The Iron Fey Series Review by Julie Kagawa

 This review will consist of a big series overview with mini reviews of each individual book with as little spoilers as possible.

The Iron Fey Series blew me away! See, for me, the characters are everything in a good book. They are the fabric of the story, the foundation of it all. This series had the characters down pat. They were realistic but magical, funny and determined, brave and vulnerable . . . there were just so many combinations that went into creating these complex characters that I really can’t name them all. My favorite had to be Puck who is one of the funniest/sarcastic characters I have ever encountered. The point is that they were all fantastic leaders through the NeverNever.

When I say that I haven’t been this excited over a book series in a long time, that is saying something. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed a good book in a while. There have been many interesting books stacked under my night table, but I haven’t been THIS excited about a book in months. You know the kind of excitement I’m talking about. The kind of excitement where I laughed hysterically a Puck’s pranks, teared up considerably at Ash’s coldness, and the kind where there was absolutely-positively-no-chance-in-hell that I was going to put those books down. They were the kinds of books that I chose over sleep. Thank goodness it’s Winter Break, or I would be considerably sleep deprived! The point is that, these books brought that reading excitement back to me. There were times over the beginning of this school year where reading would be put off for homework and such, and I started to lose the feel of staying up until 5 a.m. with a book under my nose. These books brought them back.

Well, enough sentimentality on my part. I’ll get down to the who’s, what’s, when’s, and why’s of these books. The first three books in this series are completely from the point of view of Meghan Chase. She is a regular girl with the annoying reputation of a hillbilly or pig girl if you will. She is an outcast in her school and a little bit at home. She lives with her mother, her stepfather, and her little four-year-old brother. The day she turns 16 is the day everything in her boring yet normal life shatters. From that moment on she is pulled and pushed into the world of Faery, a magical yet cynical place to be filled with rulers and gremlins and who knows what else. And only she has the powers to save the NeverNevers. From 1-10 for the overall series? I believe the Iron Fey deserves a 9!!

PS: here's a little tidbit I just discovered . . . Julie Kagawa wrote 2 mini ebooks that take place between parts of the series! The parts that were never mentioned like Ash and Meghan's travels to the Winter court in "Winter's Passage" and a mini adventure of Ash and Puck completely told in Puck's funny and eccentric perspective. I just read them, and although way to short to satisfy my thirst for all things Fey, they are certainly not to be missed!

          

•      Book 1: The Iron King

Number of pages:363

Book 1 is where all the discoveries of the NeverNever and Faeries come in. Here is where everything unravels for Meghan Chase. Her little brother is replaced by a demon Faery thing and she goes off with her best friend Robbie, who turns out to be a notorious faery, into the heart of the NeverNever in search for her little brother. Here she discovers everything about her past, along with the perils that come with that knowledge. In this book, I have to say I was Team Puck all the way. He was just so funny and lovable! So loyal, I couldn’t imagine the story without him. 

•           Book 2: The Iron Daughter

Number of pages: 359

Book 2 was a strong follow up of book 1. One thing that I sometimes expect is that the sequel to the original book will somehow come out to be disappointing in some way, or just not good enough in general. Mainly that is because sequels continue the story of the first one. The thing about The Iron Daughter is that although technically, yes, it is a continuation of Meghan’s adventures, it somehow comes out to be a different story. I don’t know if that makes sense, but what I am trying to say is that this book has its ties into the first, but cannot be compared to it because it is unique in and of itself. What happened in this book is that Meghan has kept her promise to Ash and is waiting to be rescued by the Summer Court. When she finally breaks free from the promise, and Ash’s cold ways toward her, she embarks on a journey to find the Scepter of the Seasons, stolen by the Iron Fey. She discovers powers she didn’t imagine she could possess, and love she didn’t know she had. 

• Book 3: The Iron Queen

Number of pages: 358

This is the end for Meghan Chase. Actually just the end of her adventures, not her end end. Book 3 is the tying of all the strings, so to speak. It is the grand finale, the curtain call of Meghan Chase. This was a bittersweet book. What you need to understand about the ending is that it does cover all the loose ends, but it will leave you heartbroken and enlightened at the same time. All I can say is thank God Julie Kagawa thought to make a 4^th book! Meghan Chase has been banished, bullied, and attacked way to many times! Once she finally feels like she has a break from Feary, she is once again pulled back into the world of magic along with her best friend Puck and Ash . . . this time with the Courts permission. Here you get a whole new side to the characters. Puck is now more raw, much more cynical, and still just as funny. You also get a more thawed side to Ash, a more caring side. By this point I don’t know what team I was on: Team Ash or Team Puck? Too hard to choose! Something that I found was really cool was that this is also where Meghan starts to fend for herself a bit. It’s understandable that in the beginning books she needed to be protected. Now she starts to kick butt on her own terms, and gets my respect.

•     Book 4: The Iron Knight

Number of pages: 361

The Iron Knight takes a whole new twist to the stories that by now you have become accustomed to. Here we see Ash take control as we follow him on his own journey to find a soul and finally be reunited with the one he loves . . . Meghan. His goals are simple. Find the Cait Sith, get to the end of the world, win a soul, and return to the Iron Realm all without completely murdering his travel companion, Puck. But as the journey progresses, some discoveries come to light that could completely change his resolve to become human. Some things happen that just leave you in a WOW state. And then there were some parts that I found a wee bit tedious during this particular adventure. I just wanted to see how everything turned out to be, but some things were drawn out a bit. Not that I wanted it to end, not by any means. I just couldn’t wait to see what happened to our lovely hero and his funny companion. I admit it, I did cry at one point. But even after all the curve balls thrown in this book and surprises in every chapter, rest assured that there is a happy ending for this book. And this book does come with a little extra something in the end. There is a NeverNever survival guide, and an author’s questionnaire with some special guest that I completely enjoyed hearing from!

Borrowing Abby Grace Episode 1: The Shadow by Kelly Green

Series Summary:

Smart and sassy Abby Grace is a seventeen-year-old with a talent for getting out of trouble. Sent to repair the lives and loves of teenagers on the edge of disaster, Abby is the perfect girl for the job. She has everything going for her… except one thing: a body

First Installment Summary: Episode 1

When Abby Grace wakes up in the back of a van, she has no idea who she is, how she got there, or why anyone would want to kidnap her. After escaping her masked captors, she hurries home, only to discover that she unknowingly left her younger brother behind in the van. Unable to answer the police’s questions with her memories gone, she retreats to the safety of her bedroom where she tries to reconstruct her life. Just as she is settling into the belief that things will one day return to normal, she looks in the mirror—and sees a stranger’s face.

As Abby learns next, she has become a Shadow, sent to inhabit the lives of strangers in trouble. With nothing to go on except the vague hints of her cute but maddening Guardian, a 19th century ghostly teenager named Will, Abby sets out to rescue the missing brother. But she will need all of her intelligence, fearlessness, and wit, because if she fails to find him in time, she will remain trapped in this unfamiliar body forever.

• Number of pages: kindle version, not sure how long the story is

Review

As it so happens, I got this put straight up on my “must read” list because the author sent a review request about this series. And I am very happy she did. So what can I say about Borrowing Abby Grace? Ultimately it’s one of those easy reads that takes you for an enjoyable ride without making you do any work. Some books are just hard to keep up, and in the end you are doing the work to trying to piece everything together without getting lost. This book was written in a way where the mystery was easy to follow without being obvious. Clearly if the ending were obvious then the book wouldn’t be any fun. It was a cute story, too, that was nice to read and enjoy.

Abby Grace is a girl who didn’t know that she was Abby Grace let alone where she is, why she’s there, and whom she can trust. This is a girl with no identity, and nothing to go on. This is a girl that doesn’t even have a body. Now the details on that are a little fuzzy for me because I didn’t quite understand what she is since she is always summoned into the body and life of another person. She is what is referred to as a “shadow” sent to help fix the lives of the person whose body she is occupying. This episode is kind of like the explainer of things, I guess you could say. She is sent into the body of “Brooke” who has just been kidnapped along with her brother, and escaped while her brother is still captive. Abby Grace’s job is to fix “the problem” before time runs out . . . or she will be stuck in Brooke’s body forever.

Like I said, it was an easy read that I enjoyed from the beginning. But it wasn’t just easy because it was easy to follow; it was also easy because it was such a small book. Now, I didn’t really know how long the story was going to be because it is kindle versions only (for now, I believe) so I cant say how long it was. What I can say is that it felt like I read only about 100 pages or so, and I finished in about 2 hours and a half. That’s pretty fast, even for me. Usually I don’t go for so short a book, but this book was interesting till the end, not making me want to put it down. Still, I feel like the mystery ended to fast and everything was a bit rushed. I guess that if I want to prolong Abby Grace’s story a little bit longer, I am going to have to just read the next episode! From 1-10? I give Borrowing Abby Grace Episode 1: The Shadow a good, strong 7! 

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Summary

Eighteen-year-old Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. By Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

• Number of pages: 325

Review

The story of the Titanic is one of the saddest and most interesting tales I’ve ever heard. It’s just one of those things that have always interested me (like the last Grand Duchess Anastasia or the Victorian Era). If you didn’t notice from the synopsis, this story is a little different from your average historic tale about the almighty Titanic. Or did you not get that from the werewolf part? In that case I tell you now, this isn’t your average historical fiction. I’d have to say it’s like 60% paranormal, 25% historical fiction, and 15% mystery. That sounds like an interesting combination doesn’t it? Well, it is. I thought that this book was not only interesting, but also easy to read. There weren’t any part where it felt tedious to keep going, or any parts when I want to skip ahead. I was in the mood for an easy read like this that kept me hooked till the end.

The one thing I was fooled at was the actual historical part of the story of Titanic. I thought that a good chunk of the book was going to happen during that horrific event. Turns out that it’s actually just a little part of it, maybe 1 or two chapters I think it was. That’s all I’m going to say on that. It was great to learn little things about the boat that I never knew about, like the 3^rd class living conditions or the events that happened during their week stay on the most magnificent vessel up until the iceberg. It’s funny how I kept picturing Rose and Jack to come up around the corner, or thinking to myself, “While all this was happening, Rose and Jack must have been doing this.” I guess that’s just one of those things that I always associate with Titanic.

Tess was a great, easy protagonist to follow. She had her goals set, and she was practical till the end. That’s sometimes fun to read in a character, especially when things start to turn out a little differently than what she planned . . . kind of like werewolves appearing out of no where and her ship sinking. That kind of stuff can mess up anyone’s agenda. The other characters were good to read as well, for instance, the lady she Tess worked for was a pompous woman about to lose all her money with a messed up son and a daughter that only defends herself when things are already too late. Alec was ok to read, he was pretty temperamental most of the story, but then again with his situation it is to be expected. It wasn’t that bad anyway. All around the story was pretty good, and I thought that the ending—though pretty incredible—was also something that summed up all the lose threads pretty well. So from 1-10? I think a 6 is in order. 

Quote from me on Google!

I was randomly googling napsnackread tonight, and look what came up!

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=152916111469121&id=240170556013550 

How cool is that? Just one of the many reasons I like to write (:

Quest of the Demon by Michelle Sawyer

Summary
“Darci is your average every day sixteen year old girl who plays basketball and lives in an ordinary country town.  Her life changes forever as she is 'accidentally zapped' to the land of Nahaba by the apprentice wizard Taslessian. Within hours of her unexpected arrival, both teens are thrust into a dangerous journey to the cave of Grisham the Great, who will hopefully be able to send her home.  When they get there however Darci soon finds out that there is no such things as accidents and that their journey is only just beginning.”

•        eBook version, not sure how many pages

Review

I have said before and I will continue to say it for however long I have this blog, may it be another year or another 10 years—I will always be honest on my blog. As to how I say the truth in this case, I don’t know. The thing about this book is that it was an interesting plot written in a way that was drawn out to an extent that it took me more than a month to read. That is saying something because if I set my mind to it, I can read a book in less than a day. It wasn’t that I didn’t try. I read late into the night with this book and yet something always stopped me from continuing it to the end.

Like I said before, this was definitely an interesting plot. It had all the aspects to make it a good book. it had adventure, magic, friendships, but just because the idea of something is good does not mean that it was done in the right sort of manner. Darci’s story is an interesting one filled with dragons and wizards in which she is sent to in order to the save the planet in which she is transported to. This book was written in such a descriptive and drawn out manner that I had to stop myself from skipping ahead till it go to something more exciting. The journey itself had many steps and each step was detailed to a point that it took me 20 minutes to go a percentage higher (as is calculated on an eReader such as a kindle). If I said I could pinpoint exactly what made this such a hard read I’d be lying. I am not sure what it was, but I can say this: I am not rereading this book in the future. From 1-10? I give this book a 3.

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Summary

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosia, as a siren—the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Esmerine takes her sire’s vow she means to protect the sea and all that live within it—until Dosia runs away to the mainland and Esmerine is sent to retrieve her.

Sectretly thrilled with the prospect of seeing a world that shes only glimpsed from the ocean, Esmerine uses magic to transform her tail into legs and journeys to the capital city. There, she comes upon a friend she hasn’t seen since childhood—a dashing young man named Alander. Who belongs to a winged race of people. Alander, whose odd ways and brash opinions offend yet fascinate her. But as Esmerine embarks on a search for her sister that will take her farther away from the sea she lobes and the life she has always known, she and Alander rekindle a friendship . . . and amore.

• Number of pages: 229

 Review

This was a cute story. I guess that’s the best adjective I can give to this book. It was a cute, sweet, light story that I enjoyed reading. I haven’t gotten much into the mermaid books, but I have a feeling that they are going to start getting popular. This book was about a mermaid who must go to the dry land to find her sister who she thinks was kidnapped and forced to marriage. There she recruits the help of her old childhood friend who happens to be one of the winged people. So clearly this is a story that doesn’t take place in what is the modern earth we live in now. It’s interesting though how the author created an old Queen Elizabeth era to it with the corsets and dresses and manners.

I think that it was a story that was very unique in some aspects such as the mix of sky, earth, and water. The love story in it was very unique as well. There were some obvious problems as to why they couldn’t be together as well as some little surprises that got me shocked. Like I said it was cute. But cute doesn’t necessarily mean I loved it. There were some boring spots here and there where I just wanted to skip ahead. The adventure part mostly happened in the last half of the book. From 1-10? I give it a 5

Cover note: something that did strike out at me was the cover. I found it so beautiful and whimsical. I love the way the sea and the sky merge. I must admit that the cover did influence me quite a bit to read this book. 

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Summary

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. That is, without questioning it much—if you don’t count her visits to the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her secret meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

• Number of pages: 213

Review

I’ve had my eye on The Chosen One for quite some time now. It’s one of those books that I knew I had to read, a book with a story that I wouldn’t soon forget . . . and I was right. This is a very powerful book. There is a story in here that really did leave me in shock. It took me around 4 hours to read. The book isn’t very big to begin with, but add that to the fact that this is a story that you cant put down, and it’s easy to see why it would be hard to stop in the middle.

Kyra is a confused girl living in a world that isn’t sane. She is the daughter of a man . . . and three mothers, as well as a sister of 20 kids. Not the usual Brady Bunch circumstances. Is she happy? She could be considered a content girl. Does she feel like something is wrong with her community? She’s felt it for many years now. They tell her not to read, not to love, not to wander from their given path. You see how her mind tries to follow their ways, but her heart really doesn’t give a shit whether or not “the Prophet” for sees her life a certain way or not. It’s actually very hard to see how she tries to obey, but really cant help herself when she tries to do what is right. There was one specific moment involving a baby and ice water that really left me in shock. I wont give you the circumstances, but when you read it you’ll know what I’m talking about. I guess Kyra would continue living like this if it were for the fact that one night, the Prophet comes to her house and proclaims that she is to marry her 60 year old uncle who already has six wives, while Kyra is only 13. How disgusting is that? This story is her process through denial, hope, survival, and escape. This is a story through the lives of polygamists and barbarians and child/women abusers. The story was truly heart stopping. It was both unrealistic to me and completely realistic to those who really have to live through that. It really showed me how my life situations aren’t the only ones, that there are many other types of lives and circumstances that I probably wouldn’t comprehend. It opened my eyes a bit, and I don’t regret it. From 1-10? The Chosen One gets a 6.5