Review: The Dark Divine - Bree Despain

Summary from Bree Despain's site.

A prodigal son

A dangerous love

A deadly secret . . .

I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”

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 blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel'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.

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Originally, I was mostly curious about this book because evryone seemed so excited that it was coming out. The gorgeous cover also caught my attention, I love purple. Then I found out that Bree lives here & was having her Book Launch Party at The King's English. This new information bumped The Dark Divine up on my TBR. The Dark Divine was released on Dec 22nd 2009 & I was at The King's English to buy my copy early. Lucky for me, they had just unpacked it. 

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I devoured it. I loved the family dynamics of the Divine family. They kind of remind me of a family I grew up with. I loved how Grace tried to make the choices she thought were best for her family. The Divine family as very proper, I wish more families were like that. The hints placed in the story led you to the ending, but I hadn't quite guessed what was coming. I only disliked 2 of the characters, neither of which were main characters. I thought the old letters added a nice touch of history to the story as well.  Overall I loved the story. Luckily, there is a sequel.  

If I Had All Day to Read (2)

I'm a few days late on this one.

With it being the new year, one of my resolutions is to read more often. This is a meme from http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/. This month, 5 books I hope to read.

Out of my list from last month, I read one of the books. 

1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
2. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
3. Skinned by Robin Wasserman
4. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
5. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Review: Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Summary: (From Maggie's site)

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I loved that the story is told from both Sam's & Grace's perspective. At first I didn't understand why every chapter had a temperature. Once I figured out why, it became something I really liked. I thought the characters were very well written. I love how none of the characters are perfect, they all have flaws & histories, insecurities. All of the characters actions are motivated by love for someone or something. Some of the characters weren’t given choices, others had difficult decisions to make, and everyone had to give something up. This is one of a few books that has ever made me cry.

I loved it, & can't wait for Linger to be out!