Young Adult Reviews

The Lost Prince
Julie Kagawa
Harlequin Teen, $9.99
ISBN: 9780373210572

Meghan Chase’s younger brother Ethan strictly adheres to his survival technique of never looking at the fey that he can see. He knows he wants nothing to do with the Iron Realm where his sister and her Ice Prince rule the Nevernever after spending a horrible time in that abomination (see The Iron King).

Though several years have passed since his living nightmare when his sibling became The Iron Queen, Ethan has become an angry acrimonious teen as he blames the fairy for his obsession to never allow anyone to get close to him. However, his avoidance technique ends when he starts a new school and gets into trouble with Miss Singer within thirty minutes due to Kenzie St. James. This is followed by a fight with a jock and Todd the half-breed recognizing he can see his true nature and Them; Thistle knows who his sister is. After the first day is over Ethan soon realizes that exiled fey and half-breeds are vanishing though he prefers his tough guy isolation, but cannot remain reclusive.

The first three Iron Fey urban fantasies (see The Iron King, The Iron Queen and The Iron Daughter) focused on Meghan; the fourth entry centered on her beloved Ash; this exciting thriller places Ethan as the prime lead. Ethan is an angry teen wanting to be left alone but his reputation precedes him (think of the Heath Ledger character in 10 Things I Hate About You). Staring with Kenzie the school reporter, he seems to land in constant trouble until he and his sidekick find themselves in the Iron Realm. Fans will enjoy the escapades of this tough guy as Kenzie, the Fey, the half-breed and his DNA lead to unending danger. Harriet Klausner

Sacrifice
Cayla Kluver
Harlequin Teen, $9.99
ISBN: 9780373210442

Sixteen years after the Legacy of their previous war, the forces of the Cokyr Kingdom led by Commander Narian conquer their neighbor Hytanica. The new teenage Queen Alera knows she and her people must wait for the right time before throwing off the yoke of their more powerful invader. She shares her rule with Narian, who she loves but loathes for betraying their people when he chose his Allegiance to his evil guardian the Cokyr monarch and the malevolent mystical Overlord.

Shaselle does not have the chains of ruling to hold her back. She thirsts to avenge the murder of her father as she prowls the capital seeking to join the growing resistance. Rebellion is everywhere in the nation forcing Queen Alera and Commander Narian to choose between leading and following.

The third Legacy young adult romantic military fantasy is an enjoyable finish to a fabulous trilogy in which the aggressor nation supports women’s rights while the oppressed does not. Filled with political intrigue in a medieval setting, fans will enjoy this entry wondering whether Alera can reveal her love for Narian to her people and if they will accept him as her consort; that is if they can defeat the Cokyr invaders. Harriet Klausner

The Tangled Bridge
Rhodi Hawk
Tor, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765324979

Tulane University Professor Madeleine LeBlanc, a psychologist, researched her family heritage in an attempt to avoid the shortcomings caused by the unique ability to see things that others cannot. She fears joining the long list of members committing suicide like her brother did (see A Twisted Ladder).

Madeleine vow to never use her power ends when she learns that Zenon, her great-grandmother Chloe the Voodoo Queen and their demons hunt a little boy she obsesses over keeping safe though he is the one who destroys her and her family. She and her friend Tulane neurologist Ethan Manderleigh finds a corpse physically murdered by a tall big woman controlled by someone else probably Chloe. Madeline looks back to the 1930s in New Orleans for answers to how to defeat her relatives.

The second Madeleine LeBlanc exciting urban psychological suspense fantasy is a family good and evil affair. Maddy is a complex individual who fears her bloodlines (either inheriting the darkness of century plus old malevolent Chloe or the schizophrenia of her father). The leisurely-paced convoluted storyline is atmospherically driven giving the plot a modern day bayou gothic feel. Not for everyone, fans who appreciate something interesting but different will want to cross The Tangled Bridge where past and present converge. Harriet Klausner