Alternate history. This is a little prequel novella to Wolf by Wolf but it was too singularly focused on the backstory of Lukas Lowe and Felix (Adele) Wolf and the Iron Cross motorcycle race. It lacked the additional storylines which made the first book so excellent, in my opinion. ( )

I loved Wolf by Wolf, and my library had a copy of the prequel novella! Hooray! I was really curious as to what had happened during the prior year's Iron Cross between Luka and Adele, so was really happy to see that Graudin told it. And it was great! Now I am ready to dive into Blood by Blood... ( )

Coming back to this world and seeing a prequel to Wolf by Wolf... UGH I WISH LUKA x YAEL WAS ENDGAME.

It just made me sad because reading about Luka again and getting more insight to Adele made me wish that the series ended on a happier note.

Luka is being Luka again and learning exactly how badass Adele is was a fun read.

You know what would be cool? A spinoff or something where Luka is alive, gosh.

I'm still not over this aha. ( )

I loved getting this insight into Luka's character. He was a favorite of mine from the first book so it was nice to get some context about what happened in the last race and why his motivations we're want they were in Wolf by Wolf. ( )

"Iron called to iron, and there was always something more."

Once upon a different time, there was a boy who raced through a kingdom of death. He wore a brown jacket where all others were black, and it was said that his face could snare the hearts of ten thousand German maidens at first sight. His own heart? Hidden behind layers of leather and sneer and steel. Untouchable.

Until it wasn’t.

-- 4.5 stars --

Set a year before the events of Wolf By Wolf, this novella takes us back to the infamous 1955 Axis Tour: when a sixteen-year-old fräulein named Adele Wolfe, masquerading as her twin brother Felix, materialized from seemingly nowhere to take the Iron Cross. To do so, she not only beat out top contenders Luka Löwe and Tsuda Katsuo - who won the cross in 1953 and 1954, respectively - but circumvented the Führer's ban on female competitors. The risk paid off: Hitler was so smitten with his newest Victor that he requested a dance with her at the Victor's Ball. (This proximity, of course, inspired the resistance's plan to steal Adele's identity and enter its own racer/assassin in her place in 1956. But I digress.)

To win a grueling, 20,780 kilometer, cross-continent race, a girl's got to break a few hearts. Iron to Iron follows the competition from Luka's perspective, from his temporary alliance with the silent and secretive Wolfe boy to his burgeoning romance with Adele Wolfe - and his eventual, inevitable betrayal on the final leg of the tour.

Graudin does an excellent job of adding depth to Luka's character, softening his harder edges, and establishing his mindset (REVENGE!) when we meet him in Wolf By Wolf. Perhaps more importantly, she satisfies our curiosity about What Happened Between Luka and Adele in the previous year's race. The betrayal is marginally worse than I expected - a little more violent and sudden - and, while my heart ached for Luka, I couldn't help but side with Adele.

After all, Luka said it himself: "He didn’t need to win. Not the way this girl did." Impress your abusive, impossible-to-please father - or escape a life spent popping out babies to feed to Hitler's empire? It's kind of a no-brainer. And yet, instead of handing the Iron Cross over to his new love, Luka offered to help her win...next year.

Asking women to sublimate or defer their goals for the good of men? How very 1955. Luka didn't give her any choice, really.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/11/16/iron-to-iron-by-ryan-graudin/ ( )