The Savage Grace by Bree Despain Book Review

Book: The Savage Grace (The Dark Divine #3) by Bree Despain, EgmontUSA, March 13, 2012

Genre/Format: Young Adult Paranormal, Hardcover, 496 pages. Received ARC for blog tour.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

More Info: Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

I enjoyed The Dark Divine trilogy. It’s nice when a series ends and it feels like each book serves a purpose and leaves you craving more rather than overstaying its welcome. The characters show growth throughout the books, and there is a good mix of romance, suspense and paranormal intrigue, along with spiritual themes. The final installment The Savage Grace is action packed and bittersweet, and delivers an emotional punch. The conclusion gives some closure to the werewolf curse storyline while also dropping some intriguing hints about the future. Even though I’m not as big on werewolves as I once was, the mythology, battle scenes, and surprises kept me invested throughout.

The Dark Divine trilogy is centered on Grace Divine, a pastor’s daughter who falls in love with Daniel Kalbi, a boy with a werewolf curse. The curse threatens Grace herself and her family, and wolf enemies emerge to cause even more trouble. The characters must battle internal and external demons to save their loved ones, and find a way to balance their human and wolf nature.

I recently listened to the audio of the previous book so I was all caught up with the story. The Savage Grace picks up where The Lost Saint left off, with Daniel in wolf form. Grace continues to come into her own in this book and is ready to kick some demon butt. She won’t give up on Daniel or her brother Jude, even when it’s sometimes hard to ignore the darkness within that wants to take over. Grace has a new mentor to guide her decision-making, and to develop her own hidden talents, all while trying to graduate from high school. The beginning addresses more personal demons than fight scenes, but that is in keeping with the series theme. Not to worry, there will be action aplenty.

Daniel emerges as an alpha wolf, and more strong and confident this time around. He even has a wolf posse to lead, and he seems to have more inner peace overall. Though it is interesting to see Grace manage things alone, the book is more exciting when Daniel shows up to help lead the pack.  His character is much improved over the last book. The new wolf pack The Lost Boys won my heart too, and I enjoyed the dynamic between them, Grace and Daniel. Jude is not forgotten and also has a standout role in the conclusion.

The action in the last third of the book is intense as the conflict between good and evil comes to a head. I was surprised with how it all went down and the emotional impact. There is a twist that makes me a little uneasy with the ending but I love that everything is not perfectly tied up in a way. If you like paranormal romance, werewolves, and action give The Dark Divine trilogy a try.  The spiritual themes also add a refreshing dimension to the series and set it apart from the average paranormal romance. The Savage Grace is available in stores now.

Read my interview with author Bree Despain and enter to win all three books in the Dark Divine Trilogy. There will be three winners – enter here!

Ornament

4 thoughts on “The Savage Grace by Bree Despain Book Review

  1. […] You can connect with Bree on Twitter or her blog. And check out the Dark Divine Facebook page for more updates. The Savage Grace is out today and you can read my review here. […]

  2. mystmusician says:

    I hadn’t heard of this series before!! I’ve got it on my list for the library! 🙂 Great review!

    1. Lucy says:

      Love the library – hope you enjoy the Dark Divine when you get the chance to read it. You should enter the giveaway to win the whole series 🙂

  3. […] The Savage Grace by Bree Despain Book Review (thereadingdate.com) Rate this: Share this:FacebookStumbleUponDiggRedditTwitterLinkedInTumblrLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.