Iron to Iron by Ryan Graudin
5/5 STARS
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction (alternate), Fantasy
Author: Ryan Graudin
Published: March 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 113 {e-books}
Iron to Iron
I am so excited that this is a thing!! There were so many questions left unanswered in Wolf by Wolf in regards to what actually happened between Adele and Luka in the previous race. Guess what – this answers it! Being a sizeable novella this was entirely satisfying and just as exciting as Graudin’s full length novels. If you’ve read Wolf by Wolf then I highly recommend reading this one too to sate your curiosity and discover a few more things about Luka’s character that we didn’t previously know. I was really impressed with how the title fitted into the story – I was really sure what it was hinting at, but there was that beautiful moment in the book where you go “ahhh” after realising its significance.
The Action
This is the race of 1955 and Luka is determined to win his Double Iron Cross. The victor of these races is awarded one and it is a huge honour if you were to win two. Luka won his first one a few years back and has competed in the race ever since, determined to make his war veteran father proud of him. The trouble is that the competition is more than tough and when “Felix Wolfe” enters the race things are about to go belly up for Luka. And if that wasn’t exciting enough for you there’s the fact that it’s LUKA and he’s adorable on far too many levels than is good for my sanity.
The racing was to die for. If you enjoyed the zippidy zooms of the first book and the way that we get to explore this alternate world if Hitler had won the war then you will hands down enjoy this, too. We get to see a full race in this novella and travel with Luka and Adele through various rough terrains as the competitors battle it out. We see some of the same characters, as well, all pulling out the same tricks – so it’s all terribly exciting. I absolutely loved seeing how the racers overcame certain obstacles and more than that I loved seeing how the real Adele responded to the situations she was in. Everything was just YES.
Luka
Luka was one of my favourite characters from the first book, so I practically fell off my chair when I read what this novella was going to be about. He’s a bit of a joker, seeming very confident (and rule breaking) in his own skin – but when we get to dive inside of his head in this one we see and whole other layer to the boy we thought we knew. If you’ve read the first book then you know the outcome of this one but it so does not detract from the revelation of how events pan out. THE FEELS. They are real in this book.
I loved his character and it breaks my heart to see what he went through and at the same time it definitely answers a bunch of my questions from the first book. There are so many references in Wolf by Wolf where Luka brings up what happens in this race, and seeing as it’s written from Yael’s perspective we are left just as clueless as she. BUT NOW. Now I know. Oh man, this novella is just too good for itself. The greatest thing about this novella being from Luka’s perspective was the gradual way that Graudin has revealed to us certain events and characteristics that we don’t know about in the first book and can only guess at. This includes things such as the cigarettes, their “relationship”, Luka’s past experiences in races (I think this was about his fourth or fifth?), and Adele’s reasons for taking risks. Also, I’m shipping him and Adele so bad it hurts. COME ON ADELE YOU KNOW YOU LOVE HIM.
Adele
Adele’s character, in some aspects, was quite similar to Yael’s. But there were distinct differences that separated the two and made me painfully aware of the mistakes that Yael made throughout her race. Adele was a very head-strong and boisterous character who, quite frankly, didn’t give a damn. If I were her, there is no way I could’ve done what she did. She’s impressive and I admire her strength of character, not to mention her cunning is out of this world. If I had to pick a favourite between Yael and Adele? I’d still go with Yael.
Summary
If you enjoyed the first book then I cannot recommend this one enough to you. It’s brilliant and I LOVED it. I’m bouncing around with excitement at all the new goodies that I now know and I seriously cannot wait for the next book, Blood For Blood (which has just had a cover reveal, FYI). Graudin is amazing and I really hope she keeps writing. THIS is what a novella should be: purposeful, enlightening, and a real page-turner.
~~ My review of Wolf by Wolf ~~
~~ Kirstie ~~
Upside-Down Books 
I absolutely LOVED LOVED Wolf by Wolf, it was one of the best things I read last year. I was never sure of Luka because there didn’t seem to be more to him than the bravado/front he put on, and the intense desire to get some payback for a bit in the book. But I’m pleased this deepens his character and helps us understand him better!
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YES READ THIS BOOK. All your questions will be answered!!! Luka is such a babe 🙂 Can’t wait for Blood For Blood to come out now!
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