Book Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Book: THE DARK DIVINE
Author: BREE DESPAIN
Genre: YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE/SUSPENSE


I purchased this book (ebook format)
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

Review
Daniel Kalbi was many things to Grace Divine. Friend, pseudo-foster brother, maybe even first love. But, then he disappeared, and her brother Jude, barely survives a brutal attack. Do the two have anything in common? When Daniel reappears, Grace wants answers.

As the daughter of a pastor, Grace knows a little something about forgiveness. Even though Jude isn't quite as welcoming, Grace befriends Daniel for a second time. But, their reunion is destined to be disrupted by the outside world.

A monster stalks the citizens of Grace's town. Jude is clearly bothered by her friendship with Daniel, and grows more and more angry. And Daniel, claims to be something extraordinary. It might just be that Grace will have to risk betraying her brother, in order to have faith in her heart.

THE DARK DIVINE turned out to be something so different from what I expected. From the first page, I became completely immersed in Grace Divine's world. I loved her faith in Daniel, though I doubted that he deserved it (especially when she discovered his lies). I was invested in her search to figure out what had happened to her brother. I even felt sorry for her, when it became apparent that she might have to do the unthinkable to save Daniel.

Bree Despain is a very talented writer that made a paranormal read seem completely ordinary. A girl goes to high school during the day, then finds out her would-be boyfriend has special powers. Sure! The drive to the prom gets interrupted by a monster attack. No problem! A girl finds out that her father knew all along that she would have to be the one, in one fell swoop, to betray and save her first love. Why not?!

What most impressed me about THE DARK DIVINE, was the actual involvement of Grace's parents throughout the novel. I understand the reasoning behind most "bad parenting" written in YA novels. How are the MCs supposed to get up to shenanigans unless the parents are lousy, absent, or dead? Despain answers the question. Have parents that let the teen live their life, but step in when neccessary. A-Plus.

5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 Highly Recommend
Bonus Cover Points: 3.5/5