Book Review: The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1) 
By Julie Kagawa
Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Format: Ebook (ARC)
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2

Blurb 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'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.

My Review:
A very big thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was really excited when Julie tweeted that The Lost Prince is available on Netgally. I was really ecstatic when my request was immediately auto approved. I read it that very night and finished in the early morning. Yeah, I couldn't sleep because I wanted to keep reading it.

I could see some similarities in style to The Iron King in the sense that Julie's first book in a series always seemed to start slow. In The Lost Prince, we get to see inside Ethan's head - it's in his POV after all which is really cool frustrating. The pace of the story flowed from day to day, we get to know more about Ethan and actually see what happened to the cute 4 years old I fell in love with in The Iron King. At 17, Ethan is no more the happy and bubbly kid we knew. He has grown hostile, lonely, bitter and totally messed up. Ethan kept everyone, including his parents, at arm's length; afraid that anyone associated with him will be used and get hurt by Them to get to him.  His attempts to push people away with his deliberate hurtful and thoughtless remarks made me want to wring his neck. It was frustrating. Ethan has also grown bitter and very angry because he still felt that his sister, Meghan, chose Them over her own family. Poor Ethan. He really missed Meghan, his older sister.

Kenzie. It actually took time for me to like her. In the beginning, I found her okay when she boldly approached Ethan for the first time. After that, I grew annoyed with her relentless questioning, stubbornness, determination and persistence in "chasing" after Ethan for an interview. Maybe I was affected by Ethan's emotions regarding Kenzie. He was irritated and at the same time attracted to Kenzie. But anyhow, I grew to like her as the story progressed. She was really brave, intelligent and funny. She changed Ethan in lots of ways as the story went along as Ethan began to understand why Meghan did what she did. She kept on pushing Ethan and dragging him out of his protective shell. She understood Ethan and accepted all the weirdness with a level head. But, I could already guess her secret early on in the story. I wonder how Julie will go about it. Hmmmmmm.......

Todd, the half-breed was awesome. I loved him the moment he was introduced. It was so refreshing to have a character who was cheeky and hilarious. I was really sad to see him out of action throughout Ethan and Kenzie's journey in the Nevernever. I really hope he will remain as one of the main characters throughout this series. It was devastating to see what happened to him in the end.

There was also Kierran and Annwyl. I won't tell you who Kierran is because it'll be no fun if I spoil the surprise. I will just say that Annwyl is an exiled Summer faery who was taken in by Leanansidhe, the Exile Queen. They were an interesting pair and their romance was bittersweet. You'll know why when you're reading it.

Other than that, the former characters from The Iron Fey reappeared. We get to meet Grimalkin, Glitch, Ash (YAY!!!), Meghan, Leanansidhe, Puck (Woo-hoo!!) and the beloved gremlin , Razor.

The Lost Prince was a good read in a way. The actions only come later in the book but there is just something magical about Julie's writing that keeps you engrossed. At the end of the story, you'll realized that it is just the beginning of a big battle soon to come and I'm pretty sure it is just not the end of those glamour-eaters.