Mundie Moms

Friday, March 1, 2013

Flashback Friday/Book Review: The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

This post should be titled Book Review: The Review I swore I had posted, but can't find on my blog #1 (sadly there's more than one review I swore I posted, but can't find). I could have sworn that either Sophie or I had posted a review for Iron Legends already, and was totally shocked to find that there was no review. We both individually posted reviews for the individual e-books when they were released, but not for the complete collection. Here's my extremely belated review.


Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: August 28th, 2012
5 stars: We Loved It!
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Series: The Iron Fey (Novellas collection)


Summer, Winter, Iron.
Together at last.

Dangerous faeries. Heartbreaking romance. Thrilling action and limitless adventure. The world of the fey has never been so powerful. This collection includes three novellas set in the world of The Iron Fey plus the expanded Guide to the Nevernever and exclusive information about Julie Kagawa's unforgettable world of Faery.

This is a must have for fans of Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. I loved how each of these novellas ties individual stories together, as well as the over all series. I love that Harlequin Teen complied these incredibly engaging, fast paced short stories together and published them. As soon as I read the e-novellas I was itching to have these books on my shelf with the rest of the series. Sophie and I have loved each book in this series, and this collection of short stories is no different. If you're a fan of Julie's Iron Fey series, this is a MUST read. Here are our reviews for each novella:


Winter's Passage

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....

WOW! Julie packs everything that I love in a good book, into less than 60 pages. Action, romance, and it has a wolf, which was the perfect paranormal character.

If you've read The Iron King, you'll know that Megan gave her word to Ash, that she would return to the Winter Court with him. If you've read The Iron Daughter, then you know she does return with him. If you haven't read it, I promise I'm not spoiling anything by saying that. If you loved both of these books, just wait till you read Winter's Passage. Mix the adventure, action and chemistry from The Iron King and The Iron Daughter and BAM! You've got a hot little book called Winter's Passage, which starts when Ash comes for Megan and they journey back to the Winter Court.

There's a few little surprise along the way, as Puck makes a brief appearance and Grim (love Grim), is there for part of their journey. The Wolf, known as The Hunter is after Megan and Ash. Megan and Ash's scene are fantastic. I won't give away why I love them or what scenes they are. You just need to read it!! I have to say it will have you going, YES, it will pull at your heart strings and may even have you sighing. If you're like us, you may find yourself reading Winter's Passage a few times.

I really enjoyed how Julie kept her characters true to themselves, while introducing a new one with a twist. We all know the big bad wolf from nursery rhymes and childhood stories, but there's more to him than that. I seriously love his character. Winter's Passage is my favorite in Julie's The Iron Fey series.





Summer's Crossing

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.


Per Sophie's review:
Puck and Ash are two of my favorite literary BFFs/frenemies/buddies. I can't even put a label on them but, I adore reading their banter. Here's a sample from the very beginning of Summer's Crossing:

   "So," I said brightly, " falling into step behind the brooding prince, "Grimalkin. We're going to find him, right?"
   "Yes."
   "Any idea where he is?"
   "No."
   "Any idea where to start looking?"
   "No."
   "You do realize that doesn't constitute much of a plan, right ice-boy?"
   He turned to glare at me, which I considered a small triumph. Ash usually ignored my goading. Anytime I could poke through his icy indifference was a victory. Of course, when poking at the Winter prince, one had to proceed with caution. There was a fine line between irritation and having icicles hurled at your face.

I loved this story because it provides a perfect pause between the two larger plot-lines in The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight. In Summer's Crossing, our two heroes get sidetracked by a small favor which is called in by a certain person neither one can refuse. The mini-quest they go on is full of action and witty conversations but most of all, it's filled with insights into Ash's and Puck's long-standing friendship. And with the two of them, the threat of betrayal is always strong, leaving the reader unsure of what will happen next.

My only complaint is that I wanted more.

Iron's Prophecy

Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child… -quoted from Goodreads


This is another fabulous novella that ties together the entire series perfectly. There's not much I can say about this story without dropping some major spoilers for those who haven't read the series yet, aside from what the synopsis has already revealed. I will say I enjoyed this story!

I loved getting to see Ash and Meghan together, as husband & wife, Knight and Queen. Despite this book being rather short, Julie throws in some great kissy scenes with these two. I love seeing how much Ash has changed. I mean he's the same old Ash, but he's so different as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing him as a father. I'm completely intrigued with what the future holds for their child, and them as a family. Based on what the Oracle told Meghan, and what she showed her, I'd say have a lot to prepare though, this quote from Ash has given me hope that maybe the Oracle's predictions aren't exact, when Ash said,

"Nothing is certain.
The future is constantly changing, and no one can predict what happens next. We have the power to change our destiny, because fate is not set in stone, and we are always free to make a choice." (pg 202)

This story would have felt incomplete had it not had Puck and of our course my other favorite character, Grimalkin in it. Having everyone back together again was the perfect way to wrap up this fantastic fey series. Even though I want more stories about Meghan, Ash and Puck, I'm really looking forward to the other fey stories Julie is working on. 

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