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kelly24lox's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
apetite's review
2.0
I don't know why I finished this. Actually, I do and it was because I cannot resist a bad boy named Daniel, but I was ready to stab myself every time Grace mentioned the meaning of her name. We know what Grace Divine means - it's an author who could not be more literal if she tried.
lorilaws's review
4.0
I have been drooling over The Dark Divine for months now. I wanted a copy so bad. So I was trilled when it arrived on my doorstep. Did it live up to all my excitement? Why yes, it did.
The werewolf story has been done a million times. Person is bitten by wolf. Person turns into wolf on full moon. The Dark Divine isn't your mama's werewolf story. Bree Despain has created her own mythology for her mythical creatures. It's wrapped up in religion and intrigue. I always love stories that have their own history and this one did. Despain did not rely on the "history" of the werewolf. She made her own. She did a excellent job too.
Grace is what you would expect of a pastor's daughter. She's a bit naive. A bit sheltered but she is still full of surprises. I so often find things that annoy me with main characters but I was completely happy with Grace. Daniel was perfect! He was a bad boy....or was he just misunderstood? You will have to read to find out!
The mystery starts with the very first page. All sorts of questions are asked. So I never had time to be bored. This book was a wild ride. With a gripping mystery and a romance that you have to root for. I can't wait to read more by Bree!
http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/
The werewolf story has been done a million times. Person is bitten by wolf. Person turns into wolf on full moon. The Dark Divine isn't your mama's werewolf story. Bree Despain has created her own mythology for her mythical creatures. It's wrapped up in religion and intrigue. I always love stories that have their own history and this one did. Despain did not rely on the "history" of the werewolf. She made her own. She did a excellent job too.
Grace is what you would expect of a pastor's daughter. She's a bit naive. A bit sheltered but she is still full of surprises. I so often find things that annoy me with main characters but I was completely happy with Grace. Daniel was perfect! He was a bad boy....or was he just misunderstood? You will have to read to find out!
The mystery starts with the very first page. All sorts of questions are asked. So I never had time to be bored. This book was a wild ride. With a gripping mystery and a romance that you have to root for. I can't wait to read more by Bree!
http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/
wickedlovely's review
3.0
My Thoughts:
I'm going to try my best to write this review without spoilers which is gonna be difficult given this book is mainly about Daniel's "secret".
Anyway,Grace is the daughter of a pastor & stepford wife-esque mother. She also has three siblings; a younger sister, older brother, & baby brother. When she was younger, she & her older brother were close to a neighborhood kid Daniel which ended abruptly when he disappeared the night her older brother (Jude) came home beat up to all hell. Years later Daniel reappears in their podunk town out of the blue & the mystery begins.
On to my thoughts. Throughout this novel I debated whether to give it 2 stars or 3. There were chapters where I felt 2 stars were too generous. The concept for this novel has been recycled billions of times but there were a few twists (& the author's viewpoint based on her mormon background) that saved this novel from paranormal YA mediocrity. I enjoyed the lore surrounding the mystery. I enjoyed the family & friendship dynamics. I enjoyed our teen hero Daniel. I even enjoyed the religious aspect although I felt like it was being shoved down my throat a few times. What I didn't enjoy was our heroine, Grace. She annoyed the crap out of me. Grace has this irritating need to fix people which often comes off as intrusive. What makes it more annoying is that she isn't doing it so much out of the goodness of her heart as to rationalize her own feelings. For example, she would bring food & clothes over to Daniel & tell herself it was because she was such a good christian & living up to her name. In actuality it was so she could be near him. It would be cute if she didn't come off as holier-than-thou. She also was very childish & naive for someone who is almost 17. One second she loved Daniel & thought Jude was a liar. The next she hated Daniel & couldn't believe she didn't listen to her brother. She was all over the freaking place & it stayed that way until nearly the end of the book. I tried my hardest to like her but the second I felt something more than intense dislike, she'd do something stupid that put her back on my TSTL list.
Overall, I think I would've enjoyed this novel alot more if it wasn't told exclusively from the heroine's view. It doesn't really break new ground & comes off as cliche.But I did find some parts of this novel entertaining. I might even read the next in the series (yes its a part of a series. Seems like every freaking book these days is a part of a series) in the hopes that Grace redeems herself & grows a brain/backbone.
I'm going to try my best to write this review without spoilers which is gonna be difficult given this book is mainly about Daniel's "secret".
Anyway,Grace is the daughter of a pastor & stepford wife-esque mother. She also has three siblings; a younger sister, older brother, & baby brother. When she was younger, she & her older brother were close to a neighborhood kid Daniel which ended abruptly when he disappeared the night her older brother (Jude) came home beat up to all hell. Years later Daniel reappears in their podunk town out of the blue & the mystery begins.
On to my thoughts. Throughout this novel I debated whether to give it 2 stars or 3. There were chapters where I felt 2 stars were too generous. The concept for this novel has been recycled billions of times but there were a few twists (& the author's viewpoint based on her mormon background) that saved this novel from paranormal YA mediocrity. I enjoyed the lore surrounding the mystery. I enjoyed the family & friendship dynamics. I enjoyed our teen hero Daniel. I even enjoyed the religious aspect although I felt like it was being shoved down my throat a few times. What I didn't enjoy was our heroine, Grace. She annoyed the crap out of me. Grace has this irritating need to fix people which often comes off as intrusive. What makes it more annoying is that she isn't doing it so much out of the goodness of her heart as to rationalize her own feelings. For example, she would bring food & clothes over to Daniel & tell herself it was because she was such a good christian & living up to her name. In actuality it was so she could be near him. It would be cute if she didn't come off as holier-than-thou. She also was very childish & naive for someone who is almost 17. One second she loved Daniel & thought Jude was a liar. The next she hated Daniel & couldn't believe she didn't listen to her brother. She was all over the freaking place & it stayed that way until nearly the end of the book. I tried my hardest to like her but the second I felt something more than intense dislike, she'd do something stupid that put her back on my TSTL list.
Overall, I think I would've enjoyed this novel alot more if it wasn't told exclusively from the heroine's view. It doesn't really break new ground & comes off as cliche.But I did find some parts of this novel entertaining. I might even read the next in the series (yes its a part of a series. Seems like every freaking book these days is a part of a series) in the hopes that Grace redeems herself & grows a brain/backbone.
dontgrumble's review against another edition
4.0
This book suprised me, but i found myself not wanting to put it down, it is an interesting take on some well covered subjects.
brendalovesbooks's review
3.0
Maybe I need to take a step back from reading these YA paranormals, because I'm getting irked with all the similar elements. Why does the male lead always have to be a "bad boy" who is always perfect looking with a bad attitude? And why does the female lead seem to always have almost nothing on her mind besides the boy?
This one was really no better or worse than the rest of what's out there, although I found it to be pretty slow moving, with not nearly enough action. The Dark Divine is well-written, though--enough that even though it was moving slowly I was inspired to keep reading.
It also seemed to take a little too long for the mystery to unfold. With Grace sitting back and not looking at what was right in front of her, all the while lamenting that she wants to know what's going on. In this sense the characterization was a bit uneven, for me.
I would probably recommend this to fans of YA paranormal, because it's really similar to the rest of what's out there, and if you like that, you'll like this.
This one was really no better or worse than the rest of what's out there, although I found it to be pretty slow moving, with not nearly enough action. The Dark Divine is well-written, though--enough that even though it was moving slowly I was inspired to keep reading.
It also seemed to take a little too long for the mystery to unfold. With Grace sitting back and not looking at what was right in front of her, all the while lamenting that she wants to know what's going on. In this sense the characterization was a bit uneven, for me.
I would probably recommend this to fans of YA paranormal, because it's really similar to the rest of what's out there, and if you like that, you'll like this.
sammymus's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
desertlover's review
3.0
This was a decent YA/PNR but nothing spectacular. Not sure if I'll continue with the series.
hdbblog's review
4.0
Bree Despain is a masterful writer! The Dark Divine is a book that plunks you down into a roller coaster car, tightens the harness and takes off without even giving you a chance to think twice. From the very first page I was hooked and there was no going back!
We meet Grace Divine, her sister Charity Divine and her brother Jude Divine. How much do you love their names? I know I did. They are the children of (fittingly enough) a pastor and have the "perfect family" vibe going on.
Enter Daniel Kalbi. A spectre from their past, and Grace's long time crush. After vanishing, he comes back unexpectedly and Grace finds herself falling for him all over again. Except this time, he's a different person and there is something mysterious about him.
Grace is a really fantastic main character. I have heard others say that she doesn't actually contribute a lot to the story, but I disagree. Following her through the story is intriguing, and seeing how her upbringing affects her decisions is intense. There are so many times in the story that Grace is stuck in a moral quandary and still makes a great decision.
Long story short? Really enjoyed this book!
We meet Grace Divine, her sister Charity Divine and her brother Jude Divine. How much do you love their names? I know I did. They are the children of (fittingly enough) a pastor and have the "perfect family" vibe going on.
Enter Daniel Kalbi. A spectre from their past, and Grace's long time crush. After vanishing, he comes back unexpectedly and Grace finds herself falling for him all over again. Except this time, he's a different person and there is something mysterious about him.
Grace is a really fantastic main character. I have heard others say that she doesn't actually contribute a lot to the story, but I disagree. Following her through the story is intriguing, and seeing how her upbringing affects her decisions is intense. There are so many times in the story that Grace is stuck in a moral quandary and still makes a great decision.
Long story short? Really enjoyed this book!