Review: Sweet, melancholy bridge to Iron Knight
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2011
Having just left Meghan behind, Ash and Puck are searching for Grimalkin, the enigmatic cat that's popped in and out to help them all whenever they've needed it on their journey.  As they're about to begin, they're interrupted by Leanansidhe, Queen of the Exiles, who's come to collect on the bargain she made with Ash.  She wants him to sneak into the Summer Court and retrieve something Queen Titania stole from her.  It should be a task impossible for a Winter Prince but he's with Puck, a powerful Summer fae who loves nothing more than to make trouble for his Queen.The long-troubled relationship between Ash and Puck had worsened when both fell in love with Meghan, but a truce had been called while they tried to find a way to help her.  On their way to the Summer Court, Puck is unexpectedly offered the chance to force Meghan's decision.  He's been given a choice - betray Ash and win her by default or ignore the offer and let Meghan decide.I've really grown to love this series.  The first book hooked me because it was so wildly imaginative and while pieces of individual books didn't work for me, as a whole, it's been an amazing journey.I didn't care much for the first novella because it seemed a little out of place with the characters acting oddly.  Summer's Crossing is completely different.  It has a sweet, melancholy feeling to it that reflects the way The Iron Queen ended.  Ash is a little more brooding and quiet and while Puck plays the irreverent fool like he always has, there's an undertone of sadness.  This trip to the Summer Court is a perfect way to force them to work together, argue and get back some of their comfortable animosity and rivalry.  Puck and Ash just aren't the same unless they're at each other's throats.The one way that this is like Winter's Passage is that there's no resolution to anything.  It's just a little side journey on the way to something else.  In this case, it's the final book in the series -The Iron Knight (Harlequin Teen)is set to be released October 25, 2011 and I can't wait to get my hands on it.The adventure of sneaking into the Summer Court was fun but what won me were the emotions Kagawa wrung out of Ash and Puck and how familiar the characters felt in such a small space.  Read all the books in order and then read this one to get the maximum effect.