I want to see play out.

Back in 2010 I stumbled upon Julie Kagawa's first book, The Iron King, by chance. I picked it up, saw that it was about fey, read it, and completely fell in love. Ever since then I've been trying to find the time to pick up the rest of the series! Meghan, Ash, and Puck are some of my favorite characters. I was so eager to see what would happen to them. Let me tell you, once you're in their world there is not turning back. Anyway, I digress. On to the review!

The Iron Daughter was everything that I was hoping it would be. Once more I was dragged into the land of the fey, and I went willingly and excitedly. What I really enjoyed about this second book was Meghan's character. In the first story she proved herself to be strong protagonist. I loved her fire, and her "never say never" attitude. Well, all that is back! However what is even more amazing is that the reader actually gets to see Meghan grow in this book. She isn't a little girl anymore and, even though she has some tough decisions to make, I adored how strong she was the entire time.

That's not to say Meghan doesn't have any emotions. She cries, she hurts, she falls for guys she shouldn't and has to make difficult choices because of it. It's all very realistic to be honest. Ash and Puck are both back in this installment of the series, and better than ever in my mind. Yes, I'm still torn on the whole debate of who I love more. Ash is so brooding, but Puck is so funny! Either way, it's easy to see why Meghan is so torn between the two. It's nice that Julie Kagawa allows her character to be so independent from the men in her life. Meghan needs them, but she also knows how to hold her own.

In terms of plot, the Iron Daughter answered a lot of the questions I had left over from last time! It was nice to see those wrapped up. I was a little saddened that the story ended where it did. Still, I see that there is a lot of potential for the next in the series. Of course you know I'll be picking that up. Long story short, I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't my favorite of the series, but there were a lot of great components. I cannot wait for more.

Meghan has fulfilled her contract with Ash the winter prince, and is now a 'guest' in the Winter Palace under the eyes of Queen Mab. She is eyed as a little snack to most of the residents of the Unseelie court and the protection of the Queen is the only thing stopping her from being eaten. Ash is blocking out Meghan, and her only chance of escaping (aka. Puck) is dying in a tree in Disney Land. Things cannot get that much worse for the daughter of Oberon.

I think that Julie Kagawa has hit more on the mark with the whole fey thing. She has managed them to look more evil then before, more spiteful and dangerous. She has reflected their personalities on humans, but has enhanced them to make them more extreme.

The star-crossed lovers in this book has now become like a lot of other books. Meghan is completely gone way to far with her love for Ash. She shuts off everyone else and only focuses on him, not good. He is a whole world, but she is only sixteen, and Ash is eons old. It is not good to make someone your whole world at such a young age, as when you lose them, their is nothing else to live. I think that she is way to in love with Ash and that she has some major issues in that area.

Meghan is also like one of those characters that are always cheering on the sideline, hoping that her handsome prince will protect her. That will not always happen, so she needs to pick up her game. All she has ever done has been pure fluke, she has no skill what so ever. She has only ever thrown a few pebbles at a dude's head, and that has done nothing to help Ash. She needs to not be so pathetic.

The Iron Daughter was a good book, but not so amazing as the Iron King. I think what made me not like it as much was that Meghan is way to in love with Ash. Stupid girl, it is not worth leaving the NeverNever for just one guy that will out live you by thousands of years, she was stupid with that decision.

Trapped in the winter castle full of spiteful fey, a block on her magic, Puck in a tree somewhere, Ash turning away from her, Rowan (Ash's brother) trying to toy with her, it seems that Meghan's time in the Nevernever can't really get much worse.

Julie Kagawa has really hit the nail with this one, I think. They way she portrays the fey; strange, devious, spiteful, yet quite like humans as well, is simply amazing.

At the start of the book, Meghan, our half-human, half-fey daughter of Oberon, the king of the Seelie, is imprisoned in the Unseelie court. She might be in there for life, and, whats worse, Ash (the Winter prince that she fell in love with) seems to have forgotten her. And then, when she finally sees him, seems to have rejected her.

And, as if that wasn't bad enough, soon after the Scepter of the Seasons is passed from Summer to Winter, the Scepter is stolen, the eldest prince of the Winter Court is dead, and Summer (most particularly Meghan) is blamed. She must go to find it.

But how can she do it, with the whole of Winter searching for her and Ash (who revealed that he did, in fact, still love her), the whole of Summer out looking for her, and all the Iron Fey after her as well? Oh, and to make it worse, Winter has declared war on the Summer, and once again, it goes down to Meghan to try and stop it all.

Is it too much for her to handle?

This book is simply amazing, and perfect for anyone who likes supernatural creatures, lovers who just can't sort it out and/or spiteful fey who are tearing at each other for power.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/review-the-iron-daughter-by-julie-kagawa/

I actually read this book quite a while ago, but I had been contemplating publishing my review. Not because it was so bad that I would feel guilty for posting such a bad review, but because I wanted to post the review of the first book too, purely because both the first book and this were fantastic.

I tend to favor fairies over other paranormal creatures like vampires and werewolves purely because fairies are devious and cunning and very similar to humans in that aspect. They’re feral. And that’s what makes them beautiful. Add in a plot that not only is interesting but also keeps you at the edge of your seat, and this book becomes a must.

Meghan, our protagonist, is held in the icy kingdom of Queen Mab, where she must face imprisonment for possibly life and being ignored by her Winter prince, whom she thought loved her. Then when the scepter passed between the Winter and Summer fey is stolen, Meghan must retrieve it from her enemies — the Iron fey.

I’ll be the first to admit that a large part of my liking this book was because of the romance. I’m definitely on Team Ash (though I do absolutely love Puck). Ash is that Winter prince that you think will never fall in love, but — behold! — he falls in love with the most unlikely person. Meghan. And that just turns the Winter prince into someone easily breakable, someone that you love. It changes him into someone willing to do anything to keep his love safe.

And that ending. Oh, that ending. That ending broke my heart.

Kagawa’s The Iron Daughter is simply a must for any paranormal lover who just can’t resist starcrossed lovers and a plot full of devious fey waiting for their chance to achieve power.

Source: copy borrowed from library

I enjoyed The Iron King. Ash was unapproachable and thus intriguing, Puck was so over-the-top charming that he was endearing, Grimalkin's cool aloofness had me desperate to figure him out and the concept of the iron fey, a new type of fey bred out of our obsession with technology, was original and refreshing. I liked Megan well enough, but her qualities I disliked in The Iron King seemed to have progressively gotten worse with The Iron Daughter.

Megan makea absolutely no sense to me - she speaks often about wanting to be strong, like iron, yet she is so emotionally charged that she is completely unable to make a rational decision. Add in her moments of teenage angst and she becomes completely self-absorbed. I understand that she is a teenager, but I'd like to think that if the person I "loved" were to explain to me that he cannot show me any kindness as it will make me appear weak and thus as something to be preyed upon, that when he later ignores me, I would understand it was done not to hurt me, but to protect me - even though I was only a teenager. Megan however, decides that Ash's behaviour must mean he has manipulated her emotions using glamour, thus playing with her heart, and then spends a significant amount of time crying in her bedroom over being used. Even after finding out that Ash has ordered several members of the Unseelie court to watch over her family while she's trapped in Tir Na Nog, Megan stills doubts the validity of her feelings for Ash, allowing her petty jealousy to guide her mind into questioning her heart, wondering again if Ash manipulated her affections using glamour.

During all of this, we are constantly reminded of how much Megan loves Ash, how much his absence hurts her, and how worried she is for his safety now that he has betrayed Queen Mab. But due to the seemingly fickle emotions of teenagers, even though Megan is devastated over Ash's rejection - completely unable to fathom an existence without him - when Puck reveals his love for her, she considers giving in to his advances. Umm....what? What happened to the earth-shattering love she had for Ash? A love that she was willing to pursue even though fey from the Summer court are forbidden from having relations with fey from the Winter court? A love that means banishment from the NeverNever if the right people were to uncover it existed? I just don't understand how Megan can spend the first half of the book pining over Ash and then seriously consider trying anything with Puck. She even admits how she kissed Puck for all of the wrong reasons - doing it out of hurt and loneliness - but that even though she knew it was wrong to lead him on, there was a part of her that wanted to keep going. A big enough part that had they not been interrupted, who knows what would have happened.

The thing I really don't understand though, it what Puck and Ash see in Megan. Granted, Puck has been by Megan's side for most of her life, a constant friend and companion, so maybe he has some insider information that we're not privy to. But what could Ash possible see in her? She's constantly in need of rescuing, especially now that her powers have beens sealed, and she never figures things out on her own - she's always pushed in the right direction by someone else (mostly by Grim). Other then her occasional odd display of power and unthinking willingness to make a deal to get what she needs (I'd hate to see how many favours she's promised in the short time she's been fey), there is nothing to set her apart from any other mortal.

Speaking of Grimalkin, the entire plot would fall apart without his help. He always seems to show up when the heroes are most in need of help, showing them the nearest exit, or the way to a trod, or taking them to a new member of the NeverNever (or the In Between, in Lea's case) that will help them - without asking for anything in return. Grimalkin's reasons behind all of his free help are never explained, nor are his reasons for disappearing and allowing the group to get in to trouble before reappearing and saving the day. I love Grimalkin's character, and assume his interest in Megan is like the interest a passerby shows at a car crash - morbid fascination - but his timely appearances are too convenient. Rather then spinning a tale that allows for the characters to fight or ingenue their way out of tough situations, I have come to expect Grimalkin's entrance in time to save the day which makes for a predictable and repetitive read.

Having said all that, I did find The Iron Daughter to be a mostly enjoyable read. Even though I was questioning Megan on every decision she made, her story is still one I'm interested in. I loved seeing Ash open up and show more of his feelings and his reasons behind his icy facade, and the continued presence of the Iron fey was so vividly written that it's very easily imagined. I'm interested to see what Megan's connection to iron glamour means (although I have a sneaking suspicion I already know the truth) and the ending had a big enough twist to leave my interest piqued for the next book, The Iron Queen.

The Iron Daughter definitely feels like Romeo and Juliet in some ways. Girl and boy from rival groups meet at a party. They dance and fall immediately in forbidden love and passion. They manage to spend time together and begin a forbidden, star-crossed relationship. Her friends and family want him dead; his want nothing more than to see her frozen alive or killed. Of course, this doesn't happen, because the book series would have to end.

When the story diverges from it's star-crossed inspiration, boy leaves girl, trying not to get them both killed. Girl feels betrayed even though he warned her eighty-five bajillion times what was going to happen. Girl decides to lead on/flirt with her best male friend who is in love with her too. She does this while continuing to want nothing more than forbidden boy. Seriously? This story is supposed to be really romantic, but how can I want this obnoxious girl to end up with any of these guys (except maybe the jackass from her high school who she still finds attractive) when she clearly will go with whoever happens to be there at any given moment? This little side plot is just what was needed to make the whole forbidden love angle even better.

Meghan has not improved much as a main character, mostly for the reason above. She continues to save herself and others sometimes, which is nice, but she generally expects the menfolk to save her, which is less nice. The other really frustrating thing about her is that she continues to be an airhead. So-called plot twists are obvious, but she never sees them coming (i.e. Ash being all ice prince-y to her in front of his mom). Smaller things baffle her as well. For example, she tries on a dress that has just been finished for her to wear to a prom-like event (at her high school that she no longer really attends) and observes that "it fit perfectly, sliding over my skin as if made for me." Umm, yeah, hon, that's because they made it for you! Also, don't get me started on the whole the-only-way-to-heal-the-faery-prince's-injuries-is-to-go-to-a-school-dance-thing.

I LOVED IT.

Reader reviewed by iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books

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