"I wasn't bought at first, but now I cannot imagine my classroom without this amazing series with such depth in both plot and characters." — Miss Remmers
"My name is Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it. This time, there will be no turning back."
Okay, so I'll admit it. I didn't really like "The Iron King " or "The Iron Daughte r." I didn't connect to the characters and I disliked Meghan.
Boy, am I eating my words. I've gone from telling my BFF book friend Button that she shouldn't "waster her time" with this series to calling her while crying and saying she MUST read it! NOW!
Why this sudden change of heart? Simply and obviously put: "The Iron Queen." This was an amazing novel whose characters and plot were both so riveting I couldn't put it down before school, during my lunch, during my plan, after school, after the work out, at dinner, and finally before bed. All I've done today is read "The Iron Queen" — well, you know, besides teaching tomorrow's supposed leaders. When I wasn't reading I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and the seemingly impossible adventure they were on.
And yes, I've warmed up to Ash. In my previous reviews I stated that Ash was basically a bully and downright mean to Meghan 95% of the time — this completely changed with "The Iron Queen." At times there was still a shadow of that icy cold Prince of Winter, but for the most part he was every girl's fantasy (no pun intended) man: a complete gentleman who cares only for you. The romance definitely heated up in this book without it becoming "overly done" or "tasteless." It was definitely the right amount — but it still had me willing for more secret kisses. I felt like Ash's character was finally developed and multi-dimensional. For this reason I am just giddy with excitement for "The Iron Knight" and completely bummed that it's release date is so far away (November 2011).
Despite my new appreciation for Ash, I still think I'm TEAM PUCK. It's nothing against Ash or Meghan... Puck is just more my type of guy and much more like my real guy.:) Puck's character was further developed in this novel as well. As were all the characters really: Meghan, Paul, Grim etc. Grim was a character I didn't necessarily like in the first two novels; he seemed to... wishy washy, like it was too easy for him to change sides. Now I trust him completely. However, I'm still unsure of Lea; we will see the part she has to play in Knight.
This book was absolutely fantastic. The last 100 pages I was glued to my Nook screen; I couldn't pull myself away! I cried more than once, felt my heart break, my body tense, and sighed a sigh of, not relief, but of hope at least. Julie Kagawa, I tip my hat to you. I wasn't bought at first, but now I cannot imagine my classroom without this amazing series with such depth in both plot and characters. This series will definitely be my next book talk.
Random: I love Razor! I want one!!
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 59/60 A
To find out more about this series and author, visit the following links:
-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kindle | Nook
To the FTC, with love: Hardcopy ARC and eBook via NetGalley