The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa - Series Review (Reread)

Series Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Books in the Series:

• The Iron King

• The Iron Daughter

• The Iron Queen

• The Iron Knight

Best Book: The Iron King (Book 1)

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Spice: Mild

Summary:

Meghan Chase feels like she is invisible sometimes. Her parents, especially her stepfather, seem to forget she exists, and no one at school knows her except for her mischievous best friend Robbie. Despite this, Meghan tries to live a normal life: getting her learner’s permit, catching the attention of the cute football player, and taking care of her little brother, Ethan. But the day before her sixteenth birthday, odd things start to happen. During a tutoring session with said football player, a computer starts writing messages on its own, and Meghan’s family dog bites Ethan, who claims the dog was trying to protect him from a monster in the closet. Suddenly, Robbie is being overprotective, there’s a strange figure following Meghan, and Ethan is acting even odder than usual.

When Ethan attacks their mother, Robbie reveals to Meghan that her little brother has been replaced by a Changeling, a Fey creature who is swapped for a human child. And how does he know that? He’s the famous Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, trickster Faery of the Summer Court. Now Meghan must make the choice to go into Faery with Puck and save her brother from whatever Faery has taken him. Once in Faery, Meghan will have to navigate dangerous creatures, the politics of the Faery Courts, and an Unseelie prince who may be friend or foe. Along the journey, Meghan will discover new worlds, make new friends, and find out who she really is.

This review is for Books 1-4 in the series, which focus on Meghan and her friends as the main characters, including the novellas Winter’s Passage, Summer’s Crossing, and Iron’s Prophecy.

Reaction:

This was another of my favorite series when I was in high school. My favorite thing about this series is the concept, which is discussed in a Foreword in the recently released Special Edition of the book. What would happen to the Fey in traditional folklore and stories like A Midsummer Night’s Dream in today’s world of modern technology? How would that world evolve alongside the mortal world? It’s one of the most creative takes I’ve read on Faeries in both fantasy and urban fantasy novels, while still staying true to a lot of the traditional lore. For millennials and younger generations who have evolved with technology our entire lives, it’s an easy narrative to relate to. The Summer and Winter Courts are like our parents and older generations begrudgingly accepting technology, while we are like the Iron Fey, adapting and embracing the new technologies. I also love the character development over the four books, at least for the FMC & MMC. The other Faeries don’t change much over the course of the books, which also fits so well with the concept of the Fey in the books. These books also happen to have one of my favorite supporting characters ever, Grimalkin the Cait Sith, a proud feline creature who is famous for making deals that are always in his favor. I wish I could use “I am a cat.” as explanations for my actions.