Review--E-ARC The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

MY NAME IS MEGHAN CHASE.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK.

I received this ARC of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Queen from NetGalley.

Finished The Iron Queen today and I am still in shock!! Oh wow. The excitement and adventure and the danger really pick up in this book! And there was a point I was afraid of the end's outcome, but I had to remind myself that there will be another book in 2011, November, from what I've heard, called The Iron Knight and that one will be really juicy!

Meghan has come a long way since we first met her in The Iron King. When we first see her, she's the awkward girl with the major crush on the most popular boy in school and has one incredible best friend. She's your average 16 year old, until the day she realizes that she's not so average and that is where her transitional journey began.

Meghan is pretty fierce now. After being exiled from Faery with her boyfriend Ash, she returns to the mortal world thinking things might finally go back to normal now that she is basically banned from anything fae. But trouble arrives at her doorstep quite literally when she goes to return home. The Summer King and Winter Queen might be done with her, but The Iron King is not. Along with another member of the Faery world.

But Meghan first decides to deal with the problems she has with the mortal world and the In Between. Where we learned last time a certain someone is with the Exiled Queen. That is where the first part of the novel takes us and it was quite thrilling even though we weren't in Faery. There was still plenty of action here and there and other exciting moments involving graveyards!

Part 2 is when Meghan is asked to return to Faery to defeat the Iron King once and for all so that Faery can continue to exist without the Iron Kingdom taking over. But it is not an easy battle for Meghan and her friends Ash and Puck. They're going to need all the help they can get. Also, the Iron King is finally revealed and I was so on par with his identity.

There was plenty of action in the later part of the book for that was when the war between kingdoms occurred. Summer and Winter versus Iron. And what a battle it was. There were so many surprises in this latter part of the novel that I found myself not wanting it to end! There was so much wondering for me with the characters and the ending was to die for! I can't get into the details, but as I said there were several shocks and surprises all throughout the novel and the ending was no different.

The romance between Ash and Meghan also continues to grow with a few bumps here and there. And I find myself totally loving their romance. It's so endearing and heartfelt. Much different from the love between mortals and supernaturals. Love between mortals and the fae always seem more intense and powerful. For the fae are incredibly mysterious and dangerous, and let's face it sexy, that the love and affection they hold for a particular mortal is breathtaking.

I am completely addicted to this series now and have been for awhile. The characters are so lifelike and complex, I love them! Grim is always mysterious and seems cold at times, but he is truly a good friend to Meghan. Puck, you gotta love him even if the romance between him and Meghan is not a possibility, he is still a great friend to Meghan and he is full of laughs! I mean really, how can you not laugh at one of his quips? And Ash, what's not to love about a mysterious faerie who's dangerous and deadly, but is madly in love with you and will do anything and everything to protect you and keep you safe?

So yes, I am completely smitten with this series and so cannot wait for The Iron Knight! Overall this book gets 5/5 stars from me!

The Iron Queen will release on January 25, 2011