Pages: 512
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Series: Into the Dark #1
Publisher: Egmont
Release Date: March 11, 2014
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.
I'll admit, going into it, I didn't really know what to expect. From the synopsis it seemed like a typical, cliche paranormal story, but it's so much more than that! The Shadow Prince was actually quite the enchanting read and I actually kept reading until lo and behold, it was 7 AM.
The worldbuilding is the first thing that I noticed. Bree Despain takes Hades and Persephones' myth and twists it into her own creation, somehow making this retelling so much more fascinating. The Underworld had it's own hierarchy system with it's own backstory that set this book apart from all the other retellings. The world was dark and haunting and was quite fascinating. We got to see all the workings of the Underworlder court and how it came to be that way and it was all original and, by the way, a breath of fresh air when we learn that Orpheus plays a rather large role compared to Helen of Troy or Achilles.
As for our characters, I felt like Daphne was a bit flat at times, but she was definitely one of those stubborn and spitfire heroines! She doesn't really dive headfirst into impulsive decisions, but she makes rational choices and decisions, and that's what really won me over.
Haden was quite an interesting character, especially since he was in the mortal world. He was so adorably clueless, but you knew he had an arrogant and dangerous side--after all he was raised in the Underworld. But being in "our world" left him a bit helpless and it was so cute seeing him try to understand how the world worked. Or, more specifically girls.
EX: "My online research into "how to get a girl to like me" had suggested, time and time again, that to win a human girl over, I had to be mean to her. I'd spent the bulk of classes either ignoring her, contradicting her, or acting like a "bad boy", which I gather meant showing off my muscles and leaning back in my chair after saying something sexually derogatory."
Yep, that sort of summed it up! It was hilarious seeing him navigate the minds of females--or rather, one female. Daphne.
Of course, that leads us to romance. The romance was a bit rushed and I honestly had no idea where it came from. I honestly think that without the romance, Shadow Prince may have been a lot better, but the sudden burst of "I love you" sort of ruined it. Though Haden and Daphne did have a rather interesting relationship that made me laugh out loud one too many times!
The Shadow Prince is told in alternating POVs and I really love how Bree Despain writes. She managed to capture two completely different voices into this story and it was unbelievably easy to see how different Haden's way of thinking was. His POV especially was brilliantly written, especially with the fact that we could actually see him slowly getting more human, bit by bit. That takes talent y'all!
The plot was filled with twists, though I do admit most of them were pretty predictable, but that didn't take away the thrill of figuring out you were right! There were so many little mysteries that weaved themselves into a bigger, more sinister plot, and it was enthralling, trying to untangle all the threads!
While the synopsis seems a bit overdone, the book is far from it and wonderfully executed too! The Shadow Prince was a mesmerizing read that had me on my toes for hours as I flipped through the pages anxiously.The Shadow Prince is a book I'd recommend to any paranormal/fantasy fans and is definitely one to pick up!
