The Lost Saint

The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her 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 realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. Readers, ravenous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.
from amazon.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

This falls squarely under the category of fun books that are great for the holiday. The plot of the book was relatively well done, but there were still some flaws that detracted from the novel. A good deal more of the lore was explained, but most of it happened in a history lesson format, which always feels rather sloppy to me. The ending plot twist caught me only partially by surprise, and I figured out most of the supposed shockers throughout the novel. Although I read it rather quickly, it wasn't terribly engrossing and I could put it down rather easily. Nothing was really particularly exceptional, although nothing was awful either.

Throughout the book I was constantly annoyed with Grace. Her mood swings and irrational behavior drove me up a wall because she could have solved all of her problems so simply. Also, the chemistry between Grace and Daniel didn't particularly sizzle or smolder. There was definitely some there, but it just didn't reach the level that it really needed to. I really wanted the rest of the characters to gain more depth, but alas, that didn't happen. Instead of fleshing the other characters out, Despain introduced new ones that remained flat as well.

This really is just a book for a break. It doesn't have a particularly complex plot or characters, but still remains fun. If you liked the first one you should enjoy this one as well, but it's honestly nothing spectacular. This series is for those who simply can't get enough paranormal romance, but if you're reaching your quota go ahead and skip it.
Book from Publisher

Extraordinary

I'm terribly sorry for the long absence, but I have an excuse! I just finished my finals, and as much as I love the blog I love passing my classes even more.

What does it mean to be extraordinary? Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school. Soon the two girls are as close as sisters . . . until Mallory’s magnetic older brother, Ryland, appears. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe—but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself.

Soon she’ll discover the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt they expect Phoebe to pay. Will she be strong enough to resist? Will she be special enough to save herself?
from nancywerlin.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

I adored Impossible and was really excited for this book. I was expecting to be blown away yet again, but I wasn't. It's not to say that the novel was awful by any means, but it just couldn't live up to my expectations. Once again, Werlin fuses fantasy and reality, however, the fantasy elements were slightly more pronounced throughout the book. One thing that really bothered me was how the book was formatted. The story was punctuated with little conversations with the faerie queen, showing the opinions and plots of the fay. I found it highly distracting and thought that it detracted from the story as it created a split in my attention. I had an idea of why Mallory and Ryland were doing things, but didn't fully understand. By the same token, I wasn't as confused as Phoebe so couldn't fully relate to her. This was the main problem of the book because it caused a severe disconnect for me, as I was unable to focus on either plotline. The rest of the plot was actually well done and very intriguing, but just suffered from a slight case of a split personality.

I had an issue connecting with the characters. I found Phoebe rather irritating and self absorbed. I wanted her to be stronger throughout the book, instead of just in flashes. I know that it's impossible to be strong all the time, but significantly more would have been realistic. The way Mallory was written made me dislike her for large chunks of the book, but overall I found her more appealing than Phoebe. Pyland was purposefully unlikeable, and so he did absolutely nothing to enhance the characterization.

Overall the book wasn't actually bad. I wouldn't put it anywhere near the top of my list, or even on it. This is one to wait for until it comes to your library. As much as I hate saying it, it wasn't nearly spectacular enough to capture my love. It felt rather ordinary.
Book from Library