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paratuna's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jezzebelljc's review
4.0
21st-Century Fey World Telling Both Cold and Amusing
The imagery in this book is simply stunning. When you are supposed to have goosebumps and be chilled to the bone, you most certainly are. When you are meant to feel wonder and imaginative, you do. When you are introduced to the character that takes Meghan's breath away with his beauty and coldness, yours is taken as well. The characters are charming and easy to become favorites, even the bad ones. Not only that, but there is already some serious character development in the first book as Meghan starts out being an exceptionally naive and almost annoying character and grows fittingly throughout the book.
The Bad
In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a horror story or thriller instead of more a Paranormal read due to the content and became grateful when about 20% in it became more the genre I was looking for. This is just personal preference though as I do not tend to read books on purpose that will make me sad or scare me. Also, being a mother myself, I found parts of it unbelievable as to how Meghan's mother would behave.
The Romance
I have to say that you can tell Puck, Meghan's best friend, is seriously in love with her. So we definitely will have a triangle of sorts. The other love interest introduced is Ash who is the Winter Prince and is described well enough that you know she has some serious infatuation for him. He, on the other hand, is elusive and out-of-bounds.
Conclusion
The plot line was really compelling and makes you say, "Ah ha, yes that makes sense". I would definitely recommend it for anyone that reads Paranormal and Fantasy.
The imagery in this book is simply stunning. When you are supposed to have goosebumps and be chilled to the bone, you most certainly are. When you are meant to feel wonder and imaginative, you do. When you are introduced to the character that takes Meghan's breath away with his beauty and coldness, yours is taken as well. The characters are charming and easy to become favorites, even the bad ones. Not only that, but there is already some serious character development in the first book as Meghan starts out being an exceptionally naive and almost annoying character and grows fittingly throughout the book.
The Bad
In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a horror story or thriller instead of more a Paranormal read due to the content and became grateful when about 20% in it became more the genre I was looking for. This is just personal preference though as I do not tend to read books on purpose that will make me sad or scare me. Also, being a mother myself, I found parts of it unbelievable as to how Meghan's mother would behave.
The Romance
I have to say that you can tell Puck, Meghan's best friend, is seriously in love with her. So we definitely will have a triangle of sorts. The other love interest introduced is Ash who is the Winter Prince and is described well enough that you know she has some serious infatuation for him. He, on the other hand, is elusive and out-of-bounds.
Conclusion
The plot line was really compelling and makes you say, "Ah ha, yes that makes sense". I would definitely recommend it for anyone that reads Paranormal and Fantasy.
the_bookish_nurse's review
adventurous
2.0
Although I liked the books, the Manga leaves a lot of information out and, I believe, it would be hard for someone to read without the knowledge the full book gives you.Â
govmarley's review
3.0
Fae. Teen angst. Magical creatures. And a love triangle. Typical YA fantasy series, and pretty ok.
munderoon's review
3.0
Gosh, I just wrote one big hell of a review and it vanished into thin air -_- Not going to do that again, so here's the short cut:
If it wasn't for the end, the book wouldn't have made it up to three stars. This one clearly was the introduction book, full of information and less plot. At some point, I couldn't enjoy new fey-thingys as much as I did before, which was sad. But the rats, those little helping hands of the "real" Iron King, were the best example for me, that I did enjoy some of those inventions in the book. For me, there were simply too much.
The one thing that kept me going was Puck. Never been so obsessed with a less important character. In the end, he was gone - again! - and what kept me reading then was Ash's (sudden) transformation.
I already heard the rumour, that he's going to be different in time and when it came to that point, it was like a big sign, reading "I'M DIFFERENT FROM NOW ON!" Until that moment, I didn't like Ash. I think, mainly because the author already knew, that Ash wasn't as bad as he acted, but somehow he had to seem bad. And I think/know that things like that are hard to write. So that moment, after slashing this weird dragon, you can literally see that border between "Playing cold-hearted bastard" and "Who's the handsome Winter Prince?". The one thing that was strange about that was their conversation, heavy with meanings and problems, such as "What should we tell the courts?" ... I was confused, first. Because, hey. Two pages ago, you weren't even looking at each other closely and now your tragic romance is dangerous for the two courts of yours? Oo Come on!
But enough with the negative things in this book - i'm gonna stop right here, before it comes down to Meghan, because finding something positive about her would mean to wait until the very last pages of the first book - and hello positive things!
So, although Ash's character development was weird at first, I did like him in the end. It feels like, his emotions are real, his feelings for Meghan, but on the other side, he is a prince of the Wintercourt and he knows his duty. Since the moment he told a little bit more about his past, I can understand Ash, being all silent, much better.
As I already mentioned: Robin Goodfellow is my hero. He surely made the book much more enjoyable and I miss him. (Thats one argument for keep on going with the series).
I loved the end. From the moment they killed Machina, I loved the mood and the decisions and the scenes. Was close to perfect, that particular bit. I already started with the second book and I could still make a ton of comments on every word, Meghan says, but it feels more like a book that invites on journeys, than learning the fey's different rules, courts and creatures.
All in all this book did strange things to me: Falling for the guy, who gets friendzoned over and over again. Watching character developments very closely. Not liking the main character until the end. And cheering for the bad guys. I mean it! Machina, for example, was a character, which felt more dangerous and sharp and well written than Meghan and Ash at that particular moment. Somehow I'm kinda sad, that he had to die! He was scary, but perfect.
Which leaves me to my final question: Did anyone else had Queen Mab from the Merlin movies with Sam Neill in mind, evertime it came down to her? :D
If it wasn't for the end, the book wouldn't have made it up to three stars. This one clearly was the introduction book, full of information and less plot. At some point, I couldn't enjoy new fey-thingys as much as I did before, which was sad. But the rats, those little helping hands of the "real" Iron King, were the best example for me, that I did enjoy some of those inventions in the book. For me, there were simply too much.
The one thing that kept me going was Puck. Never been so obsessed with a less important character. In the end, he was gone - again! - and what kept me reading then was Ash's (sudden) transformation.
I already heard the rumour, that he's going to be different in time and when it came to that point, it was like a big sign, reading "I'M DIFFERENT FROM NOW ON!" Until that moment, I didn't like Ash. I think, mainly because the author already knew, that Ash wasn't as bad as he acted, but somehow he had to seem bad. And I think/know that things like that are hard to write. So that moment, after slashing this weird dragon, you can literally see that border between "Playing cold-hearted bastard" and "Who's the handsome Winter Prince?". The one thing that was strange about that was their conversation, heavy with meanings and problems, such as "What should we tell the courts?" ... I was confused, first. Because, hey. Two pages ago, you weren't even looking at each other closely and now your tragic romance is dangerous for the two courts of yours? Oo Come on!
But enough with the negative things in this book - i'm gonna stop right here, before it comes down to Meghan, because finding something positive about her would mean to wait until the very last pages of the first book - and hello positive things!
So, although Ash's character development was weird at first, I did like him in the end. It feels like, his emotions are real, his feelings for Meghan, but on the other side, he is a prince of the Wintercourt and he knows his duty. Since the moment he told a little bit more about his past, I can understand Ash, being all silent, much better.
As I already mentioned: Robin Goodfellow is my hero. He surely made the book much more enjoyable and I miss him. (Thats one argument for keep on going with the series).
I loved the end. From the moment they killed Machina, I loved the mood and the decisions and the scenes. Was close to perfect, that particular bit. I already started with the second book and I could still make a ton of comments on every word, Meghan says, but it feels more like a book that invites on journeys, than learning the fey's different rules, courts and creatures.
All in all this book did strange things to me: Falling for the guy, who gets friendzoned over and over again. Watching character developments very closely. Not liking the main character until the end. And cheering for the bad guys. I mean it! Machina, for example, was a character, which felt more dangerous and sharp and well written than Meghan and Ash at that particular moment. Somehow I'm kinda sad, that he had to die! He was scary, but perfect.
Which leaves me to my final question: Did anyone else had Queen Mab from the Merlin movies with Sam Neill in mind, evertime it came down to her? :D
nytxia's review against another edition
3.0
I have purchased this exclusively because I enjoyed the book but I was disappointed.
I am giving three stars for the artwork. I thought this was incredibly short and fast paced. It's interesting for those who have read the book as you can see the characters come to 'life'. But if I have to be honest, if I haven't read the book before, this on its own would not pique my interest (so I am happy I read the book first).
Also, dividing the first book in several parts for the manga was a bad move and I won't be buying the next one (I will stick to the books!)
I am giving three stars for the artwork. I thought this was incredibly short and fast paced. It's interesting for those who have read the book as you can see the characters come to 'life'. But if I have to be honest, if I haven't read the book before, this on its own would not pique my interest (so I am happy I read the book first).
Also, dividing the first book in several parts for the manga was a bad move and I won't be buying the next one (I will stick to the books!)
clonazine's review
Lo leà hace un par de años y mucho no me habÃa gustado pero como estoy con la temática de hadas quise escuchar el audiolibro. Me gustó mucho la narradora sólo por ella le puse un poco más de onda y escuché 4 horas pero UN EMBOLE la historia. No me convenció el world building ni el romance eso de hacer que los dos intereses amorosos sean criaturas más viejas que la escarapela cuando ella sólo tiene 16. Mmm no gracias se me hace raro
michaela_lubbers's review
3.0
Takeaway: no, I would not recommend this. I got sucked into book one bc I got it for free on Kindle and now am invested enough to give book 2 a shot (for free, via the library's Libby app, which is 10/10 do recommend). The concept is captivating and I wish this could be re-written for an adult audience with either a better romance or it removed entirely.
Ugh. So. The world building and description of the Nevernever (the Fey domain) is excellent. The overall plot of "iron fey exist and are taking over and killing Nevernever - it's up to us to save it!" is interesting enough that I'm continuing with the series (though I don't know if I'll finish it).
But this damn love triangle! This book is a decade old and, frankly, it shows. It's the tired, boring set up of old friend vs new exciting broody boy. It's enemies-to-lovers done badly - there's very little chemistry, emo boy doesn't say much of anything, ever, and their "falling in love" period was incredibly short and featured a lot of nothing. The claims that Meghan is in love are absurd and ring very, very deeply of 16 year old. Which she is! But damn. The story is treating that as Truth instead of her thinking/feeling/wondering and it just seems silly to me.
Meghan is an OK main character but feels like Kagawa got overly moralistic when writing her. Puck gets to be grating, occasionally, but overall he's fine. I think I might could like Ash if he got to say more than 3 words, was allowed to have expressions, and wasn't shoehorned into this flat romance. As he is, I sort of hate him.
I also have to critique the ending - the build up was so long and then, bam! Conclusion reached?
**spoilers after this:
Yeah, I'm talking about Meghan killing Machina in 3 pages or whatever it was. She spent as much or more time getting into the damn tower than she does killing him! Maybe he's not really dead and that will make more sense later on but it felt very anticlimactic and rushed. He's barely introduced before he's dead and then Meghan thinks she can just stay away while the Iron Court builds itself back up with a new nasty on the throne? Power vacuums don't make things more stable, hon. Somebody needs to be there overseeing and building it up safely!
Ugh. So. The world building and description of the Nevernever (the Fey domain) is excellent. The overall plot of "iron fey exist and are taking over and killing Nevernever - it's up to us to save it!" is interesting enough that I'm continuing with the series (though I don't know if I'll finish it).
But this damn love triangle! This book is a decade old and, frankly, it shows. It's the tired, boring set up of old friend vs new exciting broody boy. It's enemies-to-lovers done badly - there's very little chemistry, emo boy doesn't say much of anything, ever, and their "falling in love" period was incredibly short and featured a lot of nothing. The claims that Meghan is in love are absurd and ring very, very deeply of 16 year old. Which she is! But damn. The story is treating that as Truth instead of her thinking/feeling/wondering and it just seems silly to me.
Meghan is an OK main character but feels like Kagawa got overly moralistic when writing her. Puck gets to be grating, occasionally, but overall he's fine. I think I might could like Ash if he got to say more than 3 words, was allowed to have expressions, and wasn't shoehorned into this flat romance. As he is, I sort of hate him.
I also have to critique the ending - the build up was so long and then, bam! Conclusion reached?
**spoilers after this:
Yeah, I'm talking about Meghan killing Machina in 3 pages or whatever it was. She spent as much or more time getting into the damn tower than she does killing him! Maybe he's not really dead and that will make more sense later on but it felt very anticlimactic and rushed. He's barely introduced before he's dead and then Meghan thinks she can just stay away while the Iron Court builds itself back up with a new nasty on the throne? Power vacuums don't make things more stable, hon. Somebody needs to be there overseeing and building it up safely!