Review: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

The Shadow Prince

Author: Bree Despain
Series: Into the Dark #1
Publisher: Egmont
Genre: YA Mythology
Format: ebook
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Source: eARC received from publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 4 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***   

Synopsis from 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.

My Review:

I love me some Greek mythology and The Shadow Prince delivered. This book was great! The author took the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus and put her own twist on it and that twist my friends, was awesome. This book had great characters, AMAZING world-building, and so many twists that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading. It’s a bit of a chunker, coming in at 512 pages, but I flew through it, finishing it in less than 3 days.

This story is complex and some people may not like that. You have to think a little and pay attention, but it was so interesting that I wanted to pay close attention to every detail. I really liked the two main characters, Haden and Daphne. I loved watching Haden begin to show his human side more and I loved his sense of honor and duty, even if it may have been misplaced at times. Daphne was a total spitfire and I loved that. She reminded me of myself actually. Outspoken, not afraid to speak her mind, and determined to reach her goals no matter what. I do want to say though that Daphne’s decision to move in with her Dad was way too quick and felt completely rushed. I think that maybe the story should have started after she had just moved in with her Dad so we wouldn’t have felt that rush. Her mom also seemed to relinquish custody way too quickly.

And I can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Brim, Haden’s tiny pet kitten! *dies of cuteness* The secondary characters were all really interesting too. You never really knew who to trust in this book and I was definitely caught off guard by certain things which I loved. There’s nothing better than a book being able to surprise me.

The mythology was freaking awesome! There was a ton of information in this one and not everybody is going to like it, but it totally worked for me. Maybe that’s because I’m a total nerd who LOVES mythology? Using the mythology, the author has built an elaborate world that feels extremely real. I could picture the Underworld, Persephone’s Gate, and Olympus Hills (in the mortal world) clearly in my mind. I also felt like I had a wonderful idea of the history of the Underworld and how the Underlords arrived at their present-day circumstances. (Although I will say there were times when it was a bit of an info-dump, BUT it was interesting to me so I barely noticed.)

I also loved the way the author made music a central focus of this story. I love music (who doesn’t, right?). It evokes such strong emotions and the author demonstrates that several times throughout the novel. It was a beautiful theme to have in the midst of this story. I won’t say much more for fear of giving something away. If you love Greek mythology then this book is a must-read! An elaborate story with interesting characters and quite a few surprising and heart-stopping twists. Happy reading all!

Have you read this one yet? What did you think of the mythology aspect? Did you find it too much info or just as interesting as I did? What other mythology books do I need to read?