{ARC Review} The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Lost Prince
Series: The Call of the Forgotten #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Source: NetGalley

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Synopsis:

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.

The Lost Prince is a perfect re-submersion back into Julie's fascinating The Iron Fey world, one of the first series I read about Fae, and definitely the series that made me fall in love with all things Fae. Traipsing through Nevernever and the Wyldwood with Ethan, Kenzie, Grimalkin, and Kierran took me back in time, to a place I once imagined could be my home. I know we're supposed to be afraid of Them, but I could get lost in Nevernever and never return. I'd probably end up owing so many promises and favors to Them, I'd never be allowed to leave, though I wonder if I would ever want to.

My name is Ethan Chase.
And I doubt I'll live to see my eighteenth birthday.

Ethan Chase, brother of the Iron Queen - Megan Chase, has quite a history with the Fae. Unfortunately, he was born with "the sight." He can see the creatures lurking in the park, skirting around the edges of the playgrounds, reeking havoc on the unsuspecting. As a young child the Fae kidnapped him and held him hostage, coaxing his sister into a land she never knew existed. The long lost daughter of Oberon, King of the Summer Court, had a destiny no one could have predicted. Along with Puck (AKA Robin Goodfellow - yes, that prankster), Megan rescued her brother, racking up debt after debt from the Fae...not something anyone wants to do. Eventually, Megan became the Queen of the Iron Fae, a race born from the technology of humans, after all - Fae can't exist if humans don't believe.

Thirteen years later, Ethan is still dealing with the repercussions of his birth gift. He's been tossed out of school after school, accused of setting fire to a library, and now, a new breed of monsters haunts Ethan. The one thing Ethan never thought he would do is use the coin Meghan gave him, assuring him a safe passage to her one time. Only under the most dyer of circumstances is he to call in this favor and the time has come.

The swords flashed silver in the dim light, fluid and flexible, almost liquid. There was no block or strike, dodge or parry--the dance was all of these things, and none, all at once.

I admit, I wanted to read The Lost Prince to catch a glimpse of how Meghan, Ash, and Puck were doing in and around the Iron Realm. Ash is my hero and Puck will always have a special part of my heart. The one thing I was unprepared for is how much Ethan despised Ash for taking Meghan away. The words he remembered from his childhood could only leave that impression in Ethan's mind. The brief amount of time Ethan spent near his sister left my completely unsatisfied, but I'm hoping for more in future books. I just want to know how they are doing, that's all I'm asking. :-)

Ethan has found his own way to try to protect the people he cares about. He avoids interaction as much as possible, portraying the brooding male perfectly. The few words he speaks are typically to send people skittering in the opposite direction. However, Ethan has something in common with Meghan besides genetics. He cares about humankind and defends those who are unable to help themselves. He has studied kali,  a form of karate that uses sticks and swords, for years. His skills are remarkable, at least in the human world. When Ethan tried to warn Kenzie away and she continued to dig, she ends up getting tossed into a world she refused  to acknowledge. A world any sane person would refuse to acknowledge.

"Kenzie," I said, taking her hand as the clicking around us grew very loud in my ears, "do you believe in faeries?"

"What?" She blinked at me, looking confused and almost angry that I'd brought up something so ridiculous. "Do I... no! Of course not, that's crazy."

I closed my eyes. "Then, I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't want to do this. But try not to freak out when we get there."

"Get... where?"

Prince Kierran was a surprise and I cannot wait for everyone to meet him. I have a feeling his and Ethan's friendship will be as epic as Puck's and Ash's. Obviously the two of them will be tossing out secret after secret, and taking all sorts of twisting, winding roads, but Kenzie's fate promises to be heart-wrenching.

So, yes, I'm quite certain this review needs some organizing and probably seems as if I'm rambling, which I am because I'm fangirling just a bit over the new Fae world Julie has so creatively weaved. The Iron Knight ranks high on my favorites list and I'm certain several books in The Call of the Forgotten will find their way onto this list and into my heart. After all, Julie Kagawa is the queen of intricately weaved Fae lore and complex worlds. Her characters are complex, shifting from courageous and magnanimous one moment, to soft and broken the next - the true reality of being a young adult.

A perfect start to another amazing series by Julie Kagawa!

*The Lost Prince was received from HarlequinTeen via NetGalley, free of charge, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.