Lost Saint

   Bree Despain's Dark Divine series has a different take on the paranormal. Blending religious undertones to the paranormal is what caught my eye in her first book, Dark Divine. You can read my review of Dark Divine here. I recently finished Despain's second book in this trilogy called Lost Saint. While I enjoyed reading the latest book in this series, I was expecting a bit more from it.


Description: Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice and now she must leave with the consequences. While she may have special abilities, her family is in pieces and her boyfriend Daniel has become hot and cold. Grace hates not knowing what is happening and befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town, who willing to aid and guide her. As Grace's pride grows, she is unaware that an old enemy has resurfaced and that she has been the bait all along.

Review: Lost Saint picks up a few months after the life altering events in Dark Divine. While you can get read Lost Saint if you haven't read Dark Divine, I wouldn't suggest doing so. There is a lot of mythology worked into Dark Divine that sets the framework for Despain's later novels. Unlike Dark Divine, there isn't a slow build up in Lost Saint. There are lots of action scenes, mostly featuring Grace as she learns the extent to her abilities, packed into the sequel which made for a quicker reading; however, I missed the thoughtful and fascinating explanation of the paranormal blend with religion in the first novel.
  Grace is a likable character. She is smart, funny, and cares deeply for her family. She struggles with her relationship with Daniel who seems to be pulling away without giving her any explanations. She is also trying to find out information about her missing brother albeit all the warnings that she shouldn't be doing so all alone. There were times when I was frustrated with Grace for doing stupid and impulsive things but I knew she had the right intentions. 
  Lost Saint introduces a new character to the mix, Talbot, a charming stranger who has a knack for popping up every time Daniel is away. Grace finds herself drawn to Talbot, yet her attraction is only limited and her heart doesn't seemed to be be deterred from Daniel. I thought Talbot was okay, but I knew I couldn't trust him the moment he appeared on the page. I always had a sneak suspicion about him though I can see how he might appeal to some readers.
  Overall Lost Saint suffers from middle book syndrome. The pace seems a bit off with some parts going really slow and others going really fast, particularly with the action scenes. The plot was fairly predictable. After reading the first fifty pages, I knew where Despain was heading and there weren't really that many surprises. I looking forward to reading the next volume in this series.I hope that the third book in this series goes back to what I loved most about the Dark Divine series: an exploration of faith, duty, loyalty, and love.

Rating: 3.5 stars


Words of Caution: There is some language and violence. Recommended to Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater or Dark Divine 3 (title coming soon) due out December 2011