I have a really hard time writing a negative book review. It's kind of like saying someone has an ugly baby. There's so much time and sweat and love that go into a novel (even a bad one) that it just seems impolite to say "it's bad."
So, I'll try to expand on that a bit.
The Dark Divine is a very predictable story about a Very Good Girl and a Very Troubled (Bad?) Boy with a Very Dark Secret. Of course, they have a Very Forbidden Love that brings about Very Big Trouble.
The plot is recycled, unimaginative and transparent. But I can forgive that. There isn't a lot of original thought out there, and a familiar story retold with a spark of magic can be a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, Ms. Despain missed the mark in her effort to breathe new life into her story, built on a classic, universal monster legend. There's nothing new here, and only the youngest and most naive or unread readers will find anything to raise their pulse between the covers of The Dark Divine. The spiciest thing about this book is the cover -- which, incidentally, seems totally random and unrelated to the story. Beautiful art, though.
The real problem with The Dark Divine is the writing. (I say the real problem, because truthfully, the book is chock full of problems. This is the foundation upon which the problem house is built, though.) The book is plodding, the dialogue is abrupt and unnatural and the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. Not one character has a shred of sparkle, even the laughable bad boy Daniel, whose secret is teased with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's just... bad, from start to finish. Even the typeface used was offputting -- it's bold and a little too large, and further creates the feeling that seasoned readers should put this book down and back away slowly.
I don't say this often, but I regret the time I wasted on this novel. I should have given up 100 pages in, but I persevered, sure it was about to get better - until the very end. Don't make the same mistake I did, and spend your hard-earned hardback money on something with a little more substance.
So, I'll try to expand on that a bit.
The Dark Divine is a very predictable story about a Very Good Girl and a Very Troubled (Bad?) Boy with a Very Dark Secret. Of course, they have a Very Forbidden Love that brings about Very Big Trouble.
The plot is recycled, unimaginative and transparent. But I can forgive that. There isn't a lot of original thought out there, and a familiar story retold with a spark of magic can be a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, Ms. Despain missed the mark in her effort to breathe new life into her story, built on a classic, universal monster legend. There's nothing new here, and only the youngest and most naive or unread readers will find anything to raise their pulse between the covers of The Dark Divine. The spiciest thing about this book is the cover -- which, incidentally, seems totally random and unrelated to the story. Beautiful art, though.
The real problem with The Dark Divine is the writing. (I say the real problem, because truthfully, the book is chock full of problems. This is the foundation upon which the problem house is built, though.) The book is plodding, the dialogue is abrupt and unnatural and the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. Not one character has a shred of sparkle, even the laughable bad boy Daniel, whose secret is teased with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's just... bad, from start to finish. Even the typeface used was offputting -- it's bold and a little too large, and further creates the feeling that seasoned readers should put this book down and back away slowly.
I don't say this often, but I regret the time I wasted on this novel. I should have given up 100 pages in, but I persevered, sure it was about to get better - until the very end. Don't make the same mistake I did, and spend your hard-earned hardback money on something with a little more substance.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
