Quick review: Iron's Prophecy, by Julie Kagawa

- The Iron Fey #4.5
Release date: September 1st 2012 (also released on August 28th as part of The Iron Legends anthology)
Published by: Harlequin Teen

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for those who haven't read The Iron Fey series. 


Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child… 


I wasn't sure what to expect from this novella. Sure, the summary does give plenty of the plot away, but I'm still glad to say that Julie Kagawa surprised me. I missed these characters so much - especially Ash - and it was wondeful to dive into Nevernever and Meghan's life yet again. So much has changed since we last saw her, and it was different to see her as The Iron Queen. Meghan was powerful and regal, but she had the same heart. She still loved Ash, and would do anything to protect her family and those who are important to her, and after everything that she's been through, her personality still amazes me. I simply love this girl. 

To put it in a simple way, Iron's Prophecy was a quick, good novella, that fed me yet another dose of The Iron Fey. Unfortunately, I am now forced to acknowledge the fact that this series is really over, and that I have to let go of Ash and Meghan - Oh, Ash, how I'll miss you - and stop fantasing about what's happening to them, or what adventures they're going through. It's going to be hard.

Quick review: Throne of Glass novellas, by Sarah J. Maas

 I don't know if this is common knowledge, but I'm not really into novellas. They don't have enough character development, something that I treasure in a full-lenght book, and everything just happens too fast - there's no climax scene, since there isn't a context for one, and I get angry at the rushed dialogues. However, the Throne of Glass novellas surprised me. I read them in order, one after the other, with no time in between, and it felt like I read a normal novel, since Celaena went through a lot of adventures that changed her, and those around her, without any of the elements that I mentioned above.

Celaena herself was a surprise to me. She wasn't the fierce, strong girl I encountered in the first chapter of Throne of Glass - she was a ridiculous, selfish girl, who used her reputation to do whatever she wanted, and to mistreat whoever she wanted. I tolerated her in the first novella, but by the time I was almost halfway through the last novel, I couldn't stand Celaena. I wanted to her to die, period. She was incredibly shallow with those who loved her - especially with those who loved her - and she worried about such petty things, like whether her soap was expensive or not, that I began to wonder how the hell she managed to survive for so long. However, by the ending of the last novella... well. Things went downhill, and Celaena's life shattered - everything she knew was thrown to the wind, and she was broken, horribly broken. It was on that moment of pain that I could finally create a connection between both sides of Celaena - the one before this big twist happened in her life, and the one after that, the Celaena that I'll know when I start reading Throne of Glass.

Her character development was great, and very unique for a novella. Like I said, these four novellas together almost form a full novel, since everything, from world development to a romance, happens. The writing doesn't feel rushed, and neither do the dialogues, fortunately. I feel ready to read Throne of Glass. It's like I've explored Celaena's life so thoroughly, have seen so many different sides of her personality, that I know who I'm dealing with, now.

I'd definitely recommend these four novellas to anyone who hasn't read Throne of Glass yet. And if you have read it... well, it's still worth a shot, but I'm afraid you won't have the same reaction in the ending that a person who hasn't touched Throne of Glass had. Sarah J. Maas knows how to write smoothly, in a way that the story flows before your eyes without you noticing.She explored everything that Celaena's adventures has to offer - friendship, betrayal, partnership, love, bravery, pain, and heartbreak. I look forward to reading Throne of Glass. Now that I've got a taste of what the book is gonna be like... I'm ready for more!