Most writers of young-adult fantasy about the fey just end up copying Holly Black and/or Melissa Marr. Julie Kagawa came up with one of the few unique ideas: a new breed of fey derived from technology. 
 And in "The Lost Prince," she produces another wildly original tye of fey that threatens the existence of all others -- and anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way. This sequel to Kagawa's previous series is darker, grittier and has an undertone of tragedy, as well as a hardened new protagonist. Its only problem is the "To Be Continued" note of the ending. 
 Ever since he was kidnapped by the Fey, Ethan Chase has been acutely aware of how dangerous they are. Years later, they still follow him around and cause mischief to anyone he befriends, so he's acquired a reputation as a dangerous loner type. But now Ethan finds himself at odds with a new, strange kind of fey -- ghostly, tattered creatures with broken wings, which are causing regular fey and half-bloods to vanish without a trace. 
 He and the irrepressible Kenzie are forced to escape into the realm of the Iron Fey, and they only escape with the help of a mysterious young fey named Keirran (who has his own reasons for helping). Together, these uneasy allies must figure out what these creatures want, and what they are -- and if they fail, they might end up worse than dead. 
 Expect a number of familiar faces in "The Lost Prince" -- Ash, Meaghan, Puck, Leanansidhe and Grimalkin all pop up at one point or another, and some of them are important to the plot. Also, we FINALLY get a good look at the Iron Fey's realm, which is pretty freaking awesome -- think a steampunk kingdom with metallic trees, clockwork dogs and neon fireflies. 
 But having Ethan as the narrator gives the novel a very different feel. It's darker, grittier and has more of an edge, and Kagawa's prose has grown tighter without losing any of its poetic edge ("twisted with vines and coils of tiny lights, soared up to a vaulted glass ceiling that showed off sun and sky"). She also weaves in plenty of action and fight scenes. 
 Ethan also is a very different protagonist from Meaghan -- he's harder, more suspicious, and initially detests and mistrusts all fey for the things they've done to his friends and family. His love interest Kenzie is pretty much the complete opposite, but her sprightly personality turns out to have a painfully realistic secret as well. 
 And... Razor. Just RAZOR. He makes me want a pet gremlin; he is that adorable! 
 The one problem is the ending, which is only sort of an ending -- since we have more books to come, several subplots feel very unresolved, including the mystery that nobody will tell Ethan. 
 "The Lost Prince" has an ending that sputters, but the clever ideas and excellent characters are more than enough to make me eagerly wait for more. Only Julie Kagawa knows what these new fey have in store...