The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

From Goodreads: 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.

I have been looking forward to reading this for ages – since June of last year when I downloaded the first chapter from the authors’ website – and I’m please to say it didn’t disappoint.

I warmed to Grace straight away and thought she was a great character – very independent and confident but also vulnerable and insecure. In other words very down to earth and believable. I also really liked the Divine family dynamic and found her parents a refreshing change. As for Daniel – I really loved the character and his interactions with Grace. I thought they had great chemistry and I was completely invested in their friendship.

I also really loved the mythology – it was well crafted and very believable. There were many twists and turns to the story – some surprised me completely while one I saw a mile off and it annoyed me slightly that Grace didn’t see it also. But it is a minor quibble and didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Overall, this is a great paranormal mystery as well as a lovely romantic story. I loved it and can’t wait to see what Bree Despain writes next.