The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa | DNF Review

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey #2

First Published: 2010

Paperback

Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating:

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—ironbound 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 stuck 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.

DNF at 50%

This was such a painful review to write, you guys. I was almost 100% sure I would love this book because I really enjoyed  the first and then to have this happen... I even held a candle of hope that I'll return to finish this novel when I first wrote this review.

Alas, it was not in the stars.

I WAS BORED OUT OF MY MIND

The one thing I would've never expected in a million years of this books was to be so hella boring. Especially after the last book. Maybe it's me, because even running away from a dragon didn't manage to awaken any excitement in me.

I felt like reading my grocery list would've been more stimulating. Don't ask me why I felt this way when no one else seems to. I just did. I had to force every sentence I read, to try hold down my attention to the book one minute at a time to no avail.

I have no idea what happened. It's far easier for me to pin down what went wrong on the characters front.

I COULDN'T STAND MEGHAN. 

Where is the girl I met in The Iron King and when does she come back? Meghan was a brave, kind, clever girl. Now's she's whiny, annoying and stupid? Maybe she's a changeling? 'Cause that would've been one heck of a twist. But something tells me this is too much to hope for.

I want the girl who held her own in an unfamiliar world. The girl who fooled and outsmarted fairies and trolls. The girl who beat Machina. Not this pathetic excuse of her.

Especially not one exhibiting such a fierce case of THE BELLA SYNDROME

SPOILER ALERT! 

Need by Carrie Jones | Book Review

Need by Carrie Jones

Need #1
First Published: 2008
Paperback
Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

Zara collects phobias the way other girls collect Facebook friends. Little wonder, since life's been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother's pretty much checked out. Now Zara's living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays safe. Zara doesn't think she's in danger; she thinks her mother can't deal. Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie--and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara. With suspense, romance, and paranormal themes, this exciting breakout novel has readers rapidly turning the pages.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE JUICY RANT (PART TWO)

Need was the first ever "bad" review and rating I posted (originally on Goodreads). It got that questionable honor by being one of the most disappointing books I've read to date, which is a big deal, considering I knew nothing about the book coming into it and therefore had no expectations.

And it still managed to completely crush me - because it started out so good, with the quirky chapter titles, laugh worthy moments and the cool seeming heroine. Unfortunately, it all went downhill fairly quickly. Honestly, if anything, this book makes me feel cheated.

Zara is our main character, and despite what I said above - I didn't really like her. I hated how she behaved towards her mother. I hated how illogical and self centered and downright stupid she was.

Then we have Nick, the resident hot guy love interest and a semi-main character. He had his sweet moments, sure, but they were mostly overshadowed by his major dick ones...

To be honest, the characters I did like were Issie and Devyn, and they were sadly negated to barely-there side characters.

And stillI had two MAJOR problems with the whole lot of them, the first being the sad unfortunate truth that they were all extremity, insanely... stupid. They never ask the right question... or any questions at all, for that matter. They just accept everything at face value and wait for something to happen next. I mean, c'mon!

Don't believe me? Well, what if I told you they find a note that tells the peculiar story of a sacrifice and running away, alongside a small side-note about pixies. Do they ask questions--what's it about, who wrote it, etc? Even just to each other? Err, no. They do not.

The second, which is the superior sin between the two, was the fact I did not find them believable... at all. Their behavior, actions and reactions all rang false and scripted. They never jumped out of the pages, never felt alive.

And yet, for such dead characters, you'd be amazed at how exasperated I got by the romance (or whatever the hell that was). But, well, this is insta love after all. The kind that make you pull your hairs out, because they know absolutely nothing about each other, and yet they reach the kind of relationship where somehow, the other's presence is a magical balm to all ills in the world. Even though, you know, cuddling will probably not stop the crazy creatures after you from stealing your humanity. But, whateves, kissing's way more important.

Then came the ending. I don't think I've ever read of a silliest one, and that's saying something 'cause I read this back in 2012 and it's still accurate. It was just ridiculous. The logistics made no sense, lady luck played much too big a part and the pixies' previously established traits just vanished at the convenience of our heroes.

And let's not forget... how considerate of the bad guys to listen to what the good tell them! Jolly nice of you, mate!

Come back tomorrow for a breakdown of the (many) stupid things in this book - no hold backs, no spoiler tag, no mercy.