Bree Despain's Dark Divine series has a different take on the paranormal. Blending religious undertones to the paranormal is what caught my eye in her first book, Dark Divine. You can read my review of Dark Divine here. I recently finished Despain's second book in this trilogy called Lost Saint. While I enjoyed reading the latest book in this series, I was expecting a bit more from it.


Description: Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice and now she must leave with the consequences. While she may have special abilities, her family is in pieces and her boyfriend Daniel has become hot and cold. Grace hates not knowing what is happening and befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town, who willing to aid and guide her. As Grace's pride grows, she is unaware that an old enemy has resurfaced and that she has been the bait all along.

Review: Lost Saint picks up a few months after the life altering events in Dark Divine. While you can get read Lost Saint if you haven't read Dark Divine, I wouldn't suggest doing so. There is a lot of mythology worked into Dark Divine that sets the framework for Despain's later novels. Unlike Dark Divine, there isn't a slow build up in Lost Saint. There are lots of action scenes, mostly featuring Grace as she learns the extent to her abilities, packed into the sequel which made for a quicker reading; however, I missed the thoughtful and fascinating explanation of the paranormal blend with religion in the first novel.
  Grace is a likable character. She is smart, funny, and cares deeply for her family. She struggles with her relationship with Daniel who seems to be pulling away without giving her any explanations. She is also trying to find out information about her missing brother albeit all the warnings that she shouldn't be doing so all alone. There were times when I was frustrated with Grace for doing stupid and impulsive things but I knew she had the right intentions. 
  Lost Saint introduces a new character to the mix, Talbot, a charming stranger who has a knack for popping up every time Daniel is away. Grace finds herself drawn to Talbot, yet her attraction is only limited and her heart doesn't seemed to be be deterred from Daniel. I thought Talbot was okay, but I knew I couldn't trust him the moment he appeared on the page. I always had a sneak suspicion about him though I can see how he might appeal to some readers.
  Overall Lost Saint suffers from middle book syndrome. The pace seems a bit off with some parts going really slow and others going really fast, particularly with the action scenes. The plot was fairly predictable. After reading the first fifty pages, I knew where Despain was heading and there weren't really that many surprises. I looking forward to reading the next volume in this series.I hope that the third book in this series goes back to what I loved most about the Dark Divine series: an exploration of faith, duty, loyalty, and love.

Rating: 3.5 stars


Words of Caution: There is some language and violence. Recommended to Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater or Dark Divine 3 (title coming soon) due out December 2011

  I've read a whole slew of young adult paranormal romance books/series ever since Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga was released. While the genre has always been popular, it now marketed everywhere in the publishing industry. What makes a good young adult paranormal romance novel? Well for me, it simply needs: characters that I can care about and can relate to, an interesting story arc and themes, an innovative way to introduce and to create a mythology surrounding the paranormal, and of course it needs to be written well. I found these characteristics in Bree Despain's debut novel called The Dark Divine, which many of my good friends loved and recommended to me.

Description: Grace, Daniel, and Jude were three inseparable friends, however, one night Daniel disappears and Jude is left scarred. No one in the Divine family will talk about the incident. When Daniel reappears and mysterious things happen around their quiet Minnesota town, Jude warns his sister, Grace, to stay away from Daniel, but Grace is determined to find the answers. What Grace discovers will forever change their lives. What exactly happened that night?

Review: I enjoyed reading this book, though, I found the first half to start off really slow. The first half of the book establishes the Divine family and gives the reader some background information on how Daniel, Grace, and Jude interacted with one another before that fateful night. Luckly, the book's pace picks up in the second half with the unveiling of what really happened between Daniel and Jude as well as Daniel's big secret.
  In terms of the characters, I really liked Grace. I could relate to her as she struggled to fulfill her shoes of being the good daughter and friend. She equally balanced her impulsive decisions to befriend Daniel, but also uses her head when she knows that she is in danger. As for the boys, I loved both Daniel and Jude. Daniel is marketed as a bad boy, but I think that does him a disservice. I found him to be more lost, vulnerable, and a longing desire to have a place call home thanks to his dark past. Jude is your typical older brother that a little sister looks up to. He tries to uphold his responsibilities in church as well as in his family.
   As for the paranormal aspect of the book, I already knew Daniel's secret before Grace does. Mainly because there are huge clues in the first half of the book, but that didn't deter me from reading the book. I wanted to know Despain's mythology, which I found to be interesting. There are other twists and turns throughout the second half of the novel. Some of them I guessed, but I loved the ending. I don't think it could have ended better.
  Some people may be turned off by the Christian doctrine in the book, but that didn't bother me. In fact, I think Despain brings up complex questions of what it means to forgive and forget. She doesn't give any clear cut answers.  

For those of you who thought the book was left open ended will happy to know that there is a sequel to The Dark Divine called The Lost Saint that will be able on December 28th. Check out the cover here.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some sexual and drug references, but nothing that isn't alarming or mentioned on tv. There is mild scenes of violence, but nothing overtly graphic. There is also mild language. I would give this book to 7th graders and up.

If you like this book try: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater