The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Wow. ... Just wow. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC of The Iron Queen. I am so grateful I was able to read this in advance.

I stayed up late last night to finish this which genuinely shows you how much I adored this book as I have an active toddler and most nights, I crash by 9:30!

Let me put my thoughts together and then I will post a thorough review. Seriously though, let me just say this for now - "wow!"

EDIT: 12/5/10

So, it took me a few days to put my thoughts together so I could write something better than "wow". Usually, my reviews are pretty short and to the point (hence my username shortandsweet), but I'd like to write something a little bit more in depth about "The Iron Queen" since NetGalley & Harlequin were so nice to give the opportunity to read this book in advance.

This book is the 3rd book in the Iron Fey series by [author:Julie Kagawa|2995873]. In The Iron Queen, we continue following our heroine Meghan Chase in her battle to save all that she loves and along the way, discover her inner strength. The inner strength of Meghan is one of the aspects of this series that makes it so appealing to me. Meghan begins in The Iron King as an average teenage girl, nothing too special, and a bit on the unpopular side of things. At first, she reminded me a bit of Bella from Twilight (which, I'm sorry, but for me is NOT a good thing) - weak willed, a pushover, etc. Throughout the series, she has developed into a strong and powerful character with a wonderful dedication to doing the right thing and protecting those she loves most. I admire her character and Ms. Kagawa's fantastic development. She didn't just turn into this powerhouse girl overnight (coughlikeBellacough). She became a powerful young woman by facing her problems head on and learning from her mistakes. She's a very real character, despite being part of this incredible fantasy world. She is definitely my favorite part of this series.

Ms. Kagawa's other characters too are wonderful. Again, with her male leads, she does a great job at going above and beyond the typical fantasy stereotypes and creating characters with depth and complex emotions. I read a lot of young adult fantasy fiction and I've rarely seen since well developed characters. There are so many layers to their stories that she slowly reveals as we move along in the main plot line. She does a great job at balancing their backstories and moving along the main plot line that you never feel like she's slowly down the momentum.

Well, I'm getting quite gushy, aren't I? Well, I should probably stop blabbering on and on. I don't want to ruin my reputation of "short & sweet" reviews, but let me just say this - I highly recommend checking out this series if you're a fan of fantasy fiction, even if you don't usually read young adult literature. I think you'll enjoy it.

Well that's it from me. Until next time folks!

The Iron Queen and Iron Fey series is published by Harlequin Teen. They provided me with an advanced reader's copy. The book is scheduled to be released in February 2011.