Wednesday 31 December 2014

The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

Rating: 5 million stars (I can do that right?)

Synopsis: The Iron Fey Saga recounts half human, half-faery Meghan Chase's battle to claim her birth right. To rescue her half brother Ethan she must face unimagined dangers, unpredictable powers and forbidden love.




Settle back because this is the review I've been promising you all for so long now and it's finally here. A note, I'm going to try and summarise each book as best I can without giving too much away but it's not going to be fantastic. I'll review the whole series at the end but for now here's a little preview, just in case you're short of time - this series is awesome and you need to read it. Now. Like now. This series, should definitely be on your TBR list!!

The Iron King (1) ~ Okay, here goes for my longest review ever. The Iron King is book 1 of the Iron Fey Saga and is where we meet Meghan for the very first time. A seemingly normal girl who gets bullied at school and has a crush on the hot guy. Very typical and dull and you start to wonder where the magic happens. Bear with. When her brother Ethan is kidnapped, Meghan follows her best friend Robbie (AKA Robin Goodfellow/Shakespeare's Puck) into the Nevernever to get him back. And then things get good.
Wandering the Nevernever, even with Puck, is never a good idea and so Meghan is thrown right in at the deep in and, with barely enough time to catch her breath and admire the scenery her and Puck are running for their lives from a mysterious huntsman. Barely escaping, Meghan meets Grimalkin, the trickiest cat in the Nevernever who, after some detours takes her to Arcadia where she just happens to run into the guy who tried to kill her. Who happens to be called Ash and is a Prince of Winter. And is H.O.T. After some more twists and turns (and an uneasy deal between said Prince and Meghan) our three heroes set off towards the Iron Kingdom where Ethan is being held to battle King Machina. Which, for a once ordinary high school girl, is a lot to ask. But that's what happens when your a Faery Princess.

Winter's Passing (1.5) ~ this book picks up right where book 1 leaves off with Meghan having to uphold her deal to Ash. This is a very short novella and, like the other novellas, aren't needed to understand the whole story but there are subtle references to them in the first three books and so are useful to give some background. The story takes place on the journey to Tir Na Nog, Ash's home and we get to see some more romance bubbling between the two of them. Until it's ruined with an encounter from the one and only Big Bad Wolf who is just as bad as he seems. Like I said, the other novellas aren't truly important but the Big Bad Wolf does play a part in Book 4 - just a heads up.

The Iron Daughter (2) ~ Meghan is now stuck in Tir Na Nog and Ash is nowhere to be seen. Unlike Arcadia, pretty much every fey who resides here has bad intentions and you have to constantly be on your guard. This book focuses on the tradition of the passing of the Sceptre of the Seasons which is passed between both Summer and Winter throughout the year to mark the change of seasons. When this is stolen by the Iron Fey and Prince Sage, Ash's oldest brother is caught in the crossfire, Meghan takes it upon herself to try and get the sceptre back. Unlike last time though, Ash leaves to try and find the sceptre alone which, as you can guess, doesn't end well. With a battle between Meghan and the Iron Fey AND the two courts, it's a race against time to try and find the sceptre and restore nature's balance. Can Meghan and Ash survive the trials and the centuries old traditions followed by the courts?

The Iron Queen (3) ~ Exiled from the Nevernever, Meghan thinks her time in Faery is over. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. The Iron Fey are back and are once more threatening those Meghan loves, forcing her to go back and make yet more sacrifices. Meghan's powers are causing more harm than good and she, typically, the pieces don't click for anyone until the last second. Ash and Meghan's relationship is seemingly sealed until, during the final battle, Meghan is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. What will happen to Meghan, Ash and Puck?

Summer's Passing (3.5) ~ Our second novella is told from Puck's POV which is a nice change and you really get a chance to see Puck's dilemma of loving Meghan but valuing his complicated friendship with Ash. This is the story of what happens when a certain Dark Muse calls in a favour at the worst possible time and asks for what seems to be the impossible. For everyone...except Robin Goodfellow.

The Iron Knight (4) ~ And so we come to book 4 which is told in Ash's POV and tells his story of the trials he faces as he tries to keep his promise to Meghan. We see some old faces such as the Big Bad Wolf and some new faces which really add a surprising twist to the story. Will Ash find his Queen again?

Iron's Prophecy (4.5) ~ Our third novella which tells the story of what happens after the Iron Knight and what happens when a prophecy foretold in a previous book is brought to light once more.


Okay, so I love how those synopses got shorter and shorter as we went along but I really don't want to spoil you guys. So why do I love this series so much? The characters are so complex and entertaining. Meghan really grows as a character throughout the series - something I really didn't get with Allie in the Immortal Rules. Meghan is just a lot more relatable to me and I felt like I connected with her a lot more. Puck added so much humour to the series, he has some seriously brilliant one liners that just make you laugh out loud. As does Grimalkin actually. Both are seriously funny characters. Ash is more serious but it's really interesting to watch him change as a character and to watch his barriers break down as he gets to know Meghan more.

The entire world is so well created - again so different from the Immortal Rules where I didn't feel as captivated by the world. In the Iron Fey you want to know everything there is to know about the world as well as the characters because it's so well crafted it's a huge part of the story. A character in it's own right.

The plot as well is so intricate but it's not complicated in that it's difficult to understand. You can clearly see what's happening and why but there are lots of little parts to it, each plot point has a twist which you don't see coming which keeps it interesting. The love and romance is also really well done. Despite seeing the initial love triangle in the first three books, the love triangle that appears in book 4 shocked me. As in I actually said out loud 'What? No! Really?" in public. I got a few strange looks but it takes a lot to make me do that.

So a shocking review on what is actually a fab series. If you've stayed this far - well done. I applaud you because I wouldn't have! Seriously though, read these books you won't be sorry! Oh, and have a very happy new year. Make 2015 a year to remember (for the right reasons) :)


Image from http://wecritics.blogspot.co.uk/ - no Copyright intended