ARC Review of The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

★★★★★ - This thing is heaven in book form.

The Lost Prince
By: Julie Kagawa
Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 379
Star Rating: ★★★★★/ Go out and buy it now.
Release Date: October 23rd 2012


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

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

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"For something to be given, something must be taken."

For me, the original Iron Fey series is irreplaceable. Try if you will. You can shower me with classics or dozens and dozens of newly released YA titles, but you won't be able to divert my attention should I be in the process of re-reading one of the Iron Fey books. They are my darlings. So when details surrounding The Lost Prince was up for the public, I was nothing if not skeptical. Spin-offs usually don't end well with me. If anything, they typically end up ruining the original story and the characters I'd come to love in it. But then I actually read this jem of a book. And while I still lived for the moments where Ash, Meghan, Puck, and Grimalkin showed up, Ethan Chase's tale is a story in it's own right.

Ethan is no Ash or Puck, but nonetheless, I couldn't help but love him all the same. He's certainly not without his flaws, but they only serve to endear him as a more realistic person. He does complain quite a bit, and often about his sister, but he has a good heart underneath. And for all the negativity he has stored up inside, he has Kenzie to balance him out.

And speaking of Kenzie, she's probably the most bubbly, full of life person I'll ever meet fictionally or even in everyday life. Kenzie is just the kind of person you wouldn't be able to hate. Her kindness, and just the fact that she doesn't back down when she's challenged was more than enough to win me over.

Now let us discuss the new characters that stood out most to me, and the twists and turns.

PRINCE KEIRRAN

In all honesty, Meghan and Ash's son, Keirran, was like a combination of a slightly less witty Puck who had the stubbornness that Ash had when he refused to give up Meghan and return to his rightful place as a Winter Prince. However, he was eventually able to make his place in my heart, if you exclude the ending. He just wasn't the Keirran we meet and love in the first half of the book anymore by then. And the sequel's title. WHYYY? I look forward to seeing Keirran in The Traitor Son. Righttt...yeahhh. *sniff*

THE FORGOTTEN

"We are forgotten. No one remembers our names, that we have existed."

Boy were those things creepy. I really don't see the appeal of them, I really don't. Perhaps that's why no one wanted to remember them. Maybe. I SAID MAYBE. IT WAS JUST A SUGGESTION SO DON'T KILL ME YOU CREEPY FEY.

I think that's just about it. Anymore and I'll just give in to the temptation of erasing everything I've written up to this point and just scream, "READDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! THIS THING IS HEAVEN!"

Mhm hmm. I tend to gush when I like things. You musn't judge me. The Lost Prince is enchanting and beautiful, romantic, yet still full of action. It has something for everyone. Pre-order your copy now. Mine is already on the way. Cheers.
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Review also found at: Goodreads

Contact Kaede: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

Inbetween Blog Tour: Playlist, Interview, and Giveaway!

Hey guys. Today we have the Inbetween Blog Tour visiting us!

 

The Interview

This is your future God.

Nickname as a Kid: Okay, this is embarrassing, but I'll tell you. My name is Tara Ann, so of course my nickname was "Tarazann".

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Coffee or Tea?: Tea

Favorite Video Game: Michael Jackson The Experience  in the Wii

Favorite Color: Red

Last time you got pulled over: Hmmm...I think it was 7 or 8 years ago.

Brand of Shampoo You Use: Herbal Essence

Q: Inbetween is a book that’s very much based on stories, with

Heaven, Hell, and “reincarnation” of sorts playing a part in it.

How much of it did you research, versus the amount of literary

license you took in making it your own?

A: When it came to the "reaper" world I made most of it my own. I didn't rely on mythology for that at all. I wanted to make something unique. I did  however did do a lot of research on poltergeists, hauntings, world war 2 fighter pilots, and house fires.

Q: Speaking of, where did you get the idea for reapers?

A: I got the idea for Inbetween from an Edgar Allen Poe quote.

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"

After I read this, I knew I wanted to write a book where death was a person. Most people fear death more than anything, so I wanted to explore what it would be like for death to be a person, and what would happen if he fell in love.

Q: There’s a certain scene in this book that had me shedding a

few tears. Can you tell us how to go about creating an emotional

scene without making it cheesy, or making me want to stab my

eyeballs?

A slightly related picture! From Roger Hoyt's blog.

A: First of all I think the scene has to come naturally as part of your characters development and growth. I don't think you can set out trying to make the reader cry. There were times while writing the book that I was literally in tears as I wrote. Those were the moments that my characters felt very real for me. Also one way to avoid too much "cheese" is to read it out loud. Then cut anything that made you cringe to say out loud, lol.

Q: Inbetween is such an electric love story. How do you make swoon

worthy characters like Finn? Do you have to research these kinds of

things?

A: Actually...no. I guess I don't, lol. I did lots of research to find out who Finn was as a person. Like the fighter pilot stuff, and his Dad being a farmer. But when it comes to the depth and emotion that went into him, he was just in my head, wanting to get out. The love he felt for Emma felt real for me in the moment.

Q: This book is pretty hilarious at times. Do you gain a sense of

humor like that through experience, or do you just inherit it? (Or

is there something you aren’t telling us?)

A: I'd say I inherited it, lol. My Dad cracks me up and he's always said that I'm way too much like him. He says I've turned being a smart ass into an art. I think a lot of that went into characters like Easton and Cash.

Q: Okay, okay, so you have to answer this question: If you’re in

Hell, and you’re mad at someone, where do you tell them to go?

A: Since Easton is my go-to reaper for Hell, why don't I let him answer for me. Easton?

     Easton: "The Gap."

Thanks so much for the interview Isabelle! 

Tara also sent me her playlist, and I took a listen to all of these and really enjoyed them- I must say she has impeccable taste. For your convenience, I linked to the YouTube videos for them. Just click on the title!

 

Inbetween (Kissed by Death, #1): Playlist

Iris by: Goo Goo Dolls
[Izzy's note: This is the best song...ever. Seriously. You should also listen to the Sleeping With Sirens cover.]

Into Dust by: Mazzy Star

Gravity by: Sara Bareilles

Impossible by: Anberlin
[Izzy: I fricking LOVE THIS SONG SO HARD.]

Help I’m Alive by: Metric

Girl is on My Mind by: The Black Keys

Get Higher by: Paper Tongues

I Will Follow You into the Dark by: Death Cab for Cutie
[Izzy: Easily my favorite band ever. True story. Listen to their album and you'll agree.]

The Very Thought of You by: Billie Holiday

Northern Wind by: City and Colour

[Izzy: Beautiful. Just... beautiful.] 
  
In My Veins by: Andrew Belle

By the way, if you like this playlist, you can see it here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

200 Follower Giveaway- An ARC of Poison Princess

So on my last giveaway, I said that if you guys got me to 200 followers by the end of the giveaway, I'd hold a contest for my ARC of Poison Princess.

WELL...

You guys are ridiculous. It's only been a week, and you got me 200 FOLLOWERS!

Which isn't a lot, but still. I think it's pretty awesome.

Anyway, you probably scrolled down to just get to the giveaway, so...

I'm giving away this:




Hehe, pretty awesome, eh?

This is US only, as I don't want to go broke.

HOWEVER- If you're international and you win, I'll give you a pre-order of Poison Princess!

So, to recap- If you live in the US, you can either pick the ARC, or the pre-order.

If you're international, you get the pre-order, as long as the Book Depository ships to your country.

Cool? Cool.

Enter away!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


And don't forget to enter my other giveaway to win any summer release! (INT) 

Stacking the Shelves (1)

 Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted at Tynga's Reviews. It's pretty damn awesome.

Hey guys! This is Wake Up at Seven's first Stacking the Shelves, so bear with us.

Here's what Kaede got this week:

Bought:

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

Nevermore by James Patterson

Manga:

B.O.D.Y., Volume 11 (B.O.D.Y. #11) byAo Mimori

ARCs:

 

In Between Days by Andrew Porter

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (NetGalley)

Sarah got:

 

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Sarah is a dirty, diiiirty e-book buyer, so she doesn't have any whimsical pictures to share. But Izzy does!

Library:

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Starters by Lissa Price

Legend by Marie Lu

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

(Those two Iron Fey books are for rereading purposes, so I can read The Lost Prince.)

 

 

Okay, so Meagan Spooner was hosting a contest for her new book, Skylark. Everyone who entered got AT LEAST a postcard. I got my postcard, and I was like, "All right. I guess I didn't win anything."

THE NEXT DAY....

I got an envelope in the mail with a Skylark sticker. Enclosed was a note that said:

This is true. I asked her on Twitter about it, and then she answered.

For you non-believers, here's a screenshot:

SOOOOO... she sent me a bunch of stuff! Just goes to show that being nice can get you very far.

Here it is, placed in its temporary home next to my Stamp Collection. (For those of you who have seen my Goodreads profile... yeah, I WASN'T KIDDING.)

 

Two signed Skylark bookmarks, two temporary tattoos, and a signed bookplate.

 

Completely separate from that, I also got a signed Remembrance jumbo bookmark. :)

Finally, I got an ARC copy of Secret Letters by Leah Scheier from Jen's ARCycling program. Click the link if you're curious. And hopefully you'll donate to her program? :)

So that's all for us this week. Make sure you leave a link to yours down below so we can visit you!

And of course, don't forget to enter our end of summer giveaway. :)