Book Recap: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

Cover Inspection: 
I still cannot believe that this guy is Ethan.
In my mind, he's still Meghan's baby brother!

SUMMARY (book description based on 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.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	3.0
Writing	3.0
Characters	3.0
Ending	3.0
Overall Rating	3.0 Very Good! (89% to 92%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
Thirteen years ago has passed since Meghan saved Ethan from the Iron King. Now, Ethan ventures to back to the Nevernever and Mag Turiedh to see his sister.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
This time, Ethan is the main character of the book. Like Meghan in The Iron King, Ethan is an outcast in his
school. Actually, he has been kicked out of his old school for allegedly burning the school. For this reason, Ethan stays away from people. He also sees Them (what he calls the fae) and he's very wary of them. Oh, and he acts like a complete jackass to keep people away.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
This is ethans adventure back into the nevernever. The story involves the Forgotten, skeletonlike, ghostlike faeries who are eating the glamour of normal fae.

LOVE:

Imagination
I am awed by Julies imagination and the fact that she is able to put it in writing effortlessly. Like her other works, the Nevernever is filled with terrifying and deadly creatures. She was still able to put those creatures to life. To me, that is just pure talent. Plus, the descriptions are vivid, and appeals to all the senses. Even the sounds of piskies were described - "chipmunk on speed." There were also creatures whose face is made up of with machines. There were all kinds of creatures attacking from all sides that kept the charcters on their toes and the reader glued to the pages.

Romance blooms. 

The thing I love the most about Julie's writing is the sweet and swoonworthy romance. One of the best! In the Iron Fey, we only have one set swoonworthy coupling, in this book, there are two, namely: Ethan and Kenzie, and another couple whose identities I will not disclose because they are spoilers. The romance between Ethan and Kenzie is slow and sweet. They started out as friends, hardly even that actually, but as they travelled and experienced the Nevernever together, they fell in love along the way. Very much like Ash and Meghan's romance - slow, sweet, and simmering. Another thing I love about Julie's fae books is that while there is romance, it does not take over the plot. There is a very good story behind the romance.

Humor
Like with the Iron Fey, the book has funny parts, and is also filled with snarky comments and witty comebacks.

Razor! 

That adorable, adorable gremlin! 

*me want a pet gremlin as cute and loyal as Razor*

NO LOVE:
It took a while for the story to pick up. First few chapters, and all Ethan did was act like a complete ass with the people around him. It was only in chapter 6 when things got really interesting.

Also, while most of the characters are back, there were hardly any scenes with Puck! I miss his pranks and wit, and I wish there was more of him.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I like Kenzie (the love interest of Ethan). She's smart and beautiful. She's persistent and unfazed by Ethan's attitude.

FAVORITE LINE:
Withheld - the book I've read is an advance copy.

MUSINGS:
While reading, it made me realize just how much I love Julie Kagawas Nevernever and its denizens, most especially Grimalkin. I love Grim, especially the way he answers questions with "I am a cat," like that explains everything.

I think Ethan Chase is no ordinary character. He doesn't have Meghans happy, pleasant disposition. He has a certain darkness and sadness inside him. He is struggling to be his real kind self, but he has so many bad experiences about the fae that he is forced to push people away. He is one of the most conflicted and complicated characters I have ever read about. It's hard to love him as a character because he is just so mean to people, yet I found it harder to hate him because there is goodness in him too. I pitied him most of the time. My heart bled for him even.

All in all, I  enjoyed The Lost Prince. Its a happy combination of fantasy, adventure, and romance. While I still think the the third book in the Iron Fey series (The Iron Queen) is Julie's best book, her fans would still enjoy and devour The Lost Prince, and would be thrilled to revisit the Nevernever experience.

DOODLES:
no trailer found

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Julie Kagawa

SIMILAR READS:
The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild
violence: mild to moderate
sexual content: mild
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+