The Lost Prince ~ Julie Kagawa (earc) review

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)
Harlequin Teen
October 23, 2012
370 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depo/or Amazon

Not since 'Buffy' has burning down your high school (all or part of it) led to such a great story. One where the protagonist - and accused arsonist - is struggling to live a relatively normal life, all while dealing with the existence of otherworldly creatures - of the not so friendly variety - that no one else is even aware of.

Buffy almost had it easier in the 'pretending to be normal' department too: vampires couldn't come out in the sunlight and everyone else could see them. The fae, however, are entirely different. Not restricted to nighttime hours, they're around always . . . but only other fae see them, unless they want to be seen.

Which has led to Ethan Chase, Meghan Chase from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey quartet's younger half brother, being labelled as a trouble maker - as a suspected high school arsonist.

Ready to start over now at another school, Ethan plans to keep to his rule not to look at Them, not to let Them know he can see. If they don't know he can see, the fae can torment him, can bring trouble his way - like they did before. They'll think he's like everyone else.

Ethan thinks he's done a fine job of keeping away the world that took his sister Meghan away from him and their family.Iron, salt, wards, he does everything he can to keep Them out, to stay unnoticed.

But it seems not to be working when he's pulled back into a world he thought he'd never be a part of again - and with someone he'd already vowed to stay away from.


The Lost Prince is the first book in The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, both a continuation of The Iron Fey series - with Meghan, Ash and Puck that contains four novels and three short stories - and the start to a new series starring Ethan.

While it's clear that The Lost Prince is a new series - with new characters, settings, events, etc - Kagawa found a pretty perfect blend of continuing The Iron Fey series and starting Call of the Forgotten. Ethan Chase, at the start of the book, is a teenager, twelve years removed from the events of The Iron King.

It's a great way to start the series because those familiar with the previous books get to see what's happened to Meghan's adorable baby brother in the interim years and it also makes it possible for new readers to pick-up the series. There's enough information (recap for old readers, introduction for new ones) to get everyone up-to-date with the fae lore, what happened to Ethan already, but not so much that you get bogged down in previous events. (Old readers will be happy that it's not all catch-up and new readers won't be left thinking, "Hunh?!")

<spoiler-y . . . maybe?>

In earlier books, we got a glimpse of the Iron Realm, a new fae court - along with Summer and Winter - that the author created for this series. In The Lost Prince we get to see it fully imagined. I loved the parts we saw from Meghan's trips to it before, but always seemed to still have a better picture of Summer and Winter. Not anymore. Imagination is so apparent in the creation of the Iron court, you can picture it all. The Iron court has become as real, as easy to picture as the Seelie or Unseelie courts of Summer and Winter.

</spoiler-y>

The characters are new this time around - tiny pre-schooler Ethan? Have you seen Ethan on the cover? Yeah, new guy - but we do get some visits from some old favorites (or not so favorites depending on how you interpret that/view them). It was nice to have some of them back.

Ethan's probably what made this book so fantastic. (Seriously, this book is pretty much made of awesome and I blame Ethan - and Julie Kagawa's writing/creation of him.) He's grown up, lived almost his whole life up to this point, knowing about - and seeing - the fae. Knowing that's where his sister is. It's wreaked havoc on his life in more ways than one. It seems to have not only changed but really shaped who he's become.

Ethan's a kind of brilliant character. And the other new characters? Not so bad themselves.

I really can't wait to see where this new series/part of the series goes. I'll be eagerly awaiting Book #2 The Traitor Son.


Rating: 10/10




The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten on Goodreads
The  whole Iron Fey series on Goodreads



Another Book You Might Also Enjoy: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

thank you to HarlequinTEEN and NetGalley for my e-galleya

The Iron Queen ~ Julie Kagawa ARC review

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3)
Harlequin (Teen)
January 25, 2011
368 pages
Amazon

(I'd hoped to review books 1 & 2 along with this one, but since I have a cast on part of my arm and am not supposed to be typing . . . those are coming later--they were awesome, though, I promise you that!)

**(contains spoilers for Iron King & Iron Daughter--Books 1 & 2 in the series)**

Meghan Chase thought she was done with the fey; she'd returned her brother safely home, banished the changeling, killed the Iron King. Oh, and been banished from Nevernever along with Ash and Puck. Now, gone from her home for almost a year, she's spending some time with the exiled Queen again when she gets an interesting--and dangerous--proposal. A proposal that could lead to her death or to Puck and Ash being welcomed home once again.

Is Meghan willing to venture back through possibly even more danger than before so that Puck and Ash will be welcome back in faery lands?


First of all, I absolutely recommend reading the first two books (Iron King & Iron Daughter) before reading Iron Queen, the books really build on each other.

I love the world Julie Kagawaa has created with the Iron Fey and how she stays consistent from book to book but also adds to her mythology. What other book would talk about faery history involving a Eurpopean country then, within a few pages, mention a spork? Hmmm? I'm guessing no other book.

Parts of this book didn't keep me as consistently enthralled as the previous two, but I still absolutely loved it. The characters were true to themselves and we learned more about them, and their relationships deepened. New charaacters were introduced and became an enjoyable part of the story--I hope some of them show up again...maybe?

And, and, and the only thing that really, really, really bothered me from the earlier books got righted in this book so there could have been a major breakdown in its awesomeness (there was not) and I still would have loved it just because of that! (And no, I'm not saying what it was!)


8/10

(Winter's Passage, Iron Fey novella is up for download here at the Iron Fey website)


(read thanks to the publisher-Harlequin-and NetGalley)

Waiting On Wednesday [@Jkagawa @HarlequinTeen]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:

THE IRON WARRIOR (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #3) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Prince—my nephew—betrayed us all.

He killed me.

Then, I woke up.

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the world of the fey will be changed forevermore.

published October 27, 2015 by Harlequin Teen

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon

---

Why?

I really loved Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series and I may love this Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten series (part continuation, part spin-off) even more. I love seeing Meghan, Puck and Ash now and teenage Ethan is a great character.

I can't wait to read The Iron Warrior!



That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

The Iron Traitor ~ Julie Kagawa (earc) review

The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)
Harlequin Teen
October 29, 2013
352 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depo/or Amazon

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

Ethan has just been back three days from his week-long disappearance in the land of the fey when Their world comes calling again. Kierran, his nephew (who also happens, thanks to fae-time-wonkiness, to be the same age as Ethan, is missing. With everyone wondering where Kierran is, Ethan's sure it has to do with Annwyl, the Iron Prince's forbidden, exiled Summer love.

Ethan, too, has a forbidden love of his own: Kenzie. After their return Kenzie's father has now forbade them from seeing each other. Not that either of them plans to listen.

When it becomes clear to Ethan that Kierran is somewhere risking everything -- himself, the peace between the realms, perhaps even the way the fae and human worlds coexist -- he knows he'll have to find him. Even if it means, for Ethan, giving up the separation from Them he's held so dear.


Julie Kagawa does a really fantastic job in The Iron Traitor focusing the story on the new characters (Ethan - who's not 'new' new, but teen Ethan is new - Kenzie and Kierran) while pulling in some of the characters from the first Iron Fey series just enough. They don't become the center of the story, but are used when it's necessary and keep it all in the same Iron Fey world.

They know the world these characters are transversing and it makes perfect sense for the 'older' characters to be there to assist.

Not only that, they're a lot of fun. Grimalkin pops up at the perfect times with just the right kind - for readers, not always the characters - of knowledge and advice. Having Puck part of the story was perfect for me as I've always loved his character. It may just have been how I perceived things and/or the story he was part of, but he seemed that tiniest bit more mature here. Still the Puck we've come to love in previous books, but not quite Kierran's peer, either. It worked really well.

I do wish that there had been just one more strong female character. The male characters did have their flaws, but they were the ones in charge most of the time, they had the weapons and knew how to handle things. Kenzie is strong-willed and stubborn but I wanted her to 'do' more. The close timing of the start of this novel with the ending of the last doesn't really allow for her to have developed some great knowledge or skill between the two (and she does learn some), but I still wanted it. At times, it seemed the directive given to Kenzie was this close to 'stand still, look pretty.'

If that hadn't been paired with the 'fickle' queens and rational kings, I may not have noticed as much.

There is quite a bit of 'faery' plot happening in The Iron Traitor but it felt more centered on the development of the characters (namely Ethan and Kierran) and their relationships. It was nice to get more a feel for the characters - especially Kierran - in this novel. Though, the novel ends on a serious cliffhanger, for both the characters and the story plot!


Rating: 8/10



egalley read thanks to NetGalley & publisher

The Iron Knight ~ Julie Kagawa (eARC) review

Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4)
Harlequin TEEN
October 25, 2011
400 pages
Goodreads/Amazon

Ash is now Meghan's knight and she knows his true name. Which all sounds great . . . But, even as the last surviving son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court, he can never return home and is dead to her and Meghan, the new Iron Queen forbade him from entering the Iron Realm.

Ash is now on a quest to gain his soul back so that he can stand at Meghan's side in the Iron Realm.

Along the way we see a lot of interaction between Ash and Puck as well as a face we thought was lost to their past - and, of course, the great Grimalkin.


The Iron Knight, the fourth installment in this series is told from Ash's point-of-view with Meghan missing except for some dreams and a few scenes.

While it was great to see the rivalry/friendship between Ash and Puck back again - and see some of their past brought to light giving their relationship some more depth - without Meghan there, it was different. I really missed Meghan as the main narrator. Ash was, understandably, a bit ...mopey or emotional. While it made sense character-wise, it wasn't quite as much fun to read as when all three characters were interacting.

Either that, something with me personally, or some other factor prevented me from ever really connecting with this story. It never really grabbed me and I was never fully engaged with it. I do love this series, though, and will probably reread the book sometime in hopes that it clicks better with me.

The ending is fantastic. It's a great wrap-up to the series and whether you're Team Ash, Team Puck, or (like me) haven't quite picked a side yet go back and forth/like both of them, you won't be disappointed.  Julie Kagawa has created a fantastic new fey world in this series - the Iron Fey are pretty darn amazing - and kept her characters true to form throughout all four books, concluding their story nicely.


6/10


thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this egalley

Iron Knight Trailer Sneak Peek

If you're like me, you love Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series (thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley I'll have an early review of The Iron Knight!) . . .

and instead of just posting The Iron Knight trailer on Julie Kagawa's sites or on Youtube and linking to it, blogs are sharing a special 17-second clip today - and I'm one of those blogs!

Are you ready for the clip?
Here it is:

Like the badge says, the full trailer will premier on Harlequin Teen's Facebook page at 9am on September 28th .. . until then, enjoy the little snippet; I know it has me intrigued for the rest :)

Thanks to the super awesome Larissa at Harlequin for allowing me to share this!

Goddess Interrupted ~ Aimee Carter (eARC) review

Goddess Interrupted (The Goddess Test #2)
Harlequin Teen
March 27, 2012
304 pages
add to Goodreads/buy on Amazon/or Book Depository

After spending her summer in Greece with James (aka Hermes), Kate is ready to spend her fall and winter with Henry – in the underworld. Only, Henry doesn’t seem particularly thrilled at Kate’s return. And it looks like Calliope isn’t quite done causing trouble for Kate.

Passing the tests and gaining immortality was not supposed to be the easy part of the equation. Kate (just barely) managed those, though. Now, she has to figure out a husband who seems all but indifferent to her and an attack from the only thing powerful enough to kill Henry and the other Gods, the King of the Titans.

The attack come in the middle of Kate’s coronation as Queen of the Underworld and soon she’s not only adjusting to life in the underworld, trying to figure out where she stands with Henry – does he even want her there? – but they’re all also in a fight for their lives. The only one they can actually lose. 


I read this before reading The Goddess Hunt so it feels like you pick up without a lot of refresher on what happened in The Goddess Test. It’s always nice to have some reminder of where the story is starting (so you know what’s going on) – as things get going though, enough either is mentioned or the story helped me to remember that it worked.

With The Goddess Test I did wish for more Henry and I have to say that didn’t change with this book. If anything, for the first 75 percent or so, there was less Henry than there was in the first book.  It is nice that issues (between/with the characters) from the first book in the series are brought up and expanded, resolved, explored in this second book.  It’s nice to see the background of some of the things already mentioned – and see where those things go.

Some of the ‘action’ sequences seemed to resolve quickly, leaving me having to go back and reread what exactly happened. Things are really strongest when the characters and their relationships are involved. With gods and goddesses – and their millennia of  history – are involved things can be dramatic and intriguing without being melodramatic or too much. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kate grows into this world.

The ending of Goddess Interrupted will likely leave you itching for the third book in this series – I know it did me!

Rating: 8/10


thank you to NetGalley & HarlequinTeen for the egalley for review

Other books you might enjoy: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa and The Goddess Test (#1 in this series) by Aimee Carter