The Dark Divine

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

The Dark Divine. Despain, Bree. Egmont, New York. ISBN 978-1-60684-0065-8

PLOT SUMMARY:

Grace Divine is the teenage daughter of the local pastor. Three years ago something terrible happened between her brother and his best friend Daniel. Her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood and Daniel disappeared. Now, Daniel is back. Grace is filled with questions, what happened that night and where has Daniel been? Jude still hates Daniel for what happened that night and makes Grace promise to stay away from him. Grace is unable to keep that promise. Mystery surrounds Daniel, and Jude has been not acting like himself. There is more going on than most people know. Grace and Daniel’s father knows the truth. That truth will change their family forever.

CRITICAL EVALUATION:

Grace Divine lives a very sheltered life. She is the daughter of a pastor and is expected to portray a certain image. Up to now, she has managed to do that. Every night at dinner, her family gathers and they discuss their days. Yet, the family has never discussed what happened three years ago. When Daniel returns, Grace tells the family at dinner. Her brother Jude and mother are not happy about it. Her father, changes the subject and there is no more discussion. They portray the perfect Christian family, they discuss religion and the problems of the world, yet they cannot discuss their own family issues. When grace’s mother is upset she goes into OCD mode. Everything must be perfect, and not just clean. She will make the perfect breakfast to portray the perfect family life when something bad happens. Grace is confused throughout the book. Daniel swears he is good and Jude, her brother, swears he is evil. Grace has always relied on her family and the Bible to tell her what is right. She now has to decide on her own who to believe, Jude or Daniel. Grace is finally standing on her own two feet and making her own decisions. When Grace learns the truth about what happened three years ago and why Daniel has returned, her father tells her that she must decide to do what is right for her. This is the first time she is faced with this type of a decision. Grace is struggling with pleasing her family, mostly her brother, or doing what she knows in her heart is right. In the end, Grace grows up and bears a burden most adults could not cope with. The Dark Divine is a coming of age story with a thrilling twist.

READER’S ANNOTATION:
Grace is the daughter of a pastor. Will she be able to uphold the perfect family image when she learns the truth about what happened between her bother and Daniel three years ago?

AUTHOR:

Bree Despain always loved writing. But she thought that only special people became writers; so she set her sights on something more ordinary. While in college she took a semester off to write and direct plays for inner-city kids. When she returned to school she enrolled in as many creative writing classes as she could. After that she became busy with life: a husband, baby and full-time job. A car accident made Despain realize that life was too short to not do what you love. Her husband brought home a laptop so she could start writing again. Despain received the offer to purchase The Dark Divine on the sixth anniversary of the car accident. Despain is also the author of The Lost Saint (sequel to The Dark Divine). (Despain)

GENRE:

Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller

CURRICULUM TIES:

New York State: English

BOOK TALKING IDEAS:

Pretending everything is perfect when it is not
Trusting your instincts
Learning who to trust

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE:

Age 15 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES:

Violence

In order to prepare yourself should this book be challenged you may wish to take the following steps:

•Read the book or familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
•Refer to the library’s collection development policy.
•Read the book reviews from sources such as Booklist, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), Publisher’s Weekly, or BookSpot.com
•Seek the opinion of teen readers that have read the book.

Should this book be challenged you should follow the additional steps below:

•Advise the senior staff of the challenge.
•Let the patron know that their challenge will be filed and that senior library management will review their request and notify them once a decision has been made.
•Offer any further assistance
WHY DID I INCLUDE THIS BOOK?
I was actually looking for a mystery/thriller when I picked this book. About one third of the way in I realized that this was a fantasy/thriller. Glad I kept reading, it was a good book.