I love Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey books. They are one of my all time favorite series, so when I saw that she was doing a spin-off series, I was both excited and anxious about it. Excited because I didn't really want to leave the iron faery world once I finshed the fourth book, and to know that I would be treated to a whole new series set in the same world was awesome. But spin-offs can really be hit-or-miss with me, because the thing about them is, being in that world you grew to love makes you yearn for the original characters. This was no different, really. I was constantly looking around for Meghan, Ash, Puck and others. 
 But I do try to become interested in what the new cast has to offer. I can't say I cared much for Ethan at first, what with how incredibly broody and depressing he was. But I understood why he felt the way he did. I felt sorry for him, but I'm not sure I was thrilled with him as a narrator. 
 I kind of found the love interest, Kenzie, to be somewhat annoying at first. I don't really know why, she was a perfectly lovely character. But she did grow on me somewhat throughout the story and by the end I found that I really liked her and Ethan together as a couple. 
 I was very excited to officially meet Kierran in the novel (Meghan and Ash's SON. Hee hee). I quite liked him most of the time, but I wondered on a regular basis what his relationship with his parents is like. He seemed a little bit indifferent toward both of them - except when he was acting like Ash scared the crap out of him. His relationship with Annwyl was ironic, since it was forbidden. I have my suspicions about him, however, considering the curious way he acted towards the end of the novel and the fact that the sequel to the Lost Prince is called The Traitor Son. I'm figuring - but not hoping - that Kierran will become evil or at least misguided in some way. Of course, it's that title combined with the events that occured in The Iron Prophecy that make me strongly suspect this. 
 I wondered what the villains of this story would be before I got it. I hoped the Iron Fey wouldn't have anything to do with the trouble - they were dealt with very well in Meghan's books and that can of worms didn't need to open again. Of course, I should not have doubted Julie Kagawa and her awesome imagination. The idea of using the Forgotten was absolutely brilliant, and I can't wait to see what sort of things they do in the future to keep trying to survive. I have mixed feelings about the "Dark Lady" that leads them. She seemed genuine, but then, she is fey, and the fey can fake pretty dang good. 
 This review would not be complete if I did not mention the writing. No matter what the plot, Kagawa always does an amazing job of describing the Nevernever or just anything in general. I cannot praise it enough. It's so enchanting in that fantasy-ish way that's completely capable of ripping you away from reality and getting you absored in a killer story with no hope of returning until you finish. 
 So, I can honestly say I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous books in this world, but I did read it over a span of two months. Not because it was bad in any way, I just got busy with real life. I anxiously await the sequel to see if my predictions are correct.