The Wretched Divine

The Wretched Divine #1

by Adalyn Grace

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Adult, Audiobook, Fantasy Romance, Demons

320 pages, Trade Paperback

First published September 22, 2026

About the author

Adalyn Grace is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, International, and Indiebound bestselling author of Belladonna and the All the Stars and Teeth duology.

Prior to becoming an author, Adalyn spent several years working in live theatre and studied storytelling as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra.

Local to San Diego, Adalyn spends her non-writing days by watching too much anime, and by playing video games with her two dorky dogs.

Reviews

[Clace]

She said its like a more mature version of daughter of smoke and bone and The infernal devices but set in a world like the stormlight archives!! I AM SCREAMING BECAUSE BRANDON SANDERSON SUPREMACY EVERYONE!

[Adalyn Grace]

UPDATE TO ADD:
Tour stops in the US, UK, and Ireland have been announced. All are ticketed and limited. Tickets for stops still available can be found here.







Page overlay Pre Order incentives have also been announced for the US.


This Yuriel page overlay is available by pre ordering the B&N signed Angel Edition





Claim your Yuri page overlay here

This Severin page overlay is available by pre ordering the standard US Demon Edition




Claim your Severin page overlay here



This Aurelie page overlay is available as a US tour exclusive, while supplies last





Original Review:

Hello and goodbye! Before this book launches and I must hide from Goodreads again, I wanted to share where you can find signed and exclusive editions.

In the US: (all bold text should be clickable)

The B&N Limited Angel edition:
- Signed
- A stunning designed red case printed straight onto the hardcover
- Gilded edges
- A deleted chapter
- Alternate jacket coloring with golden x on the cover
- Red designed angel wing endpages

This limited signed edition is exclusive to B&N





The Standard Demon Edition:
- A beautiful red case design printed straight onto the hardcover
- Red metallic edges
- Gold angel wing endpages
- Red X on jacket

Signed editions of this version can be pre ordered through my local indie, Mysterious Galaxy. All pre orders will be signed. If you'd like personalization, please include how you'd like it personalized in the order notes at checkout.




In the UK:

Signed Waterstones Exclusive:
- Signed
- Very limited and nearly sold out
- Alternative gold dust jacket colorway
- Deleted Chapter
- Fiery edges
- Beautiful red hardcover case design (matches US)
- angel wing endpages





We also have the beautiful silver standard edition. Some indies should also be getting signed editions of this version. I will share information as it comes.



This is my favorite book yet, and I'm so so excited to share it with you! If you like big, epic fantasy worlds, plot driven stories that still have a ton of romance, angels, demons (including a demon bard), knights, a medieval inspired fantasy world, and a boatload of magic, TWD might be the book for you! I really hope you love it as much as I do.

[Sophie]

I’m both captivated by this book and weirdly irritated by it.

I was locked in at first. It was like Adalyn Grace read my mind and put every single thing I like into one book: a cool world building, a strong female character, and two very interesting MMCs to choose from (Yuriel the angel, and Severin the demon). Reading the first chapters felt like checking off every item on a wishlist I didn't even know I had.

Sadly, the middle of the book wasn’t as strong. They needed to find something, they ran into trouble, someone fell deep into lust. I just wasn’t that invested in the story line or the romance. Even the characters started to wear on me.

Aurelie felt too immature and impulsive, and Severin felt like a cardboard cutout of a million other MMCs I’ve read about before. Only my love for Yuri stayed strong (who knew my anti hero loving heart would fall hard for the angel? I call this character development)

And as always, I saw things where they didn't exist, because of course the demon and angel fought and all I wanted was to grab their heads and go ’Now kiss!’. (did I say character development? oops I meant: being delusional)

I devoured the last chapters though. The ending had so many reveals and a wild cliffhanger, and I loved them all. But I do wish one or two of those reveals were sprinkled in the middle of the book.

Overall, a strong beginning, weak middle, and crazy ending that saved it. The only question I need answered is if this is going to stay a love triangle or evolve into a Why Choose. I really need to know

3.5 rounded up

─ ✦ ────

✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: after loving the Belladonna series, I couldn’t be happier to get my hands on this ARC 😍

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

⚔️ 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞 ⚔️
dropping ALL CRS for this!!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

super pissed off that im locked out my booktrovert acc so I can't finish the delicious sample

⚔️ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🪽་༘࿐
i got a sample!! thank god for booktrovert ❣️

❤️‍🔥 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 ꧁⎝ 𓆩༺✧༻𓆪 ⎠꧂
ADALYN GRACE??????? GIVE HERE

[Isabelle]

Adalyn Grace's adult debut was a dark, twisted take on the classic good vs. evil tale. I was kept guessing till the very end, and honestly I am still making guesses (book 2, please come quickly 😭). The world and characters were so captivating that I didnt want the story to end. All the twists and reveals left me genuinely flabbergasted!

Aurelie is a Lady Knight who is destined to bind herself to an angel, but when a demon comes to her with a way to save both their peoples, everything changes. Severin the demon is devilishly charming, and the perfect foil to Yuriel the angelic soldier. This whole story was so engaging, and the end!!! I cannot wait to see how this series will continue. Like, I am SICK with having to wait! Absolutely amazing and an easy 5 stars!

I finished this arc and immediately turned around and bought tickets for her book tour, that’s how good it was 😂❤️


•••••••
Absolutely ravenous for this book! Thank you to FEIWEL | Macmillan and NetGalley for the review copy ⚔️🪽

[Nilufer Ozmekik]

Adalyn Grace really sat down and decided sleep was overrated because HOW exactly am I supposed to function normally after finishing this book? Explain it to me slowly. Preferably while handing me therapy bills, holy water, emotional support snacks, and book two immediately.

The Wretched Divine completely swallowed me whole.

I already knew Adalyn Grace could write addictive stories, but seeing her step into adult romantasy? Oh she came armed with pain, tension, holy warfare, emotional damage, and two fictional men ready to ruin my peace differently. This book feels darker, sharper, heavier than her previous works. There’s blood on the blade, grief in every corner, and yearning dripping from nearly every interaction. Basically my favorite kind of suffering.

The atmosphere alone deserves applause. Angels and demons are not simply aesthetic decorations here thrown around to make Pinterest boards happy. The world feels brutal, ancient, wounded by war and religious devotion. Every page carried this feeling of doom lingering right beneath the surface, like something catastrophic was always one heartbeat away from happening. And honestly? It made me inhale this book like a starved Victorian woman discovering soup.

Aurelie was exactly the kind of heroine I love reading about: fierce, emotionally conflicted, stubborn enough to charge into danger even while internally falling apart. She’s been raised to see the world in absolutes—good versus evil, divine versus monstrous—but the deeper she falls into this twisted bond with both Yuriel and Severin, the more everything she believed starts cracking apart. Watching her question her faith, her kingdom, even herself, made her journey feel so compelling to me.

And speaking of the bonds…

I'm blabbering. I'm hyperventilating. I'm out of control right now!

[Luce]

REELING FROM THAT ENDING!!!!

so many things i loved about this, adayln brought everything to the table and then some with this book.

the way this is so plot driven, with an abundance of twisty turns and political intrigue but then also an incredible sub plot of romance?! ughhhh i devoured this.

i’m gonna need to know what team you all are when this comes out, add it to your priority releases tbr IMMEDIATELY 🤭

[shaelinslibrary]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT. STFU. WHAT THE HELL.

This was phenomenal! The world and its lore were rich, the characters were so entertaining and all the story came together SO WELL AT THE END. This was so fantastic, I cannot explain. I am textbook agog right now.

We’ve got demons, we’ve got angels, we’ve got lady knights and they all can bond to each other- feeling all the emotions and such from the others.

The whole premise is our lady knight FMC Aurelie is to be bonded to an angel once she kills a demon, as is her birthright as a daughter of the Chantelune blood line (this bloodline is chosen by the angels). But she also has to bond with a demon to save her kingdom. The three of them being bonded makes for some great entertainment, let me tell you. The tension, the jealousy & the pining that comes from this? Exquisite.

I literally don’t have enough words in the English language to convey how much I loved this- THIS WAS SO WELL EXECUTED. I am obsessed and sick I have to wait for even a bread crumb of book 2, lol.

Adalyn Grace has done it again! Her adult book debut is a complete success for me. 6 million, billion stars!

[Krysta ꕤ]

”She was asleep, and he was left holding her, wondering how something so quiet could unravel him so completely.”

i have been desperate for angel romantasy books to make a comeback and this book satisfied that for me. it had everything i could’ve wanted, even the love triangle had me in a chokehold. from the minute I started this book, i could not stop reading.. i was so addicted.

the characters - Aurelie, Yuriel and Severin were flawed and even unlikable at times, but for some reason it made me appreciate them more. Yuri is my favorite, i go feral over that “duty vs desire” type of dynamic but i also loved Severin and how entirely messy he was.

some of the reveals in the end were obvious to me, so i wasn’t shocked or anything, but i didn’t even care that it was predictable bc i was dying to see how the characters would react. it was so satisfying to read about the classic angel + demon rivalry, while also having enough emotional layers between the characters and their own separate motivations to keep things interesting. i CANNOT WAIT for the next book!!

➺ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[aeryn rose]

𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: ⚔️🤍🩸

One of my favorite authors releasing one of my most anticipated releases of the year????
I AM SOOOOO SAT FOR THIS!
IN ADALYN GRACE WE TRUST

[Gillian]

Summary
Aurelie, the female main character raised as a knight in a land ruined by demons is training so she can fight the demons who filled most of her family. When Aurelie kills her first demon she becomes soul bonded with an angel named Yuriel. But then she becomes bonded with a demon, Severin and makes a deal with him in order to save her father who has been turned. She must decide who to trust and whether she can save the people she cares about.

Thoughts
The premise sounded so interesting, bonded to an angel and a demon, but it was disappointing. The first half was very slow paced and the plot was boring. It also took a while for the world building to be explained which makes sense since it's the first book, but I'm still confused about some aspects of the world. I did enjoy that the book illustrated the differences between the human knights, angels and the demons. I also enjoyed that Yuriel's past was weaved into the present. The introduction to the magic in the book was interesting, such as the healing magic, shadow magic, darker magic from the demons, and sword magic. The second half of the book was much better, the pacing was more consistent and the plot was more intriguing. The writing was descriptive, concise and easy to follow. I had mixed feelings about some of the characters in the beginning. I was frustrated by Aurelie at first, her character felt flat and she didn't have much development. Near the middle of the book Aurelie showed more of her personality including her bravery, tenacity, and determination, but she did make a few decisions that were not well thought out. Yuriel was an intriguing character, he had a caring and sweet side but also a darker side. I enjoyed learning about his backstory and understanding why he is more reserved. Severin was okay, he had moments when he was helpful and funny, but in other moments he was not trust worthy and not a good guy. There were a few interactions between Severin, Yuriel and Aurelie that made me laugh out loud. The ending was surprising and action-packed. Overall the second half of the book was great, but the first half was underwhelming.

[aqsa]

time of death: 35%

I just couldn’t do it anymore guys. i genuinely tried. this is an ARC, so I kept forcing myself to continue because I wanted to give the book a fair chance, but by 35% I realized I could not care less about anything happening.

1. my first issue is the descriptions

oh my god. This author has described absolutely everything in every possible way. I understand wanting your world to feel vivid and atmospheric, but there were so many moments where I felt like I was reading the same description over and over again, just phrased differently each time. everything HAD to be poetic. everything had to have another metaphor. everything had to be described in some elaborate way when I already understood what was being described the first time. It became so damn exhausting.

2. the love triangle. Severin, Aurelie, and Yuri

I despise love triangles. I absolutely despise them. And I could already tell exactly where this was going. of course Aurelie is going to be drawn to the hot demon even though he's annoying as hell. their “banter” so far has been so predictable and so obviously following the exact formula of this trope that I found myself getting pissed off every time they interacted.

and I genuinely don't understand how this is being framed as enemies to lovers. she's already attracted to him. she's already obsessed with him. she's already wants to bang his bones. there is no actual hatred or tension that makes me believe these two are enemies. she just doesn't like him while simultaneously being completely fascinated by him. AND he calls her "little badger". wtf??

and what makes it even more annoying is that her dad is literally at stake. There are actual things happening that should be consuming her attention, and instead so much of her focus is going toward this annoying demon that she is already obviously attracted to. we are already 30% in and she's already having *those* dreams about him. girl wtf is wrong with u.

then there's Yuri.

3. I love Yuri.

& that makes this even worse because I already don't want to sit through Aurelie choosing Severin over and over while Yuri stands there being the sweet, kind, perfect guy. he actually has depth to his character and he's the only one who can think maturely. I know exactly what role he's going to play in this dynamic, and I don't want it. He's the “perfect pure angel” who is probably going to respect her choices and never cross a line while she keeps running back to Severin, and I genuinely do not have the patience for that shit.

I can bet my whole life Severin is gonna betray aurelie in the end too

4. The pacing

It was SO incredibly slow, and I never felt like the story was progressing enough to justify how much time was being spent on descriptions and worldbuilding. I kept waiting for something to happen that would pull me back in, but instead I felt like I was constantly being reminded about the same things we'd already learned.

there are so many different creatures and elements to this world, and I wanted to care about them. I really did. But when I'm repeatedly being told what something looks like or reminded of the same details over and over again, it stops feeling immersive and starts feeling like the story is stalling.

I can see what this book is trying to do. I can see the appeal. There is clearly a lot of effort put into the world and the atmosphere, and I'm sure there are readers who are going to absolutely love the writing style and the slow buildup.

But for me, it was bland, slow, repetitive, and frustrating. rip to my Netgalley ratio :(

[MagretFume]

Oh my!
The world building really made the book for me. It's rich, layered, and really immersive. Of course not everything is what it seems, and it so satisfying.

The tension and conflicts between the characters are fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat.
I can't wait for the next installment!

I had the chance to listen to the audiobook version, and the cast of narrators were absolutely perfect. I will mention Severin's narrator specifically because I feel he added depth and personality to the character.

Thank you Macmillan audio for this ARC!

[Kristina]

Angels, demons, AND Renaissance-inspired?

Yes. Without a doubt, yes.

Update: Adalyn Grace just posted the first character art on Instagram and I am IN LOVE.

Update 2: We've got a release date (just before my birthday!!) and an epic description.

Update 3: We have a cover!

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction)]

Received early via the publisher.
____

What an interesting foray into a more epic-scale fantasy from Adalyn! A tug of war between angels and demons is always bound to catch my interest, but the shifting narratives about who has the moral high ground is an argument I found compelling. Is violence ever justified? Are rules always meant to be followed? Maybe, just maybe, some structures should come tumbling down…

I will admit our FMC is naive to a point of contention, and I think many readers will grow irritated with her. Initially, I did - but I also am of the mind it’s intentional. She’s indoctrinated, and so intensely emotion-led first naturally, then magically enhanced. I think at that point I too would just roll with the punches. I’m really intrigued to see how she develops as a character, especially with the other POV characters proving much stronger in voice and agency.

This book is vastly different from Adalyn Grace’s previous work, and is an impressive feat of ongoing war and politics. You get a sense of how long this battle has been fought, everyone seeming exhausted yet invested and too stubborn to give any leeway in their stance. But the cracks are there, and so is the set up of what promises to be a brilliant, large scale fantasy story.

The Wretched Divine is a notable pivot in tone from Adalyn Grace’s previous works, and one I think will hold existing fans and new readers alike. I’m excited to see more from her, and from what can only be described as a chaotically messy trio.

[Val]

dnfed at 30%

i couldn't care less if I tried

unfortunately, this book doesn't have interesting enough politics or narration for me to care. it's meant to be new adult i think? the only time it feels like new adult instead of YA is for the yuri chapters. the demon and aurelie chapters are very reminiscent of a really boring prototype of bantery enemies to lovers we're seeing these days. a lot of themes we begin with also feel very ya and the chemistry between the demon and aurelie is very middling. aurelia feels not much different from a staple fantasy fmc and her decisions are very impulsive and not interesting enough to hold my attention. she doesn't really have a unique characteristic so I didn't care much about her.

the one who I did care about, was yuri. the angel character is ironically the most interesting character in the book. he's got a set up and arc that feels very unique and mature. a sort of character that doesn't feel box-ed or boring. his pov kept me up from dnfing a lot sooner. he brings a fresh and interesting pov into the book and the world as an angel navigating humans and I'm sure his interactions with demons at the later part (if we ever get them) will be just as nice.

ultimately, I need my fantasy books perfect in setting their vibe from page 1 and building on it, so this wasn't for me as I don't think it blew my mind with unique ideas. i wish everything was as interesting as yuri but well, I'll never find out even if it is.

edit: okay I skimmed the middle part and then got to the ending and LOLLLL this might be one of those fantasy books that is insanely good in the last 50-100 pages. what a ride. I wish the beginning wasn't that slow but yeah whatever. I don't regret dnfing but OOOF that was some intense last 50 pages. and the ending???????? i wish i cared cause it's actually peak 😭😭😭😭😭 WHY COULDN'T I ENJOY THIS BOOK UGHHHHH

(and why was the yaoi serving so much)

thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc

[Sam]

4.25 stars

The Wretched Divine, let's get into itttttt!

The prologue of this book? So good, I was hooked. I had a thousand questions but already you could feel how dangerous this world felt with this war of humans and angels VS demons. Demons who are all descended from the original sins (think seven deadly sins). With the losses the Aurelie faces in those couple pages alone, the stakes were high already.

Then with a time jump we're thrust into the middle of tense times in this world and the human kingdoms are trying to make sure they're prepared for further demon invasions. To help, the angels have allowed one family in each kingdom to bond to an angel. Aurelie is part of the Chantelune family and it's her time to be bonded to an angel, but only once she kills a demon. But it's not that simple because when she finally gets the opportunity to do it, she can't seem to go through with it knowing that the demon was bonded to a human and by killing the demon their human bonded would also die too. So she cuts off its tail and doesn't correct anyone when they think she's killed a demon. I liked that about her character from the get go because already she's not perfect. She sees how being bonded to an angel as soon as possible will benefit the kingdom so what's a little white lie to keep things on track? Love it because same, I'd probably do that too diva.

She ends up bonded to Yuriel. My love <3. A soldier angel who doesn't love his role, wants to quietly and efficiently do his missions with as little killing as possible. He's a softie with a soft heart but also an EXTREME badass. Like when this dude is on the field I was like YES GO YURIELLLLLLLLLL. We get chapters from his POV but also flashback chapters to when he first became an angel/how he came to be, the choices for his path he had to make and who influenced his choices for him to lead up to where he is now.

The main drama of this book is that humans can be turned into hybrid demons, not just of one of the sin lines but of multiple, which creates a problem when they are extremely deadly and hard to kill. The latest victim? Aurelie's father. So that's what spurs her on to find out as much as she can and to find a cure, which is how she ends up crossing paths with Severin (my other love <3). A demon who offers her a bargain: bond with him too and he will help her with the cure he's almost perfected. But can he be trusted?

And that's how she ends up bonded to an angel and a demon. She can not only tap into their magic but also feel through the bond also (emotions, physical pain, etc). This created such an interesting dynamic between the three of them which I very much enjoyed.

If you're going into this book you should keep in mind it leans into being an epic fantasy in world building and pacing with the romantic aspects threaded in but does not take centre stage. I'd compare the pacing of this to Mistborn and Assassin's Apprentice in terms of how it gets going, how information is told to you and dripped in throughout the story and you've very much got to sit with it and see how things unravel. The pay off is great because the ending fight sequence was an absolute wild rollercoaster that I didn't want to get off.

The tension between Aurelie, Yuriel and Severin was delicious. Especially as Yuriel represents everything Aurelie has grown up with (rules and restrictions) while Severin allowed her to lean into her impulses, experience things she's always denied herself. I enjoyed both the MMCs and how complex they both were, it's hard to pick a team if we want to do that but I may be team Yuriel because I just love his kind of sad hot boy energy. My only qualm with the dynamic was that I felt both Yuriel and Severin had quite strong feelings about Aurelie from not too far in and I thought it felt a bit quick considering none of them had known each other very long. But that could also be the new bonds kind of amplifying their emotions?

I also liked how Severin was determined to show Aurelie that demons aren't all the bad that the kingdom and angels insist on saying. They want to live relatively normal lives without war and it's only certain groups that have an interest in fighting the kingdoms. I do want even more backstory of demons/humans/angels. I loved learning about the history and the politics in the human kingdoms as well as the angel kingdom (aka heaven or The Sanctuary in this book).

There's some scenes in this where Aurelie made me want to throw my book across the room. Like queen, come on now, think this through! Make better decisions. But you know what at the same time I could understand that to save someone I loved I would do everything I could, I would hold on to hope for as long as I could and I would not want to hear otherwise.

Another POV we get in the book is the king's daughter Ilaria who Aurelie grew up with. And at first I enjoyed the addition of her POV but as the book went on I felt like we needed more backstory especially for her romantic storyline. I felt a disconnect in terms of how we got to the point we were at without seeing in detail how that relationship unfolded.

The ending. WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed the twists that kept coming and also gave me SO many questions for the next book. I think it will be so incredibly juicy to unravel and I can't wait to see where Adalyn Grace takes this series!

[Elizabeth]

I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while , how am I supposed to move on ??. Easily a 6 star read with the most amazing world building and characters you want to slap and cheer for !! Aurelie is this crazy awesome knight who I just adore and I do not envy the choices she has to make. Surrounded by two very sexy guys , one demon .. one angel. I normally have very strong leanings towards the bad guys , but my angel , Yuriel , gave some strong vibes I was having a hard time saying no to. Severin is everything fun and wicked I love in my demon boys. Who knew the dynamic that would get me was grumpy angel and sunshine demon !!! Totally here for it !! Oh yah and there is a kingdom in peril and her dad got changed into a demon and she has to save him. Honestly this whole plot was riveting and I loved the story as it unfurled. That ending ended me. I’m gonna cry having to wait for book two and will just console myself by buying all the special editions.

This book has:
Multiple POV
Angles & Demons
Enemies to reluctant allies
Forbidden Love
Forced Proximity
Hidden Identity
Political Intrigue
Magical warriors
Found family

[Youssra {very busy-review slumping}]

so sat for this release.

[Laurens.Little.Library]

4.25 or 4.5. Undecided.

Ooooo ya’ll are going to eat this up!

[zara]

Let me start this by saying that my review is in no way a shade or pointless diss towards the author, and I'm not requesting to read this book with the sole intention of dunking on it. I've loved the author's previous series to pieces, and I can confidently say it's one of my favorite romantasy series. I was very fond of her writing and how she wrote the characters, so when I heard she's coming out with an adult romantasy book, I was beyond excited. I loved books with angels and demons, and the blurring line between black and white, and I have a thing for a "pure" being having doubts about the entity they're serving.

As you can expect, with expectations that high, I went into this book with the hopes of getting a strong fantastical world supported by a cast of nuanced characters with room to grow, romance that's addictive and builds up perfectly within the story, and writing that is on par with its adult fantasy peers. Unfortunately, I wasn't getting that in this book, which bummed me so much while reading it.

My main issue with the book is the fact that it was adamantly marketed as Adult Fantasy with a romance subplot, but the truth of what I'm reading is that the romance between Aurelie and Severin was what drives the plot forward, and it felt like whatever is going on in the background is just that. A background for them. And that would've been fine had these two characters been written well. Aurelie may be the most inconsequential female main character I've read in a while. Honestly, you could've written her out of the story, and nothing would've changed, and I would argue that it would make the story so much better. We were given a premise for her: this strong, smart, savvy 23-year-old who's highly trained in combat to be able to bond with an angel to eradicate demons from earth. But nothing we see in the story suggests Aurelie embodies any of those traits. Instead, what we got was a naively incompetent, blind fool who couldn't even do what was tasked and has the survival instinct of a wet rat. She, who is supposed to be smart, blindly trusted a demon who gave her nothing of worth to save her father and, in turn, save the human race. Somehow, she became entangled with the demons and believes anything they tell her, and that she's serving a pointless cause, and of course, she believes them because she's horny and the plot demands it. It's absolutely baffling and grating to see her think this way and choose the most reckless course of action that kept endangering everyone around her.

I'm not afraid to say this, but the amount of lusting and sex scenes in this book makes the book seem like it was written to fulfill some sort of corruption kink or fantasy and poorly hiding it in a fantastical plot with angels and demons, and it grinds me to no end. There was so much potential for the plot to explore the bounds of morality and questioning higher beings, which is a type of story I tend to gravitate towards. Instead of that aspect being explored more, it was taking a backseat to the obvious lustful story with Aurelie and Severin. And I'm not above saying that Severin would've been a better character had it not been for his proximity to Aurelie.

Now, am I saying that this book is entirely irredeemable? No! I genuinely believe that the story would've been told so much better had it been from the main point of view of Yuriel, an angel who is sent to earth to be bound to Aurelie, where he was brushed to the side to serve as more of a backstory for some of the things that's happening and to be the one person who is questioning his place and his duties. I think that it's precisely because of that that he would make a better main character than Aurelie, because he's in the perfect position to question the order that he has pledged his life to and to explore the bounds of his morality and desires. Severin, being the antagonist that he has a connection to from the past, and a romantic plotline from there would make the perfect villainous love-interest story that so many people crave. There are so many missed opportunities in this story that, unfortunately, were being passed off.

Overall, I think this book is a hot mess and has some of the worst writing when it comes to the characters and who the author decided the focus falls on, but Yuriel and some of the other side characters made this book somewhat readable, even for a short while, and it infuriated me that they deserve more focus but are not getting the flowers they deserve.

[Sue Bush]

OH BOOK 2 IS GONNA EAT SO HARD

That's honestly my biggest takeaway.

Around the 20% mark, I had one of those "wait... what if..." theories, and thankfully I have friends who are very good at convincing me (gaslighting me) I'm completely delusional. Turns out...

Maybe I should trust myself more.

That said, even though I guessed one of the bigger reveals early, this book still had plenty of surprises waiting for me, and those last 25%? I absolutely flew through them.

The premise alone sold me:

A knight destined to bond with an angel to protect her kingdom ends up forging a second, forbidden bond with a demon—the very creatures she's spent her entire life hunting.

And if you know me...

I am an absolute sucker for magical bonds.

Characters feeling each other's emotions? Sharing pain? Their thoughts bleeding into one another? Sign me up every single time.

The fact that Aurelie has two soulbonds—one angel, one demon—with two men on opposite sides of a centuries-long war made the tension so much fun. I genuinely loved both MMCs for completely different reasons, and I'm already excited to dig much deeper into both of them in Book 2.

One thing I thought this book handled particularly well was its exploration of religion, duty, and guilt.

It asks some really interesting questions about faith, obedience, inherited beliefs, and what happens when everything you've devoted your life to starts unraveling. None of it felt heavy-handed, but it added so much depth to what could've otherwise been a more straightforward romantasy.

The world itself was another highlight.

Between the gothic churches, medieval castles, hidden sanctuaries, and the glimpses we get of both angelic and demonic realms, everything felt incredibly atmospheric. I'm especially excited to see more of the angel and demon lore because it feels like we've only scratched the surface.

I will say this is definitely a slower build.

The first part of the book spends a lot of time establishing the world, the magic, and the relationships, so it took me a little while to fully connect with Aurelie and settle into the story. If you're expecting nonstop action from page one, this probably won't be your favorite pacing.

But...

Once everything starts clicking into place?

I couldn't stop reading.

There were also a few smaller plot points that felt like they disappeared for a while, and I found myself wondering if I'd missed something. My guess is that many of those threads are being intentionally saved for Book 2, but they did occasionally pull me out of the story.

Overall, though, this was a really interesting romantasy that blended angels, demons, political intrigue, and morally gray characters into something that felt fresh n fun. The love triangle actually worked for me, the emotional tension was fantastic, and that ending left me desperate for the sequel.

Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for Book 2 because I have approximately one million questions.

4-4.25 stars!

[Christiana Joy]

My opinion on this may change, but yeesh. That second star is for Yuriel, he’s the only one whose side I’m on.

First of all, this is Romantasy, pure, unadulterated, stereotypical Romantasy. I may have enjoyed this more if it had been marketed that way.

I hated the FMC, saw everything coming and still managed to be horrified by the ending. I don’t think I’ll continue the series.

[KC]

🌟 4.5 stars 🌟

Easily one of my favorite books of the year! This left me stressed, sobbing, and swooning! If you’re looking for a more epic romantasy with two drool worthy MMCs, then look no further than this!

Aurelie is destined to follow in her family’s footsteps to become a knight bound to an angel. She will help defend her kingdom against the demons plaguing them. But Aurelie must put her trust in a dangerous demon in order to save someone she loves.

Adalyn Grace has a talent for keeping me gripped from the very first pages. She brilliantly weaves world building, action, and romance. I was trying to savor this book for as long as I could but as soon as I hit the last fourth of the book, it was impossible to put down! The ending of this is diabolical so be prepared!

I absolutely love the two MMCs!! I can’t pick a favorite and keep hoping that this will turn into a why choose. They’re both so different and appeal to different sides of Aurelie. I have a feeling I know who Aurelie will end up with but I can’t help hoping!!

If this isn’t yet on your radar, definitely add this to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the advanced copy!

[Erin Dunn]

✨She bonds with an angel and a demon?! Yes, please!✨

I was HOOKED immediately from the prologue!!

Oh boy…The Wretched Divine is SO INCREDIBLE! The FMC Aurelie bonds with an angel AND a demon. Aurelie is trying to end a war between angels and demons and humans are caught in the middle… sold!!!!

This is a fast- paced read with such cool world building!!! I really love the main 3 characters who are all bonded with each other. I especially enjoyed the grumpy angel and sunshine demon dynamic! That’s a cool twist! Love, love, love Severin and Yuri! I absolutely love everything about this book. Oh and that ENDING was so good and emotional! 😭😱 A new favorite book for me!

I can’t recommend this book enough. I need book 2 ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 22, 2026 .

[Sierraaa]

2.5/5⭐️

~~~
First, i would like to thank NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Adalyn Grace for the opportunity to read and review this book early. All thoughts and opinions are my own

~~~
I wanted to love this book so badly, but unfortunately i didn’t; i simply don’t think this book was for me. It wasn’t all terrible the entire time i read it, but there was a lot i did not enjoy.

For starters, i did not like the female main character, Aurelie. This entire book was just her making one poor decision after the next, and i feel like she didn’t really reflect on those choices at all, nor did she have any growth as the novel went on. Her choices left me frustrated to the point where it often took me out of the story, because i couldn’t believe a heroine would act the way Aurelie did.

I also did not like one of the two male main characters. Severin was infuriating the entire time, and it was blatantly obvious that he didn’t care about Aurelie and was only usually her for his own gain. and I know that he’s a demon, but he was presented as a “love interest” for Aurelie, but there wasn’t any romance between them either! A little bit of attraction and lust, sure, but he treated her terribly for the entire duration of the book, and it was overall annoying to read. As the book progressed, it felt as if the story was put on the back burner, and everything just became the Severin and Aurelie show— despite her being bonded to Yuri as well! For a book that says it includes romance, there was no romance in here to me, only lust.

Yuriel, the angel who is bonded to Aurelie, was the only character i actually liked. He would almost always think before he acted, and tried to consider how his choices would impact not only Aurelie but the general population of humans too. I think his character had a lot of depth, and i actually enjoyed when his point of view would pop up. His character is the main reason that i actually pushed through to finish this book; getting his backstory sprinkled throughout the present story was great.

Overall, i’m sad that i didn’t enjoy this book, but i hope someone else will! And i’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to read and review it early.

[Dayna | daynas.bookshelf]

INFINITY STARS IM NOT EVEN KIDDING! BOOK OF THE YEAR, GIVE ADALYN GRACE HER TROPHY NOW 🏆

The Wretched Divine has completely altered my brain chemistry and is the best book I’ve read in SO LONG. As Adalyn Grace’s entrance into adult fantasy, I am absolutely floored - dare I say the best book she’s ever written!! it was everything i didn’t know i needed and then more.

The Wretched Divine takes place during an epic ongoing war between the humans & angel realm vs the demons. Aurelie is a knight who is about to kill her first demon and earn the privilege to bond with an angel, which will tie them together for the rest of their lives and strengthen her abilities to be used in the war. When bonded, both parties feel each others’ emotions, desires, and pain. When Aurelie’s father spontaneously shifts into a demon, her world is flipped upside down and her only choice to find a cure is to bond to a conniving demon. aka… ITS JUICY AS FUCK

I loooove Aurelie as our fmc. she’s badass, smart, and doesn’t make decisions that make me want to strangle her 🫣 Yuriel (angel warrior boy) IS EVERYTHING TO MEEE - he’s tortured and full of longing and his sense of justice and righteousness and oh boy i cannot wait for him to hit his breaking point. Severin (scheming demon boy) is sooo flirty and fun (but also tortured) and he definitely brings out the spice 😛 these characters are all so dimensional and SO well written. the dynamic of Aurelie’s bonds with Yuriel and Severin creates such a competitive and chaotic relationship between the three of them. THROUPLE WHEN?? ADALYN PLS GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT

The Wretched Divine questions authority, religious doctrine, and perceived truth from history written by the victors. book two is going to be absolutely devastating the way it’s set up, and i cannot wait! i hope to see more about the demons, notably the founding demons that take after the seven deadly sins, and more lore about the angels and their history.

some highlights at a glance:
- angels & demon lore
- knight fmc
- demons born of the seven deadly sins
- epic battles
- forced proximity
- protective / territorial mmc’s
- fast paced
- twists

Please note that this is NOT a romantasy, it’s firmly an adult fantasy book with minor elements of romance.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy to read and review!!

[Kelcey | felinebooktrovert ✨️]

Happy Release Day!!

I'm so sorry, but I'm so disappointed by this one.

If this wasn't Adalyn Grace, and an arc on top of that, I would have DNF'd probably around the 50% mark. But I'm at least giving this 3 stars because the writing itself is very good, very engaging, and the ending was 🔥

But I was already gambling on this because I hate love triangles. And unfortunately this only reinforced my feelings, especially because this one wasn't very convincing. She is very clearing leaning toward one of them, but some brief lust was thrown in every once in awhile for the other that never really went anywhere. So what was the point? The story would have been 10 times better if there was a clear love interest and then the other could have been a good friend/soldier. Not to mention my other issue with love triangles: the FMC. 99% of the time the FMC is absolutely not worth having multiple love interests. She was bland, hypocritical, almost ironically useless considering she's a knight, and whined a lot.

The pace at the beginning was...weird. There was no hesitation to bond with the demon, and the same when the angel got involved. Really? Your mortal enemy and all it takes is a couple sentences before you fold? So there went any possible tension there.

The spice...I'm getting tired of how spice is being done nowadays. Writers are making it a parallel plot to the actual plot. Why? It's getting in its own way. FMCs aren't able to function because they're so overcome by a man's looks. Why can't you be attracted to someone but not have it become your personality? So many things at risk but you need to stare some more at the men in your life before you get something done. SJM was the trailblazer for romantasy spice. She didn't write for the sake of writing it so she could market it that way. It served the purpose of the overall story and the FMCs weren't being brought low simply by looks and losing their very identity to it.

And the ending, though it was much more entertaining than a good portion of the book, was completely predictable. Several twists at the end and I called all of them.

TBD on if I'll continue the series 💔

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Samantha Gaudious]

I knew this was going to be 5 stars!!
Absolutely fabulous✨

First of all Aurelie is a knight, YES PLEASE ✔️
We have a bond with a BEAUTIFUL Angel ✔️
THEN we bond with a witty Demon, who is ALSO Beautiful ✔️
Stunning world building and politics ✔️

You can’t go wrong here, I got that 5 star feeling instantly! I loved everything about this book! It’s original and feels like what I have been searching for lately in a romantic fantasy.
To say my heart is absolutely SPLIT between an Angel and a Demon is an understatement, I truly don’t know who I love more… AND THATS EXACTLY HOW IT SHOULD FEEL 👏👏👏

The yearning and tension!! CHEFS KISS 💋

I am SO excited for more from this series!! I loved the Belladonna series and Adalyn Graces writing, this did not disappoint at all! If you were thinking about reading this, don’t hesitate 😘

[Helen I.]

Normally, I hate love triangles, but this is one that really had me guessing. I had no idea if Aurelie was going to end up with the demon or the angel. I knew which side I wanted her to lean towards because we all know you cannot trust a demon, but the heart wants whatever it wants and I think she learned her lesson in this one.

I did see the plot was coming from a mile away, but I still liked how the story was developed. This is another great story by Adalyn Grace. At this point in my life if she wrote the book, I’m going to read it.