The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Goodreads Synopsis: "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."

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.01

The good stuff: I loved this book. It was one of those reads that sucks you in and doesn't let you breathe until you've read every last word. I loved the subject matter (faeries) because I've always been interested in the faerie world, and I really loved how this book took a unique twist on the normal faerie world. My favorite part of the novel was Kagawa's brilliant writing. When Meghan was walking through the Nevernever I felt as if I was walking alongside her, seeing everything she saw. The nevernever was just one of those worlds that I wanted to crawl into and never resurface from. I haven't fallen this hard for a book in a very long time, and it was a nice surprise. 

The not-so-good stuff: Sometime's I found Meghan's character to be annoying. Since reading twilight, I've had this aversion to female character's who instantly go after the love interest that is the worst for them. Also, although I appreciated Meghan's determination to save her brother, I found her blinded-determination to be slightly overdone. I felt she was somewhat too focused on her family and not so much on herself. I guess I would've enjoyed a stronger female lead. 

Who I would recommend this to: Anyone in search of an epic adventure, who loves very vivid settings. Mainly young adult readers, however.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!