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Summary
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. 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.
Author Notes
Bree Despain rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off while attending Brigham Young University to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She started writing after being involved in a car accident. Her books include The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Despain adds to the growing subgenre of Greek myth-inspired YA romance with this engrossing series opener. Haden is a disgraced prince of the Underworld, who is given the opportunity to win back the court's favor when the Oracle chooses him as the Champion who will travel to the human world to lure a girl who may be the key to saving their dying kingdom. Daphne, an aspiring musician, is whisked away from her small Utah town by her negligent rock star father to attend an elite music-focused high school in California. The destinies of Haden and Daphne are bound together, and while they initially clash, their relationship slowly blossoms amid car chases, near-death experiences, and concert duets. Typical tropes are present: brooding romantic lead with a damaged childhood; spunky Chosen One heroine with a ragtag group of friends, ready to step in and help her save the day; and a safe love interest alternative. The world-building falters, and the middle section slogs at times, but the intersection between the Persephone and Orpheus myths is well done, and Daphne's refusal to be a maid in distress is refreshing. The author also deftly handles family dynamics, and Haden's education on the human world will elicit chuckles. For fans of Sarah McCarry's All Our Pretty Songs (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013), Meg Cabot's Abandon (Scholastic, 2011), and Brodi Ashton's Everneath (HarperCollins, 2012).-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this first book in Despain's Into the Dark trilogy, Haden is an Underlord, a disgraced son of the King of Hades, desperate to redeem himself. His mission is to travel through Persephone's Gate and entice a girl to come to Hades willingly as a "Boon," breeding stock for the all-male Underrealm. Daphne Raines, gifted with a beautiful voice and the ability to hear the song inside all living things, and her mother live in small-town Utah until Daphne's rock-star father comes to claim her. Daphne is no ordinary Boon, and the fate of two worlds rests with her. Despain (the Dark Divine series) builds on the original Persephone myth, laying the Greek references on thick, from a private community called Olympus Hills to a rock opera based on Orpheus and Eurydice. Repeated praise of Daphne's musical talent gets tiresome, but her hostile reaction to Haden's assumption that she's his property is delightful. Despain alternates between Haden and Daphne's viewpoints with a skill that helps buoy a middle section bogged down with exposition and Underlord angst. Ages 12-up. Agent: Ted Malawer, Upstart Crow Literary. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
A dual narrative, this retelling of the Persephone myth follows Haden, disgraced prince of the Underrealm, in search of a key to his troubled kingdom, and Daphne, the mortal girl he must convince to follow him there to help. With its myriad characters and unwieldy subplots, the lengthy book lacks focus. However, the world-building and myth-weaving are inventive and the protagonists, engaging. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A singer and a soldier boy re-enact and rework classic Greek myths in this lengthy series opener. Daphne Raines loves her down-to-earth mother, Demi, and their safe haven in Ellis Fields, Utah. Nevertheless, she moves to Olympus Hills, Calif., with her estranged rock-star father, Joe Vince, in hopes of herself becoming a star. Likewise, Haden Lord wants to please his regal father, overcome his (slowly revealed) childhood trauma and regain his position in the Underrealm court, even if he has to go topside and persuade a girl to return with him to the land of the dead. Mirroring their alternating (and sometimes overlapping) narratives and music lessons, they first clash and then begin to harmonize in their shared adventure. While their fish-out-of water experiences would have been sufficient material for a first installment, Despain attempts to layer apocalyptic deadlines and a convoluted tale of the prophecied Cypher who can find the lost Key of Hades atop reinterpretations of the tales of Orpheus and Persephone. Daphne and Haden occasionally surprise, but they are ultimately a standard heroine and hero. Naturally and supernaturally attuned to the music of the world, Daphne is inexplicably and irritatingly special, while her counterpart, Haden, is darkly handsome as well as sensitive but scarred. An overcrowded modern romance equally inspired by ancient Greece and Glee. (Paranormal romance. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Haden, disgraced son of the king of the Underrealm, has, against objections by his father and the Underrealm Court, been selected by the Oracle as Champion. Now he must cross into the Upperrealm through Persephone's Gate and return with his Boon a human female who must willingly choose to come with him. His Boon, Daphne Raines, is also the Cypher, destined to recover the lost Key of Hades. Despain's first book in the Into the Dark trilogy is a nifty interpretation of the myth of Hades and Persephone. The narration switches between the two protagonists: Haden, the mopey teenage Underlord seeking to regain his lost honor, and Daphne, a fiercely independent musical prodigy. Although the novel is a bit of a doorstop, the alternating perspectives, relatively short chapters, and quickly escalating stakes keep the pages turning. The love story between Haden and Daphne, though predictable, is satisfying, and the book ends with a cliff-hanger that expertly does its job.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2014 Booklist
