I identified with his character completely and understood him, while I did not understand Jude and did not identify or sympathize with Jude at all. Maybe I just have a thing for the supposed 'bad boy' image, but he was definitely not a bad boy in this novel. I would think that kind of pressure would become trying after a while.ĭaniel is someone I just adored, and the more I learned about him, the more I adored him. Too much emphasis has always been placed on her and her brothers and sisters to maintain a role in the community whereby they are role models for others it's a warning not to do anything that would tarnish the family image. I like how she becomes a little bit more rebellious and does things she shouldn't, not bad things, but things that are fun and interesting. The scene in which she finds her mother supercleaning the house in order to avoid talking about the fight between her and her father is particularly eye-opening for Grace as she wonders whether she and family had ever really discussed anything of great importance or if they always just avoided talking about important issues. Although I did find her to be somewhat narrow-minded and naive toward the beginning of the novel, I grew to like her more and more as she matured and developed throughout the events that happened around her, and as she questioned what she always thought was a normal family and normal life. Grace was an interesting character and I liked her enormously as I learned more about her. I found this to be absolutely fascinating as I read through this novel. Although I found the novel at times preachy and dogmatic, I also found that it worked very well in the story as this is the world in which Grace grew up and these are the beliefs that Grace has known since she was a small child beliefs that she once thought were unshakeable were now being torn down around her, belief in the foundation of her family, belief in her older brother Jude, belief in the fundamentals she always held dear. The Dark Divine was an interesting blend of religious belief and mythological folklore that worked very well to create a story of parallel worlds, where in one world you have a 'good girl' and the other you have the supposed 'bad boy' persona. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it-her soul. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret.and the cure that can save the ones she loves. 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. 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 memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. The Eternity Key, book 2 in the Into The Dark trilogy released April 28, 2015, and book three is scheduled to release in the fall of 2016 from Carol Rhoda Labs Press.ĭespain is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently resides in Utah.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. Her next novel, The Shadow Prince, is the first installment of her new Into The Dark series, which is described as a modern-day retelling of the Persephone/Hades and Orpheus/Eurydice myths. Despain's third and final installment to the Dark Divine series, The Savage Grace, was released on March 13, 2012. The Dark Divine series' main character is Grace Divine, a teenage girl who is the daughter of a pastor whose life is flipped once an old childhood friend, Daniel Kalbi, returns into her life.
Her first novel, The Dark Divine, was published in 2009, and the second, The Lost Saint, was published in December 2010. ĭespain is the author of the Dark Divine trilogy and the Into The Dark trilogy. She started writing full-time after being involved in a car accident and realizing that one of her deepest regrets would have been never finishing and publishing a book.
The Dark Divine, The Lost Saint, The Savage Grace, The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark: Book 1)īree Despain (born 1979) is an American author.ĭespain studied creative writing at Brigham Young University. Bree Despain at the 2012 Texas Book Festival.