The Dark Divine (Bree Despain) Review

'The Dark Divine' is a debut novel for Bree Despain. The sequel, THE LOST SAINT will be released December 28th, 2010. 

Book received from Around The World Tours

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 22, 2009)

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul. (SOURCE)

Review
THE DARK DIVINE, by Bree Despain, left me utterly breathless. The mystery, suspense, and incredible romance portrayed in this book kept me from putting it down. This is one of those novels I wish I discovered when it first came out because it is now one of my favorites.

When I started the book, I noted the heavy religious theme and I was a bit put off at first. But the religious aspect was kept as more of an undertone and it created a basis of the main characters actions and feelings throughout without being 'preachy'.

The summary on the back cover was quite vague and I had no idea what to expect. The 'dark secret' between Jude and Daniel was not revealed right away which created great anticipation within myself to try and figure out what was going on. I enjoyed the fact that I started the book not knowing anything so I experienced all the new revelations as Grace did.

Grace and Daniel were the most adorable couple. Grace, trying to live up to her family and friends expectations as the daughter of a pastor, believed the best in people until proven wrong. But her situation with Daniel was like no other since she did not know his secret from long ago and could not understand her brother's hatred for Daniel. Grace had to battle between her true feelings for Daniel and her brother's skewed view about him.

Daniel as a character was enchanting. He had a rough childhood and all he wanted was a kind family, which he did have for a short time with the Divine's. The internal struggle to control his 'normal' side around Grace was heart-breaking and enchanting. Daniel wanted what he thought was best for Grace but she was not a typical 'Divine'. She fought to understand his lost soul to try and save him.

One detail that I really liked was the visual timeline that was shown in each chapter. I felt like I was watching a movie, scene by scene. It increased the ease and flow of the book and I thought it was creative which made me love the book that much more.

I loved the cover for this book. The woman looks mysterious and the colors are so vibrant they jump out and pull you right in.

This book was phenomenal and I cannot wait to read the sequel!