Book Review: The Iron Daughter

The Iron Daughter (Iron Fey, book 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, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's ...more 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, iron-bound 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 alone 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. 


Meghan may be a half-blood of the Summer court, but with her whole world in darkness her heart is turning to ice.  Will the boy she loves return to her?  And which of the two young men in her life will she choose in the end?  The Iron Daughter is the second book in the Iron Fey series.  I absolutely loved The Iron King, the first book in this series, and have been anxiously awaiting this release.  I was not disappointed.  Julie Kagawa is a fantastic world builder and in this book we are able to learn more about the Iron Fey and their influence on the human world.  We also learn more about the politics of the Seelie and Unseelie courts and the outcasts of Faerie.  The Iron Daughter is shrouded in darkness, with something sinister always lurking in the shadows, but the ray of light is Meghan's loyalty to those she loves.  Meghan's affection and loyalty are her strength, yet what will happen when her heart is pulled in more than one direction?  A fabulous paranormal romance with a heartrending love triangle balanced with the suspense and action of urban fantasy. 

I recommend The Iron Daughter to readers of paranormal romance, fantasy, urban fantasy, faerie fiction, and especially to fans of the Iron Fey series. 

Source: This book was purchased by me for review.


The Iron Daughter on Amazon.
The Iron Daughter on Goodreads.

Teaser Tuesdays: Paranormalcy

"I sighed.  I hate the vamp jobs.  They think they're so suave.  It's not enough for them to slaughter and eat you like a zombie would.  No, they want it to be all sexy, too.  And, trust me: vampires?  Not. Sexy."

 p.g 2, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

Paranormalcy is the first book in the Paranormalcy series by Kiersten White.  I was unsure if I could like a character who is so pink obsessed, but the humor and overall plot really grabbed me.  I cheated a bit and included more than two sentences in my teaser this week, but wanted to give a feel for Evie's personality and the paranormal world in which she lives.

This passage brings up an interesting question:  If you could see the shriveled corpse beneath the glamour, would you still find vampires sexy?

p.s.  Now that BlogFest is over I'll be returning to my regular review schedule, so look for reviews of The Iron Daughter and Paranormalcy later this week.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Guest Author Interview: Jeannie Holmes

Please welcome today's guest author Jeannie Holmes.  Jeannie is the author of Blood Law.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Jeannie:  I began creating stories when I was very young, probably four or five years old, and dabbled with writing them down throughout my teens. It wasn't until 2003 that I began to view writing as a serious endeavor.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Jeannie:   I've always had a fascination with the paranormal and the occult, which has gotten me into a lot of
trouble over the years. However, I've always liked the fantasy and science fiction genres so it seemed a natural progression for me to jump into urban fantasy.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Jeannie:   If I could be any paranormal creature, I'd have to stick with my fave: a vampire. As for a supernatural talent, I like the idea of pyrokinesis, the ability to manipulate and create fire. Then I could keep my coffee warm without having to leave my desk.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Jeannie:  Honestly, I can't say why readers will enjoy BLOOD LAW because each reader is unique and likes or dislikes books for individual reasons. I know I enjoyed writing it because of the characters I was able to create as well as the complicated world in which they live, plus the new spin I gave to the vampire mythos. I hope readers will like it, but I can't predict the reasons why.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Jeannie:   Hands down, I would cast Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia) as Varik Baudelaire. I had no idea who Ben Barnes was at the time I began writing BLOOD LAW, but when I saw his picture on a poster for The Chronicles of Narnia, I grabbed my husband and pointed, saying rather loudly, "That's Varik!" (We were in a crowded theater at the time, and I think my fellow movie-goers thought I was nuts.) As for who would play Alex, I don't have a clue. Many women have been suggested from Jessica Biel to Rose McGowan to Jessica Alba, but none of them seem right to me. If BLOOD LAW were ever made into a movie, I'd have to leave casting the role of Alex up to the professionals.

Blood Law (Alexandra Sabian, book 1) by Jeannie Holmes.

To stop a vampire killer, she’ll have to slay her own demons first.

A provocative and savvy vampire, Alexandra Sabian moves to the sleepy hamlet of Jefferson, Mississippi—population 6,000, half vampires—to escape the demons lurking in her past. As an enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigations (FBPI), Alex must maintain the uneasy peace between her kind and humans, including Jefferson’s bigoted sheriff, who’d be happy to see all vampires banished from town. Then really dead vamps start turning up—beheaded, crucified, and defanged, the same gruesome manner in which Alex’s father was murdered decades ago. For Alex, the professional has become way too personal.

Things get even more complicated when the FBPI sends in some unnervingly sexy backup: Alex’s onetime mentor, lover, and fiancé, Varik Baudelaire. Still stinging from the betrayal that ended their short-lived engagement, Alex is determined not to give in to the temptation that soon threatens to short-circuit her investigation. But as the vamp body count grows and the public panic level rises, Varik may be Alex’s only hope to stop a relentless killer who’s got his own score to settle and his own bloody past to put right.

Thank you Jeannie for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Jeannie Holmes and her books please visit her website.