The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 23, 2012
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Covet/Acquire
Pages: 379
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Interest: Author
Challenge: None

Poor Ethan, he just can’t catch a break. He was kidnapped by the fey when he was just a little guy and even though his sister rescued him from that ordeal, he still can’t seem to escape their radar. He’s done everything that he can to protect himself from the fey, but it never seems to be enough. One of his “friends” disappears, he has this crazy ghost things chasing after them and his only choice is to turn to Meghan, his sister. Who also happens to be the Queen of the Iron Fey.

The Lost Prince is book one in the Call of the Forgotten series. Not to be confused with The Iron Fey series. Now really you wouldn’t need to read the Iron Fey series to start this one, but you would really be missing out on the history of a lot of these characters. I HIGHLY recommend you start with the Iron Fey books first.

I didn’t realize how much I missed this world, these characters and Julie’s writing until I started The Lost Prince. Then I couldn’t put the book down. It was hard for me to think of Ethan as this capable bad ass teen boy, er a hot capable bad ass teen boy. I still pictured him as this little guy who was kidnapped in The Iron Fey books. But it didn’t take me long to get over that!

As much as I adore and Love Meghan and Ash, it was great to have another perspective of this world. And meet some fabulous new characters! Of course some of my favorites made it into this series too, thank goodness. I’m talking about you, cat. This thing was actioned packed too! Holy wow! So much fun to read! Seriously, you need to read these books if you haven’t!

Reviews By a Real Teen: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Meet Christina, a real teen, and her opinions on YA books!

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

I read the Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m trying to finish all the book series that I have started reading. This series happened to be one of the series that didn’t have 12 books in it, so I decided I’d finish The Iron Fey series. Gosh, I am soooooo glad I did!!!

This book is in Ash’s point of view. Meghan has become the Iron Queen and Ash swore that he would find a way to be with her. Ash probably didn’t realize he’d have to go through some pretty scary places, fight scary creatures, put up with a very “helpful” cat, and be reunited with some lost people that he never though he’d face again. Every step and place Ash goes in this adventure holds monstrous creatures, a few look-a-likes, and the Forgotten. We actually learn a lot about Ash’s past in this book. How he met Ariella, and a few things he did in the past and not all of them are very pretty. Ash first has to seek out a seer. Haha, just wait until you find out who that is. Then Ash has to travel through the Deep Wyld, the River of Dreams, and many other places to get to the End of the World, so he can earn a soul. If Ash gets a soul and becomes human, he can go into the Iron Realm and be with Meghan without getting sick from the iron.

The Iron Knight was incredible. It may be one of the only times I have been speechless. This book was full of emotion. You actually get a look inside of Ash’s head and you can hear his thoughts. I have to say that Ash has some scary creepy dreams in this book. I liked how The Iron Knight ended with a happily ever after. This book is what it would be like if Suzanne Collins wrote a Hunger Games book in Peeta’s point of view.

Things I didn’t like about The Iron Knight…There weren’t many, actually, just the part where Meghan said that they should just forget each other and move on. HOW CAN SHE SAY THAT!?!?!?!?!?!?! I really don’t know how Meghan could say that to Ash. :/
Exhilarating, page-turning goodness!! Read this if you haven’t already!!!!!! (but be sure to read the first 3:))

REVIEWS BY A REAL TEEN: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Meet Christina, a real teen, and her opinions on YA books!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase is back and she’s just killed Machina and got her brother back. She had to go back to Tar-Na-Nog because of her deal with Ash. While Meghan is trapped in the Winter Court, the iron fey attack and they steal the scepter of the seasons and kill Sage, Ash’s oldest brother. Ash and Meghan soon leave the Winter Court so Ash can take Meghan back to the Summer Court. Queen Mab thinks that the Summer Court took the scepter, so they’re prepared for war. When Puck shows up, Ash leaves and Meghan and Puck have to figure out how to get the scepter back themselves.

This book was very good. I’m so glad I read this one. We’re introduced to some new characters and some old characters from the first book. This book was action-packed, but had tons of emotion in it. Meghan loves Ash, but since Ash left she has Puck and she loves Puck, but not the way she loves Ash. LOVE TRIANGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I liked how this book showed Meghan’s struggle. She doesn’t know how to feel about Ash leaving, and then she doesn’t know what to think about Puck, and on top of all of that she has some mysterious Iron Glamour floating around in her body.

I didn’t like what happened to iron horse. I will not give away any details, but iron horse does come back in this book. Is he mean like he was in the first book or has he changed? Who knows, I’m surely not going to say anything though. I also don’t like how Ash abandoned her. I know he did it so he wouldn’t be tempted to do anything because it’s still illegal for a winter prince to love a summer half-breed.

Loved this book!! If you haven’t started this series or stopped reading it for some reason, pick it up again because it is so good!!

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Covet
Pages: 386
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Interest: Series
Challenge: None
Buy the Book:Amazon

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn’darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

Whew.

I love this series. Just love it. The characters, the story, their adventures. It’s addicting!

What was so great about this book? We finally got to peek inside the mind of the Winter Prince himself. That aspect alone was enough to get me to read this book. I’ve always been an Ash fan, and reading this book was like being a kid in a candy store!

I missed Meghan. In the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. I was craving that Ash/Meghan interaction. That tension that’s between them, watching them fall in love, I needed that again. I will say that even though Meghan is not on this adventure with Ash, my Ash/Megan dynamic was indeed fulfilled, and then some!

We witness the history of the Winter Prince. The things that shaped and made him the cold and heartless hero that we’ve all grown to love. Well, that I grew to love anyway. Not to worry Puck fans, there is ample Puck in this installment and you might even learn a few things about him as well. Plus some VERY unexpected twists.

If you have not read this series, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!

A perfectly executed story, that I will not soon forget.

You might The Iron Knight if you like books by: Cynthia Hand, Rachel Vincent & Andrea Cremer.

The Iron King Excerpt!

Julie Kagawa

Books:

• The Iron King
• The Iron Daughter
• The Iron Queen
• The Iron Knight

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Unable to survive in the kingdom of his beloved due to his supernatural nature, a warrior prince sets out to turn himself human. But first he must cross deadly lands and overcome nightmarish obstacles before reaching the fabled testing grounds, where he will endure a series of challenges. He is joined on his quest by a team of fantastical creatures, each with an agenda of their own—one, a faery prankster whom the prince has vowed to kill for past misdeeds; another, a wise-speaking cat who claims to be a truthful guide; the third, a legendary and villainous beast pulled right from the fairy tales; and finally, the last, a seer who appears to be the resurrection of the prince’s former love, long thought dead but now restored to life and as beautiful and tempting as ever. With these dubious allies by his side, the prince sets off to achieve his ultimate prize, but to do so will require overcoming the greatest challenge of all in his quest for a human soul—himself.

When exiled faery prince Ash swears an oath to his love, Meghan Chase—the half-human ruler of the Iron Fey realm—to return and be with her forever, he knows what that promise entails. Her Iron Kingdom is anathema to a fey creature such as himself, and in order to survive in it he must renounce his powerful supernatural nature and acquire a mortal soul. Only then will he be able to return and be with his love. But even as a prince of the fabled Winter Court, Ash knows only rumors of how an immortal can become human. Ash needs help, even if that help comes from the last set of creatures in the entire Nevernever realm that he would ever want to join him.

The first to join Ash on his quest is his best friend and fiercest, most annoying rival, Robin Goodfellow—better known as Puck the mischievous prankster. Despite their friendship, a bitter chasm exists between them—Puck is also in love with Meghan Chase, and Ash has vowed to one day kill his friend as payback for a past action. To aid them on their quest, they turn to one of the wisest creatures in the mythical realm of Nevernever—Grimalkin, a talking cat who agrees to help in exchange for a future favor. They set out to find a seer to show them the route that they must take, but on the way they encounter a legendary monster—the Big Bad Wolf. The Wolf is perhaps the most dangerous creature ever to walk the wilds of Nevernever, but now it seeks to join them on their journey so it can increase its own legend and power. The last member of the quest, however, is the most shocking of all to Ash. The very seer they have been seeking turns out to be Ash’s first love, Ariella, a fey princess long thought dead. Not only is she not dead, but Ariella is now an oracle who promises to aid Ash on his quest to be with his new love. But can Ash trust Ariella or will she sabotage their mission in order to win him back for herself?

Ariella advises the party that they must follow the treacherous River of Dreams to the final barrier at the End of the World. There, in an ancient place known as the Testing Grounds, a guardian who holds the key to becoming human awaits. But in order to claim it from him, Ash will first have to endure a deadly series of tests.

As Ash gets closer and closer to fulfilling his quest, he finds it more and more difficult to go on. He is being pulled in many directions—by his two loves, by visions of a deadly future, and by indecision that could destroy him, his allies and all of Nevernever. Ash is under oath to Meghan to complete his quest, but can he do it? After all, in some fairy tales, the hero gets eaten by the monster and doesn’t get to live happily ever after.

Oy, ice-boy! You sure you know where you’re going?” I ignored Robin Goodfellow as we wove through the gray murk of the wyldwood, pushing farther into the soggy swamp known as the Bone Marsh. Mud sucked at my footsteps, and water dripped from twisted green trees so covered in moss they appeared sheathed in slime. Mist coiled around the exposed roots or pooled in sunken areas, hiding what lay beneath, and every so often there was a splash in the still waters farther out, reminding us that we were not alone. As its name suggested, bones were scattered throughout the marsh, jutting out of the mud, half-hidden in tangles of weeds or shimmering beneath the surface of the water, bleached and white.