Mini Reviews: The Lost Prince and The Iron Traitor

The Lost Prince 
by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey, book five

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. (Description from Amazon.com) 

I liked the change-up, getting to see the Nevernever from someone else's perspective. Someone totally human.  Ethan is tough, but totally terrified inside and that made him easy to relate to and still feel like a true hero.  I loved how desperately he tries to save Kenzie from what he knows to be dangerous and I loved getting to see Meghan and Ash and PUCK (MY FAVORITE, CAN YOU TELL?) again. 

Full disclosure: eARC received from Netgalley 

The Iron Traitor 

by Julie Kagawa 

Iron Fey, book six 

Publication date: Oct. 29, 2013

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for—his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. (description from Amazon.com) 

I love Ethan and Kenzie's relationship.  I think that they work just as well together as Meghan and Ash did.  I'm anxious to see how they cope after the events of this book... in fact, I'm desperate to see what happens next because the cliffhanger this book leaves you on... WOWZA.  

Full disclosure: Review copy received from SLJ

Mini Reviews: The Novella Edition

Winter's Passage
by Julie Kagawa
Iron Fey series, book 1.5

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey. Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

This is such a great series. I loved getting this extra little glimpse into the Fey world.



The Assassin and the Desert/The Assassin and the Empire
by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass novellas, 2 and 4

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive.

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. But Celaena won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel – so she and Sam decide to take one last daring assignment that will liberate them forever. And that’s how Celaena learns that having everything… means everything can be taken away.

Kicking myself that I didn't read these in the proper order, but I have all four novellas so I'll be going back to fill in the blanks, LOL.  Since I've already read the novel it didn't really matter what order I read them in, since I already know where the storyline is basically going, but man, Maas does a GREAT job with the backstory and worldbuilding in these. Definitely worth reading!!

 

The Initiate

by Megg Jensen

The Song of Eloh Saga, book 1

 

Over a thousand years ago, the gods left Eloh's people and took their magic with them. To win back their favor, her people sacrifice ten female initiates every ten years. No has ever survived. There has never been a Chosen One. Forced into becoming an initiate, Eloh will try to find a way to beat the odds, stay with her boyfriend, and survive the fires that threaten to consume her. But will her lack of faith in the gods and her disbelief in their magic doom her to a painful death?

 

So intriguing! This is my first foray into the highly recommended works by Megg Jensen and it will not be my last. I have the Cloud Prophet Trilogy to read soon! 

 

Freaks: A Rizzoli and Isles short story

by Tess Gerritsen

 

Homicide cop Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have seen their fair share of mortal crimes, but the death of Kimberly Rayner may qualify as inhuman in more ways than one. When corpse of the emaciated seventeen-year-old girl is discovered next to an empty coffin in an abandoned church, mysterious bruises around the throat suggest foul play. Caught fleeing the scene is the victim’s closest friend, Lucas Henry, an equally skeletal, pale teenager who claims he’s guilty only of having a taste for blood—a craving he shared with Kimberly. But the victim’s distraught father doesn’t believe in vampires, only vengeance. And now, another life may be at risk unless Rizzoli and Isles can uncover the astonishing truth.

 



I have to admit that though this was an interesting story, I actually like the dynamics of Rizzoli and Isles on the TV version better.  Sad!

Full disclosure: All novellas purchased for my Nook

Anxiously Awaiting... The Lost Prince!

The Lost Prince

by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey, book five

Publication date: Oct. 23, 2012

No full summary, yet...but...I do know that this book begins a trilogy that features Meghan's brother, Ethan, and is set after the events of the first five books.

Ooh! Ooh! Fans of The Iron Fey series... Check it Out!

Coming this September:

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

A new anthology including Summer's Crossing, Winter's Passage, and a new novella, Iron's Prophecy. There will also be an expanded guide to the NeverNever and an excerpt from THE LOST PRINCE!!

The Iron Knight - Book Trailer

The Iron Knight
by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey, book four

Publication date: Oct 25, 2011

I *love* this series...

I'm Taking a Stand!! Team Puck Forever.:)

In My Mailbox - June 5, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Every week bloggers can share what they received in the mail or at the bookstore or at the library. The goal is that everyone can be exposed to more books this way!

Won:

The Girl Who Was on Fire ed. by Leah Wilson
*THANK YOU to Teens Read and Write!!*

For Review:

Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley

From the Library:

Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson
Graveminder by Melissa Marr

On My Nook:

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa


Did anyone get anything super exciting this week??

Iron Daughter

Iron Daughter
by Julie Kagawa
Iron Fey series, book two

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart. (description from Amazon.com)

I am so Team Puck, I'm starting to think it officially hurts. *sigh* So, without getting too spoilery, as much as this book was really good, the first half definitely put me off a little. Meghan was definitely guilty to an extent of Bella-syndrome. She whined, she pined, and I was left a little disappointed.

HOWEVER, the second half of the book officially rocked and I am now pining for book three, The Iron Queen. I think that maybe the lack of Iron Fey in the beginning of this one was one of the things I was missing. As soon as they appeared, my reading mood totally changed....and from the way that this book ended...I cannot wait to see how they are tied to Meghan in the next book.

With (mostly Bella-syndrome free) romance, danger, magic, betrayal, and sacrifice, Kagawa easily pulls readers in. Well worth reading, but you must start with The Iron King.

How the Male BF always gets overlooked...or my review of The Iron King

The Iron King
by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart. (description taken from Amazon.com)

Okay. I cannot believe that it took me this long to pick up this book... With my love of dark fae books and fantasy in general, I should have known that I would love this book. However, I think that this series felt the same way for me that The Hunger Games trilogy did for a lot of people right before Mockingjay came out. I'd heard so much buzz that I kind of kept saying, "I don't want to read this just because everyone else has...I want to find my own books."

*Sigh* I should know better!! Almost all of the bloggers I follow are into the same type of books that I am and I trust their opinions. I was just being way too stubborn with this one...I put the second book on hold at the Library the moment, literally the moment that I put The Iron King down. I loved it.

Now on to the real discussion...

I really enjoyed the combination of modern technology and fae culture in this series. The Iron Fey is a fascinating concept that I'm surprised had not been come up with sooner...the blending of ancient faerie mythology and modern culture was just incredible.

Now. I'm all for a girl meeting a guy and falling in love, but it just broke my heart in this book that Meghan cannot see the wonderful thing she already had going...

In my opinion, Male Best Friends get overlooked WAY too often in books and movies. Perfect example...in Dirty Dancing, Baby chooses to go with the flashy dance instructor instead of the funny guy friend that is willing to carry watermelons for her! He was cute, totally into her, and yes, I suppose less exciting, but way more reliable!!

*Spoilers Ahead!!*
In The Iron King, Puck literally watches over Meghan for years. He is her bodyguard, her friend, her confidante... but the moment that Meghan sees Ash, Puck becomes a second class friend. It's obvious that Puck has real feelings for Meghan, she starts to realize it, and just passes him right by.

It nearly broke my heart on page 248 when Puck says,
"I would have gotten you there!" Puck roared. "Me! You don't need his help!Don't you trust me to keep you safe? I would've given everything for you. Why didn't you think I'd be enough?"

I mean, you could feel his pain....his betrayal...
I just wanted to reach out and shake Meghan.

*End Spoilers*

I have to say that my husband was one of those Male Best Friends and choosing to date him was one of the best decisions of my life. I always want to shout to characters - "Look! Look at _____! He's right there...give him a chance."

Okay. That's the end of my rant. Anyway, though I had that problem with the romance, I really loved this book. If you, like me, kept putting this one off...STOP! Go out and read it. NOW. :)