Book Review: Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

This was a quick read and a good bridge to the next book.
Winter's Passage
by Julie Kagawa

• File Size: 648 KB
• Print Length: 60 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen (June 1, 2010)
• ASIN: B003N2QUZG

Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: May 20, 2010
Julie Kagawa's bestselling series The Iron Fey captivated the imagination—and hearts—of readers of all ages with its mix of magic, fantasy and romance. Enjoy this special bridge novella, which takes place between The Iron King and The Iron Daughter.

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl…until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron Fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck—Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon—who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter—a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat….

Review:
Meghan Chase learned in The Iron King that she is a faery princess, daughter of King Oberon of the Summer Court. Meghan was living in the human world and didn’t know that her best friend, Robin, was really Puck, servant of her father. Puck was injured while helping Meghan and Prince Ash rescue Meghan’s brother from The Iron King.

Meghan made a deal with Prince Ash to gain his help. Meghan and Ash have become close friends, young lovers almost, even though Ash is an enemy being a Prince of the Winter Court. Now Meghan is fulfilling her part of the bargain by allowing Ash to take her to Queen Mab in the Winter Court. As they travel they realize that there is some danger chasing them.

Ash tries to protect Meghan, but perhaps Meghan can protect him. When they arrive at the Winter Court, Meghan will have to face Queen Mab and Ash cannot promise to help her.

It had been quite sometime since I listened to The Iron King. I appreciated the recap and the action in this novella. It has a magical feel and wonderful descriptions. It is a good reminder of the events of book one and a nice transition to book two in the series. The danger is just beginning but I’ll have to read the Iron Daughter to learn what happens next.

I choose this book from my Kindle Library because it has "Winter" in the title, the word being chosen as a result of a recent giveaway.

Book Review: Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa

This is a quick, light and fun read.
Summer's Crossing (The Iron Fey)

by Julie Kagawa

• File Size: 213 KB
• Print Length: 51 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen (June 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004XDYXN0

Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2011

A Midsummer's Nightmare?

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

An ebook exclusive novella from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

Review:
As most of us know, Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck and a few other aliases, is a faery trickster. He is clever and can almost always be found in mischief. Robin is a member of the Summer Court but tends to roam as a free spirit.

Ash, Prince of the Winter Court, is an enemy of the Summer Court but he and Robin are old and odd friends. They have reason to kill each other and, in fact, Ash has sworn to kill Robin...someday, but not today. Ash happened to win the heart of the girl that Robin had his sights on so Robin isn't too happy with Ash.

Robin agrees to help Ash recover a stolen object to fulfill a favor. Of course the adventure will be filled with danger. There is also the distinct chance that Robin could betray Ash.

Reading this novella reminded me why I enjoyed the first book in the Iron Fey series.  There is intrigue, danger, friendship and betrayal that make the story interesting. The writing is full of faery magic and for the most part reads smoothly.  I have only read the first book and I will probably have to skim that for review when I get ready to pick up the next in the series. If you haven’t started the series you could read this short novella to get just a little taste of the magic that is available. You might not know all of the history between the characters but there is enough given to make the conflict understandable. And you could enjoy the quick fantasy vanishing act that Robin arranges.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An example of the sometimes snarky humor:

She looked like she was going to a party where the theme was Most Sparkly Evening Gown, or maybe Quickest Way to Blind Someone. Location 71.

This was in  my "free" Kindle Library and picked for my "summer" read.