If you saw it, would you read it? The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
About the front:
I love the contrast in light and dark… the purple, almost white and black. There’s a color harmony with the use of only those three colors. It’s dark, yet it’s light. It’s so contrasty that it really draws the eye. With her skin tones being so light, my mind goes immediately to her being something ‘dead’. Like a vampire or zombie or ghost. I love the wispiness of the fabric wrapping around her.
I have hard time reading the font of the title, but the white against black makes it clear enough. I wish it were bigger though so in a small size, it’s clear, but it fits with that wispiness. It, too has that little bit of curviness to it.
There’s a true simplicity to this cover. There’s nothing to really tell me about the story, but I can really conjure stuff about one person. Her. Now I want to know who she is and why she looks like … that.
Now let’s look at what the back says:
A Prodigal Son
A Dangerous Love
A Deadly Secret
Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.
Now that Daniel’s returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.
As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.
Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?
In that it’s confusing and not clear? Yes. I’ve now read it 3 times. I get there is a romance between Daniel and Grace. I get there there’s something that happened but I can’t yet tell if the story plot is about the romance or this one night. So as soon as Daniel returns, Grace falls in love? Do we have a case of insty-love here? Why is there a question of loyalty? Perhaps that’s the end truth. Then all the sudden we’re told she has to ‘save the ones she loves’, but that comes with no context. It makes me wonder what happened, but it went from a story that seemed normal mystery to one that seems to be more paranormal. Especially with the reference to her soul. So now I’m not sure. It just feels like there’s too much and too little in this blurb to really entice me. Bummer ‘cuz I love that cover.
Where I’d read it
I’d take the sample of this one onto my treadmill with me to see if it can suck me in. Then I’d have to see where to go with it from there.
Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!
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I LOVE this kind of cover, with either a stark white or black background with a bold color in the front. It draws my eye every time, even in the little thumbnail size. The blurb, though, doesn’t really entice me to read any farther. Is this YA? Is it a love story? Just not sure if this would be the kind of story I’d want to read.
I’m 100% in agreement. The cover is awesome–but then, I love simple covers with contrasting tones and colours. However, that blurb is a real turn off because I have absolutely no idea what the story is about other than it somehow ties into one night where a character disappeared (but he comes back so technically, had he really disappeared or had he simply left town?) and her brother came home bloody which indicated there could have been some kind of fight between the two of them. BUT … how would that tie in to them suddenly being in danger because disappearing dude shows back up? I think the confusions in there are too much of a turn off, because it would leave one wondering that if they’re unsure what the story is about for the blurb, then how clear is the writing in portraying the story within? Hmmm. *I’m* on the shelf. Not too sure this book would be joining me there.
Isn’t it kinda ‘sad’ that the cover designer and the blurb writer didn’t get together to make this thing shine? I still really like the cover, but boo on the ‘back’. 🙁 Can’t win ’em all, I don’t think!