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SemiProfessional

Young (Semi) Professional

I'm a promiscuous reader. I'll read anything.

Currently reading

Half Moon Hill: A Destiny Novel (Destiny, Ohio)
Toni Blake
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink, #1)
Laura Kaye
SPOILER ALERT!

The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa I'll be honest. I was resistant toward even considering this book. Like a decent portion of young adult fiction, the protagonist, Meghan is an unpopular and/or quirky girl that often sticks out like a sore thumb. I won't spoil the details of how the plot comes about, but Meghan discovers that faeries do exist and she even has a bit of the bloodline coursing through her hormone-addled veins.

What I enjoyed about the book was certainly the characterization of many of the fae. High school required reading assignments and drama club started my love of Shakespeare and it was refreshing to see some old favorite literary characters brought back to life. New fae races like the packrats were a shining example of introducing secondary characters that leave a lasting impression. I definitely found myself look forward to their appearances within the pages.

I would say the main thing that bothered me about the book, and perhaps I'm being a bit nitpicky, were the references to anime. I understand that the author is attempting to fuse a whimsical world with Meghan's modern influence, but for whatever reason, I had to cringe every time anime or some other term related to anime was mentioned. For a brief few minutes, it took me out of the story. That, and the antagonist's physical description (A Bluetooth?! Really?!).

A good portion of fae myth heavily relies on contracts and that theme is prevalent within The Iron King. I certainly understand Meghan's motivation for her overzealous deal-making because I would stop at nothing to retrieve my younger brother, but at times, I felt like she didn't fully consider the ramification of her actions.

I hope I'm not griping too much. I liked the overall outcome of the book and I don't regret reading it. Curiosity will most undoubtedly get the best of me because I genuinely would like to see how Meghan will progress as a character.