Book Review: The Lost Prince (ARC)

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)
by Julie Kagawa
Expected publication: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Source: NetGalley
Pre-order it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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.

Review:

The Iron Fey has been of my all-time favorite series. I loved all the books in it as well as the novellas (save from the last one). That said, this being the spin-off, I had high hopes that this would live up to the awesomeness of The Iron Fey, but though I tried my best to like the story and the characters, the story and the characters themselves were making it hard for me to do just that.

At first, I was really intrigued with this new Ethan Chase. We know him from The Iron King as Meghan's cute little brother with wide blue eyes and calls her big sister Meggie. In The Lost Prince, we see him as an anti-social brooding teenager who seems to hate the world and all the people living in it. We see the world from his perspective. Frankly, I probably would have liked this much better if this were told from another character's POV. You see, Ethan comes off as one of those dark, mysterious and brooding hotties we all love and getting to hear his thoughts was a...turn-off. Especially when he's so lovestruck. And speaking of lovestruck, my qualms with Iron's Prophecy were the same with this one. Julie always injects romance wherever she can. To be upfront, I didn't like it at all. The way she emphasized how Ash/Keirran looks at Meghan/Annwyl like she was the only person in the world grated on my nerves. Once or twice, I might have viewed those scenes as sweet and aww-worthy but said scenes were all over the place that not even halfway through, the romance already got old. About the same was the problem with Ethan and Kenzie. You know the drill: Ethan thinks Kenzie is so different from other girls - and I mean so veeery different - and thinks he likes her but he can't divulge his feelings for her because their lives are in danger and therefore it's not the right time! He also can't stop apologizing to her for bringing her in the world of fey aka danger.

Another problem I have with this book is the characters's - I'm sorry for the word - idiocy. If you've read The Iron Knight, you'd know about Keirran. Keirran is described as having silver hair and piercing blue eyes *swoon* His playful character was so like Puck that it was easier to think of him as Puck and Ash's lovechild. But lo, he's - I'm sorry for the word again- an idiot. Because really? Ethan seems to know more about the fey shenanigans. Keirran throws away his promises without so much thought. Seriously, I weep for Ash and Meghan. Also, Kenzie and Annwyl. They're bland characters and I think they're an unnecessary addition to The Lost Prince. I think Julie wants Kenzie to come off as strong and brave for a human, but most of the time, she was a dead weight. Annwyl was useless too. Julie didn't even give a valid reason why Keirran likes her except that she's very beautiful.

The only redeeming part of The Lost Prince was Ash and Puck. I was going to give this a 1.5 but since they showed up and they were really awesome, it deserved an additional .5 stars. Overall, I didn't really like The Lost Prince, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon the series. I still love the world of Iron Fey and I'm willing to give the second book a try.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Disclosure: This book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.