The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

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

Author: Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 23, 2012

Published By: HarlequinTEEN

Source: NetGalley

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's 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 myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

THOUGHTS:

While reading the Iron Fey books, one thing that really impressed me about the series in general was how good Julie Kagawa is with her world-building. Her books are filled with vivid descriptions of this beautiful world she has created from scratch, and she always keeps you wanting more. Moreover, her readers are thrust into the unknown world of the Nevernever at the beginning of the series, and yet by the time they finish the last page of the final book, Nevernever has somehow become thoroughly familiar - it's as if it's a place one visits quite frequently in his or her spare time. That quality always present in Kagawa's books - that quality that distinctly marks her writing - is all over the pages of The Lost Prince, so rejoice and prepare to fall in love once again with the world Julie Kagawa created.

The Lost Princes introduces us to Ethan - yes, that same Ethan who was kidnapped as bait to lure Meghan into the Nevernever during the Iron Fey series - more than a decade after the abduction took place. We get a long, hard look at just how much his life has changed since Meghan left him to rule the Iron realm, and to say that the fact that he can see the creatures of the Nevernever has ruined his life is an understatement. Ethan is still being tormented by the fey, and as a result, he has become sullen, withdrawn, and weary of basically everything and everyone. Hey, you can't blame the guy - he lost his sister to the Nevernever, and he was kidnapped by that world's creatures when he was a little boy. What else is he supposed to feel? How else is he supposed to act?

I really liked reading how the events of The Lost Prince unfolded from Ethan's POV. The difference between his POV as compared to Meghan's is adamant and refreshing, even - Meghan went into the Nevernever blind and with no idea what to expect; Ethan meanwhile was nothing but startlingly aware of the dangers the other world presented. It was interesting to see the Nevernever through the eyes of someone who has despised and hated it his entire life. Also, I loved getting glimpses into Ethan's character  and just how deeply betrayed he feels upon Meghan's decision to ultimately leave him and their family for good. I can't wait to learn more about him through the next books of the series.

To those who are huge fans of Kagawa's original Iron Fey series, yes, our favorite characters from those books were kind enough to grace us with reappearances. I'm not going to spoil things for you and say which of the characters appear, but hey, I think it's pretty obvious. Also, I may have squealed and screeched when a certain devious character appeared in the middle of the book...

All in all, The Lost Prince is a great beginning to a new series. The ending does bring forth a lot of questions, but there weren't cliffhangers or any of the sort that makes you want to bang your head against the nearby wall, so that's great for us readers. Also, I feel like there's still a lot more that Kagawa can bring into this series, and I'm really excited for that. Hey, if there's anything I'm sure of, it's that Julie Kagawa's books only get better as the series progresses.

Rating: 4 Stars