I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1
Published by Harlequin Teen on October 23, 2012
Genres: Faeries, Urban Fantasy YA, Young Adult
Pages: 377
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
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Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.
That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
I can’t even tell you guys how excited I was when I first heard that Julie Kagawa–author of one of my favorite faerie series of ever, The Iron Fey–was writing more books in the world of Meghan, Ash, and Puck. Even better? The news that the main character would not be any of the original trio, but Ethan Chase, Meghan’s now-grown little brother, who has grown up with two things driving him: bitterness over the loss of her older sister and hatred of all things fey. THE LOST PRINCE is intense and mysterious, and continues the original series’ saga more than admirably. It’s a super beginning to a new series.
At the center of THE LOST PRINCE is, well, the lost prince: Ethan Chase, who has made himself lost from the Nevernever on purpose. See, Ethan has got some major issues with faeries, friends. Because of the time he spent in the Nevernever, he can see faeries in the human world when other people can’t and he kind of resents feeling like he needs to deal with them and protect unsuspecting humans from meddling, dangerous fey as they begin to attack people important to him (and, well, Ethan himself too). Also, he basically hates their immortal guts because they took his sister from them, and Ethan and his family now have to pretend that Meghan is dead. In particular, he HATES Ash. Like, for always, because as far as Ethan is concerned, the only reason Meghan left them in the first place was because she chose Ash over her own family. Oh boy. This doesn’t sound like a happy Thanksgiving in the making, friends.
Ethan is a great character, perhaps not always because he does the admirable thing, but because he never does anything that we as readers wouldn’t understand. His feelings about the faeries? Totally well-founded. His anger over his sister choosing faerie queendom over her family? Understandable. The release he gets from practicing his swordwork? Get it. Ethan’s got a lot of anger, and it’s been getting him into trouble lots. Basically, he’s got lots of shizz on his plate, and he’s really emo about it. I never really felt like he was being whiney, though, which I could never stand. Julie Kagawa makes all of his bristly personality seem genuine and, frankly, isolating and sad.
Of course, all this internal angst isn’t the only trouble Ethan is dealing with in THE LOST PRINCE. The faeries that he can see are disappearing, and Ethan himself has seen something odd: a faerie that’s almost invisible and very dangerous, the Forgotten, who need to kill other faeries in order to not disappear themselves. It’s these fey that serve as the central bad guys in THE LOST PRINCE, and they are the reason that Ethan and some friends find themselves in the Nevernever, where he meets some very interesting folks, new and old. My favorite newbie? Keirran. I really found myself enjoying him and his mystery, and I’m very curious about some things that make him especially different. I don’t want to tell you too much else about him because it’s all spoilery, but I liked him–and how he countered Ethan’s darkness with his own snarkiness and boldness–and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him. I have THOUGHTS about him that would make things REALLY interesting.
But what would a Julie Kagawa book be without some romancing, hmm? THE LOST PRINCE has it in the form of Kenzie, a girl from Ethan’s school. She got some secrets of her own that, frankly, weren’t too hard for me to puzzle out and I’m a little unsure of how they’re going to play out. If I’m comparing, I was way more swooned by Ash and Meghan. In fact, I found myself still pretty interested in reading about how Meghan and Ash are as a married couple. But I can tell that Ethan and Kenzie are going to have lots of drama coming up, and I can get behind that for sure.
THE LOST PRINCE was more of what I expect of Julie Kagawa’s books: lots of feelings, great twists, imaginative world-building, complex characters, and excellent pacing and writing. The setup in THE LOST PRINCE indicates that there’s some big things coming for Ethan and friends as they battle the Forgotten and come to grips with their own familial dramas. Ethan is a strong, badass character, but he’s going to be tested for sure. I, obviously, am waiting with baited breath to see how he’s tested, and how he comes through.
I keep eyeing this one up at the book store, I need to check it out!
Ahahahaha as someone who also does not like Ash, I think I would like reading about Ethan and his story, but first I have to finish The Iron Fey books. I am glad this is an awesome read. BECAUSE I LOVE ROMANCE AND TWISTS AND ACTION AND ALL OF THE THINGS! <3
He is so angsty and Kenzie is so refreshing and I’m just IN LOVE with this book!
Can I read this without reading the Iron Fae series? I keep putting it off because fae/faeries aren’t really my thing.. 😊
Great review BTW. I may add this to mh TBR pile