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! 

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa | Book Review

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey #1

First Published: 2010

Library Paperback

Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny--one she could never have imagined...
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth--that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Well. You can just look on my (many) GR status updates about The Iron King to see it definitely had an effect on me - I kept having things to say about it.

click here to read the rest :3

In all honesty, I wonder if this wasn't because the Iron King was my first buddy-read more than anything else. Because The Iron King was a good book, but it didn't blow my mind... And I desperately tried to hide that.

When I started this book, I pretty much knew nothing about it. The last time I read the synopsis was eons before and I was just a little too lazy to read it again or something. So I didn't know what to expect, yet I was surprised by what I got. Does that make sense?

The world of The Iron King strongly resembles that of Wicked Lovely, with its faeries, courts and michief. In my original review, I stated that I would pick this one over Wicked Lovely. That was a lie. What I actually meant was that this book would appeal more to young adults and ya lovers because of it's adventures and quirky characters. It's the book I would give my bookworm niece to read.

But on a personal level, I probably love Wicked Lovely a lot more.

Our main character is Meghan Chase, and can I just say I was very impressed by her? She shows remarkable cleverness despite the unknown world and rules she falls into, she is brave and loyal and she is such a caretaker. I just wish she'd stop promising deals without a second thought to what it may cause.

Puck/Robin is Meghan's bff. I had really mixed feelings towards him. At first glance, I loved him. But after he showed his true form and started being so harsh and mocking toward Meghan who literally knows nothing of his world instead of explaining things to her, I wanted to slap his face off.

Then there is Ash, a handsome Winter Prince. And... that's it, really. I know everyone is like *fangirl screaming voice* Aaaaaaaaaaaaashhhhhhhhhhhh *normal voice* but I don't see the appeal. He was too all over the place - one minute cold, then sweet, then bored, then caring, with barely a warning in between. Decide who you are, then come back to talk to me, mm'kay?

And because I wasn't really feeling it with Ash, I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance. Mostly because it appeared really abruptly. Where is the falling-in-love sense? Where are all the little sweet moment that make up that process? I didn't see them.

I will admit to liking the two of them together after, though. Their first kiss had me tingly all over, so I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and hope they will swipe me off the feet in the next book. Oh, and here's to hoping that foreboding sense of a love-triangle will not come to fruition, or at the very least not be heavy on it.

My favorite character is not a human or a fairy though. No, my favorite character is a cat. A wickedly cool one at that. Grimalkin is the Cheshire cat of this universe and I dig it.

And finally.. Ethan. God, the adorableness! I love children in books, and Ethan is just such a cute one. Fingers crossed he is a part of the next book!