Book Review: Winter’s Passage by Julie Kagawa

Never make a contract with a Faery. Meghan Chase knows this, but it could not be helped. You do what you have to do to survive or in this case to save her brother Ethan, kidnapped by the Iron fey. Since Meghan has discovered her identity she has also learned to never swim in quiet ponds and to never trust talking cats.These are some hard truths and Meghan knows that the contract can not be broken and the fey always collect.

It’s payback time and Meghan finds her heart beating faster, not sure if it is because Prince Ash has come to take her to his mother, Queen Mab, or because of her feeling for this tall and dark fey, so beautiful and so dangerous. She knows they have a bond but that he will follow through with his duty and deliver her to the Unseelie Winter Court. Having found, during her rescue of her brother, that she is half fey, the problem is she is the daughter of King Oberon of the Seelie Court, so she is a sworn enemy of the Winter or Unseelie Court.

Knowing that Prince Ash has no option but to deliver her, she has but one request. She wants to see her best friend Puck. He saved her from the iron fey, putting himself in deadly peril. She has not seen him since he had been injured.

Meghan has known Puck her entire life; they were great friends, but it is not until just recently that she found out that Puck, who she knew as Rob Goodfell, actually worked for her father and had been assigned to protect her since birth.

Prince Ash has agreed to this request , wanting to do something for Meghan, knowing in the end he would be her betrayer. Moving from the real world to the fey world is not so difficult if you know where to go and where the trods are. These trods are the portals into the Nevernever, and can be just about anything, an old barn door, cemetery gates, and even old bathroom stalls. They are usually guarded by vicious creatures left by the fey to keep their borders safe.

Once they find Puck, and she is assured that he is healing, Ash will then deliver her to Tir Na Nog the home of Queen Mab and the center of the Winter Court.

It is during this journey that she again runs into Grimalkin, the talking faery cat. He agrees to journey with them but also warns them of danger. There are other creatures in the wood and in this part of the winter area; they do not like the summer folk. While they know she is being delivered to the queen, the hatred for her kind runs deep.

As the three companions enter the forest they find themselves pursued by the unimaginable. There is danger and peril at every turn. Will Ash be able to save her, just to deliver her to her justice in the end, or will either of them survive in this savage but cold and beautiful place?

Julie Kagawa has portrayed a beautiful and dangerous place with all kind of creatures that go bump in the night. She has also developed some wonderful characters, with great depth. The story is ingenious and makes for a great series. 

Will being sworn enemies stand between the feelings of Meghan and Prince Ash? I can’t wait for the next book to come out to see what happens.