The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

(Cover picture courtesy of 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’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.

(Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Well, as of today it’s one month until the release of The Lost Prince, the first book in the new Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten Trilogy.  One of the only downsides to obtaining a book on NetGalley is that you read it earlier than everyone else and as a result, have to wait even longer for the next book!  I honestly can’t wait for the next book, which will be coming out in 2013.  Anyway, on with the review!

You shouldn’t read this book unless you’ve read all four of the previous books in the Iron Fey series.  It contains major spoilers and you will definitely be left wondering how the heck certain things happened unless you read all the previous books in the series.  With that said, if you have read the rest of the series, The Lost Prince is an amazing add-on book.  It focuses on Ethan Chase, Meghan’s little brother who was kidnapped by Machina in The Iron King.  Only now, he’s eighteen years old and about as emotionally scarred as you would expect from his experiences with the cruel, remorseless faeries.  It doesn’t help that Meghan left him at a young age to become the Iron Queen with Ash as her Prince Consort.

It also doesn’t help that Ethan has The Sight and, as a result, gets noticed by Them a lot.  He’s paranoid (with good reason) and refuses to get close to anyone for fear that the faeries may hurt them to get to him.  That’s why Mackenzie (Kenzie for short) St. James, a school reporter determined to dig up his past, becomes such an important character.  Although she may seem one dimensional or even just plain crazy, we learn that Ethan isn’t the only one with huge secrets.

An amazing plot, reappearances of old favourite characters, three dimensional new characters and a larger picture of the fantastic world of the Nevernever…what more could you ask for?  Iron Fey fans will love the fifth installment in the series, so go ahead and pre-order it if you haven’t already!  It releases on October 23, 2012.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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