The Shadow Prince by Bre Despain [Joint Review!]

  2.5 out of 5 Robots!

The Shadow Prince By Bre Despain

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Into the Dark, #1
Release: March 11, 2014
Hardcover:  512 Pages
Publisher: Egmont
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon & Julia

Book Summary:
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. (Courtesy of Goodreads)

Julia & Shannon: Joint Review!

1. The quick and dirty on your first impression of Shadow Prince?

Shannon: Well, to be honest, I went into this book with a little trepidation.  I wasn't sure how I felt about another Hades/Persephone retelling.  But the good news is that I found the retelling part to be the most interesting aspect of this book.  It was everything else that fell a little flat for me.  Namely, it was just too long.   

 

Julia: The Shadow Prince is more enjoyable than I had anticipated, so my initial impression was... Well, okay, I can get into this. But then, it never stopped. It was way too long, but I loved the retelling of Persephone.  

2. How did you like it compared to other Persephone retellings?

Shannon:  I actually liked it.  I liked the twist on mythology.  It was a fairly big leap from previous retellings I've read, but there was a lot there to sink your teeth into.

 

Julia: That part of the story is actually way better than a lot of the current young adult retellings that I've read. If only she would have cut down on all the junk in-between. 

3. Characters.... go!

Shannon:  I really don't have much to say about the characters sadly.  I wish the dual narratives between Haden and Daphne worked a little better.  Haden was definitely my preferred perspective.  But I didn't like that sometimes a scene was retold from each POV.  The other characters were pretty standard YA characters so I don't think they added or detracted from the story...they just were.

 

Julia: The characters are so apathetic and two dimensional that it is sad. I couldn't connect to any of them, especially Daphne. Couldn't wait until her point of view ended so I could read Haden's POV. He is at least entertaining and sweet. I can't even remember any of the characters outside of those two and Haden's dad....

4. And the plot worked, didn't work?

Shannon:  Ehhh...I think it could have worked better.  It took so long to get to the point in the first part of the book and the ending crams too much in.  And I wasn't a fan of enormous amount of exposition it took to explain the plot.

Julia: Uh, well, major eye rolling when her father, who hasn't seen her in over 10 years, shows up with court ordered documents that says he wins full custody? Really? I laughed out loud. And he shows up a good 15min before they *HAVE* to leave. I don't know, merp! I wish the ending would have been spread over the entirety of the book and that the middle wasn't even there. I majorly skimmed until the last 20% and didn't miss a beat. 

5. There will be a sequel. Why aren't you going to read it?

Shannon:  I wasn't enamored enough to continue.  Life is too short!

Julia: Absolutely not. I just don't care what happens to anyone. You have to make me care about your characters!

6. Rating and recommendations?
Shannon:  I would give it 3 stars.  I think there would be some people who like this book, so if it seems like something you like than I say, go for it.

Julia: 2.5 out of 3 stars. But don't turn your back on this one just because I didn't love it. I think there are a lot of people out there that will enjoy the length of this book and the twist on mythology.