Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

I just can't get enough of Kagawa's world. If you loved the story of Meghan and Ash, the half-human daughter of Oberon and the winter prince son of Mab, then The Lost Prince will surely hold you transfixed as I was. Meghan's story, told in the first three books of the Iron Fey story, blew me away. Ash's part came next with the Iron Knight, and I fell in love even more - both with the gorgeous ice prince and with Kagawa's writing. I thought the story ended there, but then came The Lost Prince - Ethan's tale.

Kagawa has an innate feel for what her readers want. Meghan's adventures were a rollercoaster ride of dark thrills, romance and danger. Ash turned from the bad-boy we all fell for, into a swoon-worthy hero with a story of his own. Then, when it seemed like the world of the Iron Fey would have to live on in our imagination alone, Kagawa comes back with a doozy! Rather than attempting to continue with the lives of Meghan and Ash directly, Kagawa has drawn Meghan's little brother Ethan into the Nevernever.

If you're reading this review, I hope you've already read the first four books of the Iron Fey series. If not, go away and read them now! I'm doing my best not to reveal any spoilers, but it's hard to talk about this book without mention of what's gone on before. So I'm going to assume that anyone reading on knows the series, and knows Kagawa's spell-binding talent. I could wax lyrical for an age about her amazing writing, about how she brings her world to life with an ease that makes me incredibly jealous as a writer. I could spend a good few paragraphs praising her incredibly well-formed characters, realistic and engaging dialogue, and perfectly detailed descriptions. But let's leave it at that. You all know she's awesome! 

We met Ethan Chase a long time ago - the four year-old little boy who could see faeries was the reason Meghan was dragged into the world of the fey in the first place. Now he's grown up, but he's damaged. Being able to see the Fair Folk, being constantly tormented by them, has turned his into a bitter, wary and harsh character. He can't let anyone near him for fear that the fey who make his life hell will transfer their attention to anyone he becomes close to. When Kenzie St James forces herself into his life though, he doesn't have any choice.

Ethan just wants to live a normal life, away from faeries of any type. Unfortunately, that's not an option. They know he can see them, and they won't leave him alone. Pesky piskies and mischievous gremlins are one thing, but when scary, ghost-like fey attack him in public and his half-phouka friend goes missing, Ethan, along with Kenzie, is forced to enter the Nevernever and seek Meghan's help.

Enter Grimalkin! You may have thought you'd seen the last of the sarcastic cait sith, but no, Kagawa has given us a gift of more dry wit and timely appearances from our favourite cat. He's not the only old friend to have a place in this tale either. Brief appearances from Meghan and Ash assure us that their story had the right ending, and the introduction of a character called Keirran will certainly mean something to those of you who have read the Iron Knight. Leanansidhe has her place in the proceedings, but it's Robin Goodfellow's guest appearance that will make the most people happy I feel. Good old Puck jumps in to save the day once or twice, and although his part isn't a big one, it's good to see that he's still around.

I don't want to give too much away so I won't mention any more. Suffice to say that there is a good dose of adventure, just the right amount of romance, some kick-ass moves, and I am now on tenterhooks waiting for the release of The Traitor Son (expected Sept 2013)!

See my review of The Iron King, first in the Iron Fey series. One day I'll get around to writing reviews of the other books too! 

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

If you've been reading my reviews you'll know that I'm a bit sceptical when it comes to good faery fiction. I resisted reading Kagawa's Iron Fey books for ages, thinking they would be more of the usual airy-fairy fey with the same old stories. I came across a review that stated parallels with the old film Labyrinth though, and I was intrigued. I love that film, always have, and any book that has been inspired by it can't be all bad. So I ordered a copy of the first book of the series, The Iron King, from my local library. Here's a hint by the way - you can reserve kids and YA books online for free and collect them from your local library, it's a great way to try out new authors!

I have to admit it, I was totally drawn in from the start. Yep, the parallels with Labyrinth are there, but it's really not a bad thing. The little brother being stolen by faeries, a friendly troll, an evil faery king... it's all there to see, but it's not like Kagawa is copying the brilliant old Bowie film, it's more like a nod of respect to it. These are but small parts in the rich tapestry that Kagawa weaves, full of wonderful details and inventive characters.

All the pageantry of the Seelie and Unseelie courts are there to be enjoyed and feared. Ancient characters such as Oberon, Titania and Puck take their parts and play them perfectly, creating a supporting cast for our original heroine Meghan Chase. The introduction of the Iron Fey is the perfect foil for all the traditional faery references. Kagawa has created an enchanting world, where the industrial age has fuelled the glamour and dreams of the fey in a new way, creating a new court, one that is deadly to the ancient characters that have come to optimise the world of faery.

I love the level of detail Kagawa uses. She guides us through the dark world of the Nevernever with consummate ease, showing us everything we need to see without getting bogged down in the glory or a piskie's wings or some such nonsense. Meghan comes into her heritage slowly but surely, and as we follow her quest, we are reined in ever tighter, until we feel we are in another world ourselves, one where we can't stop turning the pages for fear of losing something ephemeral and special.

I'll be adding The Iron King to my wish-list for sure, along with the rest of the series. Look out for my review of the next intallment - The Iron Daughter - soon.

Buy The Iron King (The Iron Fey - Book 1) on Amazon.

Review: The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod

This was another great charity shop find - I am so happy when a charity shop has a good bookshelf! I haven't come across McLeod's books before, which is surprising as I'm always on the lookout for Brit paranormal writers. I'm so used to having to put up with US-based books, that I kept getting a surprise when a London landmark was mentioned. This might be due to the fact that despite being British, McLeod has a definite hint of the States in her writing style. Perhaps she's read a lot of US authors and it's rubbed off on her, but reading The Sweet Scent of Blood felt a bit like reading an English version of Charlaine Harris - not that that's a bad thing!

In fact, Ms Harris is quoted on the back saying 'One of my favourite reads'. No small praise, and you'll see why if you read it yourself - the kooky but tough heroine, the complex web of characters, the big adventures and the fact that McLeod is not afraid of a bit of blood and sex - these are all traits that the two authors share.

Our heroine, Genevieve Taylor, is sidhe - a fairy of sorts. She works for the witch-run company Spellcrackers, for whom she goes out and cracks spells, stopping mischievous brownies, gremlins and the likes from causing havoc. The book is based in London, but not as we know it. Vampires are celebrities, witches sell spells in Covent Garden, and Goblins work as bodyguards. McLeod does a good job of setting the scene, describing her world and the rules that govern it without getting too bogged down in the detail. You don't have to suffer pages of history, relationship descriptions or pointless details about who, what, where and when. Okay, so there's the odd flash-back here and there, but they're totally justified, well-integrated and essential to the story.

I'm normally a bit wary of faery-based books - I find they can often be a bit too relient on fairytales, oddly enough! The Sweet Scent of Blood certainly doesn't have that problem though - there are nods to the old lore such as cold iron being poisonous to the fae, but McLeod creates her own fairytale, with its own magic and lore. I've been reading a lot of YA fiction recently, and this tested my concentration a little as I had to work to keep everything straight in my head, but I'm not saying that as a criticism. It's no bad thing to have a deep storyline that twists and turns, taking the reader on a journey beyond their imagining.

I'll definitely be looking out for the next book in the series - it's so good to discover an author who's new to me!

Buy The Sweet Scent of Blood on Amazon