Review: The Iron Daughter

Iron Daughter  by Julie Kagawa
Published by Harlequin Teen on Aug 1, 2010


*May contain spoilers of The Iron King*


Summary from Goodreads:


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.

My thoughts: Since The Iron King didn't necessarily wow my socks off, I put off reading the rest of the series. My awesome library was kind enough to order them for me, so they soon made their to my home via my personal librarian (You do have one of those, right? Mine's pretty awesome.). Thankfully the slight-less-then-awed feeling I had vanished as I dove into The Iron Daughter. Kagawa's world really became alive and her characters took on more depth, making the second novel what I had hoped the first would be. 

When we left Meghan in book one, she had defeated The Iron King, realized she was falling in love Prince Ash and had safely returned her brother Ethan home. Then Prince Ash returned to have Meghan fulfill her part of a bargain. So off to the Winter Court they went. Meghan meets the Winter Queen and her fate balances on Her Majesty's mood. When an important court item disappears, Meghan must find and return to save those she loves and escape her current prison. Ash and Puck join her on this adventure, and Meghan learns more and more about the Nevernever and its' creatures.

The most interesting part of the this novel, to me, was Meghan's relationship to the two men in her life: Puck and Ash. Ash's cold attitude makes it hard for Meghan to take anything he says or does as genuine,  but she's fallen hard and fast for the lad. And when he lets her down, Puck is there to help pick up the pieces. While I did list love triangles as one of my bookish pet peeves, this isn't the most annoying one I've read. I was anxious to see how this one would end, as my pick for Meghan kept changing.

As for the story line, it was a nice build up to the epicness that happens in the third book. I read the second and third in a row--I literally put the second one back in my purse and pulled out the third one--so  I find it hard to remember which scene happened in which book. We do get to meet some Iron fey up close and personal this time around, bringing the Summer and Winter courts in closer contact with the very thing that threatens them.

And I really can't believe I've forgotten about my favorite character: Cat Sith. This mythological creature pops in and out of the story, providing directions, sarcasm and humor. He only seems to show up exactly when he is need, but also seems to disappear when he is needed as well. 

Great continuation of the story! Look for my review of The Iron Queen on Monday!