Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Lost Prince
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten
Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 3.5 Stars

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.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

[Ash] glanced over his shoulder. smirking. "Care to join me, Goodfellow?"

"Oh, ice-boy. A moonlight stroll with you? Do you even have to ask?" 

I missed Ash so much in this book. So much that it hurt.

 

Come back, Ash. I'll do anything. I'll have your babies. I don't think you understand the sacrifice I'm making here.

And that little snippet of Puck. It made me feel so nostalgic. 

I think that was the main problem I had with this book. I didn't really feel anything for the characters. For the first half, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Meghan and Ash to appear again. Then, in the second half, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to come back. 

Ethan is an ehhh character. I didn't really like reading the book from his perspective, because, let's be honest: he was a bit of a whiny brat for the first part. He does get better, though, in the last hundred pages. That's when he starts kicking some ass instead of just going "dammit, dammit, dammit... ooh, shiny swords" all the time. 

Mackenzie... I didn't like her much, just like Ethan. She was too persistent, and it kind of bothered me. Especially when she insisted on sticking her nose into Ethan's business and following him around. Even after the big revelation in the end about her, I couldn't turn my entire attitude towards her around. Also, I have a feeling that Kagawa is going to turn her into a faery or something and make her immortal off the tears and laughter of children.

I'm just hypothesizing here. 

Also, the book starts veeery slowly. I had the same problem with The Iron King, when it takes a couple chapters for Meghan to see Ash, and even longer for her to get out of her boring, real world and into the Nevernever. It seems to take Ethan twice as long in this book, and it's not very fun hearing him complain about his life and seeing him be a jerk to everyone who comes across his path. 

A lot of people have mentioned how Meghan appears once, and Ash and Puck only come out of their moonlight lovin' twice. Well, it's true. And it makes me sad. But at least they appeared. I'm thankful for that, especially since I was really sick of the characters. Actually, Ash's and Meghan's child (CHILD. THEY HAVE A CHILD. SQUEE.), Keirran, was intriguing. I think I need to read Iron's Prophecy to understand what's going on with him, but I think he's going to become evil. Which is not very cool. Anyway, I found him a lot more interesting than Ethan. This book might have been more interesting if it had been written from his perspective. 

However, if we move past the lackluster characters to the plot, we will find a vast improvement. This book centers on the Forgotten fey, and it's pretty creepy. They basically are these fairy-ghost-zombie things that appeared in The Iron Knight, and they're making their dramatic comeback. It's very creative, and of course, Kagawa still possesses her unique flair for making the magical setting of the land of Fey come alive. The ending is actually really disturbing, especially the part where Ethan's stuck at the bottom of a giant hole (talk about hitting rock bottom, eh? punpunpun.) I was a bit disappointed as far as climaxes go, since Keirran sits there and goes "durrr" while Ethan's dying. But he wakes up, so that's good. 

My feels are apathetic towards this book, but I can't deny that I like the idea that's forming here. As long as Kagawa keeps her characters developing, writes with that same magical style, and gives me more Ash, I think I'll enjoy this series!

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