The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Published date: December 22nd 2009

Pages: 372, Paperback

Publisher: Egmont USA

My Rating: 4/5

Where to buy: Amazon

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

I just finished this book recently, and I'm fitting in this review among the havoc of school. Anyways, this book was an escape for me, I don't know how I managed it but I read this in a heartbeat! This book was ever so intriguing, the summary in the back was very well put out without giving too much away. Here we have Grace, who's a daughter of the local pastor, so she's someone who has to deal with staying true to herself and yet still trying to be the girl everyone expects her to be. She remembers when her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood and her friend Daniel disappearing. Suddenly he comes back into her life and Grace begins to immerse herself in danger. Questions will be asked, and people will get hurt, and Grace is determined to unravel this whole mystery.

I can say that this is another refreshing and yet dark read. The plot started a bit slow for me and I was waiting for something to happen, but as it got to the middle I wasn't disappointed! I love how Bree Despain was able to weave her own view of mythology into the story along with the modern context. She puts so much mystery and I couldn't stop flipping the pages to read more! There are some twists which sent my jaw dropping and nail biting scenes.

As far as characterization goes, it's written in Grace's point of view and I really enjoyed getting to know her. There's the typical "good girl" meets "bad boy" romance going on, but Daniel and Grace's character are well portrayed that you can see beyond that. I also loved seeing how Grace's parents are involved within the story, showing their vulnerability and effort. The ending was excellent, leaving you smiling, satisfied while leaving that possibility of a next book, and I can't wait to get my copy of The Lost Saint!