Review: Summer's Crossing

by Julie Kagawa
publisher: Harlequin Teen
date published: June 1, 2011
format: eBook
pages: 57
source: free download
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

I was so excited when I first heard there would be another novella from Julie Kagawa. The wait for The Iron Knight seemed like it was going to last forever and I had, of course, already finished The Iron Queen. I really liked the last novella, Winter's Passage, but, I have to say, I loved Summer's Crossing. I guess you could call me "Team Ash," but Puck really won me over in this novella. The story is told from his point of view, which, as it turns out, is both a lot of fun and a bit more serious than one might expect. In keeping with his outward demeanor, Puck displays his sardonic wit in his thoughts, as well. However, Puck has troubles that he doesn't always let show. As he thinks about his feelings for Meghan and whether or not he should betray Ash, Puck shows us that we should not forget that he has troubles, too. It is easy to overlook in the books, sometimes, but they are there, underneath the surface.

There was just the right amount of action for the length of the novella and the storyline was tightly woven, which made me not miss the presence of more pages so much. The pacing moved along at a nice clip and the subplot had just enough intrigue to keep me guessing. This novella made for the perfect segue between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight. 5 hoots to Summer's Crossing!