Book Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Don’t look at Them
Don’t speak of Them
Never enter Their world

This book has been sitting on my shelf since 2013 but I wasn’t very keen on reading this yet after I have read the main 4 books of the series. So I was only able to finish this book earlier this year.

For those who have read the first four books of The Iron Fey series, do you still remember the little boy who was kidnapped by the faeries? Yeah. Meghan’s adorable little brother! Then Meghan went to get him back and that’s where all the adventures has begun, and where we were all introduced to the amazing world of faeries, the Nevernever. His name is Ethan Chase, and let me tell you something… that little boy is not little anymore. He’s all grown up now and it is his time to tell us tales, this is his story.

The Cover. My copy is the UK edition and the cover is so different from the previous covers. Unlike the previous covers which are so bright and faery-ish, this one is kinda dark. The cover features the grown-up Ethan behind tree branches and with some insects around him. Curiosity got me. Why the insects? And since I like my books being on the same editions, heights or whatever uniformity they can be, I hate the fact that this one has a different font. But nevertheless, the cover is still gorgeous just like the other books in the series.

The Story. It still follows the story of the first Iron Fey, but this time, it is on Ethan’s point of view as a grown-up teenage guy. Being kidnapped when he was still 4 years old, until he grew up, seeing fey has become a big part of his whole life. He loathe everything about fey, even his own sister. For the past years, they kept relocating because the fey keeps making trouble for him. And on his new school, he met Kenzie, a fearless and stubborn girl who would try to make Ethan’s cold aura soften a little. But something unexpected happened. There are new kinds of fey who keep chasing him. They are called the Forgotten Fey, and they are the reason why Ethan was brought back to the world he wished he would never see again, Nevernever.

It was really good to be back on the world I have missed so much. A lot of past memories from the first Iron Fey came back rushing. It felt so refreshing to have a new perspective or to have Ethan’s POV. It was also nice meeting new characters, especially Ash and Meghan’s son, Kierran. But I was more than happy to have Grimalkin, Puck, Ash and Meghan again. They are definitely still my favorites! And even if they don’t have much exposure on this book, every time they’re on, I just end up fangirling. lol

What made this even more interesting is the idea of Manghuhula — a Filipino term for faith healer. Ethan is part of a Kali class or more known in the Philippines as Arnis. Ethan mentioned that his Guro is Filipino, so it got me really curious as to how Julie will use the manghuhula on the story. And I thought it was pretty cool. The concept played a big part on the story somehow.

The world-building and writing. As usual, the world-building is incredible. Since The Iron King, I have always loved Nevernever. And being brought back to the world I adore the most, I felt so ecstatic. It’s still as amazing as it was before. Really! When it comes to magical settings like this, Julie Kagawa’s writing is truly impeccable.

The characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the characters as much as I loved the trio and Grimalkin from the first Iron Fey, but that doesn’t mean I hate them either way. Ethan makes a good lead, but he didn’t have a strong effect to me like what Meghan did. Kenzie, Ethan’s love interest, is a bit dull and lacking to me for some reasons. I don’t exactly know how to explain it. Or maybe I was just to attached to fey that humans, so they don’t entertain me that much, yes? lol. From the newly introduced characters, it was Kierran and Razor I liked the most. Razor is the little sidekick I will surely shed tears when he dies (hope not!). I just love him. He’s so cute and he brightens the whole thing.

The returning characters surely still stand as the coolest guys. Can I just say that I fangirled a lot when Puck and Ash came to picture?! I really missed Puck’s cockiness, Ash’s overly cold aura and Grimalkin’s smart-ass remarks.

The romance. To me, the romance is too underwhelming. Unlike Ash and Meghan’s overflowing emotions, I didn’t feel that much on Ethan and Kenzie’s. I don’t to sound so biased since it’s really clear that I love first Iron Fey, but let me also tell you that I liked Kierran and Annwyl’s yet another forbidden love.

I don’t understand why I fancy forbidden love this much. It’s a real torture, but…

The final verdict. Overall, as a big big fan of The Iron fey series, I am so happy that this spin-off didn’t disappoint me. Ethan’s story was totally fun and entertaining. Julie Kagawa just never fails to amuse us readers. I have also finished The Iron Traitor, so right now, I am so excitedly waiting for The Iron Warrior.