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

Can I take a minute to fangirl over Julie Kagawa? Cause this lady knows how to write a page-turner! The Lost Prince wasted no time creating suspense and building mystery, instantly capturing my full attention and guaranteeing that I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I had unravelled all of its secrets! Julie is a master of the male PoV, of adding a little humour in tense moments to lighten up a dire situation, and of seamlessly building two words that exist simultaneously together and apart.

Ethan was a hard character to love. No longer the adorable curly haired toddler, he’s a brooding mess, full of teenage angst after being abandoned by his sister and left to deal with the constant presence of the fey on his own. Determined to keep everyone at a distance so as not to endanger their life by accidentally introducing them to the fey, he’s a jerk. But it’s because of his constant guilt over being a jerk that I was able to fall in love with him. As his walls are slowly broken down, we get to see the softer, kinder side of Ethan that he feels forced to hide. His fearlessness in the face of danger, his protectiveness for those he cares about and his courage in the face of the unknown was a pleasure to read.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel as strongly for the other characters in The Lost Prince. Kenzie was stubbornly adorable, but it took me a long time to find her nosiness and general lack of self-preservation endearing. Her refusal to back down and leave Ethan alone, after numerous attempts by him to not-so-politely tell her to get lost, had me immediately questioning her motives. I also got tired of references to her thin frame or slender build, and how tiny she was. I think it was done to make her actions seem braver, but it became quite tiresome. Keirran didn’t really affect me one way or the other – and that was the problem. He had very little personality, and it felt like he was hiding things – things that were never brought to light. His entire existence seemed to center around Annwyl, and I couldn’t figure out why, as she had even less personality! After his adamance over finding the Forgotten’s lair to stop them from hurting anymore fey, his actions toward the end baffled me and the lack of resolution with his feelings toward the Forgotten left me confused and frustrated.

Somehow though, I did enjoy the slow-building romance between Ethan and Kenzie. I loved watching her break down his walls through sheer persistence and determination of will. I loved watching him try to resist her at every turn, constantly catching himself staring or reaching out to touch her. I loved their playful banter, and how they found time to steal moments for themselves even during some of their stickier moments. And I loved watching him realize that he was falling, despite his best efforts to the contrary.

But it was the plot that truly had me enjoying The Lost Prince. I was immediately intrigued by the presence of new fey – what else could Julie create after the Iron Fey!? The idea of the Forgotten is brilliantly forlorn, and somehow I found myself empathizing slightly with their plight. Unravelling their mysteries added a layer of intrigue to every action Ethan took, in the hopes that he would stumble on more information about their past and their motives. The looming threat of even more exiled being killed added a sense of urgency, which when combined to the Forgotten’s mysterious existence, created a suspenseful atmosphere that permeated The Lost Prince from beginning to end. With appearances from Iron Fey favourites, Puck and Grim!, and being able to return to the expansive and detailed NeverNever, I couldn’t put The Lost Prince down!

From start to finish, The Lost Prince kept me captivated. With some great new characters – I also loved Razor! – and appearances from some of my Iron Fey favourites, a plot full of action and suspense, and a heartwarming romance, I found myself constantly laughing and cheering and sitting on the edge of my seat!

I love Julie Kagawa's writing. She's created this beautiful, chilling, and goosebump-raising world that has completely absorbed me. The fey are no longer the sweet, gently little creatures that prance around in pretty dresses and wave a magic wand that sprinkles fairy dust so you can fly... oh, no. This is a bunch of rabid Disney's Tinkerbells on fire raising havoc everywhere they go. And now, they're semi-invisible too (so double the trouble).
The Lost Prince is a fantastic beginning to a very promising series. It's full of heart-stopping adventures, mounts of perilous action, hot, swoon-worthy moments, and lots of familiar faces. Besides, Puck is in it, so extra brownie points for that.
I couldn't stop reading without forcing myself to. The characters were so well-played and they left this satisfying impression on me. The plot was ingenious and there was this dense atmosphere of mystery hung upon the story. And, above all else, PUCK was in it! (And so were others... but come on! This is Puck we're talking about!)

The Main Characters:
Little Ethan Chase has grown from the scared little boy into the brooding, attractive 'tough guy'. He's completely sworn off the fey and with Them, his sister. Unfortunately, They haven't sworn him off just yet. For Ethan Chase, this is all just the beginning.
What I liked best about Ethan was his personality. He's got this rugged and rebellious look stuck to him that just begs for female attention when he doesn't really want it. Seeing things through his POV was more than interesting, it was actually pretty cool. I'm not a very big fan of male protagonists, but wow... Ethan certainly made me think twice. Kagawa got the kick-butt male character down to perfection.
Ethan wasn't whiny, or full of gushy romance. He was cool and his flaws didn't make his character unbearable. He also didn't over-analyze things, which is a HUGE flaw that many female characters have.

Mackenzie, otherwise known as Kenzie, couldn't have been any more perfect for Ethan. She's a stable character, not psychotically overprotective, and rather mysterious. There's lots that's been left unsaid about her. She's a journalist. She wants to see the world one day. She's stubborn and Ethan finds her infuriating for some time. But she's also rather attaching, I sort of got a soft spot for her (Especially after I discovered the semi-truth about her). She's not a physically strong person, but she's courageous and mentally adaptable to whatever changes occur. I ended admiring her. A lot.

There were also other characters, such as Kierran, and (of course) Grimalkin, but I don't want to include anymore spoilers than I have to. I will say, though, that Kierran's love interest annoyed me. It was adorable that he jumped in to save her without even thinking twice about it, but the girl was just insufferable. Once, okay, trouble is inevitable. Twice, I get it, but try to take care next time. Third time, starts getting on nerves. Fourth time, are you kidding me? I don't know what he saw in her.
Other than that, I really liked the characters.

The Plot:
For the most part, the book revolved around an occult tone. There's a lot of things left unexplained and even more amounts of secrecy. The plot was consistently paced, though it did take up some speed around the ending.
The story itself was definitely masterful. It's as close to unique as you can get. There's a new type of fey out there kidnapping exiles and half-breeds. Next thing you know, a war is brewing between all the courts... maybe even the human world. It's a sticky situation, especially since both the Summer and Winter courts would rather not get involved. Seems like they have no choice in the end.
Ethan Chase took part in this when his half-breed friend, Todd, was kidnapped. He felt that it was up to him to save Todd... unfortunately, a stubborn journalist (Kenzie) followed him to the fey world.
It's wonderfully thrilling. I was jumping up and down in my seat as I read this. The intensity and the suspense was eating me up. And Kagawa introduced me to a truck load of new magical creatures I instantly ate up.

Overall
I really REALLY loved this first installation to the new series. It's captivating to the fullest degree. Kagawa has a magnificent style of writing that never bores you. The surroundings are detailed enough to get a clear image, but not so much as to lose the reader's interest. The characters were full of witty comebacks and impressive courageous moments.
I stayed up all night reading this one.
I've completely fallen in love with this series! (And besides, PUCK was in it!) :D

Yes! When I finished the last book of the Iron Fey series, I was like "Nooooooo!!!" (if you don't get the image, think about luke from star wars after he realises darth vader is his father). And then this comes out, and I must say, I was a bit apprehensive when I realised that it would be Ethan's voice, not Meghan's.

This is another amazing, amazing novel where Meghan has been the Iron Queen for some time now, and Ethan is all grown up now, a sixteen year old who can see the Fey.

Ethan has grown up, he is no longer the scared little four year old (I actually liked him better when he was four). He is now someone who has changed completely from that person. The book starts when he is starting at a new school, having been expelled from the last one after setting fire to the library (that is just devastating, why couldn't the classrooms have burnt down instead?) even though it wasn't really his fault. The Fey seem hell bent on making his life miserable. At this new school, he meets Kenzie, a very stubborn though pretty girl. After his kind-of-not-really friend Todd gets kidnapped by some Fey that Ethan has never seen before, he gets dragged into lots of trouble. So much for staying away from the Fey.

I actually could not put this book down after I picked this up. It took a lot of cajoling from mum and my brother to get me to join dinner.

Let's talk characters. Yes, Meghan and Puck and Ash do reappear in this book, even though they are only really given like three or four pages in total, which is sad, because I miss that team. Meghan is now a serious Iron Queen, and, as always, it was strange when I saw her from a different perspective after being in her head all these books. Ash is there with her, obviously, and he hasn't aged at all, which answers my question from the last book. Puck is NOT there with them, being allergic to iron and all. We meet Puck later on, and I was kind of sad when we met him, because he doesn't seem as funny and playful and prankster-y as before, telling Ethan off instead of having a laugh. I felt like shaking him and shouting "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL PUCK?!"

I loved Keirran (son of Meghan and Ash). He was so witty and daring and great. He really reminded me of Puck more than Meghan or Ash, and I just loved Puck in the last books. He doesn't seem like a serious ruler, like Meghan, or a silent Prince, like Ash, more outgoing like Puck. I also really loved Kenzie, who was very stubborn and didn't let anyone push her around. She was a perfect match for Ethan.

Now, onto Ethan. I really wanted to like him, he seemed like an okay guy, inside, but I can't say that I liked him. I didn't ike his bad-boy act, and how he pushed everyone away. And he was so RUDE to everyone. He was rude to Meghan, poor girl, rude to Kenzie, acting like he OWNED her, poor girl, rude to Todd, who was trying to be friendly, rude to Ash, who did what he felt was right. Ugh. And he kept saying "oh, I feel terrible for being such a jerk." Just because you TELL yourself you're jerky doesn't make you any less of a jerk. As I said though, Kenzie was a great match for him.

I must say, I liked Meghan's team better than Ethan, they just worked nicer and appealed to me more.

Anyway, apart from that, you canNOT be disappointed with this new book of Kagawa's! One request Julie, though. More page time for Meghan and Ash and Puck, please!

To sum it up, this was another really amazing book from Kagawa, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Iron Fey.

The Iron Fey is back in this new amazing novel, The Lost Prince, and when I say amazing, I mean it. It sure does live up to all that was said about it, it was awesome. It was like coming home after a really time, and finding where you belong. Yes, I belong with these books, they are just unavoidable.

I must confess that I gave a lot of studying time up to read this book, it was so addictive. I love Kierran, he was just so, well, perfect. He reminds me more of Puck than Ash and Meghan, as he seemed much more like a prankster than a solemn Winter Prince or an Iron Queen. Maybe he stole all of Puck's charm, because Puck seemed much less playful, as he was telling Kierran and Ethan off, not having a laugh! Where have you gone Puck!?

I want to say I really liked Ethan, but he didn't work as well with as Meghan did, or even Ash. I didn't like his bad-boy act, and how he pushed everyone away. I understood why he did all that, but I just didn't like it, it seemed cruel. I know he had a nice personality inside, but he really needed to work on his outside. I thought that Kenzie was a great match though, they just worked.

This is another great book from Julie Kagawa, and you can hardly be disappointed with this amazing book.

Julie Kagawa's new series definitely lived up to all of its hype. I literally heard about this book everywhere I would go. Everyone was praising it and reviewing it. It made me espicially happy that Julie finally got all the attenention she deserved.

First of all, I LOVED Ethan. I usually hate when guys pretend to be tough and cruel, but Ethan had a good reason to be a jerk. I absolutely understood why he had to push everyone away: there was no reason why he should set himself up for getting hurt. I felt for Ethan alot, in other words.

Second, Julie had another great plot! It was the perfect pace. I had my nose in the book all the time, excited to find out what happens next. I really doubted I would like this new series better than the iron fey series, but I might change my mind in the near future...

Finally, the ENDING or near ending was SO HEARTBREAKING! I could not believe it. I had to read the words twice just to make sure I was not hallucinating. I will not say anymore for I might spill some secrets.

This book was really great and I am going to look out for the second book for sure. I want to find out how Julie ends up weaving all these new things into the old ones!

I was in love with Ethan from the start. He is broody, and I connected with his voice. I could understand where he was coming from with his attitude and I liked the glimpses of the person he really is through the shell.
I was also intrigued by Kenzie and her motivations as well as admiring her stubborness and tenacity. I loved the interactions between her and Ethan and they really drive the book for me.
The addition of Kali, a type of martial art was a breath of fresh air. The relationship between Ethan and Guro is well written and I like having a role model like that in my stories. I like how he didn't press issues, but let Ethan know he was there for him, as well as expecting the best from Ethan.
Julie Kagawa twines old familiar characters in and I smiled getting to see what they are up to now. It is neat seeing them from new eyes and seeing how the outside sees their relationships and dynamics.
I wanted to know more but the ending didn't do it for me as far as wrapping up the plot. I liked how the epilogue ended things between Kenzie and Ethan though. I definitely want to know more about their lives and where their stories take them next.
Bottom line: Absolute page turner. A familiar and loved world told through the eyes of a new main character that I fell for instantly.

Wow! I've never read any of Julie Kagawa's books before. I've already added all her titles to my TBR list! This is an amazing story. I don't have the benefit of knowing Ethan as a young boy, from her previous novels, but I love Ethan the young man. He is a very angry, rude almost obnoxious person, but somehow, he's lovable. I can see him as I read the pages.

Julie's characters and settings are so amazing, the reader will have no trouble visualizing the scenes. It was like a movie playing out in my mind.

I recommend this book for anyone who has previously read Ms. Kagawa's work, and anyone who would like to be introduced to a fabulous writer.

Some of you might not know this, but I'm a frickin huge Iron Fey fan!! Woo!! So when I heard there is going to be a spin-off series of Ethan, I was like.. WTF. Then I was like, OMG OMG OMG.. ETHAN AND KEIRRAN!!! So, when I got this galley from Harlequin, I was basically dying of shock...

I had really high expectations of this book and now, I'm still not sure if I liked the way it turned out or not. Ethan is now in high school and is ass-kicking bad boy. Seriously, I still think of him as the four year old little kid. So seeing that he's all grown up, I'm just like, "Whoa, wait what?"

I still have mix feelings about Ethan. He's a jerk. I mean, I understand why he has to push people away and make himself as untouchable and unapproachable as possible, but that doesn't mean he can be a dick. Like, when he flipped off Kenzie, I was like, "APOLOGIZE, ETHAN." But, I can totally understand why he has to be the way he is. I think he's still scared.. there's still some of that four-year-old left in him. Hard and badass on the outside, but a scared little kid on the inside.

My absolute favorite character in this book is Keirran!! I can totally see how he is the son of Meghan and Ash. Ah!! Keirran is another hot guy for me to swoon about. I can see that he likes Annwyl a lot :) And that is just so sweet :3

Ethan and Keirran just remind me of another pair *coughAshandPuckcough*

The old gang is back in this series, but we don't see them that much. Like Puck, Ash, and Meghan only appeared once or twice. But I'm happy that we get to see a lot of Grimalkin. I missed that cat :)

Now, onto the plot. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm sort of disappointed by the plot. I thought it was going to be kind of like the old series again, all action-packed and kick-ass scenes. But nope, this one is more.. calm and negotiating and touchy-feely sort of book. There wasn't a lot of action in this one. Old series: plot like a roller coaster. New series: calm waves in the ocean.

The ending wasn't really surprising but I still have my hopes high for the next book :) Hopefully, we'll get more kick-ass moments and just plain kali :)

Can I take a minute to fangirl over Julie Kagawa? Cause this lady knows how to write a page-turner! The Lost Prince wasted no time creating suspense and building mystery, instantly capturing my full attention and guaranteeing that I wouldn't be able to put it down until I had unravelled all of its secrets! Julie is a master of the male PoV, of adding a little humour in tense moments to lighten up a dire situation, and of seamlessly building two words that exist simultaneously together and apart.

Ethan was a hard character to love. No longer the adorable curly haired toddler, he's a brooding mess, full of teenage angst after being abandoned by his sister and left to deal with the constant presence of the fey on his own. Determined to keep everyone at a distance so as not to endanger their life by accidentally introducing them to the fey, he's a jerk. But it's because of his constant guilt over being a jerk that I was able to fall in love with him. As his walls are slowly broken down, we get to see the softer, kinder side of Ethan that he feels forced to hide. His fearlessness in the face of danger, his protectiveness for those he cares about and his courage in the face of the unknown was a pleasure to read.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel as strongly for the other characters in The Lost Prince. Kenzie was stubbornly adorable, but it took me a long time to find her nosiness and general lack of self-preservation endearing. Her refusal to back down and leave Ethan alone, after numerous attempts by him to not-so-politely tell her to get lost, had me immediately questioning her motives. I also got tired of references to her thin frame or slender build, and how tiny she was. I think it was done to make her actions seem braver, but it became quite tiresome. Keirran didn't really affect me one way or the other - and that was the problem. He had very little personality, and it felt like he was hiding things - things that were never brought to light. His entire existence seemed to center around Annwyl, and I couldn't figure out why, as she had even less personality! After his adamance over finding the Forgotten's lair to stop them from hurting anymore fey, his actions toward the end baffled me and the lack of resolution with his feelings toward the Forgotten left me confused and frustrated.

Somehow though, I did enjoy the slow-building romance between Ethan and Kenzie. I loved watching her break down his walls through sheer persistence and determination of will. I loved watching him try to resist her at every turn, constantly catching himself staring or reaching out to touch her. I loved their playful banter, and how they found time to steal moments for themselves even during some of their stickier moments. And I loved watching him realize that he was falling, despite his best efforts to the contrary.

But it was the plot that truly had me enjoying The Lost Prince. I was immediately intrigued by the presence of new fey - what else could Julie create after the Iron Fey!? The idea of the Forgotten is brilliantly forlorn, and somehow I found myself empathizing slightly with their plight. Unravelling their mysteries added a layer of intrigue to every action Ethan took, in the hopes that he would stumble on more information about their past and their motives. The looming threat of even more exiled being killed added a sense of urgency, which when combined to the Forgotten's mysterious existence, created a suspenseful atmosphere that permeated The Lost Prince from beginning to end. With appearances from Iron Fey favourites, Puck and Grim!, and being able to return to the expansive and detailed NeverNever, I couldn't put The Lost Prince down!

From start to finish, The Lost Prince kept me captivated. With some great new characters - I also loved Razor! - and appearances from some of my Iron Fey favourites, a plot full of action and suspense, and a heartwarming romance, I found myself constantly laughing and cheering and sitting on the edge of my seat!

This review contains spoilers for the Iron Fey series. You've been warned.

It's no secret that I absolutely love Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey, and it remains as one of my favorite YA series of all time. However, despite my love for the Iron Fey series, I went into The Lost Prince with slight trepidation for two reasons: reason one being that spin-offs rarely work out well for me, and, at its worst, only end up tarnishing my views of the original series, and reason two being that it's gotten reviews from fans of the Iron Fey series who have been underwhelmed with this addition. It's instances like this that make me wonder if I had a different copy of a book than everyone else, because while most people who've read this so far were disappointed in it when comparing it to the Iron Fey, I absolutely loved this book, and had all my expectations surpassed.

The Lost Prince takes place about thirteen years after the events of The Iron Knight, and revolves around seventeen-year-old Ethan Chase. Ever since Ethan was stolen from his home in order for his older sister, Meghan, now the Iron Queen, to travel to the Nevernever to rescue him, Ethan has been keeping a close eye on his surroundings, as he is permanently able to see the Fey disguised as humans, a gift he does not want. Having to constantly move schools, he is yet again the new student, with the reputation as the rebel who burnt down his old school, and rumors follow him around the school. However, as he's at the new school, he quickly befriends Todd, a phouka, and Kenzie, a teenage girl. But soon Todd is kidnapped by a new species of fey known as The Forgotten, and, in an escape from The Forgotten, Ethan and Kenzie travel to the Nevernever and attempt to save Todd.

After reading both the entire Iron Fey series, and The Immortal Rules, I really should stop being surprised by Kagawa's immense talent as a writer. Each time I open a book of hers, I'm instantly drawn in, captivated by the lifelike characters, the intricate world-building, and the sheer brilliance of everything. In The Lost Prince, Kagawa has made the character of Ethan a jerk, and while characters who are jerks normally annoy me a lot in YA, I wasn't annoyed in the least with Ethan's characterization. Perhaps it's because typically in YA, it's the love interest that's the jerk, and not the protagonist, so we're not given an insight into what they think and why they're a jerk, but in The Lost Prince, we are provided with that. Ethan doesn't want to act like a jerk, but he's afraid to get close to anyone, and in doing so put them in harm's way, so instead he acts like a jerk in hopes to turn people off of wanting to be his friend. For me, this just made it easier for me to sympathize with him, and as Kenzie was able to break through his tough guy facade, Ethan grew to be a character I loved.

And as for Kenzie, I've seen reviews that label her as annoying, bossy, et cetera, and while I completely see why readers would come to that conclusion about Kenzie, I didn't think that of her at all. I thought she was a sweet and loving character, and I loved seeing her transforming Ethan from this broody character into his real self as the novel progressed.

As well as Ethan and Kenzie, another character we're introduced to is Keirran, or, as you may know him, Meghan and Ash's son. I'm not too sure of my feelings for Keirran, and although he did at times resemble a less witty version of Puck, I never felt the same feelings for him that I had for Ethan and Kenzie. However, I didn't dislike him, so I'm not going to take away any stars for his character. He was just less than what I hoped the child of Meghan and Ash would be.

Despite my small qualms in Keirran's character, every other thing in The Lost Prince I loved. I don't know whether it was the mystery, the writing, the breathtaking world-building, some appearances from old yet beloved faces, or the new faces, that I loved most, but as a whole, The Lost Prince exceeded all of my expectations, and managed to leave me speechless - something I should now expect when reading anything written by Julie Kagawa.