My Thoughts: The Lost Prince (Julie Kagawa)

 The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

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.
(Goodreads blurb)



Source: Netgalley
Publication date: October 23, 2012
Why I wanted to read it: Because of my already established love for Julie's writing and the incredible world of the Nevernever.

Cover: I like the effect on the guy's body.

My Thoughts:

The first question possible readers might have is: Do you have to read the Iron Fey series (The Iron King, The Iron Queen, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Knight) first? My answer is this:  I don’t think one will have a complete appreciation for this book, for this story, for this world  without reading the others first.  You won’t have the background or back story and you won’t have already established your love and connection to the world of Nevernever and some of its previous characters. 

I hate to type this but I was a little bit let down with The Lost Prince.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and will continue to be an avid reader of anything Julie Kagawa writes, but I expected more. I didn’t fall completely. That said, I think this is an excellent start and cannot wait to see where things go from here.

You have to go into this book with an open mind. New characters.  It's told from Ethan’s point of view, and as a main character I liked him well enough, but I didn’t love him.  I had high hopes that the other characters would fill the void of missing Ash, Puck and Meghan.  Unfortunately I wasn’t taken.  Ethan’s love interest Kenzie was likable enough, but I didn’t get that heat, that fire, that spark.  Also, Ethan’s inner dialogue regarding Kenzie got on my nerves a bit and found these particular passages to be a bit draggy. There was a lack of passion for me.

Speaking of characters, there are glimpses of some old favorites. It was just enough of a taste to make me crazy with wanting more. The character I ended up connecting with the most was that of Kierran.  I’m not going to go into details about him as not to give any spoilers, but I felt this book was as much about him, if not more, than that of Ethan. (You'll understand what I'm talking about when you read this book)  I’m so excited and interested to see how Julie develops his character.  Not to mention the story itself.  There’s a new threat in town that is causing the disappearance of fey exiles and half-breeds.   It’s been  12 years since Meghan abandoned Ethan and her family in order to be the Iron Queen. Let’s just say Ethan has a lot of unrequited feelings about this.  He is forced to face his appearingly strong hatred of anything Fey head on and question not only his feelings about Them but also about himself.

The writing was good and easy to follow, but I was already familiar with the world.  New readers might be a bit confused and have a lot of unanswered questions.  Then there were the passages involving the Nevernever.  They were my highlights.  I have such a love for that beautifully dangerous land of Fey. The detailed descriptions immediately transported me back to this incredible otherworldly place.

Favorite Quotes:

"I'd never met someone who could be so relentlessly cheerful in the face of such blatant jack-assery."

"A figure melted out of the shadows in the corner, stepping in front of the door, a sharp silhouette against the light. He moved like darkness itself, silent and smooth, dressed all in black, his eyes glittering silver as he blocked my exit."

Bottom Line:  Overall, The Lost Prince is a solid next installment in the already established amazing world of Fey.  4/5