Mundie Moms

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain, Book Review




By: Bree Despain
Published by: Egmont USA
Released on: March 11th, 2014 - TODAY
Series: Into The Dark #1
Source: book gifted by author
Rating: 4 Stars- I Really Enjoyed It!
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it Goodreads


Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails.  As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

A pulsating romance of epic proportions, Bree Despain’s The Shadow Prince will leave her fans breathless for the next book in the Into The Dark series.

An action packed story with rich world building, great characters, and a fabulous twist on one of my favorite Greek Mythologies. 

I am a sucker for Greek Mythology. I loved the twist that Despain gave the Hades & Persephone myth. The world building in this story is awesome. I enjoyed seeing the hierarchy within The Underworld. For whatever reason, I'm always drawn to the underworld when it comes to Greek mythology. haha Maybe that says something about me (coughs). I also enjoy seeing the unique twists authors give this well known mythology. I am always fascinated when they carefully craft Greek mythology into their story, add in their own personal touches, and give it a modern day setting, which Despain does well with The Shadow Prince. Every time I read a well written take on this mythology, I fall in love with the way the author uses it in their story. This is one story I really enjoyed reading.

The Shadow Prince follows the story of both Daphne, our story's mortal who Haden, one of the Lord's of the Underworld is sent to the human world to get, and then willingly bring back with him. Despain does a fabulous job at giving readers the story from both of their points of view. Each chapter alternates between who's talking. Both Daphne and Haden's voices are both strong, and easy to identify. With both characters, we see that neither has had a simple upbringing. It was interesting to see the twisted way their destinies intertwine. 

Haden is one of the Lord's of the Underworld, but he's not the prized Lord. He at first doesn't come across as this strong, hero I had excepted to first meet. Instead he fits more of the underdog role, and had me rooting for him from the get go. Because he wasn't the champion everyone thought would be chosen to fulfill the quest of finding Daphne, he isn't trained for this mission nor does he have any idea about how to "fit in" in the human world. Luckily he's got Dax there to help him. I totally loved Dax. I have to say, there were times that were a little comical as Haden had to learn to be human. Haden is the character I feel grew the most in this story. There were times he can act impulsive, ignorant and well get a little full of himself. Luckily he's a character who quickly grows out of this, and becomes the strong hero I excepted a Lord of the Underworld to be. 

Daphne for her part is a strong, independent, controlling girl who just wants to break free of her over controlling Mom, and make her own way in the world. Enter the rock legend father she's never met, who whisks her over to LA to enroll at the prestigious Olympus Hills High. Not that she nor her mom have a choice in the matter, thanks to the court order. I admire Daphne for her wanting to do her own thing. Even though her father has more money than he knows what to do with, he doesn't willingly accept it, and become a money hunger character. She has a talent for singing, and wants nothing more than to develop that talent. Daphne's an intelligent girl who doesn't take anything at face value. I loved that she's a strong girl who excepts answers, and goes looking for them when some strange things start happening. 

Not everything is as it seems in this book, nor is everyone whom they first appear to be. That really added to the story's plot line in trying to find the answers that Haden and Daphne start looking for. There's a few great twists in this story that I totally didn't see coming. I loved that the choices that each of the characters made in the story had a consequence. Choices play an important role in the story. Having free will is crucial to the decisions that are made, regardless of what a character's fate may be. Just like Daphne having to make the choice to return to the Underworld with Haden, both Haden and Daphne have to make the choice on which path they'll take once they discover their destinies are intertwined. I'm eager to find out what the outcome is the choices they both make at the end of this book.

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