Q is for Queen
I’m doing folklore and book review posts to reach and please a larger audience. Previous years have shown select interest in both and to minimise blogging throughout the year, I’m focusing my efforts on April.
Focusing on an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list, each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book.
I chose the books this year quite randomly from my Goodreads Want to Read page. Some are quite creatively added to letters.
If you’d rather check out my folklore post for today, go here.
You can read reviews for from previous years for this letter here, here and here, and my year-end reviews here, here, here, here and, most recently, here and here.
My TBR
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth – that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Meghan is half-fey, which means she has a fey protector guarding her in the human realm – and making sure she doesn’t know who she truly is or that faeries exist.
I enjoyed her travels through the different realms and seeing how she goes from insecure to confident.
Grimalkin is my favourite character.
The different types of fey, the different types of magic, and Meghan’s role in it all was quite interesting.
Having Oberon be called the Summer king, the Erlking, and the Seelie king was exhausting – if I weren’t familiar with faery lore, it would have been confusing.
A fun read about growing up, falling in love, and protecting what’s important.
About the Book I’ve Read
The First Kiss (The Iron Fey #1.25) by Julie Kagawa
This scene takes place in the Iron King, when Meghan and Ash are searching a warehouse for the trod into the Iron Realm. As Meghan ventures further inside, the trod guardian, a huge iron dragon, springs to life and attacks her.
This is from Ash’s POV.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Reading scenes from Ash’s perspective is always swoon-worthy. Too bad about the proofreading errors (words running together).
About the Book I’ve Read
Winter’s Passage (The Iron Fey #1.5) by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl… until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck–Meghan’s best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon–who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.
Yet Meghan and Ash’s detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter–a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat….
An eBook exclusive story from Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
An interesting journey to the Winter Court. I liked the description of Winter and of the Hunter. Too bad the formatting kept pulling me out of the story (wrong margins and indents).
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) 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—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.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Ironhorse grew on me, despite his dialogue being in all caps and sometimes difficult to read because of it.
I like the gremlins!
There’s so much detail to worldbuilding that makes it such a treat to read.
Ash stays swoonworthy to the end – sorry, Puck.
Reading this book after a decade hasn’t taken anything away from the magic or my love of this story.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) 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 stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Though the end is near-perfect, and the middle runs smoothly, the beginning of the book feels like the pacing is off: first nothing followed by action and then a lot more nothing and then this huge battle.
Ash is perfect in every way, of course. He was even able to teach Meghan how to fight.
Grim stays my favourite. And the surprise he pulls off at the end…!
The gremlins are so cute!
And the false king made sense from book one, if one really thought about it.
I liked the inner battle of Meghan’s power and how she finally realised what her destiny is. Iron Horse would be proud.
About the Book I’ve Read
Summer’s Crossing (The Iron Fey #3.5) by Julie Kagawa
A Midsummer’s Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon’s right hand, bane of many a faery queen’s existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl’s death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.
Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone’s come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck’s help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.
An ebook exclusive novella from Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
An entertaining short story from Puck’s perspective as he and Ash infiltrate the Summer Court and steal something back from the Summer Queen for the Exile Queen.
About the Book I’ve Read
Ash’s Letter to Meghan (The Iron Fey #3.6) by Julie Kagawa
Get set to swoon: read Ash’s heart-rending final letter to Meghan.
It was available on the author’s website as a pdf file.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
I read this letter with a dreamy sigh. Ash is just perfect.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
My name – my True Name – is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…
To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase – a half human, half fey slip of a girl – smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.
With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end – a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side.
To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
It takes a while to get into this story as it’s one mini-quest after another (find Grimalkin, find the Seer, find this then that) but Ash confronting his past, his fear and his regrets keeps the story from turning into a weird videogame.
The Wolf and Grimalkin were my favourite characters. The scenery was interesting.
About the Book I’ve Read
An Iron Fey Valentine (The Iron Fey #4.4) by Julie Kagawa
AN IRON FEY VALENTINE is a story of pure, unfiltered fluff that Julie Kagawa wrote just for fun, but also a thank you to her readers and fans for all their support and encouragement over the years.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
A sweet short story showing how happy Meghan and Ash are together. Ash’s idea of Valentine’s Day is much more romantic than your run-of-the-mill dinner and a movie.
About the Book I’ve Read
Iron’s Prophecy (The Iron Fey #4.5) by Julie Kagawa
Julie Kagawa’s bestselling series The Iron Fey captivated the imagination—and hearts—of readers of all ages with its mix of magic, fantasy and romance. Discover what happened to Meghan and Ash following The Iron Knight in this novella…Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.”Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child…
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
An interesting look at Meghan and Ash’s life together, Mab still freaking out about them as a couple, Puck being a good friend, Grimalkin being his usual self – and an Oracle sewing drama with possible futures.
Cute story.
3 stars
About the Book I’ve Read
The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa
Don’t look at Them.
Never let Them know
you can see Them.
That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
My name is Ethan Chase.
And I may not live to see my
eighteenth birthday.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2) by Julie Kagawa
In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.
After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as “normal” as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he’s forbidden to see her again.
But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, “normal” simply isn’t to be. For Ethan’s nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan’s and Keirran’s fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan’s next choice may decide the fate of them all.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Warrior (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #3) by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Prince — my nephew — betrayed us all.
He killed me.
Then, I woke up.
Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind’s glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.
Leading the Lady’s Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan’s nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan’s enemies must become his allies, and the world of the fey will be changed forevermore.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
Shadow’s Legacy (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #0.5) by Julie Kagawa
A new novella set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Iron Fey series! This magical short story is the prelude to a new trilogy in Julie Kagawa’s brilliant faery world, The Iron Fey: Evenfall.
A royal wedding, a mysterious assassin, a new threat to all of Faery…
Friends and family gather to celebrate the wedding of the Iron Queen Meghan Chase’s brother…but one wedding guest feels more melancholic than the rest. The King of the Forgotten can’t forget his own lost love and slips away from the festivities…only to be attacked by a strange faery who calls him a fraud and a false king. Now the two must form a wary alliance to track a strange new threat, a creature of rage and hatred that threatens the newfound peace of Faery, in the opening to a grand new adventure in the enthralling world of the Iron Fey.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Raven (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1) by Julie Kagawa
Wicked faeries and fantastic danger… Welcome to book one of the new trilogy in New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey fantasy series, as infamous prankster Puck finally has a chance to tell his story and stand with allies new and old to save Faery and the world. For fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!
“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”
Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.
With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Sword (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #2) by Julie Kagawa
As Evenfall nears, the stakes grow ever higher for those in Faery…
Banished from the Winter Court for daring to fall in love, Prince Ash achieved the impossible and journeyed to the End of the World to earn a soul and keep his vow to always stand beside Queen Meghan of the Iron Fey.
Now he faces even more incomprehensible odds. Their son, King Keirran of the Forgotten, is missing. Something more ancient than the courts of Faery and more evil than anything Ash has faced in a millennium is rising as Evenfall approaches. And if Ash and his allies cannot stop it, the chaos that has begun to divide the world will shatter it for eternity.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
About the Book I’ve Read
The Iron Vow (The Iron Fey: Evenfall #3) by Julie Kagawa
The extraordinary finale to Julie Kagawa’s New York Times and internationally bestselling Iron Fey series is here…and the fate of the Nevernever and all the world hangs in the balance. Join Meghan, Ash, Puck, Grimalkin, and the entire Iron Fey cast for this final epic journey into worlds where imagination knows no boundaries…
After leaping through the portal to Evenfall, Meghan and her companions find themselves in a terrifying new world where Nightmares roam and glamour is nearly nonexistent. As their magic wanes and the creatures of Evenfall rise against them, the race to find the Nightmare King grows ever more desperate. But what they discover–about Evenfall, about the Nightmare King, about themselves–will shake everything they thought they knew to the core.
The Nightmare King stirs. A world hangs in the balance. And as twilight descends upon all the realms of Faery, Meghan and her allies must make one more impossible choice.
Check it out on Goodreads.
My Review
Review to follow.
My Book
Queen of Nightmares (Irascible Immortals #3)
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Wow, that is quite the series. It’s great to have that many books in the story, but it can get to be a bit much after a while .
Yeah, it’s quite intense. Thanks for stopping by!