Book Review: The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace
ARC Review: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. As always, all thoughts here are my own.
Published: September 22, 2026
Series: The Wretched Divine #1
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: The Wretched Divine has everything I love: a quest, angels and demons, multiple POVs and storylines, a shadowy MMC, and a second MMC who is a duty-bound soldier. The story never stopped moving and ended with a crazy cliffhanger. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series!
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What is The Wretched Divineabout?
Aurelie Chantelune was born to serve. Raised as a knight in a kingdom ravaged by demons, she’s spent her life honing her blade, driven by the memory of the monsters who tore her family apart and by the knowledge that she’s one of the few who can stop them.
If Aurelie can claim her first kill, she’ll inherit a legacy passed down through the Chantelune bloodline: a soulbond with Yuriel, an angel whose power is vital to her kingdom’s survival. But when those she loves begin turning into the very monsters she’s sworn to destroy, Aurelie is forced to seek help from the last place she ever imagined. Desperate, she forges a second and far more dangerous bond with Severin, a demon she can hardly trust, but who claims to know how to end the war for good.
With their lives and fates entwined, Aurelie, Yuriel, and Severin must team up to hunt down a cure capable of turning demons back into humans. But the more they learn about one another and the deeper their relationships grow, the more Aurelie begins to question the war and her place in it. With both of her bonded on opposing sides, she’ll have to make a choice: continue to stand with the angels, or risk everything by trusting a demon.
The Wretched Divine Review
Belladonna is one of my favorite series, so I was so excited to pick up The Wretched Divine, Adalyn Grace's adult debut and it did not disappoint!
This book has everything I love: a quest, angels and demons, multiple POVs and storylines, a shadowy MMC, and a second MMC who is a duty-bound soldier.
Pacing & Plot
The story grabbed my attention from the very start, and the worldbuilding is pretty easy to follow. Like a lot of other books, there's less plot action in the middle, but since there are multiple POVs, timelines, and storylines, there was never a point where the book felt boring. I especially liked the interludes that jump back in time to show Yuri's backstory and how it leads to what's happening in the present day. Those chapters broke up a bunch of scenes of the characters traveling from place to place, which could have dragged without them.
If I had one wish, it would be that some of the twists at the end were sprinkled in earlier, so the last couple of chapters didn't feel so chaotic. The ending was good and definitely made me want to read the rest of the series, but it was hard to keep track of what was happening at some points.
Looking back, there were a ton of Easter eggs scattered throughout that set up the reveals at the end. They weren't super obvious at the time, but I did enjoy trying to puzzle out what different characters were hiding. If you like piecing together clues and theorizing as you read, you'll likely enjoy this one.
Romance
I don’t have too many thoughts about the romance yet. While there is some romance (mostly lust) between Aurelie and one of the MMCs, I was getting love triangle vibes, and I expect it to keep developing in the next books.
So, should you read The Wretched Divine?
Overall, this was a great start to the series. I'd recommend it especially if you enjoy angels vs. demons stories or if you loved the Belladonna series.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
The Wretched Divine FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Body horror (Transformation into a demon against will, physical changes, etc.)
Death/Violence/Gore
Murder
Grief
Death of a parent
Torture
Kidnapping
Alcohol/substance use
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Soulbonds
Enemies to Reluctant Allies to (maybe) lovers
Love Triangle
Angels vs. Demons
Morally Grey Characters
Knight FMC
Hidden/Secret Identity
Multi-POV
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As of the writing of this post, book 2 in The Wretched Divine series has not been announced yet.
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As of the writing of this post, the number of books in The Wretched Divine series has not been announced.
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No, at least not in book 1. While Aurelie is bonded to two men, the romance gives love triangle vibes rather than why choose. The ending leaves a lot open, so it's hard to say where the relationships will land as the series continues.
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There is some spice in The Wretched Divine. That said, the book is driven by its plot, with the romance woven in alongside the quest, the angel and demon war, and the multiple storylines. If you're looking for a book where the romance is the main event, this one leans more toward fantasy.
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The spicy chapters in The Wretched Divine are Chapters 20 and 49.