The Dark Divine

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—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.

Okay, so when I first started reading this book, I must say that I was hooked. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain is truly DIVINE! I really enjoyed reading about the life of a pastor's daughter. Grace is an admirable girl who has choices to make that affect not only her life but the life of others. And her choices can either mean life or death and good and evil. Being a pastor's daughter isn't easy at all. Everyone expects her to be perfect: the perfect daughter, the perfect student and all around the perfect human being. Her name is a huge burden--Grace Divine-- because she feels as if too much is expected of her and she sometimes doesn't feel like she can live up to it.

This is especially true when Daniel Kalbi, a boy that she had a crush on since they were children mysteriously reappears in her life, two years after he had disappered from her life. Since the night that her brother came home near death, she had no idea of what happened. But his return causes old feelings to resurface. And as she tries to solve the mystery of that night and figure Daniel out, Grace discovers more than she originally bargained for. Meanwhile, her brother Jude spirals out of sync with his life, slowly becoming and unknowingly becoming what he fears. A monster.

Dark and obscure werewolf lore if you ask me. The Dark Divine is a masterpiece. I was definitely wowed by Grace's feelings for Daniel as well as her loyalty to her brother. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes because having to choose between love and family isn't easy. But Grace seems to realize that her choice could save Daniel from the monster that Jude believes him to be (and that he tries so hard to suppress). The choice is hers and hers alone. After all she is grace.