the iron daughter

the iron daughter
the iron fey #2
julie kagawa
ya/fantasy/romance
harlequin teen
published 2010

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 tat 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-to-human heart.

So here's the thing.  For the first third, maybe half, of the book I wanted to punch Meghan in the face.  On the way to Tir Na Nog Ash kept telling Meghan that they could not be together.  That Mab could possibly kill him if he were to declare his love for the half-Summer faery/human.  At this point, she has spent some time with the fae and she knows how things work.  So when they arrive at Mab's castle Meghan just doesn't seem to get it.  She spends nearly the entire time there whining about why Ash isn't talking to her.  And when she finally does get to hear from the prince he's cold and uncaring (BECAUSE HE HAS TO BE TO PROTECT BOTH OF THEM) she goes into some horrible despairing coma and doesn't want to live anymore.

Case in point:

I stepped toward him, smiling, only to be stopped dead by his cold glare.  Confused, I stumbled to a halt.  Maybe he didn't recognize me.  I met his gaze, waiting for his expression to thaw, for him to give me the tiny smile I adored so much.  It didn't happen.  His frosty eyes swept over me in a brief, dismissive glance, before he stepped around me and continued toward the queen.  I felt a stab of shock and hurt; maybe he was playing it cool in front of the queen, but he could've at least said hi.  I made the mental note to scold him later when we were alone.

See?!  She's an idiot!  Playing it cool?  Could have at least said hi?  And later she would scold him?!  It's so weird and ridiculous.  It's like she's a clueless idiot who is also a grandmother because no one says 'scold' anymore.

I get it.  She loves him SO MUCH that she just can't function.  She's a teenager and that's the way things are at that age.  Everything is the end of the world.  But for god's sake please stop whining!

The other thing I'm over is the whole love triangle thing.  Every YA book has got to have some love triangle nonsense in it.  And it's not even just that there are two guys who are crushing on the same girl.  She loves them both.  Every time.

No me gusta.

But I'm torn because despite her whining the story is interesting.  I don't understand why no one in the story (except, I suspect, Ironhorse knew) knows what Meghan is.  I'm not sure if I'll finish the series.  There are some good points, but there's irritating things too.  Maybe those things will be resolved earlier on in the next book so that I don't have to spend half the book hating Meghan.