The Dark Divine

Goodreads Synopsis:    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 his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy'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.

My Thoughts:

-    I've put this book off for a long time. After the fiasco that is Twilight, I actually didn't want to read this book at all, but I was really surprised at how intoxicating this book was! I couldn't put it down! I'm slowly coming around to liking paranormal books. 

-    Yes, the book has Twilight elements, and I hated that, but this book had better writing, characters, and story!

-    I really loved that this was very mysterious and dark. I wanted to know everything about Daniel. I was dying to know what happened between him and Jude. 

-    I loved Grace's character! She was so compassionate and genuinely wanted to help people. She was willing to sacrifice things and go the extra mile! 

-    I really liked the Divine family. Their family was a very typical Christian family, and I liked how the their bond was strong yet weak. 

-    The part about forgiveness really hit home for me. I've been hurt very deeply by someone close to me, and it is hard to get over the pride and hurt feelings to forgive them. I really appreciated the pastor and his bit about the Prodigal Son.

-    I didn't really like Pete. I thought he could have been left out of the book. I didn't like that Grace had any sort of relationship with him. I felt like it wasn't needed, and he was a jerk. 

-    My heart bleeds for Don! That poor poor man!

-    I feel really sad that I let one book ruin a whole genre for me. I shouldn't have done that cause I've been missing out! I've learned my lesson. Never say never!

-    I think this book could have stood by itself. I'm really curious to find out where the story goes from here, because I liked how this one wrapped up.