Paperback, 512 pagesPublished March 11th 2014 by Egmont
ARC Provided by Publisher for Honest Review
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.
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The Short: Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo. The Dark Divine is Bree's debut novel.
The Long: As a kid, Bree would staple folded papers to make her own "novels." As a teen, she wrote stories in notebooks while her friends waited for the next page to be finished. Her teachers told her she should be a writer. But Bree thought only special people could be writers, so as the years past, she settled into the idea of becoming a lawyer or something else just as ordinary.
Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner city teens from Philadelphia and New York. With a renewed passion for story, and the young adult audience, she returned to Brigham Young University, filled her schedule with creative writing and literature classes, and started writing stories again. But regular life kicked in, and she soon found herself married with a new baby, working full-time, and with very little writing done.
That’s when the universe threw a pick-up truck in her path. The car accident left Bree with an understanding that life was too short to not do what you absolutely love. A few days later, her husband brought home a used laptop computer, placed it by her bedside, and said, “You’d better start writing.” Her life has never been the same since.
In a moment of karmic perfection, Bree received the offer to purchase The Dark Divine on the 6th anniversary of the car accident that put her back on the path to becoming an author.
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
The song “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Deathcab for Cutie. I used to listen to that song on a loop when I started writing this book over seven years ago. It got me thinking about the concept of following someone into the unknown for the sake of love.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Haden! He’s probably my most favorite character that I have ever written. He’s the disgraced prince of the Underworld who has been sent to the mortal realm on a quest to convince Daphne to come back with him to world in order to regain his honor. He has a goal that he’s very dedicated to, but at the same time he’s such a fish out of water in the mortal world. He has very little concept of love or what girls are like, and even less of a clue about things like dating and music. Writing him was emotional at times, but very funny at others.
Which came first, the title or the novel?
The series title “Into the Dark” came first—because of the song that inspired the story.
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Patience. As a young writer, I was so anxious to “get my stuff out there” that I started sending it out way before it was ready. Now I know that it takes a lot of patience, hard work, and even more patience to be a good writer—and then sell a novel. Then even more patience to make it through all the edits and waiting for the book to come out. And exponentially even more patience to go through the process several times over. 6. What do you like most about the cover of the book?
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2014?
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
What was your favorite book in 2013?
Elenor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Wow...The Shadow Prince takes readers on a riveting, incredible fantasy ride full of romance, suspense, and action!!! I loved every chapter of this incredible book!!Bree Despain is a rock star author!
I love all of the Greek mythology in this story! It just absolutely makes the story. It is so interesting and ...to me..romantic! Which is a huge plus!
The main characters, Daphne and Haden, are just absolutely incredible. I love how we follow the story from both point of views. It helps the reader to learn just how important each side is.... which in turn allows us to feel for both characters throughout the book.
"There are many paths. And we choose our paths with the decisions we make. But escaping your destiny is not as easy as it seems. The moment you chose to leave the haven of Ellis, your and Haden's destinies became intertwined."
Daphne has been through so much in her life. She was abandoned by her father and raised by a mother who has kept her secluded in a small town and never allowed to leave. She feels smothered and yearns to be free. Her dream comes true when her father, a huge rock star, just suddenly appears in her life and wants to take her back to his home to live. It is a whole new world for her full of money and the rich and famous and....lots of secrets.
Daphne has an incredible voice and seems to take a lot after her father. She doesn't just sing...she feels the music. She knows she is different than everyone else she just doesn't know how.
Haden is a disgraced prince of the Underrealm and dreams of earning his standing back as Prince of the Underrealm and ruling. He is chosen by the Oracle to complete a task that will change the fates of his people forever. He is told to go to the mortal world and bring back a young girl whose destiny is to help save their world.
"And I am the infallible voice of the universe," the priest says, his voice echoing as the Oracle speaks through him once again. "I have chosen my Champion. The boy is the one who can save you."
Although I LOVE Haden and Daphne...my most favorite character out of this entire book is....BRIM, the hellcat!! I love animals and I love when an author includes them in a story because to me it feels like it brings softness and humanity to the story. Everyone has a weakness for animals and I find myself pulling for the animal in the story! LOL! Yes I am serious! and Brim's character is awesome. Brim is loving yet extremely protective and devoted. I love the events that occur with Brim throughout the story as well. I love how connected Brim and Haden are and how Brim can always find Haden no matter where he is.
"I'm not surprised it is Brimstone that finds me...."
"As a runty newborn, she'd been tossed out of the nest by her mother, left to die in the Wastelands. That's why I'd saved her--and that's why she rarely left my side and could always find me no matter where I was---we'd both been rejected by the only family we'd ever really known. That made us kin."
From the very first page of this book to the very last...I was completely obsessed. I mean COMPLETELY obsessed. The connection between Haden and Daphne is so breathtaking. They are so drawn to each other and only Haden knows that their destinies are bringing them together. There is so much action and suspense throughout the entire book. There is so much mystery and intense moments that I found myself cringing as I turned the pages....and I LOVED IT!!!!
The synopsis from the book states "A pulsating romance of epic proportions" and I totally and completely agree. This is one of my most favorite books of 2014 by far! I literally cannot wait to read the sequel and follow this incredible adventure with Haden and Daphne...and of course BRIM!!!! If you love ya fantasy, action, and romance then this book is definitely for you! It is just phenomenal!! Bree Despain...YOU ROCK and are at the top of my favorite authors list!!
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**I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Egmont for the opportunity to review this phenomenal, incredible, AMAZING book!!**
**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**
Thank you to Egmont Usa and Bree Despain.
ReplyDeleteThank you Egmont Usa & Bree Despain, hope I win!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the giveaway! I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteAnn S