Recent Reads Five

   I haven't been doing well with my new year's goals. I know. HUGE shocker. But, I'm really, really hoping to get back on track this week.
  Thankfully, one of the things that hasn't slackened yet is my reading streak. So here's *one* of my finished reads. Sadly, I haven't been keeping up on here as much as I'd like, but, as I said, new week! Enjoy!

The Iron King

by Julie Kagawa

   Meghan Chase is turning sixteen. It's supposed to be a magical time for girls, with the coming of age and finding love and all that. Not a time of fear. Like clockwork, Meghan turns sixteen, and strange things begin to happen. She sees things that aren't supposed to be there, and her best friend isn't what he seems. For she is the daughter of a faery king, and a pawn in a war that tears her world as she knew it apart. 

  So, firstly, I picked this book up because it was written by Julie Kagawa, the author of Shadow of the Fox, which I also reviewed. She has a stunning talent for creating fantastic worlds, and this was no different. The land of the fae was beyond incredible, and she truly showcased the power of nature through it. It also depicted how deadly, selfish, and cunning the fae are; even simple 'thank you's' can land you in hot water. 

  Unlike the Shadow of the Fox, this was more romance than action. Which is fine. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of overly romantic genres, but this pulled me in anyway with its sense of adventure and fight scenes that I could picture clearly in my head. It helped that I was head over heels for Ash, the brooding fae prince. 

   What did surprise me was the *sometimes very* strong use of language, though it was used very sparingly. 

  In all, it wasn't as good as Shadow, as I think the main character, Meghan, was a little lacking in development, but it was still a great read. I give it 8/ 10. 

  Thanks for reading! ~TQ