The Lost Prince

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa is the first book in her new Call of the Forgotten series. In a way it's also the fifth book in the Iron Fey series, set in the same universe and chronologically later in time. However, I was told it was a good place to start if I didn't want to commit to the earlier books. The only other book by Julie Kagawa that I've read was The Immortal Rules, which is set in an entirely different universe. So this review is from the perspective of someone who hasn't read any of the Iron Fey books. Since the Iron Fey series does provide back story to The Lost Prince, it's possible this review will contain spoilers for the earlier books, but I suspect only in the form of who survived them. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes.Ethan Chase is a normal kid except for one thing: he can see faeries. He spends most of his time keeping them away and trying to ignore them, because once they realise he can see them, they enjoy making his life difficult. Ethan also tries to make himself unapproachable to his peers out of fear of putting them in faery-shenanigan danger. As a result, the first half of the book was a bit of a metaphor for teenage angst. Not in an annoying way, but a) he was moody and pushing everyone away and (thanks to faeries) getting into trouble and b) his problems were something that no one could understand (because faeries).The secondary character, Kenzie, was great. She's a smart high school reporter who starts off wanting to know the story behind Ethan. Then she gets dragged, with Ethan, into the world of faeries. Of course, it's not just any faeries. Some new dangerous kind is running around causing trouble and killing things.What I really liked about Kenzie is that she was smarter than Ethan. I can't think of another book told in first person from the boy's point of view where the girl gets to be the smarter one. Of course, Ethan's brawn and kali (Filipino martial art) are also required to save the day, but it was refreshing. There was also an interesting reveal about her towards the end, which I don't want to be specific about because spoilers, but I'm looking forward to how it will be addressed in later books.I enjoyed The Lost Prince a lot. It was a fun read. It didn't rely on the earlier books to make sense and I am definitely keen to keep reading about Ethan when the sequel comes out. I'm interested to have a read of the earlier series, but I'm not going to rush out and buy them immediately. They're on my "when I have time to get around to it" TBR list.That said, I definitely recommend The Lost Prince to fans of YA fantasy looking for a fun read with action and faeries. Do not be put off by the pile of preceding books, they are not necessary for the enjoyment of this one.4.5 / 5 stars

Like most fans of Kagawa's Iron Fey series, I was excited to learn that a spin off series, featuring heroine Meghan's younger brother Ethan, was in the works. I was even more excited because I, unlike most fans, did not much care for the final book in the Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight. Don't get me wrong, I am totally Team Ash and have been from the very start, but for some reason his book just missed the mark for me. In my opinion, the strongest book in The Iron Fey series is The Iron Queen. That book is a masterpiece and I have been anxious to read another of Kagawa's books on par with it. I had high hopes for The Immortal Rules, but unfortunately it fell short for me as well. Did The Iron Prince revive my love for Kagawa's writing? Well..... kind of.Before I get started let me give future readers a recommendation: before you read The Lost Prince, purchase the novella The Iron Prophecy (The Iron Fey # 4.5.) I didn't read this short novella prior to reading The Lost Prince, and I wish I had. I did not realize that this novella actually sets the stage for the Call of the Forgotten Series. (Btw, does that series title scream Jack London/ wolf stories to anyone else? Every time I read it, that is the first thing that pops in my head.) The Iron Prophecy takes place shortly following the events of The Iron Knight, after Ash and Meghan have married and are ruling the Iron Realm. It will take you no time at all to read this 65 page novella, and if you are a fan of the dynamic threesome: Ash, Meghan and Puck, you'll definitely enjoy this one. Ok, back to The Lost Prince. The book starts off with a re-introduction to a now teenage Ethan Chase, the brother of Iron Queen Meghan Chase, whose kidnapping by the Fey kicked off the entire adventure. Ethan and his parents are no longer living in rural Louisiana, and no longer have any contact with Meghan. This has made Ethan very angry with his estranged sister, who he feels has abandoned him and their family. The fact that he has the Sight, is able to see the fey, doesn't much help matters. Ethan has learned the hard way how dangerous They can be, and would love nothing more than to be rid of Them forever. Unfortunately that isn't an option, because They know he can see them, and because of his relation to a fey monarch, he will always be of interest to Them. Ethan has made sure that he can defend himself against the fey, both physically and mentally. He studies the Filipino martial art Kali, and knows all the tricks of the trade to keep the fey out of his home. In addition, Ethan had adopted a 'no personal relationships' policy. No friends, no love interests, no one that could get hurt because of his association with the fey, and no connection that could make him vulnerable either. Of course adopting these measures makes Ethan even more bitter and isolated. When we are first introduced to him, it's clear that Ethan is unhappy. He is angry that his life is the way it is, he is forever looking over his shoulder waiting for something bad to happen, and he is lonely. The only positive thing in his life is his study of Kali. Ethan is an emotional mess. His self imposed isolation may keep anyone else from being harmed by the fey, but it's also making Ethan miserable. He's moody and brooding and frankly a bit hard to connect with as a reader. I understand why he's that way, and he does have an inner monologue that keeps the reader in the know as to what he's thinking and feeling, but I still had trouble empathizing with him.Ethan is starting his senior year at a new high school, having been thrown out of the last (due to faerie mischief) and there he meets a halfbreed named Todd, as well as the future love interest of the story, Kenzie St. James. Shortly after, Ethan discovers that Todd is in trouble, he's being pursued by a strange new type of fae that Ethan is unfamiliar with. When Todd disappears a few days later, Ethan, against his better judgement decides to get involved. Ethan and Kenzie, who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, find themselves back in the Nevernever, the last place Ethan ever wanted to be again.The character of Ethan, as I said, was a bit difficult for me to relate to. I really enjoy male POV's, but the whole time I was reading about Ethan I felt like I really wasn't getting to see his whole person. It felt like only pieces of his personality were being presented and none of them ever really gelled for me to form a whole. I liked Kenzie just fine, she's the total opposite of Ethan, outgoing, friendly, vivacious, and a bit pushy. But again, she felt somewhat hollow to me. I wanted to know her more, get a deeper idea of who she is, and just wasn't able to. At this point I must bring up the thing that irked me the most about The Lost Prince, which just happens to also be the thing that irked me the most about The Iron Knight: the (over)use of nicknames. Kenzie referred to Ethan repeatedly as "tough guy" in an attempt to break him out of his shell and get him to loosen up. I get why she did that, but I just got so sick of reading it over, and over and over. It was the exact reaction I had to Puck using the nickname "ice-boy" when referring to Ash in The Iron Knight. I know I shouldn't let something like that cloud my judgement when I read, but I can't help it. Reading it again again was really distracting and made me grind my teeth in frustration. Does this ever happen to you when you are reading? Do little things that irk you sometimes inhibit your reading and distract you so much that it takes away from your enjoyment of a book? Or am I overly anal? Just curious.Up to this point in the book I was less than blown away. Thankfully, things turned around when Ethan and Kenzie land in the Nevernever. Why? One word: Grimalkin. For me the best part of The Lost Prince was the return of my favorite characters from The Iron Fey series. When Grim, I am a cat, appeared to guide Ethan and Kenzie to the Iron Realm I was elated. I absolutely adore that sarcastic, snarky ball of fur. Grim is the same as ever and was such a site for sore eyes. In addition to the cait sith, fans will be thrilled to see the return of Ash, Meghan, Glitch, Razor (YES!) and the Exile Queen (LOVE her!) And the awesome purveyor of comic relief, Puck, shows up as well. If I had to pick a character that won me over immediately, and who I see becoming my favorite of the entire series, it would be Kierran, Ash and Meghan's son. He plays a sizable role in The Lost Prince and, as you will see if you read The Iron Prophecy, is being set up to play a very important part as the series continues. I have to admit something: I like Keirran so much better than Ethan and Kenzie. He's mysterious, and there is much to learn about him, but I felt like I knew him, I felt like I could relate to him in ways I couldn't with Ethan and Kenzie. I have no explanation for this at all. Maybe it's just because I see so much of Ash and Meghan in him, two characters that I love and feel I know very well. Of course the world building, the Nevernever with it's Wyldewood, the Iron Realm, and the Exile Queen's inbetween realm, is rendered beautifully, described in the trademark Kagawa way, making you feel as if this place truly does exist just beyond our mortal eyes. Kagawa's seemingly effortless ability to transport readers into this magical world is the strongest part of this book.As far as plot goes, being the first in a new series, the fine details are still a bit undefined, but a clear conflict has been drawn. The antagonist of this new series is introduced, but there is much to be learned about her and her motivations. And like The Iron Fey series, a great quest with plenty of action and adventure is clearly underway. Because this the first book in a series, there is no real resolution, just more questions and foreshadowing of things to come in future installments. I have to say however, that when I did finally meet the antagonist at the end of the book, it was a bit anticlimatic fo me. The romance between Ethan and Kenzie has potential, but because of my detachment with the characters, I just didn't much feel it. I KNOW Kagawa is more than capable of writing amazing romantic storylines, Ash and Meghan are one of my favorite YA couples , so I will bide my time and hope for the best in regards to Ethan and Kenzie. Again, I know that this is just the beginning and there's so much more to come, but I was a bit disappointed.And really that statement kind of wraps up the book for me as a whole. But you know, I remember feeling similarly when I read The Iron King, the first book in The Iron Fey series. I thought that book was pretty good and entertaining enough, but Meghan didn't impress me much at the time. I kept reading and I'm so glad, because by the third book in the series, The Iron Queen, I was a TOTAL fan. I think (hope) that the problems I have with The Lost Prince, most specifically the uneven character development, will be resolved as the series continues. I fully expect to fall for the characters of Ethan and Kenzie (I've already fallen for Kierran!) and become more invested in the story as a whole over time. I know Kagawa has the ability to create pure magic, and although this first installment didn't knock my socks off, I'm definitely on board and anxious to see what's to come. 3.75/ 5 Stars

I originally reviewed this with Ana on The Book Hookup

***Note: This book was provided to us by Net Galley but this did not influence the review in any way.

Ana and I gave The Lost Prince on 2 different ratings. You will have to keep reading to see which ones!

Our Review:

Ana: 4 stars…or, as we like to say…2nd shelf! I’m coming at this book from a different place than some of you. Although it patiently wait for me in my kindle, I have not yet read the Iron Fey series. So, I started The Lost Prince with a clean slate…no baggage, no expectations, nothing but the anticipation of reading a book by an author I’d heard so much about. And she did not disappoint! This book was great.

The world Ms. Kagawa builds is wonderful. The ideas are so well drawn out that I am sure if I closed my eyes I would see exactly what she intended me to see and maybe even be able to reach out and touch it. Nevernever and it’s inhabitants were painted before me clearly and distinctly, as were the main characters. Ethan, the reluctant hero, who would prefer to do just about anything instead of dealing with the Fae finds himself being lured into an adventure and back into the Iron Realm. People and Faery alike are in trouble and, much as he wants to, he cannot stand aside and do nothing, especially when a friend is in danger. Kenzie is a normal teenage girl who comes into his life and steadfastly remains there, even though he tries to distance himself for her own protection. With very little sense of self preservation, she plays a huge role in the story and, even though she’s got her own battles to fight, she helps Ethan try to set things right. I loved these two characters from beginning to end. Now, Keirran, is another story. He’s witty and smooth and completely likeable from the first time he walks on to the page…he’s a prince, after all. However some of his actions leave me unsure of his intentions. He is definitely a mystery to be unlocked in the next book!

Hearing the story from Ethan’s POV was refreshing…after all, most YA stories come to us courtesy of a female lead and it’s always good to see the world from a different perspective. Ethan’s inner voice was cynical, brave, scared, witty and caring…often at the same time and that made him all that much more endearing.

This adventure has just begun and I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series due out in 2013.

Celeste: 2.5 stars. Le sigh. I reallllly struggled to finish this book. And let me mention I have read the Iron Fey series and really enjoyed them. I went in with fairly high expectations but the general feeling I had by the ending: the story was so flat.

This story picked up where the Iron Fey series left off. I loved Meghan and Ash. Loved. This story is about Meghan’s younger brother, Ethan Chase, who is now 16. While I knew he was 16 I could not get the little boy image out of my head and the whole book seemed middle grade to me, not young adult. That isn’t a negative, but for me it just felt immature. Ethan has the “sight” (he can see the fey), and he is determined not to get anyone else mixed up in the crazy world of fey and the Nevernever. Naturally, the story is about just that, but with no real twists and turns or points where I went oooooh.

It felt like the usual cast of characters with good guys, bad guys and a girl. Which brings me to the romance side of things. There wasn’t any. Like zero. Kenzie was a nice girl, but foolish the way she jumped into the whole situation. I just couldn’t buy into it. She and Ethan are partners on this journey to save themselves, their friend, and all the other fae and half-breeds.

While I was not emotionally attached to the story in any way, the world Ms. Kagawa creates is fantastic. I can visualize all the fae, the poukas, the Iron Kingdom, the in-between. All those characters and places are quite vivid. The author definitely has a way with words.

My feelings on rec’ing it? If you loved the Iron Fey series and can’t get enough of this world this is a good book (but with a novella feel to it in my opinion). But if you are looking for lots of adventure, twists and turns and romance this just didn’t do it for me.

*Disclaimer: A digital ARC was provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*May contain minor spoilers. Read at your own risk.What just happened? How is it possible that I didn't like this book? Look at that cover. Read that title and summary. How could this book not be awesome? I loved the Iron Fey series and I really thought I would love this spin-off series, but all I feel right now is disappointment.Characters:This book started out pretty good. I think I started getting annoyed with it when Kenzie, the school's nosy journalist butted into Ethan's life. I always find journalists, reporters, and the like to be annoying so maybe I was being bias when she was first introduced, but as the book went on she just grated more and more on my nerves. She was a little less irritating by the end, but overall she was completely useless during fights and practically everything else. I really don't see what Ethan likes about her except a pretty face.Ethan, all I have to say to you is STOP WHINING! I understand that the fey ruined your life and Meghan abandoned you to be the Iron Queen, but get over it already. I hate that he blames everything on Meghan and Ash. Since this book is in 1st person POV we're always in his head, listening to him complain about how awful his life is. I think I liked him more when he was 4 years old. I pity him for what the Fey have forced him to become.Keirran and Annwyl have the worst romance I have ever read about. Ever. They are just so boring. Maybe I just didn't get to know them well enough. I honestly don't know why they're in love, especially Keirran. Annwyl has no personality. There's has to be something about her that makes him willing to become an exile to be with her. And Keirran apparently inherited nothing from his parents save for his looks. He always rushes into things and make stupid spur of the moment decisions.Plot:This book moves really, really slowly. Ethan doesn't even want to fight the Forgotten until almost halfway through the book. Then after that there's a lot of traveling through trods, internal conflict, and Kenzie being an idiot. What was really interesting we're the Forgotten fey. They first appeared in The Iron Knight, deep in the woods in a Forgotten village. I loved the scenes where they appeared because that's when all the action and moving along of the plot happened. The rest of the book just felt like fillers and cliche romance.Things I Think Would Improve This Book:1. Let's cut Kenzie entirely out of this story. Not every book needs romance and I think this book would do a lot better without her. In Ethan's situation I think he needs friends more than he needs a girlfriend. And I think this book would have been much stronger if it focused on friendship rather than romance.2. Let's give Keirran a brain before his stupidity kills him. I know he's young and in love, but that is no excuse for acting like an idiot.Overall:So why is this a 3 star rating when I obviously didn't enjoy it? Well, some of my favorite characters made an appearance including Grimalkin, Meghan, Ash, and Puck. I'd say that adds on 1/2 a star. And it gets another 1/2 star for that pretty cover (it really doesn't have anything to do with the story though). Without that this would end up as a 2 star rating.This book had so much potential, but it didn't make the best of it. This is not Julie Kagawa's best work and if you've never read her books before I suggest you don't start with this one.And because I've enjoyed Julie Kagawa's books up until this one, I'm still willing to give the next book a try. And if she ever gives Puck his own book, you can bet that I'll do anything to read it.

I swear, Julie Kawaga is soo freaking awesome. Her writing style never fails to leave me speechless!If you are a fan of the Iron Fey series, look no further. Here is your chance to access that world once again this time in the shoes of Ethan Chase. BE FOREWARNED: If you have not read the Iron Series, I suggest you get on the ball and do so. You can pick up this book but, you will have spoilers from where the story left off with Megan. Alright, lets get this review started. First off the plot is awesome. It honestly felt as if I never left Megan, Ash or Puck. Ethan has made it his duty to stay clear away from anything fey. He has made habit of being a loner, which in turn earns him a few admires. They include a guy and girl, who will turn his world upside down as he knows it. I really loved that the plot moved at a beautiful pace never leaving the reader behind. As the reader, you get such wonderful insight on what Ethan is feeling, seeing, and doing. You feel his abrasiveness, his isolated ways that lead to his careful life that he wants no one to enter. There hasn't been a plot that left such a craving in my body. Once I completed this book, I was a goner.The love interest that form I simply adored. Why? Well for one, Ms. Kawaga took her time in getting the reader to invest in the characters. We get to watch the characters open up about their secluded lives. We get to see them trust and grow into a wonderful friendship. Most importantly, we get to watch them fall in love, as they risk everything they have to save each other. Absolutely Wonderful!The most exciting part is getting to see a certain new characters, who I am anxious to know more about. When I learned about him, my jaw dropped. Literally. I had to go back and re-reader what I had read, just to make sure I read that part right. Frankly, it felt so awesome to read more in to the Nevernever. See characters from the other series and watch new characters come to life!Matching the original Iron Fey series, The Lost Prince is the most exciting yet! This story is not just another spin-off. It's taut yet thrilling, conjuring a fantasy that I never want to let myself out of. A clever story that is delicious yet satisfying, The Lost Prince is sublime!

Rating 3.5 stars

I am a really big fan of Julie Kagawa. Her Iron Fae Series is one of the best YA Fantasy series that I have ever read... and I have been reading for a really,really long time. Julie is able to draw you in and make you care about her characters. You find yourself laughing and crying with them. Falling in love with some and hating others, but whatever you feel is felt deeply. She makes you apart of their world.

Saying that, I must confess this book did not grap me the way her earlier books have. I wanted to care as deeply for this set of characters. The three main ones are Ethan (the little brother of Meghan Chase,all grown up now), Kenzie (A mortal girl accidentally drawn into the NeverNever with Ethan) and Keirran (The grown son of Ash and Meghan)seemed alittle pale and lifeless in comparison.

The title of the 2nd book for this trilogy is "The Traitor Son" coming out in September of 2013. I can't wait to read it to see if the magic is again flowing not just in the book but from it as well.


ARC ebook given from NetGallery for review.

Julie Kagawa is one of those young adult authors who is capable of writing stories that are like an addiction to me. I crave the experience of diving into the world of the Iron fey and, through Ethan this time, I was offered that opportunity once again. The Lost Prince did not disappoint me. A strong story, it swept me along on a journey that had just a few bumps in the road for me. Once again, my favorite characters made an appearance and, in tried and true fashion, a quest emerged.As much as I loved being back in the world of the Fey, there was a few minor issues for me, however. Ethan, as much as I wanted to be on his side, was not nearly as likeable a character as his sister. He complained too much for me to ever feel any sympathy for him. In addition, there is a twist at the end of the book which leads into further complications throughout the series, and while I understand the purpose behind it, I am not sure that it will all tie together well. Then again - this is Ms. Kagawa I'm talking about and, she has definitely proven herself capable of tying together ends in a way that is satisfying. Whiny "hero" aside, I'll be picking up these books as quickly as I did the previous ones and very much look forward to seeing how the Fey world develops through Ethan's story.

Received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.

This was a fantastic story of the fae. Fans of Ms. Kagawa's The Iron Fey series will trip over themselves to read this as this one is from little Ethan Chase's point of view. Remember him? Four years old, the catalyst for Meghan, his older sister, becoming the Iron Queen? Yeaaaaaah, this is HIS story. Oh, don't worry, you get to see Puck/Robin Goodfellow, Ash, and Meghan, but briefly. The story centers around Ethan, Keirran, and Kenzie.

What I really enjoyed about this book is that there is no love triangle. Ethan likes Kenzie, Kenzie likes Ethan, that's it. Keirran has his love interest, that's it. That's not to say there isn't complications to spice things up/give you heartache, but at least there isn't that formulaic, annoying love triangle, unrequited-love thing going on.

Determined not to acknowledge the presence of faerie, Ethan has no choice but to break that resolve in order to save a friend and to protect this girl (Kenzie) he is falling for.

There are tidbits of teenage angst - bullying, parents being obtuse and not understanding or forgiving, internal dialogue overanalyzing self and actions, etc., - but they really define the characters and just work.

This is book #1 for "Call of the Forgotten" so there should be more to come! But don't think you will be left hanging at the end of book one. While you can tell there is more to come, you aren't left at a cliffhanger. Sure there are unanswered questions, unresolved issues, but I found myself satisfied and content with the ending as opposed to ripping my hair out that I will have to wait a whole (year, years, decade) to find out if my characters are going to perish or not.

I found the writing smooth and entrancing, the pace rolling at a fast clip with lots of action scenes. This one is going on my re-readable shelf. Fun, fantasy read set in the Nevernever!

I am not sure why but it took me forever to get into this book. I read about 50% of it then took a few months break, then another 30% and another month break, and now I have FINALLY finished it. It was not for lack of story line or interesting plot, I just felt I was not invested in the characters. I think that I have mentioned that I have NOT read The Iron Fey series, I know about the plotline and the characters but since I didn't have all the back story I just could not get into this book.Ethan Chase is the main character of this series and is trying to find out what is happening to the half-breeds and exile fey. Ethan has been tormented by the fey all his life, so when you meet him, he is mostly a jerk to everyone and everything that crosses his path. I kind of understood where he was coming from but at the same time, I think he was just a jerk to be a jerk...and that put me off a bit.I made it into the Nevernever with him and followed him on his quest to find his friend and what was happening, but even at the climaxes, which should have been interesting thought provoking moment, they just fell flat because I did not care what happened to Ethan. In the last four chapters was when I started feeling for him and that was a whole book too late for me.The other characters both human and fey were interesting and I loved them, especially all the little guys that helped though the adventure, talking cats, flying things, so fun and cute. I really need to read Meghan's tale and the whole Iron Fey series before trying to tackle the next book in this one.So my recommendation is to read the first series and then follow it with this, like most people probably did, I was crazy to think I could start this series as a completely new one.

I quite liked this installment of the series. Ethan Chase has lived with certain rules all his life, don't look at Them, don't speak of Them and never enter Their world. However his life becomes compliclated when some faerie start disappearing, while he would kinda like to ignore this, one of them is a half-faerie fellow student.Through the story Ethan has to deal with his assumptions and open up to his fellow student MacKenzie (Kenzie) who is determined to fine out more about him and the situation. Their lives will never be the same again and Ethan has to deal with destiny and the sister he thought lost to him forever.I enjoyed it once Ethan started caring about others. I could understand the why but going through the angst was a climb.

I've heard such great things about Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, even though for some strange reason I've never read it myself (don't hate me! I kept meaning to but never found the time), and I loved her book The Immortal Rules, so I jumped at the chance to read The Lost Prince. I was really hoping that I would be able to follow it since I hadn't read The Iron Fey books, and I wasn't disappointed. If anything, The Lost Prince has made me determined to go back and read the other books because if they're half as good as this one (and if the reviews are to be believed, they are), then I'm going to love them too! The Lost Prince was wildly enjoyable, and the world of the Fey has never been as enticing as it is in Ms. Kagawa's very capable hands!I loved that the book was told from the male POV, and that said male was Ethan Chase. He was the kind of guy that you want to get to know so you can break him out of his outwardly tough shell and find the gooey, soft center that you just know is hiding in there. Enter one extremely nosy reporter for the school newspaper by the name of Kenzie who, no matter how many times Ethan tries to bully her into staying away from him (for her own good of, course), doesn't take no for an answer, add a good sized dollop of major chemistry, and you have a couple to root for! I'm not kidding - they were so cute together! I think it's mostly because Ethan had always had to push people away because the fey are notorious trouble makers, and anyone who gets close to him could, and usually does, get hurt, and Kenzie just refused to accept that, because she saw something in him that was worth fighting for. She was also tough as nails when she needed to be, and Ethan was able to finally let her in because she proved to him that he could trust her and count on her not only when things were easy, but when they were very, very rough. She also rolled with the punches when she found herself in the fairy realm face to face with a sarcastic talking cat, who agreed to lead her and Ethan to the Iron Realm to talk to his sister Meghan, the queen of the Iron Fey, whom he had hadn't seen or spoken to since she left the family behind when he was just a kid to become the queen. He had to find her to let her know that outlaw fairies and half-fae were disappearing from the human realm and that he was being chased by some type of fairy that he had never seen before, and who were really, really bad news. I have to say that I absolutely loved this book and my first glimpse into Never Never, and after reading about the Iron Fey, along with all of the other interesting characters, I can't wait to find out more! Not only am I waiting impatiently for the next book in this series to come out, but I'm definitely going to get my hands on a copy of the books in the Iron Fey series so I can find out more about Meghan, Ash and Puck, and find out just what happened to Ethan when he was a young boy to make him hate the Fey as much as he does! This was a very exciting book with likable characters, lots of character growth, and a plot that moves along at a great pace and keeps you wanting more! :D

I liked it more than I thought I would. Ethan Chase is in some ways more interesting than Meghan Chase. Bring on the next book!

I'm going to open this review with a simple, I love this cover. Not because of the beef on the front. The male looks a little too airbrushed-fake for me. But the colors and woodsy background really pop, drawing my attention to the lovely photo. What's more, is it not just fleetingly pretty. So that's always a good plus. As for the book, well I hate to say it, but I was a bad Kagawa fan. I kept looking at this title and thinking, um...no. Why mess with a good thing? I loved the Iron series and felt that Kagawa ended at the right time and in the right moment. I was worried this book would muck it up and ruin my rose colored glasses when it came to the illustrious author. Luckily, the cover kept drawing my attention..beckoning. Oh, how it beckoned.....LJ, come read me and eventually I did. Ms. Kagawa, I apologize for ever thinking you could go astray. You've taken a much, adored series and created something new. A spin off of the beautiful story I fell in love with, but something completely different with only a small portion being made up of similar components. Honestly, I thought a male POV would be horrible. A muckfest of major proportions. Silly, silly me. The Lost Prince was beautiful, BEAUTIFUL. The world as usual was glamorously unique with more complex characters than previous introduced in the Iron Series. Of course, some much beloved characters surfaced to lend a hand here and there. That was a nice treat, like watching Chuck Norris make an appearance in a major movie. As for the writing, well Kagawa is still high in the ranks of my favorite author. Never has she failed me. The writing was spot on, details perfect, tone perfect, objectives perfect, reactions perfect. The only thing that really bothered me was the slow start in the beginning of The Lost Prince. Now, I don't necessarily think that slow start was Kagawa's fault. I am woman enough to admit it could have just been me having difficulty adjusting to change. Glad I can adapt though because this story seriously kicked butt and I suddenly find myself thinking double swords are super duper hot. Overall, this story was another success. I was leery of this spin off but honestly am glad that Kagawa took this leap. Yes, it's basically the same world of the Iron Series but it's in a totally new light that no one can dare say Kagawa isn't branching out and growing as a writer. I honestly look earnestly forward to the next book in this wonderful series.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick and Dirty: Ethan, Megan’s younger brother, has his own adventure in the Nevernever–against his will. Opening Sentence: My name is Ethan Chase. The Review: YAYAYAYAY!!!!! Ya’ll have no idea how excited I was to read Ethan’s story (umm…okay, maybe more like see Puck and Ash…*sighs*). But anyway, Kagawa does not disappoint in this new spin off of the Iron Fey series. She manages to create a new intriguing group of characters that almost (but not quite) lives up to the original series (’cause nothing beats the original cast of characters). For those of you who have read the Iron Fey series (and those of you who haven’t, GO, SHOO!!! Run to your local book store and buy the whole series!) remember that little six-year-old-kid that was so adorable? Well now Ethan is all grown up and facing his own fey-problems. Ethan has the Sight–the ability to see the fey even though he himself is not fey. And these are not the cute faeries that follow Peter Pan. These are vicious, bloodthirsty, human-antagonizing fey that will cheat you in a deal or take your first born. And Ethan Chase has to see them every morning of his life. That’s why he’s taken up Kali, a martial arts with sticks, knives, or bare hands. Ethan has done everything that’s in his power to stay away from the world his sister, Meghan Chase, has come to embrace. But the world of Faery hasn’t forgotten Ethan. He’s forced to flee into the Nevernever with a girl he wouldn’t dare fall for in tow. A new kind of fey is rising, and it’s up to Ethan and his friends to warn Faeryland. The bad thing about spin-offs is that the main reason they’re read is to see the reappearances of the old characters. Yes, this was the driving reason I read this book, but once I started reading it, I was once again immersed into the world of Nevernever and intrigued by these new characters. Kagawa’s writing is still beautiful and intoxicating; her descriptions of the surreal Nevernever and action scenes are fit for a movie (I literally view her stories as a movie in my head). Even without Puck, she still had snarky comebacks and lines that had me laughing. But the characters were the driving force in this story. Forget that cute, clingy little boy that was described in the original Iron Fey. Now he’s a brooding, quiet teen that has to worry about where he looks, how he acts, and who he hangs around. He’s had to switch schools multiple times because of incidents with the fey (the most recent one was when redcaps burned down the school library trying to get to Ethan, but Ethan was blamed because he was seen running from the scene). He can’t get close to anyone because the fey will use them against them. So pretty much everyone sees him as a rebellious teenager in need of some juvie time. Yet Kenzie still insists on getting close to him. I love this girl–she’s spunky, brave, and wants to be a journalist! She has the habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (on multiple occasions). But she balances Ethan’s don’t-mess-with-me personality, and really, brings a bit of lightness to the story. There are multiple character arcs in this story so it’s hard to tell where it will go in the next installment. Kerrian has his own star-crossed lover arc, and then there’s the prophesy… But for those of you who just want some more Ash, Puck, or Grimalkin, I’m sure you’ll find some in this story. Yes, they aren’t major characters, but there are still hilarious Puck comments and sarcastic Ash moments. Grim is still disappearing in the midst of danger, and we get to see Meghan adjusted to her position of Iron Queen. Just a reflection on the book as a whole: it seems like the conflicts in this book parallel the Iron King. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be like that, but (without getting into specifics) the same conflicts appear with different characters. It’s weird. And cool. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it until I can read the next book. AND I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK!!!!! By the way, if it isn’t apparent by now, I highly suggest this book, even if you haven’t read the past Iron Fey books. Love it! Thank you Julie Kagawa for extending the Iron Fey series! Notable Scene: I closed my eyes. “Then, I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t want to do this. But try not to freak out when we get there.” “Get… where?” The circle of fey hissed and flowed toward us, claws reaching out, mouths gaping. Praying this would work, I squeezed Kenzie’s hand in a death grip and flung the token into the puddle at my feet. A flash of blinding white, a ripple of energy with no sound, I felt my stomach pulled inside out, the ground spinning under my feet, and held my breath. The mad hisses and clicking of the transparent fey cut out, and suddenly I was falling. I hit the ground on my stomach, biting my lip as the gym bag landed on my shoulder and sent a flare of pain up my arm. Beside me, I heard Kenzie’s breathless yelp as she thumped to the dirt and lay over, gasping. “What… what in the hell?” she panted, and I heard her struggle to get up. “What just happened? Where are we?” “Well, well,” answered a cool, amused voice from somewhere above us. “And here you are again. Ethan Chase, your family does have a knack for getting into trouble.”FTC Advisory: HarlequinTeen provided me with a copy of The Lost Prince. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

It was interesting to see the unexpected consequences of Meghan's becoming the Iron Queen. Ethan was a fascinating character, and I liked Kenzie a great deal. I admit that I want to know more- I want to know what will happen next. I very much want more Iron Fey (although I have been enjoying Kagawa's vampires)- I just need to know more about all the uncertainties.

I probably should have thought this one through more. I started on the Iron Fey series by this same author and while the first book was ok, I just couldn't get into any of the other ones, so they sit upon my shelves collecting dust.
I struggled to get past the first part of this book, and it took me over a week to get up to page 207. The story is a good one and the writing is superb, apparently I just can't read books about the Fey, as they don't interest me. I guess my main problem was that even though the writing was amazing, I just really felt no connection to any of the characters. I couldn't put myself in their lives and see me doing any of the things they did. Ethan was a strong male lead and Kenzie makes the perfect female character, afraid but strong willed and doesn't really show that she can't handle what is going on. The Fey in the book, was mostly what I had previously read about in other books, goblins, gremlins, and the like; though there was the introduction of the new smokey/shadowy fey.
I feel that I may be burnt out on Fey books for now and will try to come back to this and the Iron Fey series at a later date.

4.5/5 stars!I'll admit, when I finished "The Iron Knight", I was pretty bummed out. Yeah, I got an HEA that I could live with (and that also seemed credible, considering the genre), but I just didn't want to leave this world behind. Then "Lost Prince" got announced, and I got excited. But also suspicious. I've had problems with some long-running series (the "Sookie Stackhouse" mysteries and "The Dresden Files" to name just two) that it's where I get to a point where I feel like the series has lost all of its freshness, and it feels like the author is writing the same book over and over again from a certain point forward. However. I am very happy to report that this is NOT the case with "The Lost Prince", and if anything, had me guessing and kept my interest at pretty much every single important plot point in the book. If you're a fan of the "Iron Fey" series, what are you waiting for? Ethan won't wait for you forever!What I think I loved the most about this start to a new sequel series about the "Iron Fey" world was that right from the jump, Kagawa makes it blatantly clear - even though Meghan has really, really influenced this story with her own, thirteen years previously, this is definitely Ethan's story. This is Ethan's story about coming to terms with being faerynapped in the first place, and dealing with the loss of his sister to her duties as queen. This is also Ethan's story about dealing with all of the reprocussions of being able to see the fey, but being human at the same time - there's not much you can do aside from constant vigilance, anger management, and self-defense when you're in his situation. And Kagawa really dives into all of that anger and angst (which seemed really realistic, especially since/because he was a teenage dude, and it feels like not a whole lot of YA female authors can write cross-gender narration well enough for a realistic effect) without hesitation or qualms.She got her start with cross-gender narration in "Iron Knight", which at points did kind of fall into some of the traps of the ideal YA dude, but since he's a faery, I can forgive that. Here, we're dealing with a 100% faery-afflicted human, who has some serious trauma and anger to work through in order to get healthy about everything that's happened to him. And you know what? He knows it. He admits he has some issues within his personal journey arc within this book, and that just makes me love Kagawa even more. Even when it's a grudging admittance to all of these things, the fact that she can write a realistic guy with fantastical problems and still make it feel real definitely gets her a solid gold star (instead of a "you tried" star) in my book. If you've read other reviews of mine where I mention cross-gender narration, you'll know it's extremely hard to get right. Only a few authors that I've read who have tried have actually gotten it right. Kagawa now makes the list (and it's in good company with David Levithan and others). I also love how there's no insta-love here. Ethan is way too angry for that, and I love the eventual relationship that develops between him and Kenzie. He resists it so very much, and that's always really, really refreshing to see in a genre that's stuffed with insta-love trying to claw at you at every turn. But because of Ethan's very pronounced issues, their romance is very, very gradual, and is a friendship before it's a romantic relationship. All of the action scenes where Kenzie jumps into the fray (even though she can't do very much) really made me happy, a couple of definite "Adventure Time" Finn and Jake bro-fist-bump kinda moments scattered here and there.Speaking of bromances, one of my favorite in all of paranormal YA comes back for fifths in this new book: Puck and Ash. I must have had my slash goggles on whilst reading because it seemed that Puck was way more flirty with Ash than in previous books. But, you know, that could just be the slash goggles. Nevertheless, I was definitely happy to see them come back - it just wouldn't be an "Iron Fey" tale without those two.We also have a lot of new characters in this book along with the old that helps bring in newcomers while satisfying those already familiar with the series. While I would have liked to see a lot more about Todd (and his origins - as in, who's the faery parent?), what I got was enough to really fuel Ethan's journey back to his sister and eventual acceptance about how the faery world and the human world have to work together in order to co-exist. I also loved the new villains/victims (because really, the Forgotten are both in this one), and I can't wait to see more. Add to that one very uncomfortable family encounter and you basically get a huge stack of awesome that becomes "The Lost Prince". The rest of the technical areas of this book (worldbuilding, sensory language/imagery) were so flawless I'm not even going to touch them. There's no need. Kagawa totally has this well in hand.All I can say is, if you're a fan of the first quartet, start this new series ASAP. "The Lost Prince" is out now through HarlequinTeen in North America, so be sure to get your paws on a copy as soon as you can! It's on my best of 2012 list for good reason.(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)

This book has the same feel and pacing as The Iron Fey series so if you loved that series, you're going to love this one. I almost think I like Ethan better as a main character than Meghan. I guess I'll figure that one out for sure as I read on through the series. I did enjoy the story. It was one of those books that I just sat down and read in a couple of hours and came away from relaxed and feeling happy.

(4.5 stars...but I'll gladly round up. It's an Iron Fey book, after all!)

I did not want to put this book down once I started reading it. To be honest, when I first heard that Julie Kagawa was writing a spin-off series about Ethan, I wasn't entirely sold on the idea. I loved Megan's books, and really just wanted Megan and Ash to have a blissful HEA forever in my imagination. They'd been through enough, I figured. And little Ethan, in his own book? I just wasn't sure. But…it's an Iron Fey book. By Julie Kagawa. So, naturally, I felt it was my duty to read it. And was I ever glad I did!

In many ways, of course, it's a lot like Megan's series. Same family, same world, someone goes missing and it's up to a Chase to go forth and rescue them. But there are definite differences. One big plus for me was the lack of a love triangle—absolutely awesome. Every other YA book since you-know-what has had one it seems like, and it's soooooo nice not to have to deal with it here. It's also really neat to see Puck, Ash, and even Megan from someone else's perspective. Every time Ethan said or thought something snarky about Ash, my brain went all, "But…it's ASH!" and I had to slow myself down and remind myself that of course Ethan would have a totally different perspective on all of this. The author did I great job with that, I thought—male POVs are definitely a strength of hers. Even though I didn't agree a lot with what Ethan was thinking, I did understand where he was coming from, and in the end he made some good choices. The "new" fey here are very creepy, and the coming battle looks to be a good one. I loved, loved, loved Keirran's character, though I am a little concerned about Kagawa's plans for him, I'm going to have faith. The ending of this one was a bit on the anticlimactic side (hence the ½ star), but it is the start of a new series so we don't want her pulling out all the big guns at once. Still, it'll be a long wait for book two….