The Dark Divine by Bree Despian
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 22, 2009)
BOOK DESCRIPTION: 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 to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.
The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy'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.
MY REVIEW: After reading FALLEN, I wanted to pick up something with a faster storyline. When I unexpectedly found THE DARK DIVINE in my mailbox, I suspected my wish had come true. It did. DIVINE had everything I look for in a good YA novel: interesting storyline, a main character I can cheer for (or at least like), some type of romance, action, and a twist of some sort. Grace, 17, is a junior attending Holy Trinity. She has spunk, is a thinker, and can make mistakes without whining or complaining about it. When an old friend returns to town unexpectedly, the feelings she had for him resurface as well. This Daniel is mysterious and has a secret we know Grace will undoubtedly discover by the end. (This is the second male supernatural character named Daniel I've seen recently. The other was in FALLEN.)
Despian uses just the right amount of dialogue and description to tell the story. We learn enough to understand the characters and their motives without feeling overburdened with too much information. I did find Grace way too naive, despite her religious upbringing. The story flows, the scenes meld cohesively into the next, and the reader just goes along for the ride, turning page after page. I didn't want to put this book down. From the way the story ended I suspect there may be more to Grace's story to come, especially involving her brother, Jude. I can only hope for more.
Bree Despian is an author I welcome to the YA market.
RATING: ++++
BOOK SOURCE: Received an ARC. Thanks EgmontUSA!
Comments
Post a Comment