Winter's Passage - Julie Kagawa

Title: Winter's Passage
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: June 1, 2010
Rating: Teen
Type: Novella

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....

I need to begin this review by saying I have not read The Iron King (first novel in series) yet. The good thing is that after reading this novella I really want to now. When I began reading Winter's Passage I was worried I would be totally lost coming into this series after it was established but Julie Kagawa gave enough information that I was able to follow along. I found myself really liking all the imagery and I could actually imagine what was being described.

For the characters I obviously couldn't get as good a grasp on them as you are supposed to have coming into this novella. That said I really loved Grimalkin. Cats are my thing so having a talking one is always a plus! Meghan and Ash were interesting and I liked the romance aspect. Puck is a character I would like to know more about; in the novella you only received Meghan and Ash's view on him. The plot and action were exciting and made reading this novella worthwhile.

On the whole, this was a great story. If you were like me and curious about this world, you should give this a try. If you are a reader who loved the first novel and wanted more story this would certainly whet your appetite, yet would still make you want the next full novel, The Iron Daughter.