The Dark Divine: Book Review

I finished The Dark Divine by Bree Despain last week...and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Twilight series or Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver or supernatural romances in general, be it vampires, warewolves, fairies, etc. What I appreciated about The Dark Divine was although it was definitely a supernatural romance it was more than that and the heroine was fully formed and relatable. Grace had a life outside her love interest, Daniel and cared about things besides being with him every second of the day (unlike cough Bella Swan cough). She cared about her family, her friends, art and school. She also had a future planned that didn't simply revolve being with Daniel, which was really it was refreshing. I also liked that Grace and Daniel didn't run into each other one day in school and fall in love at first sight. It was nice that they had a history and were childhood friends, it made the love story (and the story in general) matter more, because there was a foundation, a history, and something at stake. I also liked the mystery surrounding bad boy Daniel, his unexplained falling out with Grace's father and brother, and his disappearance and subsequent return. It kept me guessing until the very last pages. Also, with Grace's dad a minister, it was a unique family unit and religion served as an interesting backdrop for a supernatural story. I also liked the historical element that Despain wove into the story, and how religion served its part in moving the story along, so that Minister Divine didn't seem just like a tacked on component of the story. All in all, it's a great book, and I highly recommend it (it's also got a really beautiful cover...and you know how much I love pretty covers.)