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!
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Review - The Shadow Prince
**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**Title The Shadow Prince (Mortal Enchantment #0.5)Author Stacey O’NealeDescription from AmazonSixteen-year-old Rowan is an elemental prince. Banished to the mortal world, he doubts he will ever return to Avalon and claim the fire court throne. Until he receives a challenge from his estranged mother. If he slays Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental princess and heir to the court of air, she will abdicate her throne. Is he capable of completing such a heinous task? And what price he will pay if he refuses?Initial ThoughtsI had not heard of the Mortal Enchantment series until I saw this novella on NetGalley. The premise sounded interesting so I decided to apply. I was also intrigued by the idea of reading a series chronologically, instead of by order of publication date. This novella was published after the series, but I think reading it first will give me a unique perspective on the other books.Some Things I Liked**Edit to the below** The rest of the series is told from both Kalin and Rowan’s POV!POV. I love a good novella, especially one from a different character’s POV. Although I haven’t read the rest of the series, I did read the description of the first book on GoodReads and learned that the rest of the series is told from Kalin’s POV. Using Rowan’s POV here gives so much backstory and I loved that.Length. This was the perfect length for a novella. It gives a rich backstory and was a quick read.One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy AboutThis is completely a personal opinion, but I don’t love when fantasy and contemporary mix. I thought the colloquial language mixed with the elemental court setting was too much. I prefer one or the other.Series ValueI would definitely continue reading this series. This novella gave me just enough to crave more without giving too much away. I am especially intrigued to read about Kalin in the rest of the series as she is only a background character here.Final ThoughtsI liked this novella a lot. Am I going to binge read the rest of the series right now? No, probably not. Did I add it to my TBR to be read sometime (possibly soon but more likely not so soon)? Yes, I did. I think there are a lot of promising elements in this series and I am interested in seeing more.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Recommendations for Further ReadingThe Evil Queen by Gena Showalter – if you’re not like me and you do enjoy a good contemporary and fantasy blend, definitely check out this book (just announced to be a series) by Gena Showalter.Storm Born by Stacey O’Neale – it seems like a pretty natural progression, if you liked this story, check out the next book in the series. I haven’t read it yet, but I definitely want to.City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – I think the contemporary setting with supernatural elements idea gave me Mortal Instrument vibes. If you’re a fan of this novella, try Cassandra Clare’s books.
Top reviews from other countries
Melanie
Great introduction into the world of Mortal Enchantment!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2014
Sarah (Feeling Fictional)
Mortal Enchantment prequel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2014
Amazon Customer
A great beginning. Makes you want to keep reading
Reviewed in Australia on March 12, 2016