[ 2016 | Review #28 ] : "THE IRON QUEEN"

Title : THE IRON QUEEN

Copyright © 2011 by Julie Kagawa

Cover art  © 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited.

Published by HarlequinTEEN ( www.HarlequinTEEN.com )

First edition paperback ; 368 p ; ISBN 978-0-373-21018-3

Price : IDR 145

She coming from the mortal world, but the path show her another future since she is half fey, half human. Meghan Chase coming from both mortal and Summer Fey, and her love-story caught between two different person, one is a legendary Summer’s fey and her best-buddy Robin ‘Puck’ Goodfellow, and the other one is enemy turn into lover : Prince Ash from Winter Court. They both willing to die for her and prooven by war among feys and conflict that nearly killed them – many times. She love them both, but there is a time when she must decide which one will be follow, her heart choose the one who willing to be exile from the world of his kind. And she follow the next step, to be exile too, from Faeryland.

Two exiles from fey’s realm wondering around in mortal world, simply want to go home. But Meghan Chase cannot go home to her family, at least not yet. Because The False Iron King still looking for her, that means going home is gonna bring danger to her mortal family. Then Meghan remember the unfinished bussiness to take back her memory about her father from the oracle who took them as returning favor, but to get that back never easy since the oracle request something else in return : a Token. After that, they must decided where the next journey is, since there is no place called ‘home’ – at least for them.

When difficult time appears, somehow Grimalkin show-up (again), bring message from Leanansidhe who overing a sanctuary to them – after all she is Queen of the Exiles. But before they manage go to Leanansidhe – a group of Iron Feys finally found them. There is another surprise, ‘coz they not from The False Iron King’s knight. The leader is Glitch – former King Machina’s first lieutenant, and he also want to stopped the false king as soon as possible. Glitch also told that teamwork between Summer and Winter did not work as plan, because the power of Iron Fey too strong to handle, considering the only person who immune by ‘iron-effect’ is human, or at least half human : Meghan Chase.

The wyldwood grows smaller every day, as more and more territory is absorbed into the Iron Kingdom. The False King needs one more thing to be completely unstoppable, he needs Machina’s power – who passes into Meghan’s since she is the one defeats Machina. If he manage to killed Meghan, the power will be his. That’s why Glitch and his army want to find Meghan before the False King, so they could be her guardian, hide her in the safe place. But that’s means Meghan will living in constant fear, hopeless and vulnerable, something she refuse to be. Meghan choose to face the danger with her own strength, not hiding for the rest of her life, but rather embrace and enjoy happiness speacially with Ash by her side.

[ source ]

With the help of Leanansidhe, she and Ash can spend their life in the sanctuary – a hidden place somewhere only known by Leanansidhe. Company by Grimalkin who choose to enjoy the quit-time too, life should be more joyful. But Meghan having difficult time facing the reality regarding her father awareness, Paul, who raise and love her just like her own daughter, until he disappear someday. Knowing that he is on Leanansidhe’s capture all this time and the changing who makes his memory got lost between two world, makes Meghan so angry and sad at the same time. But nothing compare than her furious to Puck, who apparently responsible to what happen with him, and keep the secret from her for years.

Life in sanctuary, away from war and conflict between Summer, Winter and Iron Feys, Meghan can only hope someday she will got all her hope and happiness for the rest of the life. But that never happen. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts came, looking for her, as Lord Oberon and Queen Mag’s order, to offer a deal : they will take back Meghan’s exiled from Nevernever, in exchange she must find the Iron King and killed him before everything too late to handle. Meghan Chase who her first visit into Nevernever refuse by almost every feys, treating badly by Queen Mab even in Summer’s Kingdom, now she is the only hope to defeat the power of Iron’s realm. Can she fulfilled this difficult and the most dangerous mission to save the entire of Nevernever ?

“There are stories about a half-breed princess who controls both Summer magic and Iron glamour. That she has the power to rule both courts, and she raising an army of her own – an army of exiles and Iron fey – to overthrow everything.”

Ok, this story goes beyond my imagination. Meghan Chase, half human, half fey, consider as the weakest creature and cannot find her place both in human nor feys world, suddenly become the most talked-about in Nevernever. Not only she killed Machina, she also proove that Iron’s realms have their own agenda, within new and also False Iron King, Big War exploded Nevernever into disaster. What I really like that Meghan’s character changing into someone much stronger, when she finally found a way to control both power inside her, Summer and Iron Magic – you can say it’s really rare situation and never happen in the history of Fairyland.

The author puts a really strange situation, just like Ash and Meghan deliberately exchange-roles, at first of course Prince Ash the most stronger person, with his power and ability as the Unseelie Prince, so it’s so obivious when he taking the protector-role on Meghan, girl in distress and the weakest among feys. But this time, Ash is no longer Unseelie Prince, he lost his power and abilities after the exiled. And Meghan’s power grown so fast, her unique and strange conditions gave her the best abilities when the enemy is from Iron’s realm. Just like that not getting any worse, the suicide-mission to sneak-up inside the Iron’s realm, can only bearable by Meghan itself.

Ash and Puck who come from the feys world, can only by her side with the protection of amulet – gave by Queen Mab, but it only works in short-time period before the magic’s gone. As far Meghan’s changes into something really powerfull, Ash’s character describe as struggling person, who have to learn all the pain, hard work and difficulty just to get his abilities, when the entire life he used to be able to do anything, power inside him come so easily, now he must earn and learn the hard way to get them. Even by his vow to Meghan, when he become her Knight, something in that vow struck me later on, did Ash really think about his conditions when he make that promise ?

“My name is Ashallyn’darkmyr Tallyn, third son of the Unseelie Court. Let it be known – from this day forth, I vow to protect Meghan Chase, daughter of the Summer king, with my sword, my honor, and my life. Her desires are mine. Her wishes are mine. Should even the world stand against her, my blade will be at her side. And should it fail to protect her, let my own existence be forfeit. This I swear, on my honor, my True Name, and my life. From this day on ... I am yours.”

Just like the title of this book, as suspected, Meghan Chase no longer belong into human world. She also no longer Summer feys, since her power makes she really unique and the only person who could use Summer and Iron’s magic together. Did this story makes me impressed more than the previous ... well, at the very beginning, I still follow the whole story, but by the end of this, seriously I got loss adn a little-bit confuse. Yes, Meghan choose her own path, that so different than everyone expected (except maybe Grimalkin), but her relationship with Ash stumble into serious difficulty, that’s quite disturbing ... as like the author push this end so hard into ‘cliffhanger’ situation. So did I enjoy it ... hmmm not really \(-__-)/ specially considering this is (supposely) the final instalment of the series.

Title : THE IRON QUEEN

[ book 3 of THE IRON FEY Series ]

Copyright © 2011 by Julie Kagawa

Rate : 3.5 of 5

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Best Regards,

@HobbyBuku