Review: The Lost Saint - Bree Despain

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain, published by Egmont on 7th March 2011

Goodreads synopsis:
A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger - in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her - not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

 Review:

'The Lost Saint' is the deliciously dark and mysterious sequel to 'The Dark Divine' by Bree Despain.  I was really eager to read this book and was most definitely not disappointed.  It was an absolutely thrilling read and has now just made me even more impatient for the last installment in this fantastic trilogy.

The story focuses on Grace and her fight to keep the wolf inside her at bay.  She wants to become a Hound of Heaven and use her abilities for good but her struggle is going to be tougher than even she anticipated.  Grace is such a brilliant protagonist.  She's brave and strong and self-less and extremely headstrong which often leads to her putting herself in harm's way.  She doesn't always make the right decisions but her heart is always in the right place and when it really matters she can definitely be counted on.

Grace is desperate to find her brother Jude after he succumbed to the wolf and disappeared.  When she tries to find him her path crosses with a mysterious stranger called Talbot who seems to know an awful lot about Grace and her secrets.  I loved, loved, loved Talbot!  Seriously!  I have to admit that I wasn't actually a huge fan of Daniel from the first book but he's definitely growing on me.  Talbot on the other hand I fell in love with straight away.  I loved the way he was described when Grace first met him and I really adored the air of mystery and intrigue which surrounded him.  I think he's a great addition to the series and a good instrument for stirring up Grace's romantic feelings and emotions.  More of Talbot in the next book please!

There's a lot more action in 'The Lost Saint' which I enjoyed and I was totally gripped during the second half of the book.  The ending was so exciting and I found myself literally holding my breath as I read it.  I was shocked by the plot twist which comes near the end and left on absolute tenterhooks.  I need to know what's going to happen next! 

I also enjoyed finding out more about the history of the Urbat and discovering details of some of the character's family histories and backgrounds.  This helps in understanding a lot about the motivations and ambitions which drive a lot of the characters.

Bree Despain must be applauded for gripping the reader from the very first page and writing an amazing story which combines romance, mystery, action and danger.  If you like your romances dark and complex and you're looking for a book which will blow you away then look no further than 'The Lost Saint'.

Thanks to the publisher for sending this one for review