Good news, fellow book lovers! Bree Despain's latest series, Into the Dark, will, in fact, have three books. It was uncertain whether or not the third book would be published because of a publishing conflict (Despain's original publisher Egmont went out of business, and it was uncertain whether her new publisher, Lerner Books, would agree to contract a third book).
According to Bree Despain, "Yes, there will be a third book in the Into The Dark series! Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Books, will be publishing Book 3 (most likely in Fall 2016). That means Haden and Daphne will get the ending to their story that I always envisioned!"
That also means that the fans (myself included) will get to read the ending that Daphne and Haden deserve. Yay!
To celebrate this announcement (and her excitement), Bree Despain is hosting a contest.
One lucky winner will receive the Grand Prize, which consists of: Having a character named after you in Into The Dark Book 3.
A Cupid's Arrow Ring.
And (because Daphne and Haden love music so much): a $25 iTunes giftcard.
Three runners up will win:
A Cupid's Arrow Ring and an Into The Dark swag pack.
All you have to do to enter is solve the following anagram and then use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
A SHARE UNTOLD
Hints: 3 words Reading THE ETERNITY KEY will help you solve the puzzle. Daphne's gifts.
Rules:
U.S. Residents only.
The contest is open until May 26, 2015 (so if you need a little help solving the puzzle, you have enough time to read THE ETERNITY KEY).
The winners names will be posted on Bree Despain's blog on May 28th. Winners will have 30 days to claim their prize or else their prize will be forfeit.
This month's book of the month is none other than The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain. If you've been following along with my posts and social media, this really shouldn't come as a surprise. My mom was selected to be a Series Ambassador for Bree Despain's Into the Dark series, and I, as her self-proclaimed junior helper, have taken on the responsibility of promoting this new-found favorite series of mine.
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. Synopsis via Bree Despain's website.
In addition to the fact that I am helping promote the Into the Dark series, I have selected The Shadow Prince as May's book of the month for two other reasons.
The elements of the book are a good representation of how YA fiction is evolving, which I believe makes it a good book to kick off summer. Instead of the typical, underrated teenage girl who falls in love with the mysterious new guy (who is usually a modern version of the Byronic Hero), The Shadow Prince has Daphne Raines, an independent girl with a plan that doesn't include distractions. Also, the mysterious new guy is more Thor-like than Batman-like.
Bree Despain has managed to write a retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth without creating a story that's been told a thousand times before. I really enjoy this retelling and I think Bree Despain deserves praise for avoiding falling into cliche territory.
What do you get when you combine a disgraced prince, an unwilling damsel in distress, the myth of Hades and Persephone, and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice all into one book? You could get a story that’s been told before, or you could get a magical concoction that comes off as cute, spunky, and intriguing rather than cliché. Bree Despain manages to do the latter in The Shadow Prince, the first book in her latest series, Into the Dark.
Lord Haden of the Underrealm has finally been offered his one chance at redemption – of gaining back his title of Heir to the Throne, and, he hopes, his father’s love – but he soon learns that instead of a gift, Fate has bestowed him with a genuine challenge: win the heart of Daphne Raines, a girl with a plan and no desire for distractions, and convince her to give up everything to follow him back to the Underrealm. Haden eventually begins to realize that Daphne isn’t the typical Boon that the Champions are sent to bring back to the harem, and he discovers that bringing her into the dark will have more consequences than the fact that Daphne will never get to see sunlight again. Haden’s Challenge is definitely a challenge: in the end, it’s Haden that falls in love, and Daphne, to say the least, is not very keen on letting him drag her into the Underrealm.
I’ve been fascinated by the Greek myths ever since I learned about them in grade school, and I’m especially interested in the myths of the gods and goddesses. The myth of Persephone wasn’t one that I really got until I was older. “What kind of a creep drags a girl into the underworld and then tricks her into staying there?” However, as I got older, I learned to look at stories from different perspectives, and I began to realize that maybe there's more to the myth than meets the eye. Maybe Persephone wanted to live with Hades and rule the Underworld. Maybe Persephone loved Hades. She definitely wouldn’t be the only female to fall for the “bad boy” (something I definitely didn’t understand until I was older).
The idea that even a goddess isn’t immune to the Byronic Hero is one that has shown up time and time again in recent novels, so much so that it’s difficult to keep the story genuine and avoid falling into cliché territory. When I found out that Bree Despain’s latest series was based on this myth, I was torn. I’ve been a fan of Bree Despain ever since reading The Dark Divine. The idea of reading a new series by her was tempting, but I didn’t want to be disappointed by yet another retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth.
Of course, I ended up reading The Shadow Prince. After all, I do love the Greek myths, no matter how many times they’ve been retold. Plus, it’s Bree Despain. How could I pass up the chance to read her latest series? But not only did I end up reading it, I also ended up loving it.
The Shadow Prince might be based off of a story that’s been retold over and over again, but Bree Despain has managed to avoid writing a cliché novel by incorporating fresh elements into one of the oldest stories out there. I don’t want to spoil the plot for you readers, so I’ll keep my summary brief.
Haden is not supposed to be Hades, nor is he a son of Hades, or even a grandson of Hades. Daphne isn’t all-too willing to follow him to the ends of the earth; she’s a leader, not a follower. In fact, Daphne is disgusted, not attracted, to this dark and mysterious character.
In addition to the myth of Hades and Persephone, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice plays a major role in The Shadow Prince, which definitely helps make the plot fresh.
I don’t know if Despain found different version of the Greek myths while researching, or if she just put her own spin on them, but the myths featured in The Shadow Prince aren’t the ones I’m familiar with (although they are similar), so I wasn’t forced to read through a 400-page novel filled with stories that I’ve heard countless times before.
Needless to say, I’m very glad that I decided to read The Shadow Prince.
The good news about waiting so long to read The Shadow Prince is that I don’t have to wait so long to read its sequel, The Eternity Key, which was just recently released. Hooray for procrastination!
I highly recommend this book. Not only is it a fresh retelling of an old story, but it’s also an example of how YA novels have been evolving. Instead of having the typical, underrated teenage girl who falls in love with the dark and mysterious new guy, The Shadow Prince boasts a heroine who isn’t willing to follow along just because it’s what’s expected of her, and Haden is more Thor-like than Batman- or Superman-like (a comparison I thoroughly enjoyed when it came up in the novel itself).
Happy reading!
Molly
P.S. In case you need a refresher on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth before reading The Shadow Prince, check out Bree Despain's homemade video ("The Orpheus Myth in 4 Minutes") below!
If you are a returning reader, you probably already know that my mom is a Series Ambassador for Bree Despain's Into the Dark series, and I am her self-proclaimed junior helper. If you are new (or just didn't know), now you know! To celebrate Bree Despain's Into the Dark book 2 The Eternity Key's upcoming release, Despain sent out three teasers for the book that I was able to share with the world via social media. Below you will find said teasers.
Craving more? I know I am. And I've got good news and bad news.
The good news: The Eternity Key was officially released today, so you can go out and satisfy those cravings!
The bad news: If you're like me, you'll finish the book within a week, and then you'll have to wait a while to satisfy your cravings with book three.
If you missed it, my mom is an Ambassador for Bree Despain’s
Into the Dark series and I am her self-proclaimed junior helper. You can get
all of the details by reading my post here.
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.
I haven’t had a chance to read The Shadow Prince yet, but it’s on
the top of my to-be-read list. My copy will be coming in soon, and then I’ll
get into it and be able to tell all you wonderful readers about how awesome it
is (or if you happen to read it before I do, you can tell me how awesome it
is!).
To celebrate the paperback release of The Shadow Prince,
Bree Despain has posted profiles for characters from the book so you can get to
know them better. Check them out by clicking the character names below.
It’s been a few months now since Egmont Publishing closed
down, leaving many authors, fans, and booklovers heartbroken. The publishing world
is a scary business, and definitely not a reliable one (desirable? Yes.
Reliable? Not so much). Many authors were left publisher-less as well as
heartbroken, and, unfortunately, there was no guarantee that their
still-to-be-published novels would be picked up by another company. Thankfully,
Lerner Publishing Group acquired many of Egmont’s titles, giving many of the
previous Egmont-affiliated authors hope. Unfortunately, the publishing world is
still a scary, unreliable place to reside.
Bree Despain, author of the Dark Divine trilogy and the Into
the Dark series, was one of the authors who was unfortunate enough to be
affected by Egmont’s closing but lucky enough to be picked up by Lerner. I
absolutely LOVED her Dark Divine novels, and I was heartbroken when I heard of
her publishing misfortune (and then very relieved to find out that her luck had
taken a better turn). When I found out that she was asking for some social
media moguls to help promote her books, I asked my mom to sign up for the
campaign. My mom was chosen as one of Despain’s Ambassadors and I couldn’t be
happier!
I haven’t read Despain’s Into the Dark series yet, but it’s
on the top of my to-be-read list. My copies should be arriving soon, and I can’t
wait to dig in and read them. As I said above, I am a huge fan of the Dark
Divine novels, and I’m sure the Into the Dark series is going to be just as
good! The excerpts have definitely gotten me excited. Check them out below!
Sounds like my type of guy!
Oh my goodness, that description! (Hey, I might not be a teenager anymore, but I can still fangirl as hard as a 13-year-old.)
Can I come?
I’m not an “official” Into the Dark Ambassador, but I’ll be
acting as my mom’s junior helper (do I count as a junior at the age of 20?). Keep
an eye out for future Into the Dark promotions. You can also follow along with
my mom’s blog, twitter, and facebook page, where she’ll be promoting the Into the Dark series.
