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The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine #1)

by Bree Despain (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 21,256 ratings · 2,118 reviews

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 his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enroll...more

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published December 22nd 2009 by EgmontUSA

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Jul 06, 2010 Megan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish, not-mine-library, young-adult, urban-fantasy

I am not going to hide this review under a "contains spoilers" warning, because only a very young reader completely unaware of the current trend towards paranormal fiction or a severely mentally disabled person would not figure out the big mystery when, on page 64, Daniel "barks" at Grace when he invites her into his room and she makes the observation that, "It looked like someone had been keeping a large dog in this closet/room. The door was marred by several claw-like gashes - like the way Dai...more

82 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of tormented heroes

Shelves: 2010, ya

I am such a sucker. This book is heinously written. I was sorely tempted to scrape it two pages in. The font is bolded, huge and all together overwhelming, making it hard to focus on any given page for too long. The writing is overly simplistic, terse, naïve and more than a bit juvenile. The writing style screams 6th grade writing assignment; yet, I kept reading because Becca Fitzpatrick’s blurb included one word sure to garner my attention, make that a two-word hyphenate, bad-boy. So I stuck it...more I am such a sucker. This book is heinously written. I was sorely tempted to scrape it two pages in. The font is bolded, huge and all together overwhelming, making it hard to focus on any given page for too long. The writing is overly simplistic, terse, naïve and more than a bit juvenile. The writing style screams 6th grade writing assignment; yet, I kept reading because Becca Fitzpatrick’s blurb included one word sure to garner my attention, make that a two-word hyphenate, bad-boy. So I stuck it out, and as much as it shames me to admit it, I kinda liked it.

Three years ago, Grace’s childhood love, Daniel disappeared for reasons unknown to Grace. She suspects that Daniel’s disappearance is somehow linked to the night her brother, and Daniel’s best friend, Jude came home covered in blood. No one in Grace’s family has spoken of that night or Daniel since. But now Daniel is back and Grace wants answers. Torn between a promise to her brother to avoid Daniel, and longing to protect the boy she has loved all her life, Grace must choose between doing what was promised and doing what is right.

I’m not going to sugar coat it, the lore in this book is ludicrous and nearly beats you over the head with its religious self righteousness. The author is in desperate need of an ancient history lesson as her facts are skewed to fit her world view. The plot is so glaringly obvious that I guessed the “mysterious” events of that fateful night right off. The mystery is as vague as a slap in the face with a two by four. To further detriment, Grace is a walking, talking religious cliché in her own right, though I can somewhat excuse it away as she is a protestant pastor’s daughter. Nevertheless, I’m a bit hesitant to believe that even pastor’s children are this “divine”. Grace is such a goodie two shoes that I found myself recoiling from her train of thought. Her only flaw is that she is so filled with good intentions that they cloud her judgment, can we say Mary Sue? However, in spite of all its failings, I couldn’t cast this book aside. It haunted my sleep once I finally vowed to get some shut eye. Why? Because of the “bad-boy”, who isn’t really bad at all.

Daniel tugged on my heart strings. As children, Daniel, Jude and Grace would spend hours together each day, playing, creating, and forming an un-breakable bond. To the outside world, Daniel is a beautiful and talented young boy. But all is not well with Daniel. His father is abusive and as a result, Daniel is plagued with fears, anger, self doubt, and an intense desperation to be loved and wanted. Of course, when we first meet Daniel, all we see is an apparently confident, abrasive, and rather intriguing guy in a “I’m bad but oh so troubled and sexy” sort of way. However, as the story progresses, readers are allowed more and more insight to Daniel’s past, and discover the depths of his and Grace’s love and devotion to one another. It’s beautiful and wretched to experience their memories. Their past is hardly perfect. Filled with friendship, laughter, childhood adventures and future dreams, it seems as though these two were meant to love one another.

To state things plainly, the writing style is lacking, the narrator is un-relatablly childish and the plot lacks any sort of suspense. Nonetheless, this story possesses a subplot that is intriguing, and worthy of praise. Daniel’s story of rejection, abuse and neglect are palpable. Despain failed on many fronts, but she soared in the tellings of a troubled teen in search of love and redemption with a grittiness and honesty that was surprising to find under so much religious wholesomeness. I rather wish she hadn't bogged her story down with faux religious supernatural lore. She has a beautiful story in Daniel. Therefore, I shall recommend this book to anyone who wants to sink their teeth into a lone, winning character, but discourage those are seeking a "Twilight-esque" romance.(less)

32 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2010 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal romance fans

Recommended to Annalisa by: Janessa

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, romance, cover

Good girl, studious protagonist: check
Dark, mysterious boy who is really the good guy but starts off being incredibly cruel: check
Unexplained sexual tension that controls protagonist: check
Perfect guy who isn't perfect: check
Love triangle: check
Best friend who gets protagonist to do something dangerous: check
Contrived plot elements to keep the reader in suspense: check

I don't know why I keep reading these when this post-Twilight formula for fantasy romances doesn't work for me. Having said that,...more

19 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-arc, bea-2010, books-i-own, signed-books

Three words; I. Loved. It!

The pages inside are just as full of intrigue and mystery as the beautiful cover itself!

Wow! What an awesome debut! Picked this one up, and didn't put it down until I was finished. Not only was there great charactizations, extraordinary writing and a infallible mystery, but the story itself was just spectacular!

I loved Despain's talent of weaving ideas of mythology seamlessly into the everyday world. The daily struggle of Grace's life, being the person she wants to be,...more

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Holli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, audio-books, family-relationships, high-action, paranormal, romance

The Dark Divine is truly an amazing book! It captured my heart from page one, and took me on an amazing ride of suspense, mystery, conviction, and unconditional love.

Bree Despain took a traditional stance with werewolves, but added a twist. These are not mere shape shifters like current novels would portray, but more like the fairytale monsters we imagined them to be as children. I appreciated the amount of back history she put into their origin of the Urbat. The contrast their original nature...more

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Joyzi rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Peeps who don't mind rip-offs

Recommended to Joyzi by: Youtube

Shelves: e-book, fiction, ya-books, reviewed, book-series, paranormal-romance

UPDATE: So much for books to movies? They're going to make a movie out of this book too.

http://breebiesingerdespain.blogspot....

One Sunday morning, I was bored and decided to read Specials the book three of the Uglies trilogies, but I find myself suffering to read it because it's too boring and then I've decided to read this book instead since one of my group here in goodreads was reading it.

At the very first chapter I feel like this was probably a good story and idk, but with the first chapte...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Kimberly B. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ya, paranormal, no-dice

This is such a cheap rip-off of the Twilight series. I won't even begin to go into all of the similarities; it's not worth my time. Suffice it to say, I was consistently rolling my eyes throughout the entire story. The only difference between this and Twilight is that Despain adds a clear Biblical take. It's sad that that is really the only original part of the whole story. This one has officially made my "no-dice" bookshelf on GR. I am so thankful this was a library book and I didn't spend any...more

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 05, 2010 Jess (The Cozy Reader) Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young adult, fantasy, paranormal

Shelves: author-signed, contest-prize, reviewed, keeper

My Grade

Plot: 5
Setting: 4
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 5
Overall: 29/30 = 96% =A
Cover/Title Bonus: 4

I won this ARC on Bree’s blog in one of her monthly pre-release celebrations for The Dark Divine. I also got a bottle of matching nail polish as seen on the cover and a pedicure kit! :)

Summary (Bree’s website)

A prodigal son
A dangerous love
A deadly secret . . .
I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kick...more

29 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2009 Sab H. (YA Bliss) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-arc, autographed, reviewed-books, own

More like 3.5 stars.

I was so exited about this book! I think I was too exited. Ballads of Suburbia is a hard book to follow, I kept thinking about it long after I was supposed to be into this one. This book was not awfully trapping. Even though I really liked the romance part, I didn't feel so much the supernatural. I didn't quite feel the edge or the mystery. She waited to long to explain what was going on. The writing was awkward, some dialogs seemed to be not believable.

The plot is unsteady....more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2009 Krista (One Love) (Critical) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-ab, best-character-s, tears, want-to-own, werewolves, read-around, ya

I was really looking forward to this book, and although it did not disappoint me, it also wasn't quite what I'd expected. I knew what it was that Daniel had done from the very first time I read the inside flap of the book. I thought perhaps my assumption was wrong, because it felt too obvious, but nope...it's really obvious what happened between Daniel and Jude.
The twist wasn't surprising either. I guessed it about halfway through, though it wasn't near as obvious as the "mysterious" event that...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2010 Kaitlyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I seriously love this book so much. All of the characters are amazing, the writing is excellent, and the plot is fantastic! I definitely recommend this book to anyone. You will LOVE it!!!

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 02, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-100-book-challenge, arcs-i-own, books-i-own, signed, mundie-moms-review

I received the ARC for The Dark Divine this week when our box of goodies came from Bree for being on her street team. I have to say, that I read the book in a day and I couldn't put it down. I was hooked when I read the first 17 pages here http://www.breedespain.com/TDDsneakpe....

**This is SPOILER FREE**
Grace Divine is part of a tight knit family, who help everyone they can, are do gooders in their community and hold no secrets, or so Grace thought. When a child hood friend, and someone who was...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 02, 2010 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, favorite-books, ya-kids-teen, arcs, egmont, own, lovestory-done-right, paranormal, best-characters-ever

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Simply put, The Dark Divine exceeded all my expectations. Paranormal, bad boy and ordinary girl - who hasn't seen that before? Well, the relationship in this story was very well-done and evenly paced, and the "paranormal" aspect was so incredibly original and entertaining, so it felt like I was reading something completely fresh and new. Bree Despain's take on werewolves - which I'm sure we're all familiar with - is so INCREDIBLY original and actually makes sense! I remember th...more I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Simply put, The Dark Divine exceeded all my expectations. Paranormal, bad boy and ordinary girl - who hasn't seen that before? Well, the relationship in this story was very well-done and evenly paced, and the "paranormal" aspect was so incredibly original and entertaining, so it felt like I was reading something completely fresh and new. Bree Despain's take on werewolves - which I'm sure we're all familiar with - is so INCREDIBLY original and actually makes sense! I remember thinking, "yeah, definitely! Why not?" Bravo, Mrs. Despain!
I especially liked the inclusion of useful, responsible parent-figures. I think we can all agree that parent figures in YA are frequently absent, so it was nice to have helpful parent characters. Now, I do think that sometimes the Divine family was portrayed a little on the stereotypical side: Grace and Jude are great characters, and I DO know boys like Jude, so no, I don't believe that he's "unrealistic" at all - but sometimes they acted a little too contrived (my cousins are children of a pastor, and they do NOT spend their free time at food pantries, nor do they discuss clothing drives. Maybe they *should*, but...) But that one little mention is the only thing that I can think of to say about this book: aside from the Divine family's kind-of blatant portrayal, all the characters were very real, very well-rounded, and easy to relate to. It's always a plus to have grounded, practical characters with values and a good head on their shoulders. Now Grace isn't perfect, but she is a genuinely caring person, and that made up for any lapses in judgment throughout the story. Jude is a really interesting character, too. At the beginning, he was a little too Richie Cunningham for me, but as the Prodigal Son scenario played out, both he and Daniel became incredibly fun to explore.
Daniel and Grace's relationship was very well-done. It wasn't rushed, but it didn't beat around the bush; it wasn't abusive, it wasn't superficial, it wasn't inappropriate. Rather, I found Grace's devotion to Daniel and her (ultimate) willingness to help him very touching.
Even though this ~~book~~ series really doesn't have a designated villain (yet), the plot remained strong and interesting throughout, and the story was evenly paced. The Dark Divine was a fast read, but that's mainly because I was so engrossed, I could not put it down!

I really can't praise this book enough. Yes, there are religious elements in this story, but I suppose I missed the memo that decided that was a bad thing. :P Kidding aide, I hope that doesn't dissuade anyone from picking up TDD. It is a well-written, captivating, and incredibly romantic story, and I sincerely recommend it to fantasy/YA lovers!
I'd like to say thank-you to Bree for the story she created, and the way in which she decided to tell it. I'm definitely a fan, and I eagerly look forward to her next installment =](less)

11 likes · like · see review

Dec 31, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-ya-ya, urban-street-cahoots

THE DARK DIVINE was one of the best debut books I've read this year. It could probably even be the best. This one was a real page-turner.

At first glance, the story is your typical paranormal romance. But whereas many of the YA paranormal romance books out there these days fall flat on their faces when it comes to the characters and the plot, this one does not. Bree Despain really knows how to create her characters, and give them personalities that make them shine. Or well, not necessarily shine...more THE DARK DIVINE was one of the best debut books I've read this year. It could probably even be the best. This one was a real page-turner.

At first glance, the story is your typical paranormal romance. But whereas many of the YA paranormal romance books out there these days fall flat on their faces when it comes to the characters and the plot, this one does not. Bree Despain really knows how to create her characters, and give them personalities that make them shine. Or well, not necessarily shine, but make them believable and enthralling to read about.

Daniel was a great character. He's more of the bad boy type than not, but because of so, he was really appealing. He's conflicted but there's a reason, and I loved the relationship between him and Grace. Their interactions were really wonderful...they were actually credible and the scenes that were meant to be romantic were beautiful. Despain tells her story in such a way that made me eager for any Grace-Daniel scenes. I loved how there were reasons for Grace and Daniel's love for each other, and how it wasn't just infatuation-at-first-sight. (Like in Fallen, Evermore, and Twilight...)

I loved how family played a big part in the story, and how there was a set of diverse characters that made the mystery in this book authentic, and kept me guessing at who the baddy was until the end!

And the plot...wow. Unlike many other paranormal romances, there was actually a plot in this story! An intriguing plot with a mystery that was slowly revealed, bit by bit and hint by hint, over the course of the story. This made the story really addicting...I couldn't stop reading! It was evidently well-researched and well-developed, making for a solid plot with heart-pounding scenes.

Despain's take on the paranormal in THE DARK DIVINE was really, really good. The paranormal being in her story is very often used, but I think Despain's version ranks among the best. It's solidly constructed and has a legitimate and interesting history behind it.

I honestly don't know how to give this book a review worthy of its content. There was so much going on, and a lot of factors contributing to the plot that made it really enticing, but I can't give them away without spoiling it, so I won't! There are little things that you read about in the beginning that come together in the end in a satisfying and sweet conclusion, but all the same, I am desperately awaiting the sequel. Overall, a beautiful book with a beautiful story! (less)

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2010 Michelle Flores rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Original Review - Here!

If you take the legend of a fantastic creature, set history on present time, add an alternative touch to the story’s narrative and as main ingredient forge all those into a mysterious love story the result is: The Dark Divine. The story starts with a prologue that establishes expectations for the reader that the author graciously drives all the way to the end. We’ll know Grace, our narrator, not only as our eyes through the story, but also on all stages driven along...more The Original Review - Here!

If you take the legend of a fantastic creature, set history on present time, add an alternative touch to the story’s narrative and as main ingredient forge all those into a mysterious love story the result is: The Dark Divine. The story starts with a prologue that establishes expectations for the reader that the author graciously drives all the way to the end. We’ll know Grace, our narrator, not only as our eyes through the story, but also on all stages driven along the story; the daughter, the sister, the teenager and dreamer. It’s because of this that the reader can be able to have a good idea of who are the characters surrounding the story. It will involve you in the mystery of what really happened three years ago when Daniel disappeared from Grace’s life and what is really happening on the story time line’s “now” when Daniel comes back to Grace’s life. However, not because the story’s certainly a mystery it takes something away from the romance’s development between the main characters. Chemistry jumps right off the page figuratively speaking. Daniel’s a mysterious, dark and sexy love interest who distinguishes among many other characters by his background and talents that will enable you to love him as you’ll love Grace. There are some aspects I found fascinating and worth mentioning: the chapter’s titles are dark, but sound divine. The way time is managed in the story is different; it gives you the opportunity as a reader of unveiling the mystery surrounding the Divine family, Daniel and other happenings of the past in the town where the story develops. During half the story we’ll get to know another tale through diaries and although they are not part of the things happening on the main story, it would be determinant at the end of it. In a market where fantastic creatures are the day’s rule, Bree Despain distinguishes by transferring one of these legends into the modern world in an original and certainly deep way. in order to know which fantastic creature plays part in The Dark Divine, which is the mystery and if Grace and Daniel get to overcome the barriers that can keep them apart, make sure you get your copy of The Dark Divine; a novel where legend, love and mystery are forged divinely.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-vampire-werewolves, books-read-in-2010

What a pleasantly, unexpected surprise this book turned out to be. I had know idea from the inside cover what this book was really about. I loved it...

I thought the religious tones were tastefully done. They didn't over power the story, they added to the overall theme and provided contrast to Grace and Daniels life.

This book was a little too goody-goody for me. A little dirtiness (maybe I've read too many romance novels) would have made this book perfect, well that and a change to the ending....more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2009 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, ya, paranormal

I didn't like The Dark Divine by Bree Despain at first. I know, what a way to start off a book review right? To be honest, in the beginning it felt like a Christian fiction novel which is a genre I tend to avoid. I also did not like the love interest, Daniel, at first either. To me, he seemed like such an asshole and I immediately associated the word abusive with him.
Read the rest of my review here

2 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2010 LethalLovely~I'll Be Your River rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-ya, reviews

My Thoughts:

I'm going to try my best to write this review without spoilers which is gonna be difficult given this book is mainly about Daniel's "secret".

Anyway,Grace is the daughter of a pastor & stepford wife-esque mother. She also has three siblings; a younger sister, older brother, & baby brother. When she was younger, she & her older brother were close to a neighborhood kid Daniel which ended abruptly when he disappeared the night her older brother (Jude) came home beat up to all...more My Thoughts:

I'm going to try my best to write this review without spoilers which is gonna be difficult given this book is mainly about Daniel's "secret".

Anyway,Grace is the daughter of a pastor & stepford wife-esque mother. She also has three siblings; a younger sister, older brother, & baby brother. When she was younger, she & her older brother were close to a neighborhood kid Daniel which ended abruptly when he disappeared the night her older brother (Jude) came home beat up to all hell. Years later Daniel reappears in their podunk town out of the blue & the mystery begins.

On to my thoughts. Throughout this novel I debated whether to give it 2 stars or 3. There were chapters where I felt 2 stars were too generous. The concept for this novel has been recycled billions of times but there were a few twists (& the author's viewpoint based on her mormon background) that saved this novel from paranormal YA mediocrity. I enjoyed the lore surrounding the mystery. I enjoyed the family & friendship dynamics. I enjoyed our teen hero Daniel. I even enjoyed the religious aspect although I felt like it was being shoved down my throat a few times. What I didn't enjoy was our heroine, Grace. She annoyed the crap out of me. Grace has this irritating need to fix people which often comes off as intrusive. What makes it more annoying is that she isn't doing it so much out of the goodness of her heart as to rationalize her own feelings. For example, she would bring food & clothes over to Daniel & tell herself it was because she was such a good christian & living up to her name. In actuality it was so she could be near him. It would be cute if she didn't come off as holier-than-thou. She also was very childish & naive for someone who is almost 17. One second she loved Daniel & thought Jude was a liar. The next she hated Daniel & couldn't believe she didn't listen to her brother. She was all over the freaking place & it stayed that way until nearly the end of the book. I tried my hardest to like her but the second I felt something more than intense dislike, she'd do something stupid that put her back on my TSTL list.

Overall, I think I would've enjoyed this novel alot more if it wasn't told exclusively from the heroine's view. It doesn't really break new ground & comes off as cliche.But I did find some parts of this novel entertaining. I might even read the next in the series (yes its a part of a series. Seems like every freaking book these days is a part of a series) in the hopes that Grace redeems herself & grows a brain/backbone.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2011 Paola Garcia rated it 1 of 5 stars

I could've liked this book.
But I did not get Grace Divine.
Jude's character is flat.
and Daniel is just so girly.

I also did not like the plot.
Daniel bit Jude and turned him into a werewolf.
I hate stories that go like this-protagonist do something wrong-he repents and fix what he did-he still became the hero. yey.
For me, saving the day does not erase what Daniel did. He can never be the good guy. He shouldn't be considered one.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2011 Charlie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, teen-ya

When the main character is the daughter of a local pastor, religion is going to be central to the plot, or it is fairly safe to assume. Why it works: Whether the author shares the same beliefs is irrelevant, because the views, actions and reactions to events are clearly expressed and formed within the fictional characters. In other words, this is where the character is coming from and how we are to interpret their motives. Does it matter if I agree with the beliefs presented? No, because it is G...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 24, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Despite a really terrible job on the part of her publisher (missing words and typos abound, parsed out in a font so large and overwhelming in its boldness that I was distracted to no end, and enclosed in a bizarre cover that looks more like an erotic novel than a YA horror/paranormal fantasy), I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this story.

MILD SPOILERS:
Grace Divine is the daughter of a pastor in a conservative church-going community, but her straitlaced family has spent the last sever...more Despite a really terrible job on the part of her publisher (missing words and typos abound, parsed out in a font so large and overwhelming in its boldness that I was distracted to no end, and enclosed in a bizarre cover that looks more like an erotic novel than a YA horror/paranormal fantasy), I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this story.

MILD SPOILERS:
Grace Divine is the daughter of a pastor in a conservative church-going community, but her straitlaced family has spent the last several years hiding and avoiding the fate of their unofficial foster son and brother Daniel, and his strange disappearance. Grace is caught in a sort of accepting malaise of this status quo until Daniel shows up at her high school. While Grace's older brother Jude demands she avoid Daniel, and her parents appear to be avoiding the entire situation, Grace falls back on her old affections for her childhood friend and determines to use her dad's pastoral "care for those in need" motto with Daniel, too. Which, of course, results in all kinds of drama, secrets, blood, death, chaos and kissing, etc.

At first glance this looked like another typical mysterious-bad-boy novel that usually makes me cringe -- why do we insist on parading these horrible jerks before young women as model friends and lovers? -- but ho'd on, all is not as it seems. Yes, Daniel has a secret that turns out to be another commonly used plot twist in fantasy these days, and yes, Grace is a little slow on the uptake (the word lycanthrope didn't tip her off). But I'm gonna be honest -- until I saw the word lycanthrope, I wasn't tipped off, either. Despain does a really decent job of holding together the suspense throughout this novel; even after the sort-of big reveal of Daniel's identity, nothing's as clean-cut as you'd expect. If Jude's fate was a little easy to predict, I'll allow it given that I didn't find it so until a good 150 pages in, and that was enough for me. And even if some of the plot, including Grace's name, reminded me of my much-loved copy of Maggie Stiefvater's novel Shiver, The Dark Divine is an entirely different mood. While Shiver moves the story through a solemn, almost hushed internalization, The Dark Divine packs in a fair amount of action and suspense. I think the comparisons I've heard to Stephanie Meyer's New Moon is a little unfair in this regard, as well; in New Moon, Bella doesn't do a whole heck of a lot. In Divine, Grace is so busy trying to do whatever she thinks is the morally right thing -- respect her parents, listen to her brother, help Daniel, put up with the local charity case -- that she's completely wrapped up in the darker deeds around her (because c'mon, no church-going gal should be THAT laid back about the kind of party she walked into at Daniel's) until her deductions hit her on the head like a proverbial ton'o'bricks.

But here are the biggest ways that The Dark Divine is unlike any of its similar sister novels -- Grace is a church kid, and darn it, she's cool with that. Some readers may be turned off by the strong and frequent references to Judeo-Christian values and kitsch (right down to printed church bulletins), and oppositely, those in the religous environmental know may find her one-dimensional harpy of a mother a little hard to stomach, but you gotta give it to Despain, she talks about Grace's Protestant bubble without batting an eye. Grace goes to Bible study; volunteers for her dad's church charities; asks Daniel not to swear in the halls of her Christian school; and ponders the real implications of the Prodigal Son. She's sheltered; she wouldn't know what Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Gaiman's Sandman would look like if they bit her, so every monstrous revelation is doubly new and shocking to her.

It may not be cool, or even likeable to some, but Grace's religious viewpoints do make her a real standout in this genre. Sometimes it's just the facts; with her Dad a pastor, it's inevitable she'll be describing a way of life (no web surfing in her room; spaghetti straps are verboten) that many cannot relate to. But she's still relatable, if for no other reason than those honest moments when she's thinking in the paradigm of her religious views, and most protagonists in YA fiction are trying to figure out some sort of paradigm, too. Grace asks herself, if Daniel's the prodigal and Jude's the "good son," then doesn't the parable infer the good son is the one in the most danger? What does "honor thy father and mother" really mean when said parents are keeping secrets that have hurt people? When another father and mother in the story subject their child to terrifying abuse and abandonment? How do children recover from that kind of abuse? And how do their comfy teenage friends figure out how to help them in a way that's truly meaningful? Just how far should grace and forgiveness go, when there's family at stake and blood on someone's hands?

And consequently, Daniel's a little raw. Despain's publishers may want to convince us he's a bad boy, but really, he's a good boy subjected to so much abuse and heartache that he's done some pretty bad stuff to try to cope. In a novel ripe with Grace's naivete, Daniel doesn't waste any words about the many hedonistic forms his self-hatred and escape have taken. He's a social misfit and a castout when Grace first sees him, and despite a clean-up in his general appearance, that never really changes. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, rejects him in the most heartbreaking ways. Heartbreaking, for me, because in the midst of a paranormal story, these accounts of rejection and neglect are palpably realistic. Somewhere along the way, Despain got a solid grasp on the pain and injustices teenagers suffer at the hands of the very family and adults who are supposed to protect them. Her insistence in defining acts of grace bump up against these gritty realities and keep the novel's voice unique, thoughtful, and relevant. Despain's telling us that you don't have to make your characters angry, bitter, cussing Goth kids to tell a story about pain, and redemption, that teenagers and adults can relate to. It's old fashioned but not cloying -- religious, yes, but not preachy, and because these elements were so surprising, I enjoyed the plot surprises, too. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-lust, angels-and-demons-and-ahh, shape-shifters, dysfunctional-homes, endings-that-suck, fail, fantastic-covers, full-of-intrigue, give-me-the-flamethrower, the-horribles, the-worst-of-friends, cheesy, cheesy-bad

Goodreads Summary

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 his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction

...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Jessica (Sugar Coated Book Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-covers, will-read-eventually, didn-t-see-it-coming, hot-male-characters, werewolves

The Dark Divine. . . . How clever of the author to think of a title like this.

While reading the jacketcover of my beat-up library book, I thought this sounded extremely interesting and would be very promising. But when I read the first few chapters I was like, "Ah, jeez. . . . This is going to be boring, cheesy, and just plain stupid."

The story begins with our lovely main character, Grace Divine, who is the town Pastor's daughter and goes to a Catholic school. Her family is described as, pretty...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 JoJo - JJJ (Jo Anna) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, bad-boys, loaned-out, paranormal-uf-dystopia, won-t-be-finishing-trilogy-or-serie, read-in-2011

Okay people please be patient with me as this is only my second review..... here it goes.

What started out as a slow read for me turned into staying up until the wee hours to finish this book. At first I struggled with Christian aspect, not that I have a problem with Christianity, of the book and feeling like I was reading about this perfect Pastor's family. In my world perfect doesn't really exist, don't know about any else. So I couldn't wrap my brain around it. When I saw more into their lives...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Mateja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

I picked up The Dark Divine when the paperback came out in 2010 but I abandoned reading it after a couple of chapters. But since I can't stand owning a book that goes unread for forever, I picked it up again with very low expectations. Though I can't say it knocked my socks off in my second attempt at reading it, I was still pleasantly surprised by the story.

The premise is good and I love that there was a lot of romance in it. After the first few struggling chapters I fell into the story comple...more I picked up The Dark Divine when the paperback came out in 2010 but I abandoned reading it after a couple of chapters. But since I can't stand owning a book that goes unread for forever, I picked it up again with very low expectations. Though I can't say it knocked my socks off in my second attempt at reading it, I was still pleasantly surprised by the story.

The premise is good and I love that there was a lot of romance in it. After the first few struggling chapters I fell into the story completely and I had difficulties putting the book down. I had no idea who the bad guy was and I was just dying to reach the end and find out. In addition to that, all throughout the first two thirds of the book there were so many strange and weird events, all seemingly unconnected to each other with no possible suspect in sight (though I did try my best to guess), so it kept me completely captivated till the end and I love how in the end it all came together. The way things ended for Grace and Daniel, though surprising, was not totally unexpected. What I liked is that so many lives were affected by the events. It wasn't just about Grace and Daniel. What happened had a huge impact on all the character that at first appeared to have small, even unimportant roles. Things are going to change for them and I wonder what repercussions the characters will face after that final show-down.

What really tainted my experience with the book was the main character, Grace. During the entire book I could not find a single quality of hers that would enable me to care about her, to connect with her. But she does have quite a few characteristics that I dislike. In my opinion Grace is too much of a follower, she rarely questions what she is told. And she either can’t make up her mind about a certain matter, or she does but then keeps changing her opinion about it. There also is no middle ground with her, she either overreacts or doesn’t react at something at all. She also gives the meaning of her name a lot of importance, she tries so hard to be worthy of it. Which in itself is not a bad thing, you should strive to be the best person you can possibly be, but when she failed to live up to it, she had quite a few self-deprecating moments. It didn’t really evoke sympathy from me, which I imagine was the intention. She just seemed a little pathetic, because she's able to face shocking truths without losing it, but a small thing makes her fall apart.

Despite my lack of connection with Grace, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to what's going to happen next in The Lost Saint. The ending was quite devastating for a lot of characters, but there was that one happy moment in the end that made my struggle with Grace worth it.(less)

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Apr 16, 2012 nxlee rated it 1 of 5 stars

Video of me ranting about this book? It can be found here.

In a Nuthsell: You may be asking: alright, so I've got a fairly basic idea on what the book is about, but what actually happens in this book? To which I say: nothing. That's right, don't pay attention to the summary they give to this book - it's all lies! Sure they give us an actually interesting premise to go by - but they don't do anything with it until the very end of the book. I felt that Despain just left it towards the big "climatic...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-paperback

Finally! I got to finish the Dark Divine. Yehey! I can move on to my next to-read book. But wait! I need to write my review while the story is still fresh on my brain.
I turn on my computer and open Microsoft Word. I rested my hands on my keyboard and looked at the blinking cursor and then… nothing.
I had a staring contest with my iMac for several minutes before I got my fingers moving. I couldn’t come up with anything to say about it. I could only think of three things about it:
- There were werew...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 22, 2011 Kereesa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance Fans

Shelves: young-adult, 2011, paranormal, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, were-something, we-are-never-getting-back-together

Grace Divine, daughter of the town's pastor, is just a normal girl trying to do well in AP art, and maybe catch the eye of a cute boy. That is until her childhood friend and crush, Daniel, comes back to town after years of being away. Darker, dangerous, and sexier, Daniel gets under Grace's skin as easily as she is drawn to him. But when strange things start to happen, her brother becomes more than a little paranoid, and secrets get revealed, Grace must figure out what exactly happened the night...more Grace Divine, daughter of the town's pastor, is just a normal girl trying to do well in AP art, and maybe catch the eye of a cute boy. That is until her childhood friend and crush, Daniel, comes back to town after years of being away. Darker, dangerous, and sexier, Daniel gets under Grace's skin as easily as she is drawn to him. But when strange things start to happen, her brother becomes more than a little paranoid, and secrets get revealed, Grace must figure out what exactly happened the night Daniel disappeared, and what it has to do with her own family's problems.

The Dark Divine fits pretty well in the paranormal romance department. Grace and Daniel are a typical good girl/bad boy combination with secrets to tear them apart from one another, while the rest of the paranormal cast provide the suspense and mystery. The Dark Divine is also one of those books I didn't hate, but certainly didn't love. It's one of those meh books, where you just can't care for it more than that, but don't care enough about it to bash it.

So the story's pretty predictable, and if you've read enough paranormal romance, like I have, you'll easily get a feel for the formula and 'mystery.' For the most part I figured out most of the events and twists that occurred in this novel, and zipped my way through it wondering when Grace, our heroine, would get a clue. Or stop moaning over Daniel. I hope my 'shelves' up top don't ruin the..um...twist for any of you, but to be perfectly honest, it's kind of obvious.

The ending was where I was disappointed the most, because it's such an obvious ploy to continue the series instead of wrapping things up semi-nicely. I admit there's a few things that do need to be wrapped up that could use a sequel, but I didn't really like the way it was done. But, then again, I felt no need to read the next one, so it could just be me.

The romance is typical good-girl-wants-bad-boy-who-has-a-secret-but-can't-tell-good-girl-because-it-could-hurt-her-or-destroy-their-relationship-but-he's-going-to-be-all-over-her-like-a-bipolar-mental-patient-because-he-~~can't-help-himself~~ lurves her. It was also another one of those relationships that's based on feeling, events, and development that all occurred in the past, and therefore doesn't need the author to actually create a relationship between the two, but tell us that there is one. I'm not a fan of any of those things, so I didn't care much for the romance.

Though nice kissing scene.

I really can't comment much on the characters, besides the fact that their allegiance, ie the goodies and baddies, was pretty apparent to me, though sadly not to oblivious Grace. Grace as a heroine was kind of annoying for a lot of the novel, because she was so naive as well as goody-freaking-two-shoes. And she was all over Daniel.

The religious aspect, (yes that does show up) was tame in this novel, and shouldn't be a problem for YA readers who aren't religious or aren't of Grace's faith. (I think it's Christian of some sort...) Most of the mentions are related to Grace's family, in particular her father, and there are very few mentions to Grace's own philosophy on it.

The writing was decent, but nothing comes to mind on either praising or bashing it in particular. It kept me entertained, and I easily finished it in a day or so. It's a quick read regardless, and even if you don't care for it that much, it's easy enough to just finish without having to drag yourself through it.

All in all, The Dark Divine was a typical paranormal romance, something that's getting a bit too common and overdone in today's YA market. If you enjoy the genre, you'll probably enjoy this novel, though I, myself, am feeling a bit annoyed with the typical formula. Regardless, it's quick, easy to read, and has a compelling, if predictable plot. 3/5(less)

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Apr 13, 2011 Novels On The Run rated it 5 of 5 stars

Michelle's Review:

I loved this book and am looking forward eagerly to , 'The Lost Saint' the sequel. The more you read this book the more your heart goes out to Daniel. I cried for the abusive up bringing he had. Daniel's continual loss and rejection. His art is the one thing he does well. Grace , the one person he needs more than anything, can she love him? Can Daniel ask Grace to make the choice he so desperately needs. I could 'see' this book easily.
Bree Despain writes her characters well. D...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-lust, books-i-own, all-time-favorites

Its funny because when I first saw the book, I thought the cover was gorgeous - if not a little pale - but when I read the first chapter...everything kind of fell flat. I kept thinking I was gonna hate this book and I kept myself from reading it for awhile. But then I got further into the story and well...I was hooked!

The main character Grace Divine has to live up to certain expectations she would rather not, especially those set by her religious family. But when the mysterious Daniel Kalbi com...more

1 like · like · see review

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Do you get mad when a reviewer gives a book a bad review and one of their reasons is because they admit that there too old to read that kind of book?	9	55	23 hours, 45 min ago
Does Grace annoy anyone else?????	7	48	Mar 27, 2013 09:14pm
Fantasy Group: The Dark Divine	6	4	May 16, 2012 07:53am
Shut Up & Read: The Dark Divine Buddy Read	15	19	Apr 05, 2012 04:20pm
Paranormal/Parano...: The Dark Divine	1	1	Nov 17, 2011 05:25pm
RE: play off religion	1	19	Oct 31, 2011 07:58pm

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About Bree Despain

The Short: Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo. The Dark Divine is Bree's debut novel.

The Long: As a kid, Bree would staple folded papers to make her own...more

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Books by Bree Despain

The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel (The Dark Divine, #2.5)

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“We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it--because we need it.” — 238 people liked it

“The problem with promises is that you've made one, it's bound to be broken.” — 192 people liked it

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