Title: The Dark Divine
Author: Bree Despain
Series: The Dark Divine #1
Publication date: December 22nd, 2009
Pages: 372
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
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.
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Review:
Since my family and I moved to a new home, my book collection, obviously needed to come with me. After my husband helped pack up all our books he gave an exasperated sigh and told me I needed to start reading the books I own and get rid of them (if they don't become a book I am obsessed with). I have decided that my New Years Resolution needs to be to downsize my collection. This is one of those such books.
Grace isn't perfect but she strives to be. She follows God's path and is determined to make life for herself and those around her better at any cost. She doesn't drink, smoke, stay out past curfew, argue with her parents, or even lie under normal circumstances. But Daniel seems to bring a little taint to her otherwise pristine personality. It's a good thing that Daniel disappeared from her life years ago otherwise abiding by the rules of her life would be a lot harder to do. But what if he were to suddenly return? Would Grace be able to resist the pull she has when it comes to her childhood friend and crush? And why does Daniel's reappearance also trigger a string of deaths and blood shed?
Daniel is the token troublemaker. Growing up in an abusive house with a father who beat him and a mother who forgot he existed, Daniel's only sanctuary was with the Divines. But he has secrets. He left at the same time that his best friend was discovered bloody and mauled on his porch. Speculation dictates that Daniel may have had a hand in what happened to Grace's brother, Jude.
Daniel and Grace can't fight the feelings they have for each other even when it starts to warp Jude's personality and turn him into a bitter and angry version of his former self. Jude tells Grace that Daniel is no good but can Grace choose her brother over the boy who makes her heart skip a beat? Or does she risk everything for him, even eternal damnation.
Recently I have rekindled my relationship with my religion so the topic of God doesn't bother me. However, I tend to shy away from books that would fall into the Christian Fiction category because the books I read are an escape. I don't want to think about my eternal soul, I just want to read something entertaining. While this book wouldn't fall into Christian Fiction really it still has those religious undertones that made it a lot less of a getaway and more of a day of Sunday school. Sure, Sunday school is fun but there will always be that underlying message of God that is taught within it.
The God lessons I could get over because they were tied to morality as well, but the story line seemed like an afterthought. The story as a whole was a paranormal book but it seemed like the moral struggle of the main character was the focal point instead of it being a way to flush out the story and make the character more relateable. The romance was rushed. The character's love for each other was never flushed out. There were few flashbacks to give the relationship some substance and it was just widely accepted that they'd do anything for each other.
I obviously had high hopes for the book because I bought a hard copy of it. I even bought the sequel. But the story was not enjoyable for me. I didn't love the characters and I didn't enjoy the Sunday school lessons. I set the book aside several times and contemplated not finishing it but my Virgo perfectionist ways kept me flipping the pages. I may give the sequel a gander, just out of morbid curiosity, but this book was not for me.
