Review: The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.

With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

I've been in love with this series from book one, following it for years, since it first came out. I'm a little sad to see it finished, but all good things must come to an end, right?

The Savage Grace is quite a bit different from the first two books. Start off with the cover.. It's completely different from the way the woman is positioned in the picture to the font and location of the title. It's less delicate-looking and more dramatic than the first two covers, and even though there was such a fuss about it by readers, I think it suits the content pretty well.

Grace is no longer helpless and she finally learns to trust not only Daniel, but her own judgement. She comes into her own in this final novel, carrying courage for everyone who has a moment of weakness. Where I thought she was naive and sometimes annoyingly ignorant in the first two novels, she's definitely grown into an admirable character, learning from her mistakes, trusting her gut instinct, and becoming the backbone of strength that holds everyone together.

Her relationship with Daniel, as always, is sweet, although it doesn't dominate the pages ~ something I quite admire. It's become a nice, steady presence in the story, and I won't ruin it with *spoilers*, but I'll say Despain provided a LOT of closure for their relationship. Romantics will be pleased :).

I love the unique background of the Urbat/Hound of Heaven legend, and it's nice that it's not the typical werewolf curse. The complexity of the packs, their dynamic, and history create a solid, believable world where these sophisticated beasts exist. It's not all *happily ever after* because, hey, they're all cursed and because not everyone has a loved one willing to stab them in the heart, but in a way that makes it feel more real and less hokey.

As always, Despain's writing style flows and is a pleasure to read. She's very descriptive, creating scenes that easily conjure up whole pictures in the readers mind. From the sweet moments between Grace and Daniel, to the pain each of them feel as they face loss, to the rather bloody fight scenes, each image and emotion is tangible through Despain's excellent choice of words.

The characters grow, the storyline evolves, and everything is brought to a close very nicely. Grace and Daniel still have obstacles to face, but Despain leaves that to the imagination. Besides, after all they've been through, I think they can handle what lies ahead.

Great read, wonderful series!

Find The Savage Grace on Good Reads

Find Bree Despain on Twitter ~ Good Reads ~ Website

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~