Waiting on Wednesday: The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Shadow Prince

Into the Dark #1

Author: Bree Despain

Release Date: March 11th 2014

Publisher: Egmont

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.

Book Review: The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

The Savage Grace
The Dark Divine #3
Author: Bree Despain
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal
Released: March 13th 2012
Review Source: Egmont USA
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle. 

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

I have to start out by saying I loved this book!!! I didn't have a chance to re-read the first two books in the series before I received this book, but I have to say that Bree did a great job of recounting the most important bits of information from The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint to jog my memory on the parts I forgot since I read them last. Some authors spend too much time retelling parts from previous books, but this was just right. On a side note, if you don't have the first two books, they are available on Kindle through Amazon for less than $2.00 each right now. Great deal because this series is fantastic.

I loved the first two covers and I love this one even more, how is that even possible? Purple for TDD, blue for TLS and now red for TSG-such vibrant colors and so pretty to look at, and great if you are able to get the matching nail polish. :)

We start out where The Lost Saint left off, Daniel is a white wolf, which he turned into at the end of the last book to protect Grace. She spends the first part of this book trying to figure out a way to change him back to a human. All the while feeling like he is being pulled away from her...possibly for forever. Gabriel and her father both try to help her find a way to help her in this task, too.

Some of the Shadow Kings, Caleb's pack, began following Daniel at the end of the last book. We get to know many of these characters in this book and I really liked them. Some of the same old players are back, too-Talbot, Caleb, Jude. Some have changed-some for the better, and some for the worse.

Bree did a fabulous job of bringing together the loose ends for me. Some of the questions that came up while reading were answered. Grace is a very strong, female character, who for me is a cross between Rose from The Vampire Academy series and Nora from the Hush, Hush series. And while some may see her as small or tiny, she is a powerful young woman whose physical, emotional, and spiritual strength surpasses even some of the "strongest" male characters in this (and other series) I have read.

This book started off a little slowly for me, but it wasn't long before I just couldn't put it down (496 pages in 3 days--that says a lot when I also have a full time job and a family...and I have to sleep some time, you know). There were lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, moments of heartbreak and moments of joy, laughter and tears...this book had it all for me. Bree did an awesome job on this book (and the entire series) and I highly recommend that you read them. You will not be disappointed!