Loyal to the paranormal tropes of the day, The Iron King is an addictive story of Meghan Chase, who's forced to reconsider her whole life as new truths and shocking revelations emerge. As events at school and home take a turn for the otherworldly, Meghan Chase must confront the truth that her mother has buried away for years. She is no mere mortal child - instead she is daughter of a faery king. But instead of joy, Meghan's new identity takes a spiral for the worse when she is forced to venture into Nevernever to rescue her kid brother Ethan, while being sucked into the world of inhumane entertainment, endless luxury and spellbinding attraction of faeries. 
 The Iron King is definitely intriguing, definitely elusive and strangely addictive. I love the world Kagawa has carved out, because like any fan of the fae, I'm seduced by the charm and almost cruel sense of joy they possess. The fae are a deeply vivacious, yet capricious race - but the emotions they arouse in any reader are just as attractive. Nevernever never feels contrived or insincere, the whole faery universe feels so elusive and guarded. So props to Kagawa for getting the mood right, I could feel the sway of faery music and the madness of their alcohol. 
 I must admit, I constantly compared this novel to Tithe while I was reading - both have this same sense of atmosphere. The faery worlds present in both are so tangible yet mysterious like a sea of fog emerged in beachgoers. (Excuse me for the lame analogies) I definitely wanted more and more of Kagawa's world. 
 However, when it come to characterizations I think Kagawa weakens a bit. Despite the dire circumstances she is in, I had a hard time acknowledging Meghan Chase as a competent heroine. Throughout the novel she makes blundering deals without rightly considering the consequences of her actions. Even if Meghan is blinded by her love of Ethan or otherwise, I felt that these deal-makings reduced Meghan down to a idiotic twit. At the same time I was a bit peeved by her lack of power - a bit more wit and competency could be desired. Prince Ash also felt a bit flat to me, and the random elements Kagawa puts in to "tie up" or dramatize the story don't come off well. 
 On the plus side, I loved some characters. I adore the zany, mischievous Puck, and the elusive Grimalkin. Both, with their little quirks, seemed like great side characters to add some humor and life into what could have ended up into a huge failed novel. 
 Although Kagawa has some flaws in her execution on romance, or plot elements or even characters, The Iron King is still a solid book to read. The premise is rather decidedly cliche, and the book is thoroughly predictable but I can't say I hated it. Despite all that, I was strangely attracted to the world Kagawa had presented and the new adventures our heroine will face in The Iron Daughter. This is definitely a guilty read for me.