Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey#2) By Julie Kagawa

Note: This is the second book of The Iron Fey series and the review may therefore contain spoilers. For the review of the first book in the series, click here

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.

Ratings: ☕☕☕☕☕ (5/5)

The second book of The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa starts off a bit weakly when compared to the first book, and as much as I hate to say it, Meghan starts out as one of those irritating, madly in love girls who desperately needs to grow a backbone and get over their obsession with the love of their lives. You know, the kind of girls you wish you could smack real hard in the head in order to knock some sense into them? It was a shame really because in The Iron King she was a rather strong character–despite the countless times she screamed and cried, she was still quick on her feet, admiringly brave, and absolutely determined to rescue her brother no matter what the cost.

Thankfully though, Meghan’s obsession with her love interest only lasted for two or three short chapters before she realized that there were more important things to life than being dumped, and this is where she once again becomes my favorite female lead characters of all time. In The Iron Daughter, we watch Meghan fully transform from being the damsel-in-distress to being a strong, courageous, fierce girl willing to sacrifice her chance to go home and reunite with her family in order to save a land she never cared about, a land that was never her home, a land she never belonged in, simply because it was the right thing to do. This is probably the reason why I adore Meghan so much: her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness and desires for the greater good makes her a strong female protagonist.

However, Meghan’s character arc wasn’t the only highlight of the book. As always, the writing and the world-building in this novel was absolutely perfect, but what really drew me in was the plot. Though the Chosen One Saves The Day is an overly used idea, what makes this book stand apart from other books with similar plot-lines is that Meghan becomes the Chosen One because of the choices she makes and not because she was born a Special Snowflake. Besides, the concept of iron faeries and the conflicts that arise from the threat they pose to the traditional fey is in itself unique, and I loved reading about the power struggles and politics between the three races of fey.

I also loved all the new characters we were introduced to in this book, as well as the dynamics of the relationship between the characters from the previous book. In fact, Julie Kagawa’s characters play a huge part in making this book enjoyable and endearing. While the main characters, Puck, Meghan and Ash, are incredibly interesting in their own ways, the side characters like Grimalkin, Leansidhe and Iron Horse are so vibrant and important to the storyline that I couldn’t help but want more of them.

Oh, and that ending. That ending!

Well…let’s just say while it wasn’t a cliffhanger, the ending was still heart-wrenching, painful and yet incredibly sweet and swoon-worthy.

To wrap it up, while The Iron Daughter had a rough beginning when compared to its prequel, it is still a wonderful sequel. Highly recommend it to you all.

What’s your definition of a strong female lead?