Book Review Discussion: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

Book: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: Utah Book Month
From: Bought it at a signing last month

Short Synopsis: Haden is a prince of the underworld and in order to prove his worth to his crazy father, he needs to be the Champion and go to the Overworld and bring back the girl has been deemed the Cypher, who is the Key to solve all their problems with the Skylords. So.. Haden goes. There he meets Daphne and they clash, but they also are strangely attracted to each other. Daphne has problems of her own, including a crazy dad like Haden, and a new friend who is obsessed with finding his sister who disappeared years ago. In fact, he's been investigating and lots of girls have been disappearing over the years. He thinks Haden has something to do with it. Oh boy, and then things escalate from there and get crazy wild!

My Response: I loved this book. The plot was awesome and fun and a wonderful take on the Hades/Persephone myth with lots of other myths also alluded too. It was great. The characters are fun especially Haden who has this strange upbringing and is introduced to a world where this upbringing is completely wacko. He changes so much! Anyway, I just thought it was really fun and page turning and one of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about when I wasn't reading.

Bottom Line: Loved it! Can't wait for more of this story.

Let's Talk About: Books based on mythology. Are you a fan? We've talked about books based on fairy tales and I think most people love these. But what about mythology? I, for one, love them. But strangely enough, the ever so popular Percy Jackson books aren't my favorite. Maybe because they are geared toward middle grade age and I find them not as compelling because of that? I don't know. But mostly, I love myth retellings and I found this one to be particularly fun.

Other Reviews:

Daphne and Haden play to each other’s’ strengths, making it one of the few young adult relationships that does not require one holding power – literal or figurative – over another. From That's What She Read

Greek Mythology lovers hold onto your hearts!! This is the Hades and Persephone myth redone in a fresh, very unique way that will have you questioning what team you are on and which side of the mythology to believe. From Buried in Books

DeSpain is really good at painting characters that are individual and realistic. From This is Not a Cliffhanger

I can see this series going places, interesting and exciting places. So I recommend it, and I will be picking up the second in the series because I am sure that it will be worth my time, not to mention money ;) From Bloody Bookaholic