THE SAVAGE GRACE by Bree Despain

The Savage Grace
By Bree Despain

Rating: A-


Synopsis from goodreads.com:
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. 



My thoughts on the book:
Wow. I think this the best series ending I have ever read. The only reason it got an A- instead of an A+ is because of the many grammatical, spelling, and typing errors that were in my purchased Kindle copy. If this had been an ARC, then I would have overlooked it (obviously), but since it was a finished edition from a major publishing company, I thought that an editor would have looked at it. I've never had this trouble with a book by Despain or released by Egmont before, so I'm not sure if someone sent the wrong copy to the Kindle making people or if the print book is like this as well. However, the story was fantastic. 


I have enjoyed this entire series, and while I normally don't like literature that focuses on faith, these books never felt preachy. The faith is woven into the story, much like any other mythology is used in a story. Therefore, it should appeal to readers of various religions. Also, Grace is just a good character. Sure, she's flawed, and she has to overcome a TON of internal and external battles in this novel, but she grows and she her goodness is always apparent, even when she is struggling. I also enjoyed how we got to know the other characters better, and the secondary characters who have been present throughout the entire novel also evolved over the course of this narrative. After seeing Grace's battle with her wolf first hand in The Savage Grace, I understood the horrible things Jude did in the previous novels. That made me like him much better.


Grace and Daniel's story is a sweet one, but instead of being all sugary, gross, and co-dependent, they always treat each other with mutual love and respect. It's a healthy relationship, which is very uncommon in any YA novel these days. Daniel treats Grace as an equal and doesn't try to be the white knight constantly. Of course he wants her to be safe, but he also understands that she has to fight her own battles. I love that about him. Grace, likewise, puts Daniel's needs before her own many times and respects what he feels he must do. It's a nice balance, and we could all probably learn a bit about interpersonal relationships by taking note of those two.


The plot of the story is extremely suspenseful in that keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-can't-put-it-down way that Despain has mastered with this series. The action did not stop for the entire book, and there were many moments when I wasn't sure if Grace (or anyone else, for that matter) would make it out alive. And the way the chapters counted down the time until the big finale at the end added to the suspense. This was an extremely intense read.


The Savage Grace is longer than the other books were, but it still flies by. The pace is super quick, but nothing feels rushed. Everything is full explained and has time to fully develop before Despain moves the story along. I never felt that things lagged, though. There were plenty of surprises and mysteries to keep the story going.


The Savage Grace has love and loss. Some characters will shock you (in a bad way), and others will surprise you (in a good way). You will laugh and cry right along with Grace, and in the end, you'll feel like you just finished riding the craziest roller coaster of your life. Despain does a terrific job of wrapping up this series. This is one ending you do not want to miss. It's truly unforgettable.


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