Ascend by Amanda Hocking

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Tor

Pages: 326pgs

The Story

The third and final dramatic installment

in Amanda Hocking's page-turning trilogy.

Wendy Everly can barely remember what it was like to feel like a normal girl. She'd wished for her life to be different but everything is so much more complicated than she'd expected. And she certainly hadn't dreamt she'd be getting married at eighteen to a man she didn't love - all for the sake of duty.

As the big day approaches, Wendy can't stop thinking about two different men - and neither of them are her husband-to-be. Finn - quiet, strong and determined to do what's right, and Loki - dark and seductive, a sworn enemy who once saved her life. With all-out war just days away, Wendy needs to act quickly if she is to save her friends and family. But while her loyalties and duties are to her people, deeper passions are leading her elsewhere.

And as her worlds collide, Wendy must sacrifice everything she loves to save them. But will it be enough?

The Review

From the very beginning of Amanda Hocking's bestselling Trylle trilogy, I was hooked on it within a minute of reading and this young adult series had instantly became a favourite of mine. I'm sure many other readers out there will feel the same way as I do when I say it was rather sad to see this series coming to an end. It really was sad for me as a fan of this trilogy - not because I was going to miss the stolen kisses from the characters nor the action-packed scenes that took everything to a whole new level in this beautiful world of Hocking's, but it was because I was left wanting more, more and more!

Keeping the first two books of the series in mind, when it came to reading the third and final installment of ASCEND, a book I couldn't wait to get a copy of, I wouldn't be the first to admit that the progress of this book and the way it was concluded took me by complete and utter surprise. In all honesty here, I didn't see a single thing coming my way - especially in the romance department - and while I didn't necessarily agree with how everything was wrapped up in the end, but regardless of that small factor it was still an enjoyable book with a great ending and what more could you possibly ask for? Still, I preferred the first two books in the series since something - a small something - was missing from this book. That 'big bang' I was hoping and longing for.

For our main heroine, Wendy, as you have read from my previous book reviews and the praise I have for this leading lady of ours, I found her character has finally proven to everyone about what it takes to be the Royal Queen's daughter and the responsibilities she must share in order to be that heir everyone believes she is. While the old Wendy we've seen in the past has been confused, naive, and perhaps a little lost at times, but in this book she has changed but in a good way of course. For example, she took charge for herself in this book, to become a leader for her people and for her kingdom - just like I wanted from her in the beginning - and she pushed through every single struggle that toppled over her no matter the consequences of her actions and the ones of her enemies . . . what can I say . . . she was strong and awesome in this installment. But for those other readers who didn't quite like her as main character . . . I do certainly hope that this book changes your minds because she does end up proving herself worthy and stands for the cause she is trying to win.

As for the romantic love interests from the previous two books, that being our endearing and caring Finn and the smart and seductive Loki, I have to stay these two young fellows right here surprised me. They surprised me a lot actually. For Finn's character, a person I thought would still have some fight left in him, I firmly believed in the beginning that he would have a much larger and a prominent part to play in this storyline and unfortunately for Finn fans such as myself, let's just say you won't get too much from him which I'm sad to say is very, very disappointing. Not to say what happened between him and Wendy was a complete shocker  because it wasn't one bit, but on another side of things I just 'kind of' wished he had something more to do in this last book rather than remaining on the sidelines of the action . . . after all, he had so much potential in him and I had really grew to love and care for him. As for Loki's character, he was someone whom really surprised me in ASCEND (in more ways than one I might add). From my other reviews of the books I was more of a Finn fan, however in this book I was ALL FOR LOKI! I know . . . what a big change, right? Throughout the book never once did Loki confuse Wendy's heart - his feelings were all out on the table this time round - and never once did he doubt nor push her to make a decision in who she loves and I ADORED that quality of his. His patience. His love. His kind words. His fight in waiting around for Wendy's heart to turn to him. Oh Loki, you really know how to steal a young woman's heart, don't you? Honestly who is this Finn fellow? I have no clue, really.

Overall, ASCEND was a fantastic and an addictive read that will be forever loved by all, especially if you enjoyed the previous two books in the series, Switched and Torn. While this third and final installment may not have been my ultimate favourite by far, but Amanda Hocking manages to offer up a fantastic conclusion to a series and (I admit) made my heart skip a few little beats whenever Loki and Wendy came onto the page . . . need I say more my dear readers? Trust me here: Grab this book NOW! That's right . . . NOW!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Pages: 292pgs

The Story

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood's thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire.

Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It's only her fierce loyalty to Robin - whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her - that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

The Review

A big thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Two words. Robin Hood. Yes that's right, you guys you heard me correctly - the ROBIN HOOD!! Now I've always been a hardcore fan of the Robin Hood tale and I would read pretty much anything that mentions him and his band of merry-men in a book  In fact, after I finished reading this book, I then had the instant urge to go rewatch all of those Robin Hood movies that I've watched from my childhood and nerd out all out again (of course I did that by the way because I am, you know, a nerd like that). For A.C. Gaughen's debut novel, SCARLET, she takes everything we know about Robin Hood to a whole new level by recreating the traditional myth of Hood's right hand man and basically making a 'he' into a she. But here's the thing about our main heroine: Scarlet isn't exactly your typical damsel in distress waiting for her knight in their shining armor to come save her from her trouble - no, she is actually a sneaky thief with a heart of gold and is a worthy member of Robin's main crew and if anyone get's in her way . . . trust me . . . you better watch out for her knife because she's good with them. Too good.

I'll get straight to the point here and say I absolutely, wholeheartedly adored this book, more than I ever expected to from what I began it. I mean I literally wanted to start re-reading SCARLET all over again when I finished the last few pages because I loved the storyline so much and I didn't want to leave this world of Gaughen's, one that she has managed to create so splendidly beause I'm dying for a sequel even with no sequel currently in the works. But personally for me, what made this storyline shine a lot more was not having Robin Hood taking the reins of the adventures of his merry crew, but rather having a woman do it in his stead and this whole 'girl empowerment' thing that took over the story just put a big and bright smile on my face. Trust me folks - it was soooooooooo good!

When it comes to our main heroine, Scarlet, she was someone I could straightaway relate to. For one example, she was just as good as any other man in the book and whom happens to be tough as nails, fiesty in all shapes and forms, is in every way determined in helping those of the most unfortunate, and she even has a very distinctive voice of her own era which only made her that much more real and appealing to me, so props to the author for making me love and wanting to be Scarlet herself. She's honestly one of my favourite heroines from this year of 2012 - not because she's totally kickass (okay that's part of it), but it has more to do with her being a little rough around the edges and how her fierce loyalty to everyone continued  to inspire me . . . so yes, I'm forever Team Scarlet!

As much as the supporting characters made me giggle like a schoolgirl (and heck even the villain made me giggle because he was so good) but what surprised me with this book was the relationship between our Scarlet and her Rob aka the Robin Hood. While both of them can try their hardest in denying each other's feelings for one another, but their emotional and physical attraction for each other is just always there as they interact and I guess that's why I have always loved them - together or not together - because they were so frustrating, lovable and were total perfection all wrapped up into one. I mean, the chemistry with these two . . . it was sexy as hell . . . that is for sure! So as you begin to read this book, it's so obvious that these two characters care about each other in friendship (and more than that of course) and while I wanted these two crazy kids to get together ASAP but I had quite enjoyed reading about their slow relationship by savoring the sweetest of all moments that they had shared together, even their arguments too, since the slow burning romance is what made me believe in them more and what made me believe in the legend of the Hood and of Scarlet's own unique adventures. God . . . why were Rob and Scar so perfect together? WHY?!?! I want my own Robin Hood!

Overall, SCARLET had literally blew me away! What with an opened ending in this book, I seriously hope the author, A.C. Gaughen, takes her story into serious consideration because really . . . with no plans of a sequel right now, I really, really, really am cheering - no, praying - for the author to write a darn sequel because you can't - just CAN'T - leave a book that is so awesome and so epic such as this one with an ending like THAT. No seriously . . . you CAN'T do that to me!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Egmont

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

A threat from the past could destroy the future.

And the clock is ticking . . .

Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough . . .

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

The Review

TIMEPIECE is the second installment of Myra McEntire's young adult series and it picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, Hourglass. Now Hourglass was one of my absolute favourite books from 2011 and I was literally dying to get my hands on its sequel, which I knew would blow me away because I loved the author's writing and her characterization. However, despite what the cover implies, this book isn't told from Emerson's perspective, the main narrator of the first book, but rather it's told from Kaleb's perspective, a supporting character we know all too well from the book, Hourglass. I'm sure many readers of this particular book can agree with me when I say that this new perspective took me a quite while to get used to but it did - eventually - improve as the story went along. But with that being said, I still would've preferred Emerson telling this tale because I really, really missed her voice and I could relate to her more I ever could with Kaleb for some pretty obvious reasons. He's a boy and all. Still, even though this book wasn't as compelling as the first and at times I often felt like people were running around for no reason at all, but I, on a whole, thought it was a great follow-up of one of my favourite books.

Bad boy persona. Heart-throb. Good-looks. Tattoos. Piercings. And a total heart-breaker  This pretty much sums up Kaleb as a character, but like other readers of Hourglass we all know that he is more than what he appears to be. For the most part Kaleb was a bit of a jerk, even if he had good reasoning's for being more inclined that way. But as you slowly begin to overlook his certain 'quirks' in personality, I had actually found Kaleb's character to be somehow more . . . softer and more . . . well . . . vulnerable than what I've previously seen from him which I loved reading about. And then of course there's Lily, Emerson's best friend, who is the love interest for Kaleb and is simply there to help out the gang in catching a bad guy. As much as I wanted to love Lily, I can't say she was a favourite of mine. Sadly. I think it was because of her relationship with Kaleb or rather it was because I found her to be a rather blunt character . . . maybe it's just me feeling this but yeah she was blunt and not particularly likable. Although what I did love about Lily was how she made Kaleb get a run for his money to get her interested . . . so I say good for Lily for making our boy work harder than ever before for a girl to date which was a nice shake up to the storyline.

Now when it comes to the story itself, I thought everything was pretty fast-paced and was enjoyable enough to keep me reading til the very end, but quite often I found myself confused by all the sci-fi-ness of the storyline and all the quirks in naming these time slips and other whatnot. Maybe it was because I haven't read Hourglass in a really, really long time which may have contributed to me not really 'getting the book' as I hoped I would or maybe it was because I couldn't remember certain parts of the series and who was who, but yeah . . . I was a little bit confused. But moving past this and as I read through the last half of the book, I have to say it was actually quite awesome to finally have some questions answered from the previous book and getting the clearer picture of things (especially in what the villain wants mostly), so that was probably one of the highlights for me and this book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book especially to those who've already read the first book, Hourglass. While TIMEPIECE wasn't exactly my favourite of the series so far, but the cliffhanger did offer up quite an interesting turn-point, so I'll definitely be looking forward to the third book and wondering who will be narrating it next! I sincerely hope it's a character I love this time round . . . maybe Michael?

The Rating

3/5 stars

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 288pgs

The Story

It's 1912 and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just their extensive grounds to maintain. They need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been for one of England's most elite families . . . even as whispers of secret romances and bitter betrayals threaten their facade of perfection.

Maggie Darlington has a secret. And she's not the only one: The handsome groom, Michael, the beautiful new French nanny, Therese, even Maggie's youngest sister, Lila, are all hiding something. And when scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, they are soon looking over their shoulders, worrying about whose scandal will be next - because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret forever.

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Do you love the likes of Downton Abbey and Gossip Girl? Well then, please look no further in the book department because Abby Grahame's debut novel, WENTWORTH HALL offers up a delicious combination of both of those titles and is more than it appears to be for a quick historical read! Filled with a variety of themes and weaved together into several separate storylines, while also mixing between gossip and scandal, unrequited love and budding romances, and even social classes and deadly do-not-tell secrets, it's no reason why everyone is spreading the word about this book and why I enjoyed it so, so much!

WENTWORTH HALL introduces you to the lives of the Darlington family, one of the most powerful families in all of England at the beginning of the twentieth-century. Under the roof of its massive estate, Wentworth Hall, there we first meet one of the main characters named Maggie Darlington, the elder sister of her siblings and whom has always been the free spirit amongst her very strict and well-respected family. But when Maggie finally returns home after traveling for almost a year now, something is really off about her. She's no longer the carefree girl she used to be - not happy, but rather cold and callous towards everyone. While we may not know of her secret as of yet - at least not until the end of the novel - but this secret plays a much larger part to the rest of the characters' that we end up meeting along the way, the many stories that crossover and ones we will soon come to learn more about. There's Maggie of course, there's the handsome groom, Michael, there's the beautiful and new french nanny, Therese, and then there's characters like Maggie's youngest sister, Lila, who all share something in common: Secrets and Scandal.

Already being a hardcore fan of the television series, Downton Abbey, there was a definite guarantee that I would adore this book as well. Even if the storyline and the events that happen shared some similarity to the TV show Downton Abbey and it's own characters, but hell . . . I didn't care about any of that whatsoever because I love - absolutely LOVE - historical fiction written at its best (which this book is) and I love this particular period too, so I rarely noticed such similarities since I was so entertained by this book alone, so entertained indeed. The author, Abby Grahame, did such a fantastic job in understanding the culture of this particular period and the social aspects of men and women, so this book was a total win-win for me in all regards!

But it was more than the storyline I loved, it was also the characters as well. For sure, I may have favoured some characters more than others, especially when reading different perspectives in each section of the book, but I still loved every single one of them in my own way and how each of their stories came to together and played some major part to one another. But if I had to say who was my favourite character of them all . . . it was totally the two of the main characters, Maggie and Michael. Maggie and Michael . . . I just adored those two characters to death and I wanted so much more from them. Reminding me of two of Downton Abbey's character's, Mary and Branson, both Maggie and Michael had something so captivating and lovable about them, and in the end I just wanted them to be together. Whether or not that happens, that my friends means that you will have to pick up this book for yourselves in order to find out what exactly happens to the characters! Trust me . . . it's so worth the read!

Overall, even for such a short book and not a lot of character depth, I have to say Abby Grahame's debut book WENTWORTH HALL had really hit home for me with her very entertaining story and I seriously can't wait to read more from her and I really, really hope that there is more coming from this series because I want more from my two little sweetie-pies, Maggie and Michael! Oh how I loved those two! *smiles gleefully*

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: Out now!

Publishers: Harper

Pages: 326pgs

The Story

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is - a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home. Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy. New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.

The Review

I really enjoyed the first book in the Darkness Rising series, The Gathering, and while I don't usually set up high hopes for a sequel nor expect it to be be even better than the first book - merely because I don't want to be disappointed by them - but unfortunately I did have high hopes for Kelley Armstrong's second installment of her newest YA series, and unfortunately for her and unfortunately for me with this book alone, I didn't enjoy this sequel all so 'much'. It was fun in certain respects but there just wasn't enough to keep me gripped throughout the book.

As I was reading THE CALLING I couldn't help but compare it to Kelley Armstrong's previous YA series the Darkest Powers and while I understand this is supposed to be a spin-off series of that original series however I still felt like nothing new was being added into this particular storyline. Kids with special powers. Kids constantly on the run. Kids being watched by a group of powerful government-like people. Same old, same old. The main problem with this book - for me at least - was it being set mostly in the wilderness or rather the way it was handled in that lonely wilderness. While being in the woods and the whole survival thing is there to prepare us for what's going to happen in the final book of the trilogy, but I don't know . . . I just didn't like it. After all, I felt like most of the characters were making too many hasty decisions and I forgot who was chasing who by the time I finished this book. I was confused and disoriented. However, the only redemption this book had was Maya, the main heroine. She seemed to be the only one with her head screwed on throughout every single situation she experienced. Maybe not when it comes to love . . . but she's great as always.

Personally, I find Maya to be that kind of heroine that you'll always have to support and stand behind. She's brave. She's tough. She's someone willing to listening to others. She appreciates help when its needed. She's totally kick-ass and . . . she manages to keep everyone together, even when things seem to break further and further apart from these group of teens featured in the book. For sure, Maya still may have struggled with her feelings and emotions (especially with her 'two' love interests) which caused her to make further mistakes, but eventually in time she manages to pull through many obstacles for which I'm grateful for.

As for the other supporting characters that we meet once more, I can't say I'd particularly cared for them all this time round, though I did love Daniel a little bit more which is good. Like the awesome guy that he is, Daniel is the super best friend everyone needs to have in their lives (he's an all-round good guy what can I say?) and he doesn't judge people for their mistakes - which is, one of the best qualities about him. While our dear Rafe - Maya's other bad boy of a love interest - remains missing for the majority of the book (which really peeved me off since I wanted more from his character), but having Maya and Daniel team up together in this sequel had a very likable appeal to me and in the end made me enjoy the book even more.

Overall, THE CALLING was a  very, very different sequel. It didn't necessarily have the same feelings that I had experienced from the previous book, which was probably due to the fact that there was a lot of movement and nature going on within the storyline, so I guess that part may have had something to do with my lower rating. But even with this book failing to impress me, but considering what happened in the end, I'm still fairly eager to read the third and final installment of the trilogy, which I'm sure will make me fall back in love with this series again. I'm almost sure of it!

The Rating

3 1/2 / 5 stars

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Egmont

Pages: 357pgs

The Story

There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack - or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you're a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he's a Were, and Bryn's protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn't part of Bryn's pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha's Were. With threats - old and new - looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she's going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

The Review

TRIAL BY FIRE is the second installment of the Raised by Wolves series. Already being a big fan of the first book, the same name of the series title, I was so eager to start reading its sequel as I expected it to be full of non-stop action - my absolute favourite element in Barnes's writing. While the book was enjoyable and flowed very easily for me to read and slowly savor, however it's a completely different book with a completely different feeling to it compared to the first book, and whether it was because the direction of the book was heading towards (which may not have been how I wanted it to all go) or it was because nothing was really connecting with me this time round, but, like I mentioned before, it was still immensely enjoyable for me to read.

TRIAL BY FIRE begins a few months after the first book, Raised by Wolves, had ended and even though I was slightly confused by a few things that were happening - mostly because I haven't read the first book in a long, long time - however readers will receive enough information of the back-story to get your bearings straight and understand what's going on. In the sequel Bryn is now an Alpha leader and like all new alphas she's trying to get that balance of adjusting to her new pack as well as trying to control and keep her pack members happy and together. But when a threat arises, putting her life and her own pack in danger, it's up to Bryn alone to put her Alpha skills to good use and determine who their new enemy is and how to stop them before it's too late.

The author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, continues to write a very compelling voice and in saying that I was really glad to see that Bryn's character had grown far more in this second installment. Bryn, as seen in the first book, was a young girl fighting in a dog-eat-dog world, but now, after having more control over her own pack and figuring out who she is as a leader while putting her new experience to the ultimate test, she was not only able to be the Alpha leader that she was born to be but she was also able to push herself against those dangerous boundaries between her human side and that fine line of her animalistic side as well, which was really pleasant to read about and it was probably my favourite part of the book. Her growth and her strength.

While I'm impressed with Bryn's development, however I just couldn't feel that strong connection I'd gotten from the Raised by Wolves book and most of the other character interactions weren't hooking me like I wanted them to. It's a shame, really. I mean there's still originality presented in this sequel, with the characters and the gritty relationships the character's share with each other, but I got that rare feeling where there was something missing from the storyline . . . 'the edge' mostly. Sure there was some plot-twists that were pretty surprising to me in certain scenes and I was certainly entertained by them, but I wasn't necessary blown away by them in the least but that's okay, I hope the third installment brings that edge back to the series once more.

Overall, TRIAL BY FIRE is a worthy sequel for the Raised by Wolves series and if you're looking for an action-packed, fast-paced, and an original werewolf young adult series, then I would highly recommend this series to you all because it's a must read for paranormal lovers!

The Rating

3/5 stars

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Pages: 379pgs

The Story

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'd 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 myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

The Review

A big thanks to HarlequinTeen Australia for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

Like so many other crazy-obsessive fans of Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, a series which I happened to love very much, I was really looking forward to reading the spin-off series featuring the one and only and a much older boy, Ethan, the brother of our favourite heroine Meghan Chase. While this next installment and I didn't get off to a very good start, but since I have plenty of faith in Kagawa's writing in the past and how she develops her characters in each and every book, I feel rest assured when I say I'm sure the sequel will make me fall back in love with this new spin-off series!

In THE LOST PRINCE Ethan Chase was quite the fiery character if I do say so myself. He's angry. He's sweet. He's fearful. He's kind. He's infuriating. He's angry . . . yet again. For a much older version of Ethan there were just so many layers to his character arc which, I'm sure, will interest many of us readers but when it came down to this book alone I still didn't end up liking him as much as I hoped I would. It's sad to say, I know. But what I did like about Ethan was his love for his older sister, Meghan Chase, also known as the Iron Queen, and even after all these years of not seeing her he still managed to hold onto his sweetest memories of her from when he was a younger child. For the majority of the book he may have been angry at her at first (for leaving him behind you know?) but . . . there was still this brotherly love remaining for her alone, a love that was always there to guide him through the hardest of all times. I for one loved that sweeter side of him not the angrier one.

As we dive back into Julie Kagawa's magical Iron Fey world, we not only get to see many familiar faces along this very dangerous journey of Ethan's - including Meghan, Ash and Puck (PUCK PEOPLE! MY BELOVED PUCK IS BACK! YES!), but we are also introduced to some new faces as well. Both sneaky, intruding and equally headstrong as Ethan is, we get to meet Kenzie, Ethan's main love interest and the human girl who ends up being sucked up into Ethan's crazy, crazy world. Now I really enjoyed Kenzie's character! She was smart, resourceful, witty . . . the list goes on to be honest. But the main thing I loved about her character was HER way of telling Ethan off, especially when he oversteps the line and she always calls out the crap he puts onto her and other people, too. So because of that main quality I thought she was pretty awesome though I still expect more from her . . . so let's hope the sequel satisfies me with that.

Then we have another cool character that we're introduced to: Keirran, a young boy who may seem mysterious at first but once you meet him and find out exactly who and what he is . . . much like me you will be dancing around like a mad-woman (or a mad-man, whichever you prefer) and let's just say Keirran may be a romantic at heart and a total lovesick puppy when it comes to his own love interest (whom I didn't like at all unfortunately but ah well . . .), but I know this boy will have a lot to offer in future sequels so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Without getting into 'too much' detail, overall I thought THE LOST PRINCE was a great start to a spin-off series and offers up something new, fresh and exciting for younger readers and fans of the Iron Fey series. I can't necessarily say this book blew me away like the previously series it was based on (mostly because I would've preferred Keirran's POV over Ethan's) but it was still such a fun read for the most part and it'll be interesting where the author takes this series off to next! But note to the author: BRING ME SOME MORE PUCK . . . PRETTY PLEASE!

The Rating

3 1/2 / 5 stars