Let me begin this review with a little bit of full disclosure: I am not usually a fan of the genre I call fairy fiction. Matter of fact, if given the choice, fantasy as a whole is not something I’d pick up to read, which is pretty amazing, since I’ll read just about anything else.
So when I downloaded Julie Kagawa’s novella Winter’s Passage, I wasn’t real excited. I read a little background about the overall storyline: this novella takes place between two of Kagawa’s full-length novels that are part of the Iron Fey series. And then I began reading the novella. . .
. . .and immediately, I was hooked. In half-mortal/half-fairy Meghan Chase and the handsome yet icy Prince Ash, Kagawa has created attractive, interesting characters whose passion and interaction transcend the genre of their story. The adventures are fast-paced and yet easy to follow: I found myself picturing the settings for each scene and fascinated with the juxtaposition of so-called reality (aka the mortal world) and fantasy (the realm of fairies and other fey creatures).
The background of the story is not particularly original: unbeknownst to her, Meghan is the child of the fairy king Oberon (who will be familiar to some from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream) and a mortal mother. This makes her half-fairy, which explains much of the weirdness that has transpired in her life thus far. If this sounds familiar, you’re right: it’s roughly the same premise as that behind the hugely popular Percy Jackson series. But somehow Kagawa makes it all new.
Oberon is not the only character from Shakespeare’s famous play to make an appearance in the series. Prince Ash, who is both Meghan’s captor and her love interest, is the son of Queen Mab, ruler of the Winter Court (Oberon reigns in the Summer Court; as his daughter, Meghan is truly the complete opposite of Ash). And even Robin Goodfellow—or Puck, as he is sometimes known—is referenced as Meghan’s best friend and protector.
Kagawa deftly weaves the background of this part of the story into the novella. Apparently Meghan became aware of her unique heritage when her fully-mortal younger half-brother is kidnapped by a rival of King Oberon—the Iron King, who is part of a new breed of fey, created through technology. Meghan is forced to travel through dangerous new worlds and meet frightening creatures that she never knew existed out of the pages of fairy tales.
In the course of attempting to rescue her brother, Meghan meets and ultimately makes a bargain with Prince Ash, third son of Queen Mab, who has been tasked with capturing Meghan and bringing her to the Winter Court. If he helps her find her brother and return him to safety, Meghan will go willingly with Prince Ash. While on this journey, against all odds, the daughter of the Summer Court and the son of the Winter Court fall in love.
The novella begins at the point that Meghan surrenders herself to Prince Ash for the long and treacherous trip to the Winter Court. Of course, nothing goes smoothly, and their journey, chronicled in this short work, sets up the danger Meghan faces upon her fateful meeting with Queen Mab.
I savored each word in this story, and I’ve already ordered the first book in the Iron Fey series. While I still might not be a fan of all fantasy books, I was totally and completely enthralled with Kagawa’s characters and plot. Her writing is appealing, and her settings enticing.
Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest
This book has been on my TBR pile for awhile, I just haven't gotten to it yet but
I've heard great reviews and I love Faeries!
Here is the description from Amazon
Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21st century faery tale.
Interview with Author Kirsten Kelly, Author of Halith
WHAT MADE YOU START WRITING THIS TYPE OF FICTION? I grew up reading the classic fantasy and science fi ctions novels such as Lord of the Rings and The Dune series and while I enjoyed the character development, I was just so drawn to the worlds in which the characters lived. I wanted to create not just a story, but a whole world that the reader could be involved with throughout the book. WHY DID YOU MAKE THE LEAD CHARACTER, A WARRIOR, FEMALE? I never really thought about it in the beginning. I wasn’t trying to make some feminine statement with this book. I knew I wanted to write an epic adventure and that I wanted certain elements in the story. It wasn’t until I was watching a television documentary that touched on a mystery of ancient female warriors that Halíth was born. WHERE DID YOU GET THE INSPIRATION FOR SOME OF YOUR CHARACTERS? Some of the characters were developed little by little throughout my life. Certain aspects of my friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc were the driving force behind some of the idiosyncrasies that I included in the main and supportive characters. Even people I met for a few minutes sometimes became a part of a character. SO THE PIZZA DELIVERY MAN MIGHT BECOME A DWARF? Exactly! A Dwarvish pizza man and an Elvish plumber! All kidding aside though, every day I really do get inspired by the real world and my immediate surroundings. BESIDES EVERYDAY INSPIRATION, HOW DID YOU CREATE THE WORLD OF AÉSSYRA? I wanted to go throughout history and fi nd interesting beliefs or groups of people that maybe time forgot, and add a little magic to them. For instances, the main evil of the book comes from a prophesy of the Haddu. What people may not realize is that the Haddu really was a mythological religious group who followed the god Haddad, or also called Ba’al, in ancient Syrian folklore THERE SEEMS TO BE SENSE OF LEAVING YOUR READER WANTING MORE AT THE END OF THE BOOK. WAS THAT HOW YOU INTENDED IT? Yes it is. I wanted to stay wholly in Halíth’s perspective, as if the reader were a comrade invited along for the adventure. I hope that, by the end, the reader truly empathizes with her, gets into her heart, and sees there is always hope and fun, even in the dimmest of times. I think this aspect is really some of the more powerful magic in the story. IF YOU HAD TO BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HALÍTH TO A READER, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW ABOUT THE BOOK? That karma fl ies faster than a 747? No, seriously, what I mean to say is that life, and what we experience---every trial, every passion---is age old, though perhaps dressed up in a different costume this time. Now we may not have the burden of such a grandiose destiny as our heroine, Halíth, but we all have one. This book is about how we embrace our individual destiny. It is about the human spirit. BESIDES EVERYDAY INSPIRATION, WHO INSPIRED YOUR WRITING? WHAT AUTHORS? Honestly, I must confess that most of my reading has been classic novels. While I adore fantasy, it has not been my bread and butter, so to speak. I think that D.H. Lawrence may have inspired me more than anyone. I am in awe of how he is so in tune with the inner-workings of the mind and heart, even in the bleakest scenes. Lawrence can put us into the business of coal mining, and make it so very human, and make it come alive. I think he has made me appreciate the depth of character in a novel---how heroic and tragic and fragile a person can be.
A thrilling new voice in fantasy makes an unforgettable debut with this “intriguingly twisted tale of treachery and magic” (New York Times bestselling author L. E. Modesitt, Jr.). Liane Merciel’s The River Kings’ Road takes us to a world of bitter enmity between kingdoms, divided loyalties between comrades, and an insidious magic that destroys everything it touches...
The wounded maidservant thrust the knotted blankets at him; instinctively, Brys stepped forward and caught the bundle before it fell. Then he glimpsed what lay inside and nearly dropped it himself. There was a baby in the blankets. A baby with a tear-swollen face red and round as a midsummer plum. A baby he knew, even without seeing the lacquered medallion tucked into the swaddling — a medallion far too heavy, on a chain far too cold for an infant who had not yet seen a year.
A fragile period of peace between the eternally warring kingdoms of Oakharn and Langmyr is shattered when a surprise massacre fueled by bloodmagic ravages the Langmyrne border village of Willowfield, killing its inhabitants — including a visiting Oakharne lord and his family — and leaving behind a scene so grisly that even the carrion eaters avoid its desecrated earth. But the dead lord’s infant heir has survived the carnage — a discovery that entwines the destinies of Brys Tarnell, a mercenary who rescue the helpless and ailing babe, and who enlists a Langmyr peasant, a young mother herself, to nourish and nurture the child of her enemies as they travel a dark, perilous road...
Odosse, the peasant woman whose only weapons are wit, courage, and her fierce maternal love — and who risks everything she holds dear to protect her new charge... Sir Kelland, a divinely blessed Knight of the Sun, called upon to unmask the architects behind the slaughter and avert war between ancestral enemies... Bitharn, Kelland’s companion on his journey, who conceals her lifelong love for the Knight behind her flawless archery skills — and whose feelings may ultimately be Kelland’s undoing... and Leferic, an Oakharne Lord’s bitter youngest son, whose dark ambitions fuel the most horrific acts of violence.
As one infant’s life hangs in the balance, so too does the fate of thousands, while deep in the forest, a Maimed Witch practices an evil bloodmagic that could doom them all...
My Review - I'm a big fan of fantasy fiction and I found this book packed with strong unique characters. It surprised me as to what a great book this was!
