Review of The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Format: ARC ebook
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

Low and behold, just when I thought The Iron Fey series had come to its end, Julie Kagawa surprises us with a spinoff series. While I didn't love The Iron Fey series, I did enjoy it and Julie Kagawa writes the most amazing world in the Nevernever that I've come across in a while. So did The Lost Prince live up to its predecessors?

I think it surpassed it, and mostly due to Ethan. What is not to love about this brooding, bad boy with a chip on his shoulder? Having been traumatized by the Fey kidnapping him when he was a young boy, stealing his sister away and finally them continuously haunting him, he's had enough and is finally going to do something about it. While Ethan comes across as the bad boy, he can't help but stand up not only for others, but also for what is right. He is truly a good soul who's had to harden his exterior to get by. So when Kenzie gets threated by the Fey he knows he has to protect her.

Kenzie is the type of character that grows on you. At first she is just there, but soon her strength and determination steal their way into your mind and water that seed that has been planted. While I figured out her secret way before it was revealed I still wish we could have seen into her life and personality a bit more. Hopefully she will be more of a focus in the next book.

While the characters were enjoyable, the world and creativity that Julie Kagawa paints is beyond compare. She's taken a small piece of The Iron Fey series and built not only a captivating story-line, but also one that is quite complex and gets you questioning what you believe. The depth and emotion she puts into this story seeps through the pages and into your mind.

If you enjoyed The Iron Fey series, or even if you didn't, I suggest you try The Lost Prince. Ethan and his gang of misfits just may be the spark you needed.