The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

I have to admit that I was putting off reading this book. The Dark Divine was one of my favorite reads of 2010, but I read it so long ago that I couldn't really remember the details. I had every intention to re-read it but eventually I had to give in and admit that I just didn't have the time to be re-reading books.

So... I dove in to the Lost Saint and hoped for the best. For the first little bit of the book I had a hard time remembering details of the first installment, but Despain does a really good job of reminding you of the major points without re-telling the whole story.

I really enjoyed this next phase of Daniel and Grace's story. I think it was a good continuation and took some interesting twists. I had a bit of difficulty get used to the new "tough" Grace, but I think that was part of the point. She's struggling to figure out who she is and who she thinks she should be and so the reader feels some of that frustration.

The new characters are really interesting and the tension between Daniel and Grace is what kept me reading. The final scene left no doubt that I will continue with the series and really look forward to the next (and final, I think) installment.

The Dark Divine Book Trailer

YA author Bree Despain has an AWESOME contest happening on her blog, and it's all based around the new (official) trailer for The Dark Divine. Check it out the full trailer here and then tell your friends about it.

If you want to see my original review of this book... click here.  In short- I love it.  Watch the trailer and then read the book if you haven't already.  Seriously.  Go read it.

And then you can join the countdown to the release of The Lost Saint.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

I loved this book. The Dark Divine was pure enjoyment for me from start to finish and I hated to put it down.  This was a pleasant surprise because usually, when I'm dying to read a book as much as I was with this one it ends up being slightly disappointing.


I was shocked with where the story went because I had no idea that I was getting into a paranormal romance. It threw me at first and I wasn't crazy about the idea of the story, but I got over it really quickly.

I loved every.single.character in this book and that includes the ever annoying best friend. Really... April didn't bother me, which says a lot because I NEVER like the best friend. I loved Jude's perfection and Don's Hagrid like personality and I even liked the parents in this one who don't seem totally clueless as to what's going on in their children's lives (although I guess they kind of are.... it's just not so glaringly "we're the oblivious parents" that so drives me crazy).

I loved the relationship between Grace and Jude, and Grace and Daniel separately. I felt so torn for her. One of my favorite parts of this book is that Grace doesn't give in to Daniel right away. She's not immediately willing to throw her life and other relationships away for the bad boy. She fights it, she tries to do what's right and she tries to be strong.

I easily bought into Grace’s feelings for Daniel because of their history. He wasn’t a stranger, they didn't just meet. They knew each other and grew-up together. It made it more believable for me.

There were several parts of this book that gave me goose bumps (e.g.: up in the tree, out of the roof) and I didn't feel like it was the same old story. Sure, there are some similarities to other books in this genre, but in my head it didn't follow the same predictable path. I'm really looking forward to the sequel to revisit these characters.

I'm just not meant to read this book...

Ever since I accidentally came across a summary of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain early last fall I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. Apparently it's just not meant to be.

It was one of the books on my Christmas list that I didn’t end up getting because my husband was done his shopping by the time it was released (Dec. 22).

My library doesn't have a single copy, nor do they have any on order.

My local bookstores and even the bookstores that I frequently pass in Toronto on my way to school never seem to have any in stock. My local Chapters shows 1 in stock, but they can't locate it.

It's too new for used book stores.

I'm not willing to pay $8 shipping for a $20 book on chapters.ca.

It's seriously TORTURE!  I don't know why I'm so intrigued by this book (beyond the stunning cover), but it's killing me that I can't read it yet.