Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

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, iron-bound 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 alone 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. (from juliekagawa.com)

This is my first ebook review for NetGalley.com. The Iron Daughter picks up right after The Iron King, repeating a bit from Kagawa's short story, "Winter's Passage." Meghan is on her way to the Winter Court, to face Queen Mab and the unknown. What will the Winter Queen do to Meghan and how long will she make her stay? It's part Romeo & Juliet, part Labyrinth, and part any coming-of-age teenage flick. It's got a high school formal dance and everything.

I realized something early on in The Iron Daughter - even though I like her, Meghan can be annoying at times. I had to keep reminding myself that she's an innocent and naive yet brave teenage girl who has been sucked into Faery politics and that you can't help who you fall in love with because she was getting on my nerves with all her boo-hooing over Ash. Her emotional rollercoaster over Ash got old pretty quickly. After I got past that, this book was a fun read because once it got rolling, I couldn't put it down.  This time, instead of searching for her little brother, Meghan and her group are searching for a scepter, a powerful relic that Winter and Summer pass back and forth to bring about their seasons. The scepter is stolen by some Iron fey to start a war between the Winter and Summer courts and to bring power to a pretender trying to become the new Iron King. Along the way we meet Leanansidhe, who hides a connection to Meghan in her household. Ironhorse is back too.

I loved the ending and couldn't see it unfolding any other way (I'm such a sucker for endings like this). Meghan's choice between Ash and Puck is no surprise but it makes me wonder what will happen to Ash if Meghan ends up becoming the Iron Queen? It seems like that will be a certainty as the third book is titled The Iron Queen. Will Puck still help her or become her enemy? I can't wait to see Meghan stand up to her father as a powerful individual in her own right. The Iron Daughter comes out on August 1, 2010.