Mundie Moms

Monday, March 24, 2014

The Shadow Prince by Stacey O'Neale, Book Review


By: Stacey O'Neale
To Be Released on: March 25th, 2014
Source: e-arc from author to review
Rating: 4.5 stars - I Really Enjoyed
Pre-Order from:  Amazon
Read for Free on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

Every sacrifice has consequences.

Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:

Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.

Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?
I need more! Talk about a fabulous teaser! The Shadow Prince introduces readers to debut author, Stacey O'Neale's Mortal Enchantment Series. What a fabulous story this is. It gave me everything I love in both a fantasy and a paranormal YA story. I just wish this wasn't a novella. I didn't want this story to end so soon. 

Following the story of Rowan, heir to the Fire Court Thorne. In a world that's currently ruled by his brutal mother, the Queen of the Fire Court, Rowan stands out. He's not someone who supports what his mother does. Her treatment of the hell hounds, and other elementals that live within his world, is brutal, and something he wants to be put an end to. It's not until he's summoned to the court, and offered the chance to take the throne, does he begin to see that there's a possibility that he can change the way things have been run. Of course, nothing is what it seems with his mother, and he knows there's something more going on. If he wants to change how the court is run, he just might have to deal with the consequences of taking what his mother is offering, even if it means going against what he feels is right, and killing the Air Court Princess, as his mother said he has to do in order to claim the thorn.

Stacey O'Neale gave me everything I loved in this novella. Fabulous and well developed characters, a fantastic fantasy world with just enough detail that made it easy for me to visualize her unique Avalon. An in-depth plot that is so well written, and drew me right in, leaving me wishing this novella had another 200 pages to it. The Shadow Prince novella is the perfect introduction to O'Neale's debut series. It's one that promises plenty of twists, betrayals, action, and getting to know more about these characters as the series continues. O'Neale doesn't waste anytime with throwing readers right into her engaging storyline. 

Everything I need to know about Rowan with this story, I learned fairly quickly. He's pretty much a loner, because of his morals. *gasp* I know! A Shadow Prince who has morals, I love it! Having morals puts him in conflict with the way his mother runs the court. Her brutal treatment and slavery of the hell hounds, half-breeds and shape shifting elementals is something he wants to stop. Speaking of hell hounds, I loved getting to read about Rowan's best friend, Marcus. He's that perfect side kick that every strong hero needs. Rowan is a strong character. Not many people, okay not anyone, would stand up to the Queen, like he does. Thankfully Rowan has Marcus, who reminds Rowan to keep his temper and dislike towards his mother on the down low. These two have the great brotherly love/chemistry and snark that had me snicker a few times. 

What's not to love about Rowan. He definitely seems more mature than sixteen, and I love that O'Neale wrote the story from his point of view. She does a fabulous job at giving readers an authentic male voice. It's fabulous. Rowan is definitely seen as a strong hero. I have a feeling that his being a loner, and having the strong morals he does will be what gets him through what's to come in the first book in O'Neale's Mortal Enchantment Series. There is some stuff that goes down in this book that leads me to believe the stuff is really going to hit the fan in the next book. O'Neale's The Shadow Prince is a fast paced, action packed, exciting introduction to a world of intrigue, and danger. I think fantasy and paranormal readers are going to love meeting her sexy male lead, Rowan. I'm a fan of both, and I really enjoyed this book. I can not wait to get my hands on Mortal Enchantment! 

3 comments:

  1. I've been looking forward to reading THE SHADOW PRINCE and now I'm even more excited! Rowan sounds like a great character with a POV I'll enjoy. Thanks for your review!

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  2. I've heard good things about this one. It seems really interesting and I like the cover. Good review.

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