Ok, so I did not really think too highly of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Daughter. And after having read The Iron Queen I still like The Iron King the best. Meghan was whiny and annoyingly dependent in The Iron Daughter, but in this one she gets back quite a bit of her mojo and won me back...mostly. The title explains part of the reason for the change. Meghan becomes a queen in this story, partly by defeating the false king, and partly because she steps into the role. She is not a perfect queen, nor a wise queen, nor even a benevolent queen, but she has potential, and quite frankly in the last book I was worried she was just going to be a pathetic and moony about Ash FOREVER. I am looking forward to The Iron Knight because it will be Ash's story, presumably after Meghan becomes the Iron Queen.
In addition to Meghan's transformation, I liked all the critters and the battle scenes. I do not think any of this series is headed for major awards, sorry, but in the third novel, I can once again respect and admire Meghan Chase.
