Review; The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter - Julie Kagawa

 Description; Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review; ....

Just give me a moment to gather my words.


Ok...


WOW.


If I could leave it at a one word review, that would be it. Even then "WOW" somehow seems a little insignificant to describe how I felt about this book. 


First we begin right where the novella of Winter's Passage ended - with Meghan in the Winter Court and Ash physically and emotionally distanced. I think the first fifty pages, I felt my heart clenching with Meghan's, and my eyes growing watery with hers. I loved the beginning to this book. It was so raw, so emotionally charged and expertly crafted. Meghan's actions were so believable, so human and somewhere in the emotional turmoil I was thinking, wow, Julie, this is talent. Meghan was so real. I cannot emphasise that enough! She loves that guy and she's not giving him up. Major kudos to Meghan!


Then there's Ash. Ash, Ash, Ash. We see entirely new dimensions to his character in this installment of my favourite series. (Yes, you read that correct!). He's much more complex and layered. In the beginning, while he's seemingly unattainable, there are these small, tell-tale signs that had me jumping up and down, practically shouting to Meghan, "The guy you love is still in there!" And he totally was. Team Ash 110%! He goes through a lot in this novel, despite his familiarity with a world Meghan is just beginning to understand.


I was also pleased to see the return of Grimalkin and Puck! Grimalkin is back with his infamous "I am a cat".  Gotta love him!


Puck is also a hell of a lot funnier in this installment! The banter he exchanged with Ironhorse had me almost crying in laughter. We saw his character deepen, although not as much as Ash's. I still think he's just a friend for Meghan but I do hope he gets his happy ending.


We met some colourful, new characters and rejoined old foe, creating unlikely ally's in their midst. Once again Julie has recreated and brightened the world of the fey - several times I caught myself playing vivid details over in my head. These books would make excellent movies, although with Julie's description and imagery, you hardly need a director to bring it to life when this author has so much imagination.


This book was simply action-packed, fast paced and swoon-worthy. The climax and ending was startling yet somehow perfect and beautiful. It will lead right into The Iron Queen perfectly and I simply cannot wait for the final installment of what deserves to become one of the most adored and inspiring Young Adult series ever.


Rating; 

 5 ++ Horses




I'm going to leave this review with you guys for now...because I've been itching to turn straight back to the start and reread these books (again!!!) ever since I finished The Iron Daughter about 2 days ago! So, I shall leave you with some awesome, unparalleled Team Ash love :-)

(Seriously. Ben Barnes is perfect).


I'm not babbling. I swear.


I'm leaving now...


Enjoy! :-)