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The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Publisher: EgmontUSA (December 22nd, 2009)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 372 pages
Source: Won from author
Series: The Dark Divine #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
Review: I don't know why I waited so long to read this. I'm a big werewolf fan and this is a book I have wanted to read for a long time. The Dark Divine is from Grace's POV. She is a"good girl" with a loving family and her father happens to be a pastor. But, there is a lot going on behind the scenes.

Grace recalls the odd events that happened around the time her childhood friend Daniel disappeared. Suddenly, Daniel is back and he isn't exactly the same person who left 3 years before. Grace's family is desperate for her to stay away from him but she can't. She is determined to have him in her life and to find out why he went away.

I will say that nothing in particular about this book blew me away; however, it was a very well-rounded story. I enjoyed the characters. I never wanted to put the book down and I had no idea where the plot would take me. Grace was a good girl but she took a lot of risks. Daniel was just fascinating. I was curious to find out more about him because he started off as being very closed off and sad.

Another aspect of the story I really enjoyed was the fact that Grace's family was a critical part of the plot. That is often rare to find in YA books so I liked the fact that we get to know her father, mother, and older brother on a deeper level. It also allows the readers to see why Grace is who she is.

With Daniel's arrival, a lot of bad things start happening around town and people are blaming Daniel. Grace knows something evil is out there but she just can't believe Daniel would be the one causing the problems. The plot in this story was very creative and mysterious. I honestly didn't know what would happen and I was completely surprised many times.

Bree Despain is a fabulous author and The Dark Divine series is one that easily hooked me. Everything about this novel helped to bring the story to life and Bree's writing made me an immediate fan.

Recommended: In case anyone hasn't read this so far — paranormal/werewolf fans who like a good mystery.

The Savage Grace, the final book in The Dark Divine series, was just released March 13th. Bree is here today to tell us a little more about herself and her writing.

Fill out the form below for a chance to win a copy of The Savage Grace.
3 winners will be picked.

1. How has your writing style or strategy changed as The Dark Divine series has progressed?
Before being published I could write whenever I wanted and be as slow as I wanted--which means that it took me 4 years to write the first book. Now that I write on contract, I've had to learn how to compress my writing process into a much shorter period of time (usually 5-6 months). I strive to find the balance between being a mom and making those tight deadlines--which means I end up putting in a lot of late nights.

2. What are a few of the most surprising things your fans of the series have done?
I always find it funny when fans paint their toenails to match my book covers and then tweet pictures of their feet to me. It's a good thing I am not someone who is grossed out by toes!

3. Can you tell us something that most people may not know about you?
I went to a royal ball in an Austrian palace when I was 17--and all I had to wear was a little red gingham dress. I'm totally going to use that experience in a book someday.

4. You had a pretty scary accident happen to you years ago and it made you want to start writing again. What would you like to tell people who may be putting off their dreams in order to deal with the stresses of life?
I always tell people to think about this question,"If you died tomorrow, what would regret not having done in your life?" Then I tell them to go out and try to work towards that thing. Most dreams take a lot of time to achieve, so the longer you put off trying to strive towards them, the greater you are running the risk of running out of time.
5. What are some of the things that help you if you are having a difficult time writing a certain scene?
I like to go for walks around the lake near my house. I call them"plot walks." Sometimes I go alone just to think, and sometimes I bring my husband along and we talk through the issue. I've also been known to cover my family room walls with giant post-it notes and work the problem out on paper in visual way. Scribbling on the walls always makes me feel a little giddy like a mad scientist.

The Savage Grace by Bree Despain
Publisher: EgmontUSA (March 13th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 488 pages
Series: The Dark Divine #3
A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

Prize:

• 3 winners will receive a copy of The Savage Grace

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 13th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

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"I recommend this novel to any reader with the patience to wait for a fantastic story with a great twist on a "nowadays" common supernatural creature." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"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."

Why I read this: The cover is stunning and the author was amazing! She even signed this book to "The BVHS 9th Graders!"

Plot: In the beginning the plot was very slow, so much so that I just couldn't get into it. Weeks went by without me even opening the book. Finally, today, I decided I just had to finish. I had heard wonderful things about this book and I HAD to know what it was about. From the synopsis above I knew there was something supernatural about one of the characters, but it took until about page 200 for this supernatural aspect to really grab me; after that I couldn't put this book down.

Despain's different take on this supernatural creature was very captivating (once it got to the supernatural aspect). I have never read such a take on this creature before — it was extremely refreshing and unique.

Characters/Tone: I had to group characters and tone together this time because it seemed they were so connected. The characters of this novel, specifically the Divines, really got under my skin. Immediately after discovering that Divine was the last name of the family, the father's profession as a pastor, and the protagonist's name Grace, I detected a seriously pious tone. The tone of the novel and the actions/habits of this family seemed to be so "holier-than-thou" that it really turned me off from the novel. I felt almost suffocated with all the reminders of religion, holiness, and the "perfect" family.

Towards, once again, page 200 I did recognize the connection between the tone and characters to the plot but by then I had struggled through it so much that the extreme amount of piety had become only a sliver under my skin rather than a gaping wound in my flesh.

That said, I did really love the Heaven, Hell, Angel triangle and I see why this sort of tone and characters were necessary.

Cover: This cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! It's what really drove me to pick up this novel — before I had even read the premise!

Random Thoughts: The end of this novel was fantastically fast-paced and captivating, I couldn't put it down; I just wish the first 180 pages were also like this. I have put this book on my classroom shelves and I have no doubt many girls will pick it up due to the stunning cover, but I'm not sure I can expect them to wait that long for it to pick up speed.

Final Thoughts: I'm glad I continued reading because it was worth it in the end. The reviews I've read have all been stellar and I wanted to know why; I get it now, but I'm still disappointed. Maybe it is the tone or the piety that still irks me, I'm not sure. But, like I said, I am happy I'm finished and I recommend this novel to any reader with the patience to wait for a fantastic story with a great twist on a "nowadays" common supernatural creature. I am very excited for "The Lost Saint"'s release on December 28th.

Originality: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10
Theme: 8/10
Imagery: 9/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 0/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 83/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Received at BEA 2010

For the month of October, here at Confessions of a Bookaholic and over at my co-hosts blog — A Life Bound By Books, we will be hosting a Comment Contest! We love comments, authors love comments, and for each comment you leave on either of our blogs during our Haunted Halloween Event — will get you entries to win some great prizes!!

How does it work you ask? It’s pretty easy – just leave a comment (one comment per person, per post) with your email address and your entered! Comment on as many posts as you’d like. The more posts you comment on, the more entries you get.
Just remember, one comment per person per Haunted Halloween post and you must include your email address each time which lets us know you’d like an entry.

Prizes:

• 4 winners

- 4th Place — 2 books Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales by Deborah Noyes, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Celia Rees, Barry Yourgrau, Janni Lee Simner, Vivian Vande Velde, Joan Aiken, more… M.T. Anderson, Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan
The Sallie House Haunting by Debra Lyn Pickman

Entries:

• ONE comment per Haunted Halloween post on this blog and A Life Bound By Books counts.
• Comments count as extra entries into the giveaway for the prizes listed. One comment with email per post = 1 extra entry to win!
• No form required. As long as you leave your email and are eligible to win (are at least age 13 and have a US address) you can enter!

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• You MUST leave an email with each comment for it to be counted.
• Only one comment for each post will count.
• Comments can ONLY be for Haunted Halloween posts! No other comments will count!
• Copying and pasting comments WILL NOT be counted.
• Contest is US ONLY and ends October 31st.
• Once contacted the winners will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

4th Place

Contest starts NOW so start commenting! Remember to include your email with each comment!

In June (of 2010), I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books and challenged myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year. Well, as it is now the end of the year, I thought I should look at my progress, or lack of progress. I only read three. Yes, only three. I've decided to give myself another year to finish this challenge. Last time, I only had a few books actually in my possession, now I have more than ten. Hopefully this year will go a bit better than the last six months.
Here's the list:
Previously On my TBR List
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike* 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman* 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles* 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine* 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate* 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann* 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain* 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson* 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield* 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia* 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead* 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry* 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
* — Currently on my bookshelf
What do you think? Can I do it?

I had starred this post awhile ago — like in April at Good Books and Good Wine and have been meaning to put together a post. I can now cross this off my endless To Do list!

I did okay (read 24/100) — but I'd like to have done much better. I look forward to reevaluating where I stand later on in the year!

Read
On my TBR List

100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus
95. Forever by Judy Blume
94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
93. Tithe by Holly Black
92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike
90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast
87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
77. Evernight by Claudia Gray
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer
74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman
69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
68. Paper Towns by John Green
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz
61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate
53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry
49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong
44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
37. Looking For Alaska by John Green
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray
34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan
28. Holes by Louis Sacher
27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton
26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger
25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder
19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak
18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle
8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore
7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan
6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Hello everyone! Sorry this is late. I didn't get back from vacation till late Friday and it took me a few days to get back on track. BUT I was super excited when I did get home because I came home to lots of packages! Some of those, however, will remain a mystery because they are prizes for the Haunted Halloween event which starts Friday!

Thanks to HarperCollins, EgmontUSA, Feiwel & Friends, Ednah Walters, Kurt Frenier, Aliseonlife, Book Faery, Fantastic Book Review, Christine Johnson, Albert Borris.

Review
The Lost Saint (ARC) by Bree Despain
Virgin Territory (ARC) by James Lecesne
Rich and Mad (ARC) by William Nicholson
Raised by Wolves (ARC- Not Pictured cause I'm reading it!) by Janenifer Lynn Barnes
Desires of the Dead (ARC) by Kimberly Derting
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
The Study Train by Kurt Frenier (came with wax sealed letter)
Awakened (signed) by Ednah Walters
Crash Into Me (signed) by Albert Borris (2 copies & cards for tour giveaway)

Won
White Cat by Holly Black- won from Aliseonlife
Siren (signed) by Tricia Rayburn- won from Book Faery
Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready- won from Fantastic Book Review
Claire de Lune bookmark and signed bookplate- won from Christine Johnson

Purchased
Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
I Love Lucy bookmark from the beach!

*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristie at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Here are the books I've received over the past 6 weeks. Lots of great titles I can't wait to read! Thanks for the publishers and authors for these books and other goodies!

Review
The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Partials by Dan Wells
Balthazar by Claudia Gray
The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Bewitching by Alex Flinn
Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard
A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford
Gil Marsh by A.C.E Bauer
Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
My Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Verra Hiranandani
Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo
Black Gold by Albert Marrin
The Savage Grace (ARC) by Bree Despain
A Want So Wicked (ARC) by Suzanne Young
Smart Girls Get What They Want (ARC) by Sarah Strohmeyer
For Darkness Shows the Stars (ARC) by Diana Peterfreund
Arise (ARC) by Tara Hudson
Dreamless (ARC) by Josephine Angelini
The Story of Us (ARC) by Deb Caletti
Those That Wake (ARC) by Jesse Karp
Split by Swati Avasthi
Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany
Cloaked by Alex Flinn
Black Heart by Holly Black
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Pure by Julianna Baggott (with scary flying butterfly that came out of the book! EEK)
Starters (ARC) by Lissa Price
Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff
All Wounds by Dina James
The Onyx Talisman (signed) by Brenda Pandos (and bookmarks)
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
The Last Echo swag (for the Dark Days tour posts coming up!)
Poughkeepsie swag (temp. tattoos, train schedule, beautiful bracelet!)

NOT PICTURED
Wanderlust by Kirsten Hubbard
The Immortal Rules (ARC) by Julie Kagawa

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Last week I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books. Now I'm going to challenge myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year.

Here's the list:

Previously On my TBR List

100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike*
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles*
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate*
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain*
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield*
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*

I'd like to read all of these by December 31st, 2010.
* — Currently on my bookshelf

What do you think? Can I do it?