The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Release Date: December 22, 2009
Publisher: Egmont USA
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 375
Source: ALA Annual Conference
Interest: Debut Author
Buy the Book/Associate Links:Amazon
/Indiebound
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.
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, and being the person that everyone expects her to be as a preacher's daughter, marvelously parallels the life of the everyday teenager... preacher father or not.
The plot was quick and engaging and the ending is completely satisfying, while leaving the possibility for a sequel without being a cliffhanger.
This was just a fun book to read. I enjoyed reading about these characters and watching the plot unfold and the mystery ultimately revealed. Like I said before... awesome debut!