Review: The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Title: The Lost Saint
Series: The Dark Divine
Author: Bree Despain
Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Publication Date: 7 Mar 2011

Source: Publisher - thank you so much



Synsosis: From Amazon
True Love's First Kill ...Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure the boy she loves - Daniel. She gave her soul to save him, but in the process she lost her beloved brother, Jude. Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Tal - a newcomer to town who promises that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realising that an old enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Review: May contain spoilers for The Dark Divine

I have a complete love/hate relationship with this book. I adored The Dark Divine as I said in my review it is a marmite book - love it or hate it - the sequel even more so I think. I did like it but not as much as The Dark Divine, it had that middle book feel to it where there is a lot more plot/character building undertaken. I found that it really helped the understanding of the background storyline to read The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel before starting this book, they added depth and knowledge regarding the history of the Urbat and Gabriel himself.

Once again the way in which the title can be interpreted to mean different aspects of the plot is completely ingenious. I still found Grace annoying in her actions, she rushes into things without thinking about the full consequences. Yet she has been put in a situation where she has to deal with a lot of things that are beyond her years. I admired her selflessness by putting her families needs before her own and really felt for her not being able to follow her own dreams. She is willing to give up everything she has ever wanted, sacrificing her dreams for Daniel and her family. Throughout the book I was wondering if Grace's 'superpower' was really here capacity to love and instill love in others.

Daniel and Grace's relationship is very intense, as well as quite volatile, strong emotions yet built on a shaky foundation as they do not completely trust each other. I am unsure if this is from past actions or if they were just trying to protect each other in a really stupid way. Daniel's action/reactions/interactions at times did not seem in keeping with the character I had built up in my imagination from The Dark Divine.

I didn't really like the introduction of alternative love interests but I think this was largely to the burn-out I am feeling with love triangles and partner changes *sigh*.  I like the faithful type. The characters themselves were brilliant and really added to the storyline, especially Talbot. He really is an interesting, complex character and I am looking forward to seeing more of him but not as a love interest for Grace. I absolutely hated Katie throughout, the emotions evoked via Grace really swept me along, powerful writing there. The way in which Katie slipped into Grace's place when her relationship with Daniel was under strain was disgusting (see powerful and swept along) . Her flirtatious manner was so annoying, I was with Grace every step on this one, lol.

April, on the other hand, was a genuinely happy surprise. The way in which she accepted the truth about Grace's situation was inspiring. Her love of fashion and loyal friendship gave the narrative an uplifting quality. The image of the stake decorated with stick-on gems made me giggle aloud for ages.

I was surprised at how quickly the Divine family unit disintegrated after Jude left. The portrayal of manic depression was painfully realistic and relatable; if you have ever seen a person suffering from this disorder you will understand what I mean. I was left wondering why Jude's Mother favoured him so much at the detriment of her 3 other children, I was deeply saddened. She was still unwilling to admit to the community that they had problems which in the long run on added to these problems. Can this also be put down to her illness I wonder?

What really stood out for me was the way in which Grace's internal wolf was portrayed as the little voice inside her head telling her to say and do things. Don't we all have one of those telling us that it is sometimes easier to be mean or hurt others rather than take the better but not necessarily easier option. This I find is especially noticeable in children/teens even more so when peer pressure is added to the pot.

Some of the plot twists I did guess as the clues are there to be picked up on if you pay attention. I honestly do not know which direction the story is going to take from here. I was left wondering how to tell who the real monster were. The morale of the story = Honesty is the best policy.

I need more Daniel and Grace please.