The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Legends (The Iron Fey 1.5, 3.5, and 4.5)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (28th August 2012)
Blurb:

Enter the world of the internationally bestselling Iron Fey series.

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 Guide to the Iron Fey with exclusive information about Julie Kagawa’s unforgettable world of Faery.

WINTER’S PASSAGE

Never make a promise to a faery. They always come to collect. Now Meghan Chase must fulfill her promise to Prince Ash of the Winter Court and embark upon a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory – while being pursued by a relentless new foe and guarding her own foolish heart.

SUMMER’S CROSSING

What can turn enemies into reluctant allies? A call from the Exile Queen, Leanansidhe, ties legendary prankster Puck to his archenemy, Prince Ash, on a journey that may end in betrayal and will set them both on an irreversible path.

IRON’S PROPHECY

Before she ever knew what she might become, Iron Queen Meghan Chase was warned by the oracle that her firstborn child would bring nothing but grief. And even as Meghan and Ash celebrate their long-awaited union, the prophecy stirs . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

The Iron Legends contains three novellas that have been separate e-books for a while. By the time I came to the world of The Iron Fey there were rumours about the three novellas being printed as one book, so I decided to wait. I haven’t heard a lot about any of the novellas, so I was kind of curious about them – what would Kagawa talk about that wasn’t already in the books? I found three very interesting stories.

As The Iron Legends is split into four distinct part, this review is going to focus on each part separately.

Winter’s Passage

This novella served to answer a question that kind of hovered in my mind, but I never really thought about too much. Winter’s Passage takes place between The Iron King and The Iron Daughter, and shows Meghan’s journey from her home in the mortal world to the Winter Court when Prince Ash comes to collect. I really enjoyed watching the interaction between Meghan and Prince Ash. Winter’s Passage was a nice and short read, which I think worked really well. Life in the Nevernever is never easy for Meghan, and this trip was no different.

Summer’s Crossing

This novella made me smile. It is narrated by Puck and takes place between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight. I hadn’t really thought about the subject of the novella before, but it actually ties up a couple of loose ends. I really enjoyed reading about events through the eyes of Puck. It was also nice to see Puck and Prince Ash interact without Meghan around. And, well I enjoyed Puck being Puck and causing chaos and confusion in his wake. I think that this was probably my favourite of the three novellas.

Iron’s Prophecy

This novella takes place after The Iron Knight. It brings back Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin together for a bit of an adventure. Iron’s Prophecy is actually a really interesting read looking forward to The Lost Prince as it sets that book up nicely. I also think it does a good job at showing how the relationship between Meghan, Ash, and Puck will be – if they manage to become friends again. It was fun having all four characters back together, and I thought the plot of the novella was interesting.

Guide to The Iron Fey

It was interesting that this section was added to The Iron Legends. A lot of the information has appeared before, though not all of it.  It was a lot more comprehensive that the information at the back of The Iron Fey books, but to be honest it felt a lot like filler, as if someone wanted to bulk the book up.

If you are a fan of The Iron Fey and haven’t had the chance to buy any of the novella’s yet, then you should definitely consider adding this book to your collection. It is nice to have all three novellas in a single volume, and with the addition of the guide you can learn a lot more about the world than in the four books.